Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City
North American SNES box art featuring Michael Jordan
Developer(s)	Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)	NA: Electronic Arts EU: Ocean Software
Producer(s)	Jim Rushing
Designer(s)	Amy Hennig
Programmer(s)	David O'Connor Chuck Sommerville Simon Freeman Lisa Ching
Composer(s)	David Whittaker Murray Allen Marc Farley Don Veca
Platform(s)	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	NA: November 1994 EU: 1995
Genre(s)	Action, platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City is a platform video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America in November 1994 and in Europe by Ocean Software in 1995. A Sega Genesis version was planned but never released.

Gameplay

The game played much like other side-scrolling platform games of its time, collecting keys and defeating enemies with a variety of different techniques. The player controls Michael Jordan on a quest to save the rest of the players for an All-Star charity game, who have all been kidnapped. The player attacks enemies using different basketballs, each with its own ability; for example, the freeze ball can freeze the ground and create a slippery surface, the bomb ball makes a large explosion, and so on. The player must find keys throughout the game to unlock different doors and rescue teammates. Michael can also slam dunk for a secondary attack. This is also used to activate power-up baskets and various checkpoints along the way.

Plot

A little before the Scottie Pippen charity game, Michael Jordan's teammates are abducted by mad scientist Maximus Cranium. The protagonist must save them before it is too late.

Development

This was Amy Hennig's first game as a designer; she would later be best known for working on video games at Naughty Dog.

Reception

GamePro gave the game a positive review. While they acknowledged that the blatant product placement is annoying, and criticized the controls as extremely difficult, they gave the game a positive recommendation based on its varied gameplay and "intense, complex levels". Nintendo Power commented on the game stating that "Michael has some cool moves" and noted the game's "good graphics" and that the "play control seems loose at times" and that it had "generic platform game enemies with simple AI". A reviewer for Next Generation gave it two out of five stars; although commending its concept, the magazine was critical to its backgrounds as "redundant" and that the mazes are "repetitious". Super Play gave the game an overall score of 83/100, praising the game for having many levels and sub levels despite noting its bizarre plot.

In September 1997, Nintendo Power had 12 staff members vote for the ten worst games of all time, with Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City placed at seventh worst. The article said the game was not too poor, but was a waste of a license.

See also

• Shaq Fu
• Barkley Shut Up and Jam!
• Slam City with Scottie Pippen

External links

• Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City at MobyGames