******************************************************************************* White Men Can't Jump for Atari Jaguar FAQ/Move List by BHodges Version 1.0 Created 05/03/09 This document Copyright 2009 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Getting Started A. VS Mode B. Tournament C. Resume Game D. Options E. Joypad III. Basic Gameplay A. Controls B. Rules C. Super Dunks D. Attributes E. Basic Strategies IV. Vs. Mode V. Tournament Mode A. Object B. Street Games C. Slam City Tournament VI. Teams VII. Game Review VIII. Version History IX. Contact Information ******************************************************************************* I. Introduction This is a FAQ for the Atari Jaguar game White Men Can't Jump. It contains a list of controls, gameplay strategies, a complete list of Super Dunks and a mini-review. ******************************************************************************* II. Getting Started ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. VS Mode Allows you to play a single game of basketball with 1 -4 players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Tournament Allows you to begin a game in Tournament Mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Resume Game This allows you to resume Tournament mode from where you left off. You can have up to three different saves at any time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D. Options Allows you to change various game settings. ............................................................................... Scoring Standard Score means that field goals are worth two points and shots from behind the three point arc are worth three. Street Scoring means that field goals are worth one point and shots beyond the arc worth two. ............................................................................... Time/Score Can choose to have no time limit or games of 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Score can be set so that the game ends when one team scores 11, 15, or 21 points. ............................................................................... Possession Standard Play means that after a team scores, the other team gets the ball. In Make It/Take It, the scoring team retains possession. ............................................................................... Messages You can choose to turn the in-game messages on or off. ............................................................................... Player Arrows You can choose if you want the player arrows to always be on or to have them disappear after a few seconds. ............................................................................... Change on Falls If this is on, you will automatically switch to control of the other player whenever you get knocked down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E. Joypad Selecting this option allows you to change the button configuration on the joypad. ******************************************************************************* III. Basic Gameplay ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Controls Note: You can reconfigure the buttons anyway you like on the Configure Joypad screen. Offense A Button Tap to fake a pass, Hold to pass B Button Hold to jump and release to shoot the ball C Button Speed Boost / Tap twice to switch players.\ Pause Pause the game Defense A Button Punch B Button Jump C Button Speed Boost / Tap twice to switch players Pause Pause the game ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Rules ............................................................................... Fouls No blood no foul! And since this game is rated KA Kids to Adults (aka E for Everyone), there is no blood and therefore no fouls! Feel free to punch your opponent as often as you can! ............................................................................... Travelling Since you will automatically dribble the ball, the only time you will be called for travelling is when you jump with ball and land before shooting. ............................................................................... Goaltending Goaltending is called when a player interferes with a shot while the ball is in downward progress, i.e. you can only block a shot while your opponent is shooting. For example, if your opponent is shooting a three, you can't stand in front of the basket and jump up and try to catch the ball. If goaltending is called, the shot is considered to be made and the team is awarded however many points the shot was worth. ............................................................................... Clearing the Ball In half-court basketball, whenever there is a change of possession, the ball must be taken beyond the three point arc before that team is allowed to shoot. I've read several reviews where players found this confusing and had a hard time telling when they needed to clear the ball. I honestly don't see how, whenever you need to clear the ball A.) a message will appear on screen, B.) you'll hear a player on the court yell that you need to clear, and C.) an icon will appear at the top of the screen with a picture of a ball and hoop crossed out! ............................................................................... Out of Bounds There is no out of bounds, the ball will always be in play. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Super Dunks Each character is capable of five different Super Dunks (see the Team section for a complete list). The more complicated the dunk, the more difficult it is to block. You need energy to perform a Super Dunk. The higher your energy meter, the further away from the basket you'll be able to dunk. To perform a Super Dunk, simply hold down the B button and input the sequence of joypad directions. When you release, B, your character will perform the dunk. If you are having difficulty pulling off Super Dunks, make sure your character is standing still (i.e. let go of the d-pad) THEN hold down the B button and quickly input the motions, then quickly let go of the B button. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D. Attributes ............................................................................... Shooting (Sht) This determines how accurate the player is while shooting. The higher the stat, the more likely a shot will be made. ............................................................................... Energy (NRG) Energy is represented by the green meter. The meter is depleted by using the speed boost. Once the meter has been completely drained, you will not be able to use the speed boost until it has refilled some. Energy is also key to performing Super Dunks. The higher the meter, the farther from the basket you'll be able to dunk. ............................................................................... Speed (Spd) This attribute determines how fast your character moves. ............................................................................... Anger Anger is represented by the red meter. Your meter goes up whenever you punch your opponent or commit a foul (like goaltending). The higher the meter, the longer it will take you to stand after being knocked down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E. Basic Strategies - When shooting, try to release the button at the top of your jump. - Punch your opponents as often as possible! - Use your teammate to set up picks. - Make absolutely sure your teammate is open before passing the ball! ******************************************************************************* IV. Vs. Mode Vs. Mode allows you to play a single game of 4 on 4 basketball with 1 - 4 players. First you will choose which teams to play as. If you are playing against the CPU, you can press right and left on the joypad to change the computer skill level (represented by the gold stars at the top). Afterwards you choose which court you wish to play on. Using the Team Tap In order to play with three or four players, you'll need to use the Team Tap. Plug the Team Tap into port #2 on the Jaguar. Plug Player 2's controller into port A, Player 3's controller in port B, and Player 4's controller in Port C. ******************************************************************************* V. Tournament Mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Object The object of this mode is to earn enough money to enter the Slam City Tournament and then win the tournament itself. This mode can be played with one or two players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Street Games You start off by borrowing $500 from a pair of loan sharks. The goal is to bet on street games until you have raised enough money to pay the $5,000 entry fee to the tournament. You can choose from three wagers, generally the higher the wager, the tougher the opponent. Your progress will automatically be saved after each game. If you fail to raise enough money by the end of thirty games or if you lose all of your money, then the game is over and you have to answer to the loan sharks ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Slam City Tournament After you have raised the five grand, you'll automatically enter the Slam City Tournament. The "tournament" is actually just a single game against one of the other teams, winner take all. ******************************************************************************* VI. Teams NOTE: Since the attributes are displayed in-game as bar graphs, these numbers are only approximations. Special Thanks to ataritimes.com for their Super Dunks list! _____________________________________________________________________________ | Team Name | Player | Sht | NRG | Spd | Dunks | |____________________|________|_____|_____|_____|_____________________________| |3 PT. KINGS |Jules | 5 | 4 | 6 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |3 PT. KINGS |Freaky | 5 | 6 | 4 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |6TH STREET SHOOTERS |Saber | 6 | 4 | 4 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |6TH STREET SHOOTERS |Rush | 4 | 6 | 6 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |COOL CATS |O.G. | 5 | 7 | 3 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |COOL CATS |G Love | 4 | 6 | 7 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DIS MASTERS |Tower | 3 | 5 | 6 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DIS MASTERS |Eggman | 5 | 7 | 4 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DUNKIN' DEMONS |Titan | 4 | 4 | 5 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DUNKIN' DEMONS |Wisp | 3 | 6 | 4 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |URBAN ANGELS |Mace | 5 | 6 | 7 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |URBAN ANGELS |Stress | 5 | 5 | 5 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |BEACH BUMS |Dr. Ed | 5 | 4 | 4 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |BEACH BUMS |Slag | 4 | 7 | 4 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |METAL HEDZ |Gruff | 4 | 6 | 5 |DD, U, R, UD, RL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |METAL HEDZ |Scrape | 4 | 5 | 6 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |MUSCLE BOYZ |Burger | 4 | 8 | 3 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |MUSCLE BOYZ |Stomp | 5 | 7 | 3 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |PSYCHO SQUAD |Rabies | 7 | 6 | 3 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |PSYCHO SQUAD |Twitch | 3 | 6 | 6 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SCREAMIN' WHEELS |Hail | 4 | 4 | 6 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SCREAMIN' WHEELS |Goose | 3 | 6 | 7 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SLAMMERS |Skin | 3 | 6 | 6 |D, DU, UU, L, RDL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SLAMMERS |Smack | 5 | 6 | 4 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |STREET SHARKS |Grip | 6 | 4 | 5 |LU, RR, L, DU, ULD | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |STREET SHARKS |Fence | 4 | 7 | 4 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SURF CREW |Van | 5 | 4 | 6 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |SURF CREW |Rio | 4 | 8 | 5 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DIRTY RATS |Hack | 4 | 6 | 3 |LD, RD, L, DD, RUL | |--------------------|--------|-----|-----|-----|-----------------------------| |DIRTY RATS |Sully | 3 | 6 | 6 |LR, LL, R, DU, DRU | |____________________|________|_____|_____|_____|_____________________________| ******************************************************************************* VII. Game Review The Atari Jaguar's library is notorious for consisting of a high percentage of shovelware, and White Men Can't Jump is usually near the top of that list. Naturally I had low expectations when I popped the game in and began to play. White Men Can't Jump is supposedly based on the movie of the same name, but they really have nothing in common. Billy and Sidney (Woody Harelson and Wesley Snipes) are not even in the game! My theory is that Billy and Sidney WERE originally intended to be that 15th team, but licensing issues or something forced the developers to omit them. The game itself consists of two modes: a Vs. Mode which is a single game of basketball that can be played with 1-4 players and Tournament Mode, which is basically a story mode that can be played with one or two players. In Tournament Mode, the object is to use the $500 you received from two loan sharks and bet on your basketball games. You need to raise $5000 in order to enter the big basketball tournament. The tournament itself feels a bit anti-climatic, it consists of just a single game against one of the other teams (I was really hoping you would be taking on Billy and Sidney). The basketball engine works pretty well, but I have one major complaint, the main defensive move is to punch (not shove, PUNCH) your opponents. I know street ball is supposed to be rough, but this just feels wrong. The Super Dunks also seem a little too cartoony and a bit out of place. On the bright side, the programmers nailed the A.I. of your teammate! The controls in this game are surprisingly good. I've heard a lot a complaints from other gamers about how they were stiff and unresponsive, but everything works great for me. I had no trouble shooting, passing, punching, and pulling off Super Dunks at will. Let's move onto the graphics, but before we begin I need to explain my philosophy. I strongly believe that graphics are about the last thing a gamer should be concerned with. Now I know how everyone likes everything to be as hi-res and photorealistic as possible, but all I care about graphics-wise in my games is that A) you can tell what's going on and B) the framerate is smooth. Unfortunately, White Men Can't Jump fails both of these criteria miserably. The graphics are very fuzzy, it's difficult to tell who has the ball, which players are on which team, or even tell the males and females apart! The frame rate is also terrible. I can't help but feel that there was a lot of wasted potential here. If the developers had just been able to fix the graphics, flesh out the Tournament Mode, and include the main characters from the movie, this game could have been great. Instead it's merely playable. While not nearly as bad as its reputation, I still would recommend that Jaguar fans skip White Men Can't Jump and pick up NBA Jam TE instead. Pros + Up to four players can play. + Game saves your progress. + If you bought the game new it should come with a Team Tap (a $29.95 value!). Cons - The graphics are just horrible, they seem more appropriate for a first generation SNES game than 64-bit. - The game has absolutely nothing to do with the movie it's supposedly based on. - The game is very short, it took me less than an hour to finish Tournament Mode! ******************************************************************************* VIII. Version History 1.0 05/03/09 Created FAQ. ******************************************************************************* IX. Contact Information You can contact me at Bhodges080@aol.com I would appreciate hearing what you thought of this guide and any thoughts you have for improving it. Be sure to let me know if I have missed anything. ******************************************************************************* End