Gatorade wanted a game to jazz up its website, one that tied into their TV ad featuring Vince Carter taking on a velociraptor - NBA style - in an abandoned warehouse.

Fierce Challenge is a one-on-one half-court basketball game that lets the player dribble, shoot, taunt, and steal the ball from the opponent.

Players can be either Vince Carter or the velociraptor. Both are identical in terms of their abilities in the game.

When selecting the velociraptor, however, the player is exposed to The Most Annoying Sound in the World. This is a noise my brother makes, one that seemed to me the closest thing one could find to what a real velociraptor must have sounded like. I called him up on the phone, had him make the Sound, and recorded it directly into the computer. It still makes me shudder every time I hear it. Click here if you're feeling brave.

The player can make 2- or 3-pointers, depending on where he shoots from. Accuracy decreases the farther you are from the basket. The game even includes a shot clock for added excitement.

After making a basket, both Vince and the 'raptor do a little victory dance. The NBA legal team made us remove Vince Carter's number from his jersey and his name from the selection screen, although they let us keep his name on the scoreboard. Rumor has it that Mr. Carter once inquired about putting the game on his own site, but couldn't since he did not own the rights to his own likeness.

I based the gameplay on the classic Electronic Arts game One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird. Fierce Challenge suffers from the same problems as One on One, namely frustrating controls and unpredictable opponent AI. Some things never change. Fierce Challenge has one thing over its predecessor, though: cool dinosaur scratch marks on the backboard.

Gatorade Fierce Challenge Credits

Lead Engineer: Martin Maurer for Tree-Axis Executive Producers: Mojo Unlimited Producer: Tom Jacobson Artwork: Zachary Present Most Annoying Sound in the World: David Jacobson

©2002 Tom Jacobson. All rights reserved.