Published by the newly revived Acclaim, Basketball Classics is a pick-up-and-play homage to classic 8-bit sports titles, particularly Double Dribble. This is a solid example of a new, retro game done right and anyone over the age of 40 will certainly appreciate.
The obvious stand-out feature is the purposely pixelated retro visual style. The fluid, rotoscoped spites look great in motion even though the giant court makes them feel tiny in comparison. This is because Basketball Classics is a true 5-on-5 competition. Double Dribble, in comparison, was technically 5-on-5 but only three players from each team were visible on the court at any given time because the NES couldn’t handle all that movement. This made the court feel more inline with the size of each sprite. Here, the characters look small but it works well and everything remains expressive. Further, there are also a few different court types, each with their own distinct look, a feature that is appreciated.
The size of the court and players also have a secondary function. As players inbound the ball, dribbling on the upper, middle, or lower portion of the screen calls a certain type of play. This is an interesting and thoughtful design choice because it keeps the experience uncomplicated from the three-button control scheme. One button passes, another passes, and another switches character control. The same goes for defense only swap pass and shoot with block and steal. Anyone of any skill level can simply pick up a control and enjoy.
Despite the simple controls, there is plenty of nuance and depth to the gameplay. Shooting, for example, displays a real time meter to indicate success according to jump height and if defenders are nearby. This system is actually pretty awesome but is eclipsed by the creative rock-paper-scissors dunk feature. When dunking the player, the player can tap the d-pad a set number of times to perform a cool jam but also distract the defender. The defender can also tap the d-pad in an attempt to block the dunk by aligning his position with the dunker. This means each slam or block is overly satisfying because nothing is given. Plus, it looks cool and comical, a friendly callback to the silver cutscenes in Double Dribble.
The presentation values are top notch. The first time I booted it up and jumped into a simple Exhibition match, I was impressed with the dozen teams available… but then I realized there were left and right arrows. When shuffling through, there are tons of teams extended over decades of play. Further, if you look hard enough, the stats, teams, and player sprites from each team for that specific year somewhat mimics what happened in that real life year of the NBA. There is no official NBA license involved with this game but the winking nod pointed in your general direction is something fans will undoubtedly admire. For example, look closely at the Chicago team in the 90s and you can see the creative references.
The high production values don’t stop at the teams and players either. The entire game, front to back, never strays from its not-quite-sim-but-not-full-arcadey approach. From the animated title screen, the soundtrack, and even the different half-time shows, this retro basketball experience never ceases to impress. It is always a visual spectacle that literally put a smile on my face. There is also a Story mode, a Season mode, quick play exhibition matches, and there a robust roster editor if you really want to take the time to build a custom dream team. In other words, there is a lot of game designed into this unexpectedly big package. Of course, local multiplayer is an option too.
I don’t have many negative things to say about Basketball Classic but did encounter some questionable annoyances. However, I am playing this game pre-release so there is always a chance that things can be patched in the future. For example, sometimes the ref would call some type of random penalty when nothing was happening; at least, I have no idea why we are suddenly inbounding the ball on the other side of the court. The playcalling from the top of the UI can also be confusing because it appears/disappears so quickly and it is a little weird that there is no detailed free throw system in place. Also, I am not complaining with this, but I had Achievements pop for no reason. For example, the “score 40 points” and make a bunch of steals Achievements popped when I only had about a dozen points and maybe a couple steals. So not exactly sure what is happening there but there are over 80 Achievements to unlock, most are based on performing well against specific difficulties.
Simply put, I am glad Basketball Classics exists because we have not had a sports game like this in a long, long time. NBA Jam. Double Dribble. Hoops, Bastketbrawl. Arch Rivals. If you played any of these games when you were a kid, then you owe it to yourself to check out Basketball Classics. It is a contemporary, sweaty, retro-style half-sim half-arcade basketball game built with care, emphasizing gameplay and presentation. Now if only we can get a new Blades of Steel/Ice Hockey game made with this same kind of effort…
SCORE: 8.5/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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