[CujoMatty]

I stumbled onto this game while visiting NLSC website. Andrew from there highly recommended it and It had great user reviews as well. Figured for $10 why not??

It is a really great retro game. Think Double Dribble with smart minigames and some modern game mechanics(shot meter).

Things I like:

The soundtrack. It's very 8-bit catchy goodness.

The graphics. This is some of the best 8-bit pixel art iv'e seen in a game. The little overlays when you hit a three make me smile. The TNT halftime panel with no faces. It's all just very cleverly done.

Simple gameplay. The rub with simple gameplay and three button control is that simplicity and boredom can go hand in hand. So its great when a game is easy to pick up and play but a lot of times that translates into shallow gameplay. Although there is obviously not anywhere near the depth of a modern sports game, this one has enough that I keep wanting to keep coming back for more.

Decent modes. You can tell the developer is really attempting to add serious substance and what is here now is a great step. There is exhibition, story and season. I think there is alot that can be expanded in these modes but from everything iv'e seen it seems like the developer is very active in the super small community and has a genuine desire to make the game as deep as possible.

Rosters. I commend them for making so many different years for rosters and the amount of player likenesses is very impressive. They are walking a fine line it seems but they probably aren't on anyone's radar yet.

What I don't like or am not sure of yet:

The plays. I commend them for the effort and attempt at depth but i'm not sure the plays add anything and they are just kinda weird. If you pick a play you warp to the starting point and its extremely jarring. Once the play starts the player has this ghost effect that also isn't very appealing on the eyes. It's a run and gun game. Defense is not really existent so i'm not sure why its even necessary to call plays.

The difficulty. I am finding even the hardest level too easy. I'm hoping it's something they look into.

A game like this really needs an in game roster editor. You can mod the game very easily but it's one of those things that need to be added if they want to appeal to more people.

The rosters. Its a positive and negative. I sure wish they had all teams in the rosters. It's only 16 as of now.


Here are some gameplay vids. The game comes with a bunch of player likeness teams but no license. I have edited team and player names and made some Raptors courts. Thanks to R4ZOR for the modding tutorials.