Arcade Hoops Nostalgia with Wacky Flair
Sports games have not always been the hyper-realistic, serious simulation games that we see dominating the market today; sweat particles glistening on brows, meticulously captured movements, and audio design that recreates the sounds and almost the smells of a live arena sport.
But in some old sports games, you had a completely different philosophy. You might have had streakers appearing on the pitch halfway through a game. You might have been found playing a game of basketball, in which the players would have giant heads, possessing the physics-defying ability to set the hoop on fire.
NBA Bounce is a game that harks back to that era. It has all the official NBA teams on offer, but it also lets you shoot some hoops with the team’s mascot. It’s a genuine breath of fresh air to have a game that doesn’t take itself so seriously, but the big question is, does it have longevity?
NBA Bounce review 1
Line up for NBA Bounce
NBA Jam’s Successor?
NBA Jam is the game that provides a good comparison to this one, as it was the undisputed benchmark for arcade basketball in times gone by. As you load NBA Bounce up, you are presented with several modes. You can go straight into a quick game if you like, playing as any of the official NBA teams with their proper kits and badges. There is a Career mode too, which takes you through the season and into the playoffs. You also have the ability to create your own tournaments to play through, if you like that kind of thing.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is a Party mode. This throws in all sorts of chaotic tricks and modifiers, such as the ball becoming a living, sentient thing that will suddenly decide to do its own thing, or a hoop randomly transforming into a toilet lid.
Fast-Paced Hoops
The basketball offered in this game is a fast-paced, 3-vs-3 affair. You can do all the normal things you’d expect: you can pass the ball to teammates, you can try to steal the ball when the opposition has it in their possession, and, of course, you can jump to block shots. Running with the ball is simple, and shooting uses a timing-based gauge meter, asking you to hit the sweet spot for the perfect basket. Then there are the showier, more arcade-style moves, like the thunderous Slam Dunk and the high-flying alley-oop with a partner in your team, both of which are satisfying to pull off.
What I initially liked about this way of playing is how wonderfully simple it is, especially after learning and trying to execute the complex, button-heavy moves from something like the NBA 2K series. It’s a game you can pick up and understand in minutes. However, after playing quite a few games, you soon realise that the very complexity you find in those simulation games is what gives them a different dynamic and makes each and every match feel unique. By contrast, these games in NBA Bounce tend to feel a bit samey after a while. It does feel that after you’ve completed a season or two, there’s a question of whether it’s worth taking in another game.
NBA Bounce review 2
Taking to the court
Lack of Online Multiplayer
I think where this game’s real strength lies is in its local multiplayer and that aforementioned Party mode. It’s a fantastic game for kids, with its easy pick-up-and-play ability and its not-too-complex gameplay. It has a great sense of humour about itself, and I can also easily see a group of adults having a lot of fun with it after a few drinks on a Saturday night, yelling at the screen as a toilet lid denies them a winning basket.
It’s a genuine shame, though, that there isn’t an online multiplayer mode, or any online leaderboards to compete on. I can understand the budget restraints on games like this, as implementing stable netcode is a huge undertaking. However, I truly think this game would have done very well online, especially if it had been attached to a service like Xbox Game Pass, where it could have found a large, ready-made audience.
Cartoon Style and Custom Creations
The visuals of NBA Bounce are decent and colourful throughout. I liked how the developers made it all very kid-friendly with cartoon-type players. Where it becomes really fun, visually, is when the mascots come into play in the Party mode; it’s hard not to smile when you see a giant furry creature sink a three-pointer. The effects in Party mode are clearly where the developers were having a lot of fun, and it really shows on the screen.
This is not a realistic-looking game like other sports sim titles, but it’s not trying to be. Having an old-school, arcade-style game like this in the Xbox library can only be a good thing, as it offers a different flavour of sporting fun. There is also a lot of customisable gear to collect and unlock as you play through, a feature some gamers will absolutely love. The collection of items is varied and fun, and editing your players is all here as well. It will be interesting to see some of the wild player creations that emerge from the community.
Audio-wise, it hasn’t got any of the licensed, modern music you’d find in a normal, big-budget sports game, which is completely understandable given the likely budget restrictions. But it does have all the essential sounds: the roar of the crowd, the satisfying squeaks of trainers on the court, the horns, and the iconic swish of the net.
NBA Bounce review 3
Not quite a slam dunk
A Fun Local Game That Needs an Online Hoop
Basketball is a game that is always fun to watch and great to play. It’s fast, furious, and an end-to-end spectacle. I love playing the NBA 2K series with its deep realism, in-depth gameplay, and progressive storylines. But having an arcade-style, more fun basketball game is something that has been missing for a while.
Yes, playing NBA Bounce alone does get a bit boring after a while, as the game becomes a tad samey. But it’s in playing with others on the same couch where this can properly shine, and, of course, in its wonderfully wacky Party mode. It’s just a terrible shame that this isn’t a fully-fledged online multiplayer mode that you can play with strangers, as that one feature would have given NBA Bounce a much longer life.
Important Links
Slam-Dunk Your Game Nights with NBA BOUNCE – https://www.thexboxhub.com/slam-dunk-your-game-nights-with-nba-bounce/
NBA Bounce Shoots for a September Release on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/nba-bounce-shoots-for-a-september-release-on-xbox-playstation-switch-and-pc/
Buy NBA Bounce from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/nba-bounce/9MVZTH17V753/0010