The history of basketball video games is a long, and mostly sad journey for gamers. New basketball video games first appeared in 1980 with the inauspicious debut of basketball on the Atari system. Here two block figures slowly loped from one side of the screen to the other in order to attempt the world’s laziest granny shot at the hoop. A gamer could only be happy when the time ran out. The game has undergone several million revisions since then and now a new breed of online basketball video games has upped the ante again.
This is a list of the best basketball video games in history:
NCAA Basketball 09. Sony Playstation 3. Renamed from its title of March Madness, EA Sports finally delivered a convincing and playable college hoops title. It may not be the best basketball video game ever but it is certainly the best of the next gen games. With accurate depictions of style, style of play, scouting reports and more for every single NCAA Division I team out there. You can also play any of 64 classic teams from MJ’s Tar Heels to Abdul Jabbar’s Bruins.
NBA 2K8. Sony Playstation 3 and XBOX 360. On either platform this is the best basketball video game produced so far. Graphics have long been solid in basketball games and this next gen offering raises the bar again with HD-like court views, very realistic player features and court reflections all adding to the enjoyment. They have also taken everyone’s favorite move–the slam dunk–and broken it into three different components to try and create the best dunk sequence either in the game or in their slam dunk competition. On of the few online basketball video games, the XBOX Live connection works well and is a fun way to mix it up with players from across the world.
NBA Street. Sony Playstation 2 (2006). This is the best basketball video game of the other variety: the street ball version without the ref, the 5 on 5 or the shiny court. The signatures in this style are crazy outfits, crazy dunks and no foul shots. One mode has you face off against legend after legend until you face MJ himself and though this title doesn’t do a whole lot on the strategy of basketball, it is a whole lot of fun if you like basketball or not.
NBA 2007 The Life. Sony Playstation 2. One of the best basketball video games because of the full experience you get as a gamer. You are the NBA player and star in this video game. Kobe Bryant is on the cover but you can pick any player and live his life on and off of the court. It is a fun, passable game on the court but there is plenty to enjoy as you groan through injuries and press conferences and relish the endorsement contracts and all significants milestones of a pro career. Since the NBA licensed this, gamers also get the 3-point shootout and the short-lived all-star feature, 21.
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