As one of the world’s most popular spectator sports it’s no wonder that there is a whole lot of merchandise surrounding basketball. As well as getting their hands on this and the same kinds of basketballs that the stars play with, fans also want to enjoy some of the thrills of playing the game too.
Unfortunately very few of us manage to make it to 6’ 7” or more with lightning reflexes and super speed so we have to make do with playing video games instead. But the good news is that there have always been plenty to choose from through the years and some have been nearly as exciting as the real thing.
In the beginning
To start at the very beginning the very first hoops video game came out an unbelievable 39 years ago in 1978. Called just “Basketball” and developed for the Atari games console. Back in those days the best that could be achieved was simple one on one action but, nevertheless, we had to start somewhere.
For many, basketball video games first started to come into their own in 1993 with the arrival of NBA Jam. While still a long way from being realistic, at least teams were starting to take each other on. Having said this, players were able to achieve impossible moves and achieving stunts mid-flight.
The best ever?
There followed a series of variants on NBA Jam, each more sophisticated than the last but to get to what many believe has been the most significant basketball game of all time we have to leap forward to NBA 2K11. This was the first to feature perhaps the world’s richest sports star, and certainly basketball’s most famous name, Michael Jordan. It not only let players recreate some of his most famous moves it also had the best commentary ever.
While the most recent version of the game – NBA 2K17 – is an obvious development and evolution from NBA 2K17 it really can only exist because of the versions that have come before it. So for many reviewers it goes down as being a good game but not a truly great one.
The reel thing
Basketball makes an appearance in all sorts of online realms, including slot games. Basketbull combines lots of aspects of the game with the chance to win big money prizes. There are plenty of hoop-related features and bonuses in the game and there’s even an Auto play control to make playing even easier.
So all these are surely enough for even the keenest fans to see them through the closed season and give them their daily basketball fix. Now it’s just a question of saving up for all those replica kits to play them in.
Looking to the future
The game that competes with NBA 2K17 from EA Sports is NBA Live 16. Generally reviewers have leveled the same sorts of criticisms at the game, it’s argued that its development from previous ones in the series it hasn’t moved on sufficiently in terms of action and features to truly impress. But, with the emergence of virtual reality, it could well be that both EA Sports and 2K Sports are getting ready to surprise the world with a totally immersive experience.
