Games Database
GBA
Sport: Basketball
| Viewed: | 2D Side-on, Scrolling | Genre: | Sport: Basketball |
| Arcade origin: | No | ||
| Developer: | Konami | Soft. Co.: | Disney Interactive |
| Publishers: | Konami
(GB) |
Released: | 8 Aug 2003
(GB) |
| Ratings: | 3+ | ||
| Connectivity: | GC/GBA Link Cable | ||
Summary
Fact. There are very few basketball games available for Game Boy Advance, despite the console having a huge installed userbase. So when one does come along, it’s refreshing. In this case it’s time to look at the Konami/Disney collaboration, Disney Sports Basketball.
First and foremost, the Disney brand is what will attract younger audiences to these sports games and the Basketball incarnation comes with a complete cast of well-known Disney faces including Mickey, Goofy and Donald Duck, all of which make for a bright, colourful and fun game.
But it’s still a Basketball game, and if it doesn’t play well, it’s not a good game. Thankfully this is not an issue for Disney Sports Basketball. In fact it’s the game’s simplicity and lack of controls that is its greatest strength. The GBA’s d-pad controls movement, and there are buttons for passes and shots. They're the basics, but it’s all you need for a competitive game of basketball. Other gameplay elements include several dozen performance-boosting magic items and exaggerated moves a la NBA Jam.
There are a total of six game modes that include tournaments and 4-player multi-player games, and there is a series a mini-games to tinker with too.
Visually speaking, the Disney Sports Basketball for GBA naturally isn’t as vibrant or advanced as its GameCube counterpart. But that’s okay, because it’s actually very much like the old school 16-bit basketball games that made the genre so popular. It’s 2D and the visuals are slightly pixelated, but it remains a thoroughly playable game.
Disney Sports Basketball offers a good dose of nostalgic pleasure for some of us, and a great mobile sports game for the rest.
First and foremost, the Disney brand is what will attract younger audiences to these sports games and the Basketball incarnation comes with a complete cast of well-known Disney faces including Mickey, Goofy and Donald Duck, all of which make for a bright, colourful and fun game.
But it’s still a Basketball game, and if it doesn’t play well, it’s not a good game. Thankfully this is not an issue for Disney Sports Basketball. In fact it’s the game’s simplicity and lack of controls that is its greatest strength. The GBA’s d-pad controls movement, and there are buttons for passes and shots. They're the basics, but it’s all you need for a competitive game of basketball. Other gameplay elements include several dozen performance-boosting magic items and exaggerated moves a la NBA Jam.
There are a total of six game modes that include tournaments and 4-player multi-player games, and there is a series a mini-games to tinker with too.
Visually speaking, the Disney Sports Basketball for GBA naturally isn’t as vibrant or advanced as its GameCube counterpart. But that’s okay, because it’s actually very much like the old school 16-bit basketball games that made the genre so popular. It’s 2D and the visuals are slightly pixelated, but it remains a thoroughly playable game.
Disney Sports Basketball offers a good dose of nostalgic pleasure for some of us, and a great mobile sports game for the rest.
