It's that time again for a new episode of Chichuki Plays, the show where I go hands-on with upcoming games and show them off. Usually, it's about an hour or so but I don't want to spoil too much of the game for you. This time we're looking at Basketball Classics on the Nintendo Switch. Fans of old school NES/SNES basketball games will want to check this one out.
Let me start out by saying the music in Basketball Classics is great. From the title theme to the halftime show theme, the game has some real bangers. The game has three gameplay modes to pick from. You can select from Quick play, Story mode, or Season mode. Play the Story mode or the Season mode! I was not expecting the Story mode to be like Mega Man, What I mean by that is when you beat a team, you recruit the best player. Similar to getting the robot master's power after you beat them. I really enjoyed seeing some classic NBA players that I knew because I grew up with the NBA in the late 80s/early 90s. My Dad and I would watch the NBA on NBC all the time and loved it. It was a different time, and the NBA was a much better product, but I digress.
Gameplay is pretty interesting when you get down to it. You can run plays for your offense by running down either the top, middle, or bottom part of the court. Depending on the play, you will be rushed into a half-court offensive set. \Just like the NBA now, playing defense is pretty worthless. UNLESS you master the art of the steal. Stealing is like NBA Jam where you reach into the player with the ball and pray you strip it. Then if you can, try to make everything into a fast break. If you beat the defense to the paint, you'll have a good shot at dunking the basketball. If you don't and it's a contested dunk, you have a limited number of moves to beat the defense. As long as you don't end up on the same plane as the defender, you'll ace your dunk. If you don't end up lined up, they'll block your attempt. When you first start, shooting feels like an ordeal but it's very simple. If you shoot at the top of your jump, you'll have a pretty good chance at making said shot. Add in how close a defender is and if your current player is a good shot or not. Players have different icons like a 3 means they shoot three pointers well. Master this and switching players and you'll win!
There is a season mode as well. You can pick certain years to play with. Being a Jersey guy, I had to find the NJ Nets and play with them. I grew up a Bulls fan in the 90s but still cared about the hometown Nets. I really like the idea of being able to play on different courts in the game as well. That being said, they were a little hard on the eyes.
Make sure you check out the hands-on video below!