Sometimes a game comes around that (on paper, at least) sounds like it’s going to be exactly your thing. For me, NBA Bounce was that game. Licensed NBA basketball, but with whimsy and a focus on fun rather than technical accuracy. That’s the dream, for me at least.
However, NBA Bounce didn’t live up to its potential, and now I’m left disappointed, seeing the shadow of a game that just doesn’t exist.
What is NBA Bounce?
Here’s what NBA Bounce is: a full-priced game with very basic basketball game with very simple controls. The main gameplay is 3v3, and you can play in a variety of team uniforms (no licensed players). The game supports local multiplayer, but not online multiplayer. It’s firmly aimed at younger children, though I question whether NBA Bounce has enough features and variety to keep a child engaged for long.
Like NBA Jam, it’s all about cartoony, larger than life basketball. Party Mode can change the rules to make the ball a bit weird sometimes or give extra points for time left on the shot clock, etc. Unlike NBA Jam, there is no challenge or true variety. There are only a few different moves you can do (pass, steal, shoot, block), and those moves can be modified slightly (to be dunks or alley-oops, for example), however there is no deeper complexity you can strive for and the number of animations is pretty limited, so it starts to look very repetitive after a while. The games are 3 on 3 on a smaller court, with the shot clock at 12 seconds by default and the quarters set to 90 seconds, so it’s fast paced and over quickly.
It’s arcade-style, and the potential for something great is there.
The mode that had me most excited to play NBA Bounce was Mascot Mayhem, where you get to play as the official NBA Team mascots, which sounds like delightful chaos. Seeing the LA Clippers Condor dunk on the strange LA Lakers mascot (or super fan) invented for the game could be a hoot.
However, the only way to unlock the mascots is to play as each team individually to unlock their mascot, and then play basically the same game again, but wearing the skin of a different creature. It’s going to take a particularly dedicated person to have the patience to play effectively the same game over and over and over again to get to play the slightly funner things.
There is commentary, however its bad. Very bad. They recorded 20 or so non-specific lines and they play seemingly at random. I was 30 points up and told that it was a close one, and anyone’s game (there was 20 seconds left in the game). I started a game and immediately told that the home team is going to have the pull out some big plays to catch up, yet the score was still 0-0.
What’s good?
OK, now that I’ve gotten the complaining out of the way, there are some things to like about NBA Bounce.
I love that it’s couch co-op/multiplayer. There aren’t enough games that you can just all play together on the couch anymore, with anyone able to jump in and succeed no matter their skill level. I can see it being a good blank canvas for a good night.
There are no in-game purchases. That’s rare for an NBA game. Everything takes a long time to unlock through gameplay, but at no point does the game try to demand more money because they’ve locked the fun behind a paywall.
While some games are just inherently fun or interesting, some are merely venues for you to make your own fun with the right group of people. NBA Bounce falls in the latter category. By itself, or by yourself, it just kinda sucks, like an empty room with some boxes in the corner. It only becomes good if you and your friends/family decide it should be so.
I like that there are many customisation options for the players, you can definitely have some fun with it, particularly if you unlock a lot of the cosmetics. I just wish that the fun characters (the mascots, the reason why most people will go for this game) were already unlocked rather than making the player spend 1000 years unlocking them all so the fun can begin.
Having the controls be so basic and yet the animations be so over the top is a nice combo that some people might enjoy. It doesn’t take much to dunk on someone and the opportunities for ally oops are as plentiful as they were during the Lob City era.
Should I Buy NBA Bounce Immediately?
Absolutely not. I cannot believe there’s a universe in which they thought people would pay $89 for this game. At most it should be $20, but I’m guessing the NBA licensing was very expensive. If you wait a little while, I’m willing to bet it’ll be 75% and then 90% off. If NBA Bounce is still full price by Christmas, I’ll say something nice about the Lakers, that is how confident I am that this price only exists to be discounted.
As for whether the game itself is worth buying at even a heavily reduced price, that’s up to you. I think it could be fun to play with either small children or very drunk people. You could make a game out of taking a shot every time the commentary repeats itself (or maybe a sip, so you don’t die of alcohol poisoning before half time).
This is a game that wants to be NBA Jam when it grows up. Most people who buy it probably also want it to be NBA Jam. It is not NBA Jam. It’s not inherently bad, it’s just not good, either. It’s the first draft of something that could be good with a few more iterations and variations to gameplay.
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