Nintendo Entertainment System
Released in 1987 by Konami
Grade: D
This game might take place on what looks like a basketball court, and it might have guys in tank tops tossing a ball in what looks like a basketball hoop, but other than that, it’s nothing like actual basketball.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the only installment on NES, and it’s followed by Double Dribble: Playoff Edition on Sega Genesis.
Praises and gripes
Where do I even start with this one? The action is awfully limited given its lack of graceful animations and basketball-like flow.
The players run in straight lines, never changing speed, and they don’t move around the court to recreate basketball action at all. In fact, two of your five players never cross the half-court line, so every possession is a 3-on-3 flurry happening at light speed. Ballhandlers lose the ball anytime they make contact, forcing extremely quick passing as you try to generate an open shot or scoring chance near the basket.
The flickering graphics are a constant eyesore, and there’s wacky collision detection, making the ultra-fast action a pain to handle. If you play against the CPU, you better choose the easiest of three difficulty levels, because they start locking down in the second half, stealing almost any pass like it’s a chemical reaction.
This is a rare NES sports game without music during gameplay, subjecting your ears to a constant “Glonk-glonk-glonk-glonk-glonk!” as the ball bounces off the floor. I suppose the one charming thing about this game is the close-up cutscenes of slam dunks that seem to exist on another planet, although it sure isn’t too cute when your guy misses his wide open dunk!
To be fair, I’ve always said that basketball is the hardest sport to recreate in video game form, especially on earlier consoles that can’t handle the graphics, physics, and controls needed to make basketball come alive on screen. That said, I’m pretty surprised this game gets any nostalgia-induced love years later.
Teams
Double Dribble has just four teams, although you can only choose from three of them when playing against the CPU, who always chooses Boston.
- Boston – green
- New York – white
- Los Angeles – blue
- Chicago – red
Published November 8, 2025