NLSC Your source for basketball video games.
We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on the sim-arcade hybrid genre of basketball video games.
When it comes to 5-on-5 basketball video games, I’d consider myself a sim gamer. Going back to playing NBA Live in the 90s, it was my desire to see the series strive for more realism. When I finally warmed up to the NBA 2K series, I was delighted at the authenticity in the games. Sure, there were a few rude shocks as I realised that I perhaps wasn’t as sim as I thought, and had to adjust to play a more realistic style of virtual basketball, but I loved that that was necessary. There have been some great sim titles in every era that I’ve enjoyed immensely.
At the same time, I’m a fan of the arcade style, too. I grew up playing NBA Jam as well as NBA Live, and I’d alternate between the two, depending on what I was in the mood for. To that point, while I’d call myself a sim gamer, I’m an arcade gamer as well, with many fond memories of playing both types of hoops titles. However, there is a style of basketball video game that I’ve tended to overlook through the years: the sim-arcade hybrid. These games have combined elements of sim and arcade titles to create their own style of gameplay that definitely has its place in the genre. As I’ve expanded my collection, I’ve come to appreciate these sim-arcade hybrid games.
First of all, I should probably clarify some definitions. I’m stricter about the term “arcade” than some of my fellow basketball gamers, as to me, it represents a specific style of gameplay. NBA Jam, NBA Street, NBA Playgrounds, and other such titles, are arcade games. They have minimal rules, exaggerated dunks, powerups as a key gameplay mechanic, and generally take a more casual approach to depicting the sport. Sim games obviously strive for realism and authenticity across the board, though they may fall short of that goal in some areas. NBA 2K and NBA Live are the obvious examples of such games, though there have been other series that aimed to be sim.
Because those definitions are based on a distinct style, I’m not a fan of describing sim titles as being “arcade” if they don’t live up to our expectations for authenticity and realism. It’s why I’ve always pushed back on the suggestion that “NBA 2K is sim, NBA Live is arcade”. All of the best NBA Live titles were aiming for realism, as were many of the weaker ones for that matter. With the exception of NBA Live 2003 – which did lean in an arcade direction in some aspects – NBA Live has always been a sim game. Likewise, the fact that NBA Playgrounds features some sim-style shooting mechanics doesn’t change the fact that it’s an arcade title. Again, it’s all in the style.
That brings us to the sim-arcade hybrid. As the name implies, it’s a hybrid of those styles, but what prevents it from falling into either of those clear, established genres? In other words, how much “sim” needs to be in the game to distinguish it from an arcade title, and how “arcade-y” must it feel to stand apart from a true sim release? There is a sliding scale here, but I’d suggest that a sim-arcade hybrid is generally grounded like a sim game, quite often being 5-on-5 and enforcing basic rules, while having the pace of an arcade game and a few exaggerated elements. Some titles lean more towards being realistic, while others take more liberties with arcade elements.
Many of Konami’s basketball games are great examples of the sim-arcade hybrid. They feature real NBA teams and 5-on-5 gameplay, and rules are in effect. The pace is quicker though, and the players aren’t realistically proportioned to the virtual hardwood. Although the dunks aren’t on par with NBA Jam’s spectacular slams, players all leap higher than they do in real life, and everyone in the game is able to dunk. It’s a far more relaxed take on the sim style, with some exaggerated elements for a more action-oriented approach to video game basketball. You’re not worrying about playcalling, substitutions, and deep strategy. It’s casual without being wacky.
NBA Give ‘N’ Go and the early NBA in the Zone games are prime examples of Konami running with a sim-arcade hybrid style. AND1 Streetball by Black Ops Entertainment is another title that I’d classify as a sim-arcade hybrid. In many ways, it plays like a sim title. Its controls resemble the NBA Live and NBA 2K games of the era in terms of depth, it includes modes with 5-on-5 gameplay with standard rules – albeit looser in some respects, befitting the AND1 Mixtape Tour – and it’s far more realistic than NBA Street. It’s aiming for an up-tempo style with high-flying action though, so the players’ leaping and dunking abilities are most definitely juiced.
It also has a powerup system, which is where the gameplay really leans towards being arcade. Performing moves that end with a basket will raise the crowd meter and earn microphones, which grant special abilities. These include activating On Fire mode, which boosts the abilities of the entire team, and the Breakdown moves, which are signature moves that can be used to score a three-point basket (from anywhere) in a halfcourt game, or a five-point basket in a full court game. While sim titles have their boosts and signature moves, these are examples of “video game mechanics” that are all about a fun twist on the sport, rather than representing basketball realistically.
The styles seen in Konami’s earlier titles and in AND1 Streetball both fall within the scope of the sim-arcade hybrid. Neither is trying too hard to be realistic, but at the same time, they’re not trying to be too over the top. It’s a potentially risky approach, as it doesn’t fully commit to the sim or arcade style. When a game doesn’t know what it wants to be, it can fail to find an audience. In the case of the sim-arcade hybrid, the lack of realism may be a turnoff for hardcore sim gamers, while the serious elements may be off-putting to more casual basketball gamers who prefer the simplicity and wackiness of titles like NBA Jam. Hoops gamers tend to fall into those categories.
And yet, sim-arcade hybrid games did prove to be reasonably popular! Not only did they find an audience that falls somewhere between hardcore sim head and arcade gamer, but they managed to be appealing to those demographics as well. They’re a fun change of pace that strike an entertaining balance between sim and arcade. They can be taken less seriously than an NBA Live or NBA 2K, but more seriously than an NBA Jam. They’re great games to play with friends who are more casual basketball fans thanks to their arcade and video game-oriented mechanics, but also provide a detailed glimpse of the real sport and league. In that sense, they have broad appeal.
A game like AND1 Streetball also offered something different to the usual NBA gameplay. It came along at just the right time, as the AND1 Mixtape Tour was extremely popular in the early to mid 2000s. The sim-arcade hybrid was the right style for the game, too. The NBA Street series already featured streetball action with arcade gameplay, and the sim style of NBA Live and NBA 2K didn’t suit the flashy play of the AND1 Mixtape Tour. By adopting a hybrid style of gameplay, AND1 Basketball was able to ground itself with an on-court product that resembled real life, but spiced up the experience with powerups that stayed true to the spirit of streetball.
Similarly, titles like Konami’s NBA in the Zone and NBA Give ‘N’ Go were video games first and foremost, but didn’t eschew realism to the same extent as NBA Jam. They filled a niche that NBA Live and NBA Jam didn’t, while still being able to appeal to fans of those games. I’m not sure that I would’ve appreciated them as much when I was younger. I was a big fan of the way that NBA Live was doing things, and I wanted to see sim titles become even more realistic. I also didn’t own the platforms that some of those games were released on, or have the money to get more than one game per year. As a collector and retro gamer though, I’ve come to really enjoy them!
Since I’ve brought it up, I’ll quickly discuss whether or not I consider NBA Live 2003 to be a sim-arcade hybrid. I believe there’s an argument to be made for that, though many of its design principles are still rooted in the sim approach. Because of the elements that resemble the arcade style however, it could fairly be said that it leans towards being a sim-arcade hybrid. Of all the games in the NBA Live series, it’s the one that comes closest to breaking out of its genre, rather than simply falling short of expectations. NBA Live 19 incorporated some aspects of NBA Street and didn’t quite know what it wanted to be in my opinion, but its gameplay was still generally sim.
As Dee and I have wistfully discussed so many times on the NLSC Podcast, we’re missing out by not having competition and alternatives in the basketball gaming space. It stings to lose NBA Live, NBA Jam, and NBA Street, but when we had several developers and publishers making basketball video games, we had different styles to enjoy on the virtual hardwood, including the sim-arcade hybrid. Looking back, it probably wasn’t sustainable. As well-regarded as some of those other games were, the market was oversaturated at points, and the glut no doubt made it tough to compete with the biggest brands. There’s a reason those other companies bowed out.
If Konami or another company did want to throw their hat back into the ring though, I believe that those sim-arcade hybrid games would make a welcome return alongside a revamped NBA Live, and new NBA Jam and NBA Street titles. Games like NBA Give ‘N’ Go, NBA in the Zone, Slam ‘N Jam, and AND1 Streetball, provide a virtual hardwood experience that’s different, and very appealing. Again, I may not have appreciated them as much when I was younger and focused on my preferred brand, but they’ve been a joy to discover and play all these years later. I love sim games, I love arcade games, but with some titles, you can experience the best of both worlds.
