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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five underrated game modes.
I feel as though I say this whenever I cover a topic where the words “underrated” or “overrated” are used, but it bears repeating that they are relative and subjective terms. Many things can be both underrated and overrated depending on one’s point of view, and one person’s opinion needn’t necessarily represent the consensus. Even if there is a consensus, you could argue that once something is widely seen as underrated or overrated, it ceases to be either since opinion has levelled out (or indeed flipped). It’s fair to say that “underappreciated” and “overhyped” may be more suitable terms.
That’s certainly how I’m using the term “underrated” when I talk about game modes. I see them as underrated because they often aren’t recalled with the same fondness or nostalgia despite their quality. As such, I believe they’re worthy of more appreciation for how fun they were, as well as their creativity and technological achievements. The fact that these games modes were either exclusive to one title or otherwise short-lived definitely contributes to them being underrated; or underappreciated, or overlooked, or whatever synonym you prefer. Bottom line, they deserve more praise, and in that spirit, let’s talk about five underrated game modes in both sim and arcade hoops titles.
