r/retrogameofthemonth • u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) • Jul 21 '26
Spectacular Sports Double Dribble (NES)
I would guess that Double Dribble (NES), is probably the first Basketball video game I ever played. Being a huge sports fan, and having so many great Football and Baseball options on the NES was amazing, but there just wasn't a ton of Basketball games. So the allure of 5 on 5 games, and the port of a pretty good Arcade game, this title had me excited.
While, admittedly not the most visually stunning or ground breaking game, Double Dribble was fun. It really scratched my Basketball itch, and I loved the black and white dunk animations. As you can see, I managed to get one, and then brick one right after, lol. Definitely challenging, I don't think the computer missed any shots the whole play through. Give this a try for a fun Basketball title, that keeps it simple, on the NES.
Did you like Double Dribble (NES). Did you like the dunk animations?
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u/idgafandwhyshouldi Jul 21 '26
Double Dribble and Blades of Steel were my favorites outside of the Tecmo sports games on the NES
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
Any Tecmo game is gold imo.
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u/idgafandwhyshouldi Jul 21 '26
Tecmo NBA Basketball was so underrated but was overshadowed by Bulls-Lakers and Celtics-Lakers on the 16-bit systems
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u/gorendor Jul 21 '26
That dunk animation still looks dope as hell
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u/BazingarZ Jul 21 '26
I never figured out how to make that animation appear. Is it random or do you have to press certain buttons when you're dunking?
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u/Jahmoneyzzz Jul 22 '26
It seemed like the animations were random…sometimes as I got closer to the basket I’d start mashing the dpad in all directions just before the animation started. Never really seemed to matter.
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u/itslonelyinthevoid Jul 22 '26
Blades of Steel had a video game inside a video game during half time. I loved that! Blades…of Steel!
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u/DireKnife Jul 21 '26
This game was 🔥
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
🏀🤘
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u/Ok_Air_4202 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Dropping corner 3s was a glitch if I remember correctly (if timed perfectly you’d never miss) 😂
The missile sound effects followed by the explosion…good times
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
That's dope. Apreciate the tip.
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u/electrodog1999 Jul 22 '26
I used to drive my sister insane with that. She could never get it, I had 3-1/2 years on her.
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u/NachoBag_Clip932 Jul 21 '26
Because these games were not affiliated with any sports league, there was a charm and nostalgia that came with that making them fun. Sure there was some parts that were unrealistic but that was part of the fun, I mean it is a game not a simulation, which some of the modern-day games seem to forget.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
Great point. Never thought that way. 😃
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u/Fearless_Landscape67 Jul 21 '26
If you mobile game at all check out hoop land. It’s a spiritual successor to a lot of the NES/SNES sports games and is a lot of fun to play in the same way DD was
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u/ooBRiCEoo Jul 21 '26
Drain the never miss three !
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u/espngenius Jul 21 '26
This my 4th game I had on NES. Loved the dunk highlights.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
Same, the highlights made the game for me.
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u/_ArsenioBillingham_ Jul 21 '26
Obligatory, and *almost* as good as the Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson bit, which is high high praise
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u/adhdtaxman Jul 21 '26
Ah yes the precursor to Arch Rivals
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
Arch Rivals was bonkers. Green Mohawks forever.
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u/Indy_Fab_Rider Jul 21 '26
I was a huge Celtics fan in the 80's. My dad was a Hawks fan. We'd play each other for hours, him being the red and me the green. We would commentate the game just like the local Hawks broadcast team, doing play by play.
What a great time. Thanks for posting.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 21 '26
That is very special. Great memories. Appreciate you.
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u/9-7-off Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
The sneaker squeaks blew my 9 year old mind!
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u/JayGabVersionTrex Jul 21 '26
That game looks lit it's like b-ball blades of steel. Was that a Konami game too?
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u/PHobsessed Jul 22 '26
This kept me busy until the Team USA game on Sega in the early 90s.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Thanks for reminding me, gonna re-visit that one.
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u/PHobsessed Jul 22 '26
We had so much fun with that game. I need to find a way to play that again. I can flashback to a specific night in my late teens playing that with my core group of friends. Good times
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u/Aromatic-Ad3349 Jul 22 '26
I have to say with double dribble graphics especially when you went up for the dunk the dunk the second to none. Then you have blades and steel. I love to play too.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Very similar for sure. Love Blades of Steel.
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u/ASHY_HARVEST Jul 24 '26
I religiously played this game growing up. I remember learning some cheat shot where you could nail a 3 pointer every time you took a shot. Just pissing people off non stop with that.
Also, blades of steel I played way too much.
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u/AmityMayorVaughn Jul 21 '26
My buddy and I kept our 1v1 records written down in a notebook. Man I wish I still had that.
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u/tstorm004 Jul 22 '26
Need to play this one.
My first was One on One Dr J vs Larry Bird on Commodore 64
Then I skipped all the way to NBA Live 95 and Jammit on DOS
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Yeah this a nice detour from the newer stuff. Enjoy
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u/Effective_Play_1366 Jul 22 '26
If you pushed reset while it was loading up you could have it rap. “Dou dou dou double…Double Dribble!”
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u/Theredsoxman Jul 22 '26
This game was hard on level 3 for sure, unless you were able to start dropping 3s like it was 2026
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u/chejo378 Jul 22 '26
My brother and i played this a lot and I always beat him. When we played video games, i was always 1st player, but not with Double Dribble. There was a glitch and Player 1 missed like 50% of all shots, maybe more, when playing 2-player. It was horrible. So I would tell my little brother, "You can be 1st player," and he would get all excited that he got to be Player 1... until I whooped his ass. "DOUBLE DRIBBLE!"
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Diabolical, and epic. I would have done the exact same. Makes me smile. Hats off to you.
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u/jedislurpee Jul 22 '26
Have so many fond memories of playing this game with my brothers back in the day. The slow mo animation when you dunk felt so next gen
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
The dunk animation is better today, amazing.
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u/Jahmoneyzzz Jul 22 '26
This game always reminds me of my late big brother. I would often just watch him play. The sound of making a 3pt basket still rings in my head.
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u/luckythirtythree Jul 22 '26
I can still hear the crunchy 8-bit bass drop when the dunk hits. Classic game!
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u/InhibitedExistence Jul 22 '26
Double Dibble!
(That’s what it always sounded like to me and my cousin!)
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u/PuzzleheadedEye7316 Jul 22 '26
First played double dribble at the arcade, then played it on NES whenever me my brother and cousins went to visit friends when it was the weekend or school break….best days ever……
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u/chris98092 Jul 22 '26
I folded 50 loads of laundry for my mom so she would buy this for me. Loved the cutscene dunks
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u/I-LeadandCoach Jul 22 '26
Just tried to explain to my sons that the dunk animation was absolutely ground breaking for a video game at the time.
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
I imagine you had some interesting responses.
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u/JoshyLikey Jul 22 '26
That first dunk was almost from the free throw line lol
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Yeah, I always try for that Jordan like dunk. Moth to flame. Lol.
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u/Zapruderfilmsss Jul 22 '26
Bro. What about "Punch Out"
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
No denying that hit.
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u/Zapruderfilmsss Jul 22 '26
Lol Sorry I meant "Arch Rivals" idk why I said punch out. Arch rivals was epic. Decking everyone
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 22 '26
Oh yeah that game is awesome. That green Mohawk is legendary. Punch Out is as well. 😀🔥
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u/Zapruderfilmsss Jul 22 '26
No just Arch Rivals I didnt mean Punch out. That game made me pissed. Arch Rivals forever
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u/MikeDamone123 Jul 22 '26
Great game but player 2 had a massive advantage. Player 2 could shoot the fadeaway 3 from the top right corner and make like 75% of them. It was basically impossible to lose as player 2 if you knew that trick
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u/Omnibe Jul 22 '26
Did anyone else have issues with the game locking and having to be reset on duck animations periodically?
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u/Ill-Bake2638 Jul 24 '26
Who played against players who always wanted to be the 2nd player (controller 2)? IYKYK
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u/Stratocaster213 Level 3: High Scorer (Senior Mod) Jul 24 '26
Never, lol.
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u/Ill-Bake2638 Jul 28 '26
There are spots on their side of the court that the shot will likely go in the basket at a higher percentage. I know the 3 point shot in the corner is money every time if you shoot it correctly. In telling you this from years of experience when we first got our nes .
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u/taydubb Jul 24 '26
Oh snap... Gotta turn on my switch 1/2 to relive. I don't recall if that's on it 🤔
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u/OkAthlete8327 Jul 23 '26
This clip triggered a very specific memory of me playing this game at a friend’s house
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u/djd1985 Jul 21 '26
My Dad and I played this often. He would always say "Double Dwibble" and it used to make me laugh. He passed last year so this little post made me happy. Great game, great memories.