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Sega gave EA Sports a run for its money with a line of quality titles that covered all types of sports. One of its strongest series during the 16-bit era was NBA Action. Real teams and players and solid gameplay made up for the weak graphics, and the game is worth playing for fans of B-ball action, particularly the multi-player mode.
Accolade’s answer to the NBA Jam series was to give basketball star “Sir” Charles Barley his own series. The game was successful enough to spawn a sequel, but unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to push the “street b-ball” sub-genre forward. Perhaps its most remarkable feature is how it squeezes every ounce out of its undoubtedly expensive endorsement.
Double Dribble on the NES is considered a classic by many, but somehow none of what made that version so special found its way into the Genesis sequel. Brain-dead team AI makes the single-player experience entirely avoidable, and while the eight-player mode may be fun for a while, it can’t save the overall package.
One would think that a basketball game feature two of the greatest athletes to ever play would be a no-brainer for greatness. Unfortunately, Electronic Arts proved us wrong. Stiff, unintuitive gameplay overshadows some excellent presentation, and what should have been the definitive version of One-on-One ends up bench-warming for all the others instead.
Before you check out the fanmade Barkley: Shut Up & Jam Gaiden and its prequel, spend some time with the game where it all began. Accolade’s take on the NBA Jam formula generated a title that may not have been as good as its inspiration but still provided some solid street-style basketball gameplay. And it has Sir Charles himself!