Nekketsu Street Basket: Ganbare Dunk Heroes

"I have yet to see a basketball simulation outdo this one!"

Too bad the NBA wasn't like this, eh?

Graphics: 9 Great
Backgrounds and characters are drawn well. Like in most Technos games, the characters' bodies look similar, and animation can be hilarious at times.

Sound/Music: 8 Very Good
The music is good. So are the sound effects. But they seem to be recycled from other games.

Controls: 8 Very Good
Fast, smooth and responsive. And you have to be careful when shooting baskets; you shoot the direction you're facing, so if you're facing your own court, you might accidentally score some points for the opposition.

Gameplay: 9 Great
Like in most of Technos' sports "simulations", fighting is allowed. You can beat up other players to slow them down, but in this one you can't take them out permenantly. The players also have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some are faster than others, others jump higher, shoot more accurately, and so on. Use the faster members so you can avoid the other team's defenses. After winning each game, you get items to make your players' stats better.

Challenge: High
You choose the order of teams you play against. Each time you win it becomes slightly harder. To finish the game quickly, start with the fastest teams and finish with the slower ones.

Story: 7 Good
Creative! Kunio-kun has just won a gameshow and his prize is a free trip to the United States. His friend/rival, Riki, is jealous and sneaks onto the bottom of the plane, dragging another buddy, Godai, with him. When they all reach the USA, they are playing basketball.

Overall: 9 Great
If you ask me, I would have to say this is the best NES basketball game, and probably the best one out there. Sure, this one bends the rules of basketball a little bit, but that usually makes sports even funner!

Pluses
+Violent basketball is fun!

Minuses
-Maybe a little too hard for some people

Buy? Rent? Throw Away? Or what?
Buy, unless you want a basketball game true to the real thing, even though they aren't as fun as this one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/04