The Ultimate Basketball Game!
Konami released Double Dribble in arcades in 1986 as a follow-up to their first basketball arcade game, Super Basketball. The game boasts realistic features including five-player teams with specialized characters, official quarters and half-time switch as well as a national anthem ceremony, cheerleaders, mascots and fans. The player can replicate all of the actions of a real basketball player: dribbling, passing, shooting, and even attempting a slam dunk, shown in a slow motion zoom shot. Referees keep an eye on the game, calling fouls and sending players to the free-throw line. The game is timed so that a credit must be added to continue game play after every minute if the computer’s team is winning, so try your best to get an early lead on the scoreboard! At the end of four quarters, the winning team holds a victory celebration.
After its release, Double Dribble quickly gained popularity and was considered the most realistic basketball game at the time due to the innovative cinematic shot and dunk animations and the impressive attention to detail. The game was then ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 and then later released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System under the title Exciting Basketball.
As with all featured Raiders of the Lost Arcade games at Ground Kontrol, Double Dribble might only be in the arcade for a limited time, so come get your dunk on and remember to keep a finger on that dribble button!
Did You Know?
• The Star-Spangled Banner is played during the game’s attract mode, which made it the first arcade game to feature the national anthem
• Unlike other basketball games, the player must actively dribble the ball to move up and down the court
• Gameplay of Double Dribble was featured in the Family Guy episode “Run, Chris, Run”