NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant

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NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant
NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant GBC.jpg
Developer(s) Left Field Productions
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Platform(s) Game Boy Color
Release6 December 1999 [1]
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant is a 1999 basketball sports video game developed by Left Field Productions and published by Nintendo. The game simulates play of 3x3 basketball with NBA licensed teams and players. The game was a handheld successor to the Nintendo 64 title Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside , also by Left Field Productions. [2] Upon release, NBA 3 on 3 received average reviews, with critics praising the customisation options but critiquing the graphics and sound.

Contents

Gameplay

NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant Screenshot.png

The game features several modes, including Season, Tournament, and Playoff modes. [3] The objective of the game is to play 3x3 basketball matches and score 15 points to win. [4] Players control basketballers on the court with offensive and defensive controls, using the A and B buttons to pass the ball and perform a fake in offensive, or attempt a steal or jump, block or rebound a shot in defensive mode. [5] Players and matches are customisable, featuring all 29 NBA teams, including six star players per team, and their respective home courts against the 1999-2000 roster, [4] [1] with the additional ability to create up to six custom players for teams. [3] Games can also be customised, with players able to change or remove rules and technicalities, such as the points, fouls, fatigue, shot clock, goal tending and back court rules. [4] [2] Players can also select offensive and defensive plays for their teams. [6] The game supports the Game Link Cable for multiplayer play. [6]

Reception

Nick Woods of Allgame enjoyed the game, although considered the graphics to be "nothing impressive" due to characters being indistinguishable, stating "it's difficult to tell when a slam dunk is being made". [4] Similarly, Craig Harris of IGN viewed the graphics to be "not very good" due to the detail being lost on screen, also finding movement of the characters to be a "stiff task" and "slightly clumsy". [2] Nintendo Power considered the game "intuitive and easy to play", praising the game's "responsive" controls and its appropriate animation and speed for the game for a Game Boy title, although found the sound effects to be "clunky". [6] Describing the game as "fun" and "feature-packed", Pocket Gamer praised the customisation and inclusion of real players and teams, but felt the game had "poor graphics", with "detail lost in the tiny screen", and "awkward controls". [7] Pocket Games critiqued the game as "half-baked" and "one to avoid", acknowledging its options and "complete roster", but considering them to fail to make up for the "lackluster graphics and gameplay" and "faceless and plain" player design. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant". New Releases. Game Informer. No. 79. November 1999. p. 89.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Craig (10 December 1999). "NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  3. 1 2 "NBA 3 on 3 Challenge". GamePro. No. Handheld Games Special. November 1999. p. 70.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Woods, Nick. "NBA 3 on 3 featuring Kobe Bryant". Allgame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  5. NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant: Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. 1999.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "NBA 3-on-3 featuring Kobe Bryant". Nintendo Power. No. 127. December 1999. p. 164.
  7. 1 2 "NBA 3 on 3 Feat. Kobe Bryant". Pocket Gamer. No. 1. 2000. p. 47.
  8. 1 2 "NBA 3 on 3 Feat Kobe Bryant". Pocket Games. No. 3. Summer 2000. p. 18.