As good as International Soccer is (well, isn’t), International Basketball is on a whole ‘nother level when it comes to playability…
Again written by Andrew Spencer for Commodore, International Basketball looks very similar to its predecessor but is leagues better, in terms of gameplay.
The dribbling and passing in Basketball works better than in Soccer. Getting three pointers for long shots is exciting (and changes the game when it happens). End to end games are the norm. And the scoreboard, crowds and player animations are much better than in Soccer.
Spencer set out to improve on his football game and he did just that. The end result being beyond everyone’s wildest expectations. International Basketball taking Europe and North America by storm and cementing his name in the vaults of video game history.
International Basketball is both funny and exciting to play in equal measure, even now – especially between two players. The game was first released in 1985, just a year after International Soccer, and is one of the best Commodore 64 games of all time.