When Nintendo had its Switch Nindies Showcase shortly before the console launched and then produced a crowded infographic, we picked through the many logos to provide a breakdown of downloads due in 2017. A couple of games on there were mysteries, frankly, including NBA Playgrounds.
Well, now we can actually see what it's all about, and it looks rather fun. It's over-the-top 2 vs. 2 action, and it seems to be a new take on the NBA Jam formula - check out the trailer (via IGN) below.
It's out soon, too, pegged for a May release on Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Do you like the look of this one?
With thanks to brettwayne for the heads up.
Comments (101)
Don't like basketball and I say that as someone who played it for years. But good luck to them and whoever likes it though.
He beat him like a dirty rug! Boomshakalaka!!!
The only basketball vídeo game I've ever played was Mario Hoops 3-on-3 but this looks pretty fun
Nintendo should revive this Sport...
...
...
...
K-1 World GP !
Bring Kickboxing in Chibi form ala K-1 Pocket GBA with full 3D rendering.
I will definetely buy that game.
Nooo... I don't want UFC. I don't want that brutal sport. Completely Banned from my list.
Btw, I have less interest with Basketball games. Just 1 from 10. Too mainstream, not attractive in my opinion.
Reminds me of the ones on the GameCube and the Wii - I think from EA Sports?
Looks great! I love arcade-style sports games. Man, I'm excited for this.
Good to see the Switch getting some sports games! Looks ok
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't like basketball, either, but I love NBA Jam, one of the greatest arcade games of all time.
(My bloody 32X wound up being little more than a Jam machine, lo those many years ago.)
Looks pretty cool, not a basketball fan as such but I absolutely loved nba jam back in the snes days, if it gives me half as much enjoyment as that did it'll be money well spent.
It was the simple 2 on 2 formula that I enjoyed, maybe it's just me getting old but I find the new upto date 2K basketball games unnecessarily complicated
@Anti-Matter stop being so negative all the time. Try to embrace
looks like fun. Maybe the Switch could turn out to be a perfect machine for sports game with it´s easy pick up and play. I haven´t enjoyed sports games on video consoles since NHL94 on SNES, before ofc blades of steel and I have never enjoyed the FIFA`s. I did actual quited enjoyed International Superstar Soccer from Konami around 1998.
@ECMIM same here. NBA jam was the only basketball game I enjoyed.
Theese kinda of games really make me want another NFL street. My brother and I but more time into thoose than we should probably admit.
@Judgedean street hoops 3v3. But gone are the snes and genesis days of NBA jam. Now we have rocket league for that sports arcade itch.
This looks like it be worth 10-20 bucks to have, if it plays well.
I’m not a sports fan (other than the UFC), but this looks like a lot of fun. NBA Jam was great on the SNES. I may buy NBA Playground for the Switch.
Also, multiplat games arriving on the Switch the same time as other consoles is a really good thing. Hopefully this is the new norm in the near future.
forgot to mention NBA Jam, was awesome with the firing dunking/slamming and which was new at the time that you could actually destroy the basket when doing
I can't wait for this. Anything that takes notes from NBA Jam gets my attention. I miss the arcade sports heydays. Makes sports that I might find boring less dreary. Except Golf...nobody can make golf fun.
Wish it didn't have the big heads.
@UK-Nintendo
Ehehe...
Not forget to remind me, eh ?
But in reality I have less interest with Basketball. I just only like the Shoes, not the game, lol.
I have Strong interest about Boxing / Kickboxing / K-1, despite of almost nobody want to talk about in my place.
It's going to be nice to be able to play this on the go.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE a lot of people don't.but games like this people do.I don't like basketball I'll never buy a 2k game.but I'll buy this as I did for SNES and the n64
The heads are really turning me off. But it sure looks like fun. Still i think ill have more fun with the 2k games. Maybe if its cheap enough.
NBA jam was my... Well... Jam back when I was younger.
NBA street came close though, that was more stylish than over the top but still great in its own right.
This game looks good too, looking forward to it.
Did they accidently turn off the animation of the people in the crowd?
@getyourak Possibly. It's a work-in-progress trailer after all.
You guys ever play Bulls vs. Blazers back in the day on Genesis? There was Celtic vs. Lakers too. They were both really good.
I'd love to see rugby league, or cricket, or a power pro's like baseball game on the Switch but those will never happen. I'll be happy with FIFA I guess
@LiberatedAnimal I can go you one (or two) better: One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird (C64) and Basketball (2600).
#oldman
Nope...
Looks like The Switch game list is heating up! I hope this just as fun as Street or NBA Jam. If the control inputs are great then this game should have alot of BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!
Lets bring back Mutant League for Switch. If I remember right isn't that coming back to PC?
Sold!
Big heads = Scary Art style! - I feel uncomfortable watching this trailer! .
@Ryu_Niiyama Mario did try his best but it just wasn't meant to be.
@Anti-Matter What kind of moaning mumble jumble is this post of yours? Be happy and positive.
What a pleasant surprise. Day one purchase from me. Should have a pretty cool story mode too.
Before I saw that it was also coming out under the same name on Xbox One and PS4, this story raised my alarm: I don't like it when third party developers make "kid-friendly" versions of their titles for Nintendo hardware. It's good to see that this game isn't doing that. (I loved NBA Jam).
If 2k18 falls through I guess we'll get at least ONE basketball game on Switch! To my knowledge that'll tie the Wii U right away!
Looks cool , might buy for the right price
@Anti-Matter Hang on, you like K1 but you think UFC is brutal!?
Good god couldn't they have named it literally anything other than "Playgrounds"?
Other than that, looks cool. Probs download it on XB1.
I'd like to see Nintendolife run a poll:
-How many of you care about sports games on your Nintendo system?
-How many of you care about AAA 3rd party support?
okies, other that NBA Jam , this reminds me of Looney Tunes Basketball for SNES! do you remember it ?
@Marios-love-child The 2K games are ridiculous. It took me 2 hours to figure out how to hit and pitch in MLB.
If it's any good I'll definitely pick it up.
Ha! Brings back some good memories!
Awesome.
Our local 2nd hand store no longer accepts sports games....
Looks good to me! I'll pick this up, for sure.
@Masticore I was thinking the same thing. Make a bunch of sports like the Mario Kart version of auto racing. Keep the controls simple and watch people spontaneously gather round their Switches laughing and talking trash. Not every game has to be BotW.
Looks like fun. I hope they add elements of NBA Street as well, like the crazy dribble combos you could do.
I also liked it because the video started off with Steph Curry getting knocked down by Iverson. Nothing too much against Curry besides that he's really good, but it's a funny image to see Iverson doing that for some reason
This looks....AWESOME.
Colour me interested.
I had NBA Jam T.E. on the Atari Jaguar when it came out...loved it. Looking forward to this game as well.
Do we know who the developer is? At the end of the video I saw a logo for SABER but im not sure if thats a developer or engine or something else?
Edit: Nvm it is Saber Interactive. Although there is also a Saber engine.
Reminds me of NBA JAM, Another one would be Street Hoops on Neo Geo that will probably make it to Switch, just like all the other Neo games. Afterall the switch is the neoswitch really, well it certainly looks that way
I haven't been too interested in most of the sports games that have come out in recent years since they seem to focus on realism too much. Not saying that makes them bad; I just personally don't find them too enjoyable (with the exception of FIFA). However, this gives me major NBA Street vibes, so I'll be waiting to hear more information about this game.
I don't care about basketball, I never played NBA Jam, but somehow this still managed to grab my interest! Gonna keep an eye out for this one.
@Ryu_Niiyama "Makes sports that I might find boring less dreary. Except Golf...nobody can make golf fun."
That is a lie!
Ugh, the image I posted is waaay too big. So the joke will have to remain empty until I find another....Here's a picture of someone else similar since I can't get a good one of the one I wanted:
Day 1
This makes me want Disc Jam on Switch
@NEStalgia ? Confused.
In terms of over the top sports titles, a good arcade style Blood Bowl game (of Games Workshop fame) would be great. Speedball style gameplay, with NHL hockey style fights, and a good selection of the Star Players to give it some character.
The trailer has caught my attention. I might have to pick this up.
Big skip! Though 20$ is a decent price.
NBA Jam still looks better. -.-
@Ryu_Niiyama The updated Goron picture (if you just read the email before I deleted the giant pic and then changed it) is a hint. If you don't get the joke, you just haven't discovered it yet. Keep playing BotW until you find it, then you'll remember this and laugh
@Anti-Matter I think ppl should be as they want to be but I also think u r repressing way too much stuff. I constantly see u against violent and sexual content. Those things are also part of the world; ppl can't just live in a bubble.
@NEStalgia That will be like six months from now. I'm 130 hours in and still only 53 shrines and 2 divine beasts! If I didn't take breaks to play Street Fighter and VF I'd be afraid I'm forgetting how to play any other games! (Just killed six silver maned Lynels in a row however. Fear me.)
@Marios-love-child I agree AND disagree.
The 2 on 2 formula is awesome and really fun
But the 2K basketball games with all the nuances are also very fun (obviously in a very different way)
In my book each system is better off if it has BOTH.
If this game is any good I'll end up buying BOTH this AND NBA 2K18
Looks good but will wait for a price and some reviews. For me in video games with driving I prefer Mario Kart, and basketball NBA Jam style (ala 2 on 2). So long as it gets around a 60 on Metacritic or a six here and doesn't cost over $30 i'm in.
@leo13
As I say it could just be me getting old but if a game has over complicated controls I struggle to get into it.
I always used to enjoy the wwe games but since 2K took them over I kind of lost interest mainly because of the controls
I'm all over NBA Jam-type games. As long as it doesn't get crushed by reviews for being bad, I'm pretty sure I'll buy it.
@AcridSkull
Okay, I will explain.
The reason why I choose K-1 than UFC is because the little difference that I catch.
K-1 still like typical Muay Thai or Kickboxing. Based on their Violence level, K-1 in my eyes still tolerable to watch, moderate violence level though there is a blood during fighting by accidentally but not oftenly happens. Beside, K-1 games rated Teen on USA PS2 that means Moderate Violence.
Meanwhile, I Banned UFC because the way of fighting is so Barbarian. Not attractive to be watched. UFC rated M or 16+ on games, not a good sign for me. Also, I don't like UFC fighter's looking even basically looks similar with Kickboxer. I Don't like Grappling gloves at all, but I Love Boxing gloves. Boxing gloves makes the fighter looks sexier. And that's why I put on my drawing as my avatar.
My expectation about Kickboxing games is like K-1 level, not too violence but I want a little bit Whimsical and Hillarious moments to spice up the fight, just like Pocket Fighter PS1.
Well, I hope you understand with my obsession about K-1 or Kickboxing.
@Cosats
Eh... I wasn't moaning.
Maybe because you saw I confessed my perception about Basketball.
Actually I had less interest with that sport, but still better than football that I Completely had NO Interest at all. Basketball is good, I like the shoes actually but not really interested with the gameplay.
OMG PLEASE BE GOOD
According to Polygon it will cost $20 and has online multiplayer.Hopefully it will turn out well.
@kobashi100
Yeah, big heads look stupid. Yet another cartoony game fir the Switch. But if the price is right..
Looks pretty cool. I still play NBA Jam on Xbox One with the backwards compability with a few of my friends. If this is anywhere near as fun I'll grab it day one for $20.
@Jessica286
Eh...not really.
I still tolerate Moderate Violence like in Street Fighter / Breath of the Wild / Teen JRPG.
About sexual content, I still tolerate moderate Sexual themes inside The Sims games / the sexiness of LeBlanc on FF X-2. Those contents are still tolerable for me as long not too explicit.
@Hotfusion
Eh... Is my Cute Chibi Boxer avatar (with big head) also looks stupid ?
Come on, it looks so cute.
Looks ok. Still want my run n gun 2 doe. Swear to god I will pay 59.99 for that.
Another digital-only game?! sigh
I'm fed up with all these ~AU$30 digital-only games. That's much too expensive for a game that's tied to a single system. Give us hard copies, man!
Yet another game that'll have to wait until there's a sale.
Makes me really miss NFL Blitz. That was TOO fun!!
this looks really unpolished though. animations look stiff and no facial animations? maybe it's an early build.
The big heads makes it look really weird
Not a big fan of sport games, unfortunately but still nice to see it coming to the Switch
NBA Hangtime was the only game besides Mario 64 I had for my N64 for sometime back in the day. Played the heck out of that game. Haven't played an arcadey NBA game since. But I'll check this out if it's good.
I will be waiting for the reviews but a good chance this will be fun and worth picking up. Not sure if I like the animations all that much but they might grow on me
basketball fan... loves this thing.. this will be awesome at the breaks at work!
Day one especially if it's really only $20 with online multiplayer.
NBA Jam or what was the other one like SSX? NBA Streets? I dunno but if it plays good , I'll definitely get a Switch version.
Good blend of sharp and unique graphics and off-the-wall/cartoony action. Seems a perfect match for the Switch! I don't play many sports games, when I do they tend to be more like the unrealistic over the top action like NBA Jam, Mega Man Soccer, Mario Tennis, Mario Super Strikers.
@ECMIM I programmed it myself using Compute magazine. Those where the days.
@sillygostly Don't forget about the limitations of microSD card storage too! Digital only isn't really feasible on Switch.
@Grumblevolcano : Of course. Storage space on a MicroSD card also adds to the overall cost of digital purchases, except that digital purchases do not include the luxury of being usable with multiple Switch consoles, hence why I want hard copies of these more expensive (and larger sized) games.
For example, Snake Pass is over 4GB in size. That's an extra $5+ expense on top of an already expensive digital-only game. I'll be very selective with digital-only games this generation. Everything else will have to wait for a ~50% discount (and/or for higher capacity micro SD cards to further drop in price).
@GravyThief I believe you may be in luck. There's a spiritual successor to Mutant League Football in development. Not sure how good it'll end up (don't like the sport and I've never played the original Mutant League Football or any NFL game since the mega drive era) but it looks pretty impressive.
No news on a Switch release as far as I'm aware though.
@Ryu_Niiyama Only Camelot software planning can make golf fun, Mario golf games are the best golf games to play and I don't even like golf or sports to begin with.
@kobashi100 I think of it as DK mode. But I actually love this approach, and I think it just seperates the realistic looking NBA games from this Basketball game that is not meant to be like real life.
I don't like realistic sports games, so this looks very appealing to me.
Mite b fun!
The biggest problem I have with the "NBA Jam" Wii-make is that there's no option to always maintain control of the player with ball on offense in single player like in the original game. Hopefully this game will include that option.
Is there a normal head mode? This actually makes the difference between a buy and a not buy for me.
I think the big heads are too distracting.
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