NBA The Run Releases This June and Might Be the Arcade Basketball Game We’ve Been Waiting For
Let’s face it: the magic of NBA Jam is very, very hard to replicate. Sure, there’s been countless tries to bottle that magic once again with the likes of NBA Street, but it never had that same magic.
Play by Play Studios hopes to make us believers once again with NBA The Run — a 3v3 arcade streetball game that will remind you of NBA Jam or NBA Street.
Set to be released in June, the first gameplay footage has hit the court, and it looks promising so far.
NBA The Run Might Be This Gen’s NBA Jam
At the heart of NBA THE RUN is the Run the World Tournament, a four-round Knockout tournament where teams of 3 will be going head-to-head on iconic streetball courts around the world. Each tournament ends with a championship game at one of four specially designated finals courts, where you’ll square off for the Run the World trophy and the ultimate bragging rights.
There are three game modes coming at launch, including:
- Knockout Squads – Play on a Squad of 3. You control 1 player on the Squad, fill out your team with friends / other players and take on the competition.
- Knockout Solos – Build your own Team of 3. You control your team and go head to head against other players and their teams of 3.
- Knockout Friends – Your own Private Tournament. Play alone against the AI, crew up w/ friends against the AI, or go head to head against anyone you want to invite in (up to 48 players at Launch).
Would-be arcade hoopers can sign up for the NBA The Run playtest, which kicks off this Friday, May 1, from 12 pm PDT/3 pm EDT to 3 pm PDT/6 pm EDT on Steam.
At launch, players will be able to take the court as one of 30+ NBA stars, along with five ficitonal streetball legends. Expect gameplay to be fast, and it will be powered by “true rollback netcode.”
While this might not give the NBA 2K franchise a run for its money, stranger things have happened. Who knows? This might be the next arcade hit, and based on what’s shown so far, Play by Play is on the right track.
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