Dunk Lords review

Like most basketball games, Dunk Lords features a nifty little story about an up and coming player. The story here is centered around Slice and his friends as their attempt to become true Dunk Lords as they attempt to work their way up the basketball ranks. The story mode can either be played solo or co-op with a friend. Dunk Lords is a 2-on-2 basketball game mixed in with a bit of combat. For older gamers such as myself, this might sound familiar as the now-defunct Midway released a similar game back in the day called Arch Rivals.

The game features 20 different and unique characters each with their own special attacks/abilities. While each character has their own unique defensive skills, every player can (obviously) shoot, block, do lay-ups, dunks and pass, the game will display a little meter above your player’s head when attempting to shoot. In order to get the get best shot and most chances of scoring, pressing the shoot button a second time when the meter is full will increase your chances of scoring.

Along with the traditional aforementioned basketball moves, Dunk Lords gives players the opportunity to go on the offensive with a few combat-based moves. Players can dash into opposing players in an attempt to steal the ball. If you see a player about to dunk, you can also attempt to uppercut to prevent the baller to dunk. You can also dash into your opponent in hopes of stealing the ball or simply use the A button to attempt to steal. Perform well and you’ll unlock the Mega shot where your player gains size and allows you to dunk untouched for the duration of it.

If you feel like you’re not up to par with the opposing team or feeling overwhelmed, you can attempt to level the playing field by purchasing new equipment between quarters. Depending on your performance, you are rewarded with money; additionally, scoring from $ squares on the court will give players an additional cash bonus. You can purchase shoes, gloves, and armor such as gloves that electrifies enemies attempting to steal the ball from your player or an armor plate which makes you un-uppercut-able, but will reduce your speed. Along with the aforementioned story mode, players can jump into a Gauntlet mode where they have to win four games in a row by earning the top score. Or jump into Arcade mode and play a casual with up to 3 friends. And there’s also a tutorial, which is highly recommended.

The main problem with this game is the same as any basketball games nowadays: no matter the difficulty setting, the A.I. rarely ever misses. As a long time fan of basketball, I’ve tried a few of them in order to pick one that I could play casually in the long run. Back in the Super NES days, I used to play NCAA Basketball like crazy; it was a fun, fair experience. But of all the matches I’ve played with Dunk Lords, the A.I. missed maybe 3% of their shots; even on Easy. So those looking to just jump into a basketball game for casual fun won’t find it here by being constantly destroyed in matches. Another frustrating point is that if you’re drawing a blank on the controls, you can’t access them from the pause menu.

Dunk Lords has a great cartoonish aesthetic giving this basketball game a unique look. Each character is uniquely designed so that they stand apart from one another. Each basketball court also has its own visual; all of them being unique and bright in an attempt to give the game an NBA feel or simply friends playing on an empty court. Another instance of a forgettable soundtrack, obviously don’t expect licensed music here.

Unless you’re an NBA 2K fan that needs a bit of variety or you have a few friends to play with on a regular basis, simply avoid Dunk Lords. The gameplay is fun and I do appreciate the mix of basketball and combat inspired gameplay, but playing against the A.I. is a frustration filled experience. The fact that they rarely miss shots and mow you down on the court, even on the easier difficulty setting, doesn’t make it a fun, arcade basketball game.