The other week we took a look at the Windows Phone game Field Goal Tournament where you try your skills at kicking field goals from various spots on the football field. The same developer has released a similar game that centers around the basketball court to see how good of a jump shot you have.
Basketball Tournament has two gaming modes that will challenge your ability to make a basketball shot from various spots on the court. Some shots are gimmes while others send you downtown. As with Field Goal Tournament, Basketball Tournament is available for low-memory Windows Phones and is a fun game to pass short bits of time with.
There was a popular basketball coach/announcer in these parts, Joe Dean, that referred to basketball shots that hit nothing but net as string music (he also coined the phrase stufferino). While slam dunks aren't a part of Basketball Tournament, there are plenty of opportunities to make a little string music on the court.
The Windows Phone game has two gaming modes that will test your sharpshooting skills. You have the Ranked Game mode which is basically an endless play mode. As long as you make the shots, your supply of basketballs will continue to be replenished.
Then there is the Tournament mode that has four pre-set tournaments and three tournaments you can customize. Game play is you vs. the computer or you can compete against eight friends in pass-n-play fashion.
Gaming mechanics are the same, regardless of the gaming mode. The basketball is suspended in mid-air and to take the shot, just swipe up at the ball. The angle and speed of your swipe will dictate where you ball is headed. Shots can bounce off the rim into the net, banked off the backboard or shot straight down the middle for that string music.
The game screen with the Ranked Game will have your score, number of basketballs left and score multiplier displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. A close-up shot of the basket, that can be used to gauge your shots, and the number of baskets needed to complete each stage fills the upper right corner of the screen. Again, make a basket to replenish you basketball count and if you run out of shots before making the required number of baskets the game ends.
A similar layout is present for the Tournament mode. Tournaments are played in rounds with a set number of shots per round. The more shots you make, the more points you earn and the person with the most points after all the rounds is your winner.
Custom tournaments offers you the options to choose the basketball court style, number of shots per round, distance to the hoop and angle of the shot.
Overall Impression
Simple games can be a great way to pass the time with. While I don't know if I would sit down and play Basketball Tournament for hours on end, for shorter periods of time the game does a good job of things.
Graphics are well drawn up, game play challenging enough to keep things interesting and the sound effects aren't too shabby either. The two gaming modes offers a little versatility to the game and if you are a basketball aficionado, Basketball Tournament is worth trying.
The Windows Phone game, at last check, is pulling down a 4 star rating in the Windows Phone Store, which is about where this gaming title should be. If you take Basketball Tournament out for a spin, let us know what you think in the comments below. And don't forget to rate the game in the Windows Phone Store. It is the easiest way to offer the developer a little feedback.
