Basketball

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

Basketball on the Atari 2600 was released in 1978, and while it seems primitive by today's standards, it was a solid sports game for its time. A year later, Atari re-released it for the Atari 8-bit computer with better graphics and more of a focus on multiplayer. The five game modes here are essentially just determining who the players are controlled by. Mode 1 is a single-player, one-on-one game, with the player controlling one side and the computer controlling the other. Mode 2 is a two-on-two game with two players taking on two computer players. Mode 3 is a three-player game, with one team consisting of two players and the other team consisting of one player and one computer-controlled athlete. Mode 4 is a four-player game or two-on-two basketball, with two players on each team. Last is Mode 5, which is a game of one-on-one basketball with both athletes controlled by players. These modes make Basketball last a while if you've got friends or family to play with, but the single player option of mode 1 allows you to enjoy the game even if there's nobody else around. Aside from those modes, just about every aspect of the game, from the gameplay to the graphics has been tweaked here and the end result is a very solid sports game for the time. If you liked the Atari 2600 version of Basketball, then the Atari 8-bit version is better in every way. If you weren't really a fan, enough has improved with the Atari 8-bit port, that it may win you over if you give it a chance.

Review added: 07/19/2026