Play NBA All Star Challenge on GB Online

NBA All Star Challenge came out on the Game Boy in 1991, developed by Beam Software and published by LJN. It was one of those early handheld sports titles that tried to capture the feel of the arcade and console games, but on a much smaller, monochrome screen. You got a roster of NBA stars from that era, which was the main draw if you were into basketball at the time.

You control one of several all star players, taking them through a series of skill based minigames like the three point shootout, the slam dunk contest, and a one on one full court game. The main objective is to post the highest score in each event to become the overall champion. Signature mechanics include a timing based shot meter for jumpers and free throws, and a defensive positioning game where you try to stay in front of your man. The pacing is quick, but the difficulty can spike, especially in the free throw event with its finicky moving cursor. It feels like a stripped down, portable version of the All Star Weekend experience, sometimes frustrating but satisfying when you finally nail a perfect shot.