Play Taito Basketball (Japan) Online

Taito Basketball’s janky players move like they’re on fast-forward—you’ll botch easy layups one second, then pull off a ridiculous dunk the next. Two-player matches turn into pure chaos with stolen passes and desperate half-court shots.

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Game Overview

Man, Taito Basketball on the NES is one of those games that looks rough at first glance—blocky players, choppy animations—but give it five minutes and you’re hooked. The controls are dead simple: pass, shoot, steal, and sprint like your player’s got rockets in their sneakers. It’s way faster than it has any right to be, and matches turn into chaotic scrambles where you’re either nailing impossible dunks or watching your guy trip over his own feet.

Two-player mode is where it really shines. My friend and I used to waste hours on this, trash-talking over stolen passes and last-second buzzer beaters. The AI’s not bad either—they’ll pick your pocket if you get lazy. And yeah, the crowd’s just a few pixels bouncing up and down, but hearing that tinny 8-bit cheer after a swish? Still weirdly satisfying.

If you’re into retro sports games, this one’s got that janky, over-the-top charm that makes it way more fun than it should be. Just try not to spike your controller when the computer pulls off some nonsense.