25 Years Later: 6 Reasons Why "Double Dribble" Is Still Awesome

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Double Dribble was the George W. Bush of video games, draping itself with the American flag and daring you to criticize it for its many laughable flaws. But, did you know that it was also the first game to include the US national anthem? Yes, it's true, albeit one that sounds like a William Hung rendition. No sporting event begins without it, so kudos to the game's developers to go the extra mile and including it. It's not the most eloquent, pitch-perfect or even enjoyable of experiences, but they at least get all of the words right. (We're looking at you, Christina.)

Perhaps Double Dribble's most notable feature was cut-scenes interspersed within the action (unheard of back then) that showed specific players executing various dunks. The NES game, due to its limited hardware, had to recycle weird grayed-out versions of the players, but those who experienced the game at the arcade were treated to full-color animations. Nothing was more embarrassing, though, than going up for a slam and missing it badly—if you were under even the slightest defensive pressure, it was nearly impossible to hit one. Your player would go up, preparing to throw it down, but get greeted by a cringe-worthy sound effect indicating a miss. Too cold, Konami. Too cold.