Over the years I have made various attempts at playing basketball, and truthfully I’ve never been very good at it.  Sadly, this trait seems to carry over to the electronic world as well.  I’m not really a fan of electronic basketball, with the exception of the more outrageous titles like NBA Jam (who doesn’t want to make a full court dunk?), but I thought 3 Point Hoops might be worth checking out.  It’s not really basketball so much as it’s simply making 3 point shots from various positions around the court, much like the name implies.  There’s no opposition – it’s just you, the ball and the hoop.  Well, that and the fans that have come out to watch you.

There are two game modes: Classic and Sudden Death.  The difference between the modes is that in Sudden Death your game is over the first time you miss a shot.  In both modes you get the opportunity to make 45 baskets – 5 shots from each of 5 different locations (3 locations are repeated during the process).  You get 3 points for each of the first 4 shots in a given location, and 5 points for the last, or bonus, shot.  All the while you have a nice announcer detailing your finer – and not so great – moments.  The comments remind me a lot of NBA Jam, and I’m constantly waiting for a “he’s on fire” or “that’s the nail in the coffin”.  You also get a nice rousing cheer from the audience when you make a shout, but surprisingly no boo when you miss.  It wouldn’t necessarily be appropriate every time, but I could see the audience getting upset if you miss several shots in a row.

Ready To Shoot

Controlling the game is actually pretty easy.  You simply tap on the ball and swipe towards the basket.  The direction and speed of your swipe will determine where the ball goes and how quickly it gets there.  It may not always seem like there is a difference in your throws, but if you’re having trouble making shots in a particular position try angling your swipes a bit differently.  I’m by no means a perfect shot now, but the mechanic is easy to get used to and it just feels right.

Graphically, 3 Point Hoops looks pretty good.  The crowd almost appears to be a pixelated photo of a real crowd, but there is actually animation in the crowd after you make a shot, which is a nice effect.  The camera also zooms in on the basket after you’ve thrown the ball, which is nice.  There’s even a shadow when the ball comes back down after the shot (though interestingly enough no shadow while the ball is going up), though I think there’s a bit of a problem there since you’ll often see 3 or four shadows instead of just one.  Overall the visuals look pretty slick.

From the vibration of the hoop when the ball is “walking the rim” to the bouncing of the ball on the floor after a shot, the sounds are well done and quite authentic.  The roaring of the crowd sounds good, and they actually got a decent voice over for the announcer.  There are two musical tracks that can be played during the game.  Neither of them are outstanding, but they aren’t bad either.  The nice thing is that you can swap them out during play, though realistically a single game probably won’t last long enough for you to care.

3 Point Hoops is a nice little package.  It’s easy to learn and surprisingly addictive, even for someone like me who’s not much into sports related electronic games.  The visual and audio elements are well done, making this a well rounded, professional looking game.  My only hesitation on flat out recommending this game is the price point.  This is sadly just a reflection of the currently volatile state of the App Store, but I’ve paid 99 cents for games with a lot more substance, so $2.99 seems a bit high of a price tag.  For die hard basketball fans this is probably a good purchase.  For everyone else, I highly recommend checking out the lite version first.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link – Full Version
App Store Link – Lite version
App Shopper Link