3 Point Basketball

When the nineties said "basketball game," nobody expected depth. 3 Point Basketball on DOS is exactly what the name promises — simple, straightforward, no unnecessary frills. You just shoot threes, or rather simulate shooting them.

This isn't a match in the modern sense. It's a collection of training scenarios and challenges where you face off against opponent archives while watching your shooter take aim at the basket. The controls lean toward minimalism — pick a character, spin the ball, and wait for the result. The graphics are tinted geometry that doesn't apologize for itself, and that's precisely where its charm lies. The sounds are so sparse they're almost the sharpest thing on the whole screen.

What makes the game playable is straightforward simplicity without the sauce. There are no timers, animations, or drama here — just the percentage that flashes on screen. When you nail a shot, it's not celebratory at all. No fanfare, no roaring arena. It's shooting and numbers, done. That might sound boring, but back then it was an up-and-coming trend — pure mechanics without wasting RAM. Yet even from that angle, the game feels a bit dated — there's not quite the feel for physics you'd expect. Three-pointers fly in almost the same way every time.

3 Point Basketball isn't a monument to basketball gaming history. It's not even particularly self-aware — it simply exists as a quiet attempt by someone who wanted to bring this sport to the nineties computer. You'd forget about it entirely if it weren't for the fact that any game attempting sports back then was at least worth a curious look.

Playing it today means sitting down on an old chair and remembering how painfully slow everything was — even the loading screens. But if quiet, no-frills persistence appeals to you, spend some time in here. You won't remember it for its qualities, but because there's simply something to do in it.