Double Dribble & Ring King retrospective: Three-point arena shooter | NES Works

[@-Only.Facts-]

2 player Ring King was amazing, intense af.

[@kuririnzrp]

I think the names do make some sense. Chicago Devils because they have horns just like Bulls. Boston Frogs because of green color like the Celtics. L.A. Hot Dogs because the Lakers of that era were called "Showtime" for their snazzy style of play, so they're "hotdogging". The only one that I find to be a reach is the NY Turkeys. I'm guessing its because Knicks is short for Knickerbockers, which in the old days dressed like stereotypical pilgrims. Who knows.

[@JeremyParish]

I'm happy to go with these theories.

[@AltimaNEO]

There's also the popular Dodger Dogs.

[@Larry]

Maybe they got their sports teams wrong and thought NY Yankees sounds like NY Turkeys.

[@almightycinder]

@@Larry Maybe Yankee Doodle's feather was a turkey feather.

[@timf7413]

Yeah, I remember playing this with my cousin in the Chicago suburbs, and we both clearly got the idea that it was supposed to be the Bulls from the little logo when you select teams.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Man, even as a kid I realized I was playing something special with Double Dribble. I didn't even like sports games, but I could tell it was way better than any other sports titles that had come out. And, seriously, those "FMV" sequences were utterly mind-blowing at the time. Also: 10:51 AAADDRIIIIAAANNNN!!!!!!

[@jasonblalock4429]

Also also: I'd never noticed, until Jeremy pointed it out, how early Konami games tended to leave their PC's faces blank. That's actually kinda creepy.

[@mr7clay]

12:06 The bridge of that half-time show in G major: Eb - Fadd9 - Gsus - G - Abmaj7 - Db7b5 - Am7(add11, no 3) - D7

[@jonfurgeson5574]

Ring King is designed for the player to grow his player by practice mode into a stat juggernaut. Then you hit the circuit and mop up. It is a boxing RPG grindfest.

[@Technosphile]

It’s worth noting that the Disk System version of Double Dribble, “Exciting Basket”, does feature in-game music. Pretty great in-game music in fact, that like all FDS games by Konami takes advantage of the system’s advanced sound capabilities. But it is debatable, to say the least, whether that makes Exciting Basket the better version, as in doing so it sacrifices those awesome dunk cutscenes. This series is officially my favorite thing on KZbin. Every time a new NES Works is posted, my day is made. I really appreciate the appreciation of sports titles and how they work, their approach to the nuances of the game etc, even to stuff you, Jeremy, admit to not being a fan of, like professional wrestling. Sports games are often overlooked, even in the NES era, where Japan made the vast majority of them and they were much more arcadey than any of the sims we have had for decades now. Keep up the great work.

[@spiderjerusalem100]

Those full screen basketball dunks still look pretty stylish. I'm impressed.

[@FloatingSunfish]

That cheerleader music at the end really shows what Konami's flavor for music was. The first part even sounds like Gradius music for a bit!

[@bueno8191]

The Official NES Player's Guide lists the team names as Boston Frogs, Chicago Ox (Bulls), NY Eagles, and the LA Breakers (Lakers). Given that info, the teams sure do make a little more sense

[@EvilCoffeeInc]

I think a blood vessel burst when I saw that animation in Ring King, holy cow. That's the funniest thing I've seen all week.

[@JeremyParish]

I feel privileged to be the one to introduce it to someone who has somehow missed 25 years of internet memes about it

[@Bryan-eg6ej]

Another great video. I laughed out loud when you mentioned the Ring King trainer animation. I always found the title of "Double Dribble" odd.. That would be like a football game called "Fumble".

[@intsoccersuperstar1]

More like "Holding" or "Pass Interference", since they're penalties, and Double Dribble is a violation.

[@theSato]

@@intsoccersuperstar1 Pass Interference would be a sick football game title

[@Philkid3]

In case you were unsure this is a retro game, at 12:25, the player takes something called a, “mid range jumper,” an event you will never see again.

[@MrJWTH]

Robert Griffin I think you have the wrong time stamp. 12:25 is the cheerleaders walking off the court.

[@alyssav2124]

The sassy little butt-wiggle in that Volleyball clip is cracking me up.

[@rabiroden]

According to a tweet from one of the game's developers (@tw_tamasangara, translated by @gosokkyu), Miyamoto was a fan of it too, lol.

[@49erfanaticfromnm30]

NES Twerks

[@nicholaifugate]

I've never been much of a basketball fan, but I did and still do enjoy Double Dribble. It was a big step up from the previous sports game and held up well over the life of the NES. Still a sentimental favorite of mine.

[@Real1Gaming]

Just started this video. I bet there will be a blowjob-joke in here somewhere. Will get back to this comment after I watch. 8:32 - There it is, hahaha

[@trixiek.7129]

I actually love Ring King it’s still one of my go to nes games to this day.

[@akxmedia0]

Agreed. Ring King is one of those classic NES games that requires a second player. Something enjoyable about dashing across the screen and punching the other player sending him flying across the ring. So satisfying.

[@MrBoJangles]

As a person that likes boxing video games, I quite like this game for it's attempt at being more sim than arcade.

[@paulunga]

Same here. I still remember just playing around with the stats to try and make the optimal boxer for days on end.

[@TheMaskedheel]

Trixie K. It and pro wrestling were the original street fighter game

[@Fluoride_Jones]

+TheMaskedheel Don't forget the one-on-one versus mode in "Double Dragon" on the NES!

[@TheWorstThingEver]

Double Dribble remains one of my favorite NES games. It's one that I can just turn on for a few minutes and relax. Set the quarters to five minutes each and easily win. And how I love the sound effect when you make a big shot.

[@partridgestorm]

Though it does look like a blue hotdog, the LA mascot is the Breakers, as in waves of the ocean. A more appropriate water themed mascot for the region considering there are very few lakes in Los Angles.

[@sdsmt99]

Hey Partridge, the Lakers moved from Minnesota back in the mid 1900's

[@JasonKlepacz]

This video makes my Alexa give me an update on this weeks sports

[@jasongarrett768]

I remember being awed by screenshots of those slam dunk scenes and getting unrealistic expectations for the first time concerning videogame graphics. Still, it was a game changer as far as what was imaginable for young players. Somehow I think Ring King is another game permanently marked by Seanbaby’s attention, but then again everyone was remarking about that if they remembered the game at all.

[@safetinspector2]

1:11 Oh, man, only two episodes until the best shmup on the NES?!? Zanac had so many systems and secrets, Jeremy! The iterative power-ups, the hidden rules behind how they are delivered and when they are delivered, so great! And the secrets and tricks, like how to get the rapid fire instantly, and the wide rapid fire, the trick to get warps and screen clearer, the incredible music, the crazy challenge and huge bases! OH MAN OH MAN! The spiritual sequel, "The Guardian Legend," was pretty fantastic, too, but in choosing to try to make a game of two genres at once I think the shmup part was a little weaker than the one in Zanac..... I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 60!

[@ajm2748]

The underrated cool secret for zanac was reset the nes 13 times (for level select i think)

[@CronosVids]

During the entire Double Dribble segment I kept hearing Peter Griffin saying “Corner 3”.

[@TheMaskedheel]

We actually loved Ring King. I still have my copy.The tournament mode where CPU could fight a CPU was revolutionary as was giving your fighter its own stats.

[@TomGarrett73]

I played Double Dribble for quite a while as a kid before I realized that only three players per team cross halfcourt at any one time, allowing a "5 on 5" game to exist within the NES' stock technical limitations.

[@Badfinger4]

Never realized this. Mind = blown

[@chrisbidwell895]

The NES Players Guide says the teams were named the New York Eagles, Boston Frogs, Chicago Ox, and the Los Angeles Breakers.

[@kolpik3708]

I forgot how wondrous Double Dribble's half time shows are. Chef's kiss.

[@wayner396]

My dad bought ring king when i was a kid. I had a good time playing it with him. I like that you can change the stats on your fighter and the knock down blows were fun to watch as the fighter would spin around or fly up in fun ways.

[@MissAshley42]

I knew about the Ring King corner fun times, but I wasn't prepared for the pelvic thrusts.

[@PepsiGolem]

I think Jeremy Parish is the only person who can make me interested in sports games.

[@shane1489]

Your vids are a real treat in the morning to go along with a cup of coffee. Keep up the good work👍

[@Legomaster719]

I have never thought of Punch Out as a boxing game. It uses boxing as a medium but it in essence a puzzle game. You need to recognize the patterns and react accordingly. If you know the pattern and have the reflexes you can win every time.

[@w.s.mcgallis7731]

I always love the banner in Exciting Basketball.... The one that says " WIN A GAME" like this team hasn't won all season and the boosters have just given up...

[@RobotacularRoBob]

Boxing would be the most bizarre sport to watch if the fighters got BJs in between rounds.

[@Dwedit]

In a 2 Player Game of Double Dribble, either player can play as Boston. Meanwhile, Ring King was noteworthy for being the first released NES game with a mapper similar to the MMC3. It also got a release on the VS System as "VS TKO Boxing". Finally, the sound sample used for "Five" in the count is the exact same sample as "Fight". So the ref says "Five" to make them begin boxing.

[@PaulSoth]

Should note that both these games got a huge boost from being featured in the Nintendo Player's Guide that was packaged with the system, which made them must-haves to kids that didn't know what they were getting into with some of those titles. Such as my nextdoor neighbor.

[@georgeadams3142]

Jeremy JSYK: Voiceover says episode 57, graphic and title say 58.

[@JeremyParish]

Yep

[@MikeChimeri]

I've come to accept the fact that graphic and narration errors will happen. I choose not to complain about them because I don't want to ruffle feathers. Besides, in my brief attempt at a KZbin series, "Mike Chimeri's Music Collection," I made my share of errors, including referring to the "seventh album" of one episode as the "seventh song."

[@4504595]

Mike Chimeri True, although this wasn't a complaint as they used the acronym "JSYK", which I assume means "Just So You Know".

[@MikeChimeri]

@@4504595 I was referring to myself, not Geo Ada. I know it means "just so you know." I complain a lot about imperfections in production and speech on all the content I watch, but try to keep those complaints to myself. Even if I mean well, people will take it as trolling. And that doesn't mean I think you think I'm trolling.

[@magus2342]

Jeremy's numbering errors go clear back to 1up Retronauts. It's not a bug, it's a beloved feature!

[@Unquestionable]

To this day the only basketball games I've been able to enjoy are Double Dribble and NBA Jam. Not a huge fan of the sport obviously but both those titles managed to steal hours of my childhood.

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

Man, Konami just went from hit to hit in the late '80s, didn't it? It's strange to think that in less than half a decade, the idea of what a video game could be went from something like E.T. for the Atari 2600 to Castlevania on the NES. Games like Double Dribble look pretty simple these days, but I think the leap in quality that games took during the '80s was a much bigger deal than, say, the move to 3D in the mid-'90s. ...Still, it's kind of a drag to see how great Konami used to be when we have to live with Konami as it is now.

[@TheMaskedheel]

This is true. During that gap though Commodore and other micro computers were the daydream for me at school.

[@mymangodfrey]

The arcade version of Ring King was a blast. I remember being so disappointed by the NES conversion.

[@phaze7269]

I remember being amazed by Double Dribble first time I saw it at a friend's house. It put my commodore 64 basketball to shame!

[@richardkim9952]

Double Dribble should have paired with Blades of Steel in this ep

[@Dwedit]

It turns out the voice samples were actually supposed to be much clearer, but the bits were written in reverse order by mistake. See tcrf.net/Double_Dribble_%28NES%29 for more information.

[@absolutezeronow7928]

Never played either sports game in this episode, but as almost always, Konami delivered in the 8-bit era. Looking forward to Spy Hunter next episode, which I have played and love the use of the Peter Gunn Theme in.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Eh, I was never a fan of Spy Hunter. As far as I'm concerned, the Peter Gunn theme is the best thing about it.

[@Islandswamp]

The hot dogs are going all the way this year.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

Ring King wound up as one of the late stages of a mystery fighting game tournament recently at Combo Breaker this year. Having two human players does not help it make it less braindead, let me tell you.

[@orlandoturbo6431]

I wonder why they didn't make some of these games for the PC Engine in Japan.

[@02drpyro]

This video is proof that sometimes it’s all about perspective. Double Dribble and Ring King were the two NES games that I put more time into than any other. In my opinion Ring King was far superior and truer to its sport than Double Dribble. It was also easily a more true boxing sim than Punchout. Sure Punchout was more fun as an arcade style puzzle fighting game but personally I got more value out of Ring King. I actually developed the skill to beat the highest circuit world champion but I was also still able to enjoy the game boxing against my friends in two player mode which MT’s Punchout did not have. It’s obvious that the producer of this video didn’t take the time to really experience how deep the game play in Ring King was.

[@LucaHibbardCurto]

Double Dribble *may* have been the first game I’ve ever played. We had an NES in my parents room growing up, something my older brother got around I was born. We for sure had Mario 2 on it, but the dunking animations are seared into my brain as one of the, if not the, first video game things I’ve ever seen.

[@LBOOGIEDAMANN]

I've been waiting on Double Dribble since I came across your channel a month ago. I literally got excited to click this one. I played this so much with my brothers as a kid. Had to say that before watching. Boston Frogs - the color green used by the Celtics made it an easy mascot to use L.A. Hotdogs - Showtime Lakers for hot dogging it on the court. Chicago Devils - red with Bulls horns not to mention the Luciferian ties associated with the animal N.Y. Turkeys - because New Yorkers can be some jive turkeys (the last one is a stretch lol)

[@boingthegoat7764]

At one point I tried playing a borrowed copy of Double Dribble with my dad, who was big into basketball as he used to play in college. It went about like this: "I can't tell which guy I'm controlling!" "Dad, you're controlling the blinking one." "They're ALL blinking!" "...ok fair."

[@willmistretta]

Oh, Zanac. Compile shooters can't show up soon enough in this series for me.

[@aliffubuntu]

It’s night, I’m supposed to go to sleep. But godamn, screw sleep when this drops.

[@MrPiragon]

Mohhamad Aliff Same but getting ready for gym

[@magus2342]

Man, Double Dribble was one of the great sports games on NES. You pair it up with Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and RBI Baseball, and even the nerdiest kid will be all in (ask me how I know!)

[@iLO80]

The random KOs in Ring King were pretty cool.

[@AltimaNEO]

Gotta take a bite out of Evander "the real meal" Holyfield

[@jhoughjr1]

stadium events was track and field 2 on a combo cart with my power pad I think

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

You know, the bit that I don't quite get is why you'd call a basketball game "Double Dribble"? Sure, it rolls off the tongue easily, but it's a penalty. It's like calling a baseball game "Foul Ball".

[@FranzFerdinand76]

Ring King with a turbo controller was the shit.

[@setadriftonfishandchips]

Double Dribble is awesome

[@jjgiblin]

Opening screen -- Double Dwibble Comfy like a warm blanket

[@jasonblalock4429]

I'm looking forward to him talking about Blades Of Steel and its Gradius cameo.

[@jessragan6714]

Any chance the Boston Frogs was an oblique reference to Frogger, one of Konami's earlier arcade games? Of course, back in those days, Sega had been getting all the credit for that one...

[@odemata87]

Should do Bad News Base ball

[@abriel3016]

I remember playing double dribble with my brother a few years ago.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Oof, time has not been kind to those Double Dribble slam dunk animations. I remember them being pretty mind-blowing back in the day, though.

[@ralphiecifaretto8961]

Double Dribble is more fun to play than any NBA2K game released lately.

[@Bloxed]

I never got well acquainted with Ring King as I felt it controlled clunky and I've never played Double Dribble even though it has been in my backlog. Looking forward to the next episode!

[@bdbd1390]

"corner 3"

[@leefischer5814]

Love Double Dribble, best console Basketball game there was till NBA Jam. Never thought about the absence of facial features till you brought it up, maybe it was a somewhat clever way in their minds for the person playing the game to picture themselves as the character? If not, it is pretty creepy anyway😁

[@Optimalillusion]

To quote Glove and Boots: "Double Dwibble!"

[@milkcarton6654]

When watching that pretty bad doc on video games history on netflix a few months back i immediately reacted when the designer on Madden said that he put the first black players in a sports game... Right away despite renting it maybe only twice back in the 80's, Double Dribble came to mind. I mean i think he said something like major sports game but what the hell... who cares if it's major or not, Double Dribble did it way before. And i'm not saying it's the first even, likely it isn't, but it's the first i can remember. It was just one of the many examples of how this doc was so half-assed and playing loose with the truth. Oh and Ring king is one of those game that i rented a bunch of times and which (simplistic) music has been forever since etched in my brain.

[@JeremyParish]

The first black player in a sports game was probably Dr. J in One in One, a huge hit back in 1983 or so. That Madden dude was on something.

[@JeremyParish]

(And by "player" I mean "licensed in-game representation of an actual, living human being," not just a stick figure sprite with a darker color palette)

[@Ginormousaurus]

Madden NFL '95 wasn't even the first football video game with black players. There were black players based on real NFL players in Tecmo Bowl for the NES in 1989.

[@svankensen]

Heh, nice intermission sequence. Loved the tune.

[@matthewlane518]

Dwuble Dwibble lol

[@bucknerstrange3076]

This was a good episode. A little upset at the lack of mention towards the "CORNER THREE"

[@batmetal7284]

First of all I love this series. Great job. I am curious about something. You mention Exciting Basketball in the arcade yet show Super Basketball, which wasn't a full basketball game. It only let you play on offense. Exciting Basket on FDS seems to be an original standalone game. When it was converted to the NES they changed some elements (added slam dunk close-ups, removal of in-game music) to make it play more closely to the arcade game Double Dribble. It's clearly not a direct port of arcade Double Dribble, especially since you can't even double dribble on the NES. Am I off on any of that?

[@elvistwatty]

Double dribble was great. Even with the glitch 3

[@Choralone422]

Double Dribble + Blades of Steel were the go to basketball & hockey games for a long time on the NES. In my elementary school days my best friend (and next door neighbor) had both of those games and we played the heck out of them! Can't wait for Punch Out! That friend also owned that (I owned mostly adventure games, Metroid, Zelda and so on) and it took both of us a long time to beat Tyson!

[@kyleolson8977]

Great video again. Thanks for all of these.

[@rodneylives]

I think there was an arcade version of Double Dribble, which is particularly -- and ear-piercingly -- notable for featuring a synth voiced version of the Star Spangled Banner at the start: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bom2n6efbZx3abM

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

Ring King wasn't bad as a multiplayer game back in the day.

[@darbizzlebacon]

This episode is not brought to you by: 8-bit Brody

[@mr7clay]

Congrat ulation on another great ep.

[@jamesmoss3424]

Double Dribble is a excellent basketball game. 😀👍🏀🎮

[@Tubewings]

When you get to that point, are you going to show Tecmo Bowl's halftime show during that video?

[@DSMTheEditor]

God bless EGM and Seanbaby introducing me to the one reason to know about Ring King lol

[@TanookiSuit]

Unless I blinked I didn't see the slide show animation of the wicked slam dunks it would do on occasion all full screen. That was some of the fun other than chaining those sweet spot 3pt shots in Double Dribble.

[@parimabartender]

I swear I saw a magazine where you could knock a guy out of the ring in ring king my friend who's parents had "Jesus is the reason for the season" on their door all year stopped letting friends come over after a while. Sucks.

[@jonriede6846]

I always thought the NY team was supposed to be the eagles, not turkeys. Is there something in the game manual or other material that identifies them at turkeys?

[@CampsitePyro]

Boston Frogs NY Eagles Chicago Ox LA Breakers According to the Official NES Players Guide😁

[@ari-dynamicarchive]

DUBBUL DWIBBUL

[@teh9860]

CORNER THREE!

[@matthewlane518]

Corner three!

[@SadSackGaming]

I didn’t hate Ring King, but yeah, it has the problem that even games today have. An unnatural progression of difficulty that doesn’t really feel fair. I wish more developers would just make games that has a low and slow difficulty escalation alongside being fun because I didn’t hate Ring King, I just hated that you are having fun and then thing get super serious.

[@7thangelad586]

Sure would love to see a Commie Dribble now.

[@LilJeezyLoC]

Love you videos always a day 1 watcher

[@MAYOFORCE]

So much for family computer

[@parimabartender]

How do you not mention the right side 3 point bug

[@mrazcr000]

Blades of Steel not adequate for you to consider ?

[@Mansini77]

Love your work man, thank you so much.

[@masterrserch3971]

Spy Hunter is THE SHIT... especially the arcade

[@70smebbin]

Nostalgiaaaa