NBA Jam Tournament Edition

"One of the most fun Genesis games I've ever played"

Graphics: 8

As far as Genesis games go, NBA Jam TE has good graphics that don't really knock your socks off but don't leave much to complain about either. The biggest visual fault isn't the graphics themselves, but the lack of variety. Some cool effects on some of the dunks, but after awhile every player and the arena suffer from ''sameness.''

Gameplay: 10

Obviously with only Shoot/Jump, Turbo, and Pass buttons, controls are easy to master and should be accessible by anyone over 3. However, the power-ups, shoving, and different game mutators in options (speed is one), change things enough that you'll need to put in some effort to master everything.

Sound: 7

Not bad, but certainly NBA Jam's weakest area. The announcer has a decent number of comments and since he's announcing you can't really complain about the voice acting, but the lack of any real music is disappointing. The sound effects (sneaker squeaks, net swish, etc) are convincing but few in number.

Fun Factor: 10

This game is an absolute blast, especially with cheats, in both singleplayer and multiplayer. Super-dunks, mascots, or shoving your friend to the floor and then dunking with no one around is incredibly fun.

Replay: 8

Well most teams usually have their big-man who dunks/rebounds/blocks, a well balanced player who is solid at most everything, and a smaller faster guy who can't dunk or block but can hit 3's and steal like there's no tomorrow. There are of course exceptions, but because of this, most of the time singleplayer games are fairly similar. The only difference is when you're getting towards the end of tournament mode and Hakeem Olijuwan (SP?) is hitting 3's because the AI likes to cheat. Fortunately, powerups and a friend can make games really unique, giving the multiplayer a near infinite lifespan. Of course after you beat the game, you also unlock the All-Stars and each team gets more players (rookies), giving you something worthwhile to play for. In addition, trying out all the secret characters also adds significant replay value.

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Summary:

Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 10
Sound: 7
Fun Factor: 10
Replay: 8

Pros: Plenty to unlock, tons of rules/powerups/mutators to add variety, easy to pick-up gameplay.

Cons: Players suffer from ''sameness,'' lack of any real music.

The bottom line? NBA Jam TE is a great game with a few easily overlooked flaws. If you own a Genesis or a Genesis Emulator, you must get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/03, Updated 07/31/03