"One of the real overlooked underrated dark horses on Saturn..."

Slam 'N Jam '96 is a 2D sprite-based 5-on-5 basketball game that features fake players. That statement may turn you off, but please keep reading.

The action in SNJ 96 is fast-paced and decisively arcade-like. If you're looking for a pure basketball simulation, look elsewhere. But pure fun and fast-paced roundball action? You've come to the right place.

If you don't care for the sport whatsoever, I can't recommend this title whole-heartedly, which would be a shame because it's really solid. However, if you have any small inkling of interest in the sport, and enjoy competitive 2 (up to 4) player outings, Slam 'N Jam '96 will likely please.

No real player names here e.g. John Stockon, Patrick Ewing, etc. There are over 25 teams to select from. Each team has an ideal starting five, and a seven man bench.
I honestly don't care about the lack of an NBA license. Each fake player has his own stats which you can view to understand his abilities and lack thereof. Ranging from 2 point efficiency to 3 point. Ball handling skills, defense, and speed.

Want to know a secret? There are real players in this game! Here's the catch, for example, the team Charlotte, look at the team before it. That, in this game, would be Atlanta. So therefore, Charlotte team in SNJ 96 has players based on Atlanta's squad! So you'll see Mookie Blaylock, Stacey Augmon, etc. Pretty sneaky huh? The jersey numbers match right up. My favorite team in this game, Oakland, is really the Utah Jazz. So... Virgil Johnson = John Stockton. Martin Carlson = Karl Malone (now a Laker, boo!)

You have your typical basketball options available.
Quarter length: from 2 to 4 to 6, all the way to 12 minutes.
You can set Fatigue on or off. When selected on, you will have to carefully substitute your players. The more tired a player, the less effective he will play.
If you want nonstop action though, set Fatigue on off.
You can configure the controls to your liking.
Boundaries on or off.
Referees strict or lenient.
All these options vastly affect gameplay.

OK... now let's talk about the bigger issues here. ''Why should I get it? What has your personal experience with the game been like?''

This game is fun. Some sport games are a chore to play, I know. But some are amazingly fun and this game to me is just one of those magical sport games. Let me share with you a moment...

The first time my brother and I played against one another, the game went straight down to the wire.
There was 20 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The score was tied 89 a piece.
In the previous minute I was winning by 9. But one of my brother's players got hot and swished 3 three pointers on me consecutively. It was unbelievable. I was to blame as well, as I had a poor shot selection down the stretch, and turned the ball over once.
Tie game now.... I'm on offense...

I missed the shot! My brother got the rebound and was on a fast break. 10 seconds to go! The ball was in the hands of the shooter who hit the 3 three pointers -- yikes!

Instead of my brother taking the easy lay-up for the 91-89 lead, he decided to pull up for the 3 pointer!

The ball was in the air as time froze...

*CLANK!*

6 foot 8 inch, hardworking, blue-collar Martin Carlson pulls down the rebound, he heaves a full court pass to my shooting guard. 5 seconds ticking on the clock...

360 Rim-Rocking Slam Dunk!

I was now leading 91-89. 2.5 seconds left...

My brother inbounds it to half court and launches a prayer at the buzzer...

NO GOOD!!

Team Oakland wins! 91-89! Free drinks on the house!

My big man, center 7 foot 2 inch Patrick Allen, put in a hard night's work. 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Virgil Johnson was the player of the game, as he lit up for 33 points. What a game! ''They'll be talking about this one for ages!''

Slam 'N Jam '96 is just a brilliant 2 player game. I think what I wrote above speaks for itself, and the intensity that this game can take on.
CPU AI can be cheap on Hard, so to get the most value, play against a friend or sibling.

Graphics: 7
I wish it was brighter. A little dark looking at first, but you adjust. The crowd looks good though, and the player sprites are huge. The basketball itself and the courts look good enough. Just also wish that the players looked a little crisper.

Sound/Music: 7.5
Not much music, but the sounds are cool. Nice rim sounds, net swishes sound spot on, sneakers squeak the hard woods, fans cheer, and commentator Van Earl Wright throws in his one-liners such as ''Take a look at that!'' Also, the sound of a shattering backboard is awesome... more on this later...

Control: 8.5
Mostly responsive, but might feel a little sluggish to some at first. Generally you go where you want, but sometimes you wonder if the controls could be a little better.

Gameplay: 8.5
This is as good as arcade-esque fast-paced round ball 5-on-5 action as you're going to find on the Saturn. The only things I didn't like about gameplay were:
-When you're close to the sidelines, it doesn't look like you'll touch out of bounds, but sometimes you do.
-It's quite easy to take or receive a charging call, which can get annoying.
-Blocking dunks is a little TOO easy and frequent.
-And the camera, while it scales smoothly, doesn't show the whole court from baseline to baseline, so a pass from one side to the other is quite risky as you can't see the defenders... but you can work around all this, trust me. These aren't huge flaws. Give it a chance.
What I really like about the gameplay is that like in real life basketball, there will be times where you lose it, or as the old cliche goes, ''the wheels fall off.'' It's sort of a virtual simulation of the real life game. How mentally tough are you? Do you have the ability to bounce back after a terrible 3rd quarter of your team only scoring a lousy 7 points?
I play quite a bit of 5-on-5 in real life, and know that like life, basketball will not always work in your favor. Slam N Jam 96 does a nice job of representing the highs and lows of the bouncing orange ball.

Replay Value: 10
Addicting, and no two games are alike. I'm also a big basketball fan, so to me this game has a lot of weight.

Fun Factor: 10
Incredibly easy-to-pick-up-and-hard-to-put-down once things get hot.

MISC:
-About the glass backboard shattering feature... here's how it works. Slam dunk 3 times in a row with your Center, and on the third slam dunk, the backboard will shatter. Perfect for some duly deserved taunting and gloating. Also, sometimes it takes one 'just right' slam dunk from your Center to shatter the glass. You have to see and hear the backboard shattering. It is LOUD and has a great ''OOMPH!'' to it. You'll love watching the replay, slowing it down, and hearing the glass shatter again and again...

-There are only two real players in SNJ 96: the legendary Earvin ''Magic'' Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They're featured on the cover of SNJ 96.

-Great loading times... about 4 seconds.

Bottom Line:

I hope if what I wrote appeals to you then you'll track down a copy and see for yourself.
I know Saturn sport games get a bad rep, but don't believe the hype. Some are really solid, such as this exciting offering from Crystal Dynamics. Remember Konami's ''Run N Gun?'' This is very similar to it.

Slam N Jam '96 is easily the best basketball game on the Saturn in my book. OK that's not saying a whole lot but try this one on for size...

This $3 investment... has given me more good times than many $30 investments. NOW THAT'S saying something.

Overall: 9.0

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/26/03, Updated 08/16/03