NBA Jam

"Not a bad game...... but NBA Jam T.E. is a better bet"

NBA Jam was an arcade hit, meaning it had to be transferred to home consoles, and indeed it was. The SNES version is a pretty good game, but first some background info: NBA Jam is a two-on-two basketball game containing real NBA teams and players. There are no fouls called, and players can get the ball by any means neccessary. The only thing called is goaltending. Players each have time-limited turbo boosts, which lets them run faster, intercept passes easier, steal easier, and pull off dunks from a LONG way from the basket. There are several types of dunks in the game. One or two players can play. Each team has three selectable players, so you can sub a guy in during the game. Each players is ranked in categories such as speed, dunks, three point shooting, stealing and clutch (ability to perform when the game is on the line). Another big part of the game are codes, which open up a wealth of secret players.

Graphics: 7/10

Pretty good. The players are pretty simple, but this was a relatively early SNES game. Some of the dunks look OK.

Sound: 7/10

Some commentator clips, but nothing great. The sound effects are realistic, however.

Gameplay: 8/10

The lack of rules allows for a quicker, more fun game, though basketball purists will argue it's just not right. Control is easy, and your player dribbles, shoots, dunks, passes, blocks or steals. If used wisely, the turbo button is your best asset. The game isn't very difficult. The two player mode is great fun. One negative is the fact that only three players per team are available, and, as is par for basketball games, Michael Jordan does not make an appearance. Otherwise, all strong points. Most players accurately reflect their abilities, and the addition of all the secret players is pretty good.

Replay: 7/10

A fun and easy game to play again, against the computer or a friend.

Overall: 7/10

A pretty good basketball game, BUT NBA Jam Tournament Edition is only a few bucks more and improves on NBA Jam in every category. Therefore, this is a solid game, but T.E. does it all better, so I recommend passing this game over and going for the second one.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99