NBA Jam

"Meet NBA Street's grandfather"

Let’s go back into history of arcade basketball. Before NBA Street. Before NBA Hangtime. Now we have NBA Jam. NBA Jam is the grandfather of arcade basketball games. NBA Jam is the first game where you can catch on fire for positive reasons. NBA Jam is the first basketball game where you can jump thirty feet into the air doing summersaults and ****, dish it to your air born partner, and break glass one minute into the forth quarter. No wonder they call it NBA Jam.

I remember back in the day, like when Jordan won his second ring, I was a seven year old looking for good basketball games. After renting NBA Give’ n’ Go, NBA All-Star Challenge, and even that sorry Rap Jam: Volume 1, I finally came across the SNES version of NBA Street volume 2. NBA Jam reigns supreme when it comes to original sports mixed with arcade style gameplay.

Man, after 8 long years since the last time I played it, the controls are still memorable as the funky Twinkie you ate in elementary school. You move around the court with the D-pad. Pass with the A and X buttons, and shot with the B and Y buttons. For an extra boost of turbo, press one of the shoulder buttons. The thing is so simple.

Back in the day, there were only 27 NBA teams (minus the Raptors and Grizzles) to choose from. You can be a cheating bastard and use Jordan and the Bulls or be a shoot out with Miller and the Pacers. After choosing a team, its time to choose a pair of teammates to play as. Out of 3 people (I think) choose two and play two quarters. At halftime you’re able to switch around the order of the team. The gameplay is where the game reaches a gaming milestone. This is the only time where you can be jumping 30 freakin’ feet in to the air doing a windmill dunk with a guitar solo in the background. The part where people say, “This game is hot!” comes around the forth quarter. We all remember that at the forth quarter, we are trying to dunk just to see the glass shatter. Don’t try to act like you don’t remember. That was the bomb. The only crappy thing about the gameplay is that most of the basketball rules apply. That means you’re penalized when you try to grab the ball in mid-air, or known to basketball fans as goaltending.

The graphics are all right. At the team choice screen, the detail work does show. Then on the courts, it seems like Michael Jordan and Mitch Richmond look alike. It’s forgivable since this is the first try and this is the SNES. The camera angle is cool to. The side-scrolling idea was a really nifty angle until it comes to rebounding and shot blocking.

Man, I can’t remember if there is commentary or not. Oh well, like we give a damn about it anyways. As a commandment of my personal taste in video games, all commentary and/or disses shall be done by you or your friend in a sports game. The music isn’t memorable either, like we give a damn again. Just pop in a Snoop Doggy Dog CD in the stereo or something for a better groove.

This game is fun with or without a friend (I prefer a friend though). The arcade mode makes you try to defeat all the 27 NBA teams and even an All-Star team at the end. After that, welcome to the high score page. The questions at the end of the game are really hard for the newer generations due to it’s old schoolness (yeah, I know that’s not a word). It’s a fun yet learning experience at the same thing, whether you like it or not. Plus, you can mess around with the cheat codes before tip-off.

After all these years, this noble basketball and video game fan can still remember the old days and trace NBA Street to it’s roots. This game has revolutionized how sports games could be presented in a fun way. No longer, are we restricted to serious 6 foul ejections; instead Dennis Rodman can piss off anyone. No longer are we restricted to slow tempo plays, instead we are able to have a boost of turbo to smoke the competition up the court. No longer are we restricted to gravitational laws, instead we fly high into the sky and come down with the enough force to shatter glass. VIVA NBA JAM!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/03, Updated 07/16/03