NBA Jam

"Arcade Sports at their Finest"

Intro: Basketball is not a sport that I normally enjoy playing in video game form, probably because it is my favorite sport to physically play. That said, NBA Jam is the best sports game on the SNES (In my opinion of course). The fast paced, high action of this game is more than anyone could ask for.

Game Play: This is what makes the game. NBA Jam is an arcade style basketball game. If you are looking for a basketball simulation then you have come to the wrong place. There are 27 different teams for you to choose from, each with 2 players. The game is 2 on 2 with 3 minute quarters. The object of the game is simply to beat your opponent by out scoring them. There are a few things that make NBA Jam so fun to play. First, there are almost no fouls. Only violations are ever enforced, the shot clock violations and goal tending. Goal tending, however, is very loosely called. You can block a shot that is obviously goal tending without getting called for it. Second, super dunks. The super dunks in this game are awesome. You can take off from the free-throw line, fly a good 15-30 feet in the air while doing 360s or flips, and pound home a dunk. Pulling off these dunks is a blast. Third, Fire Mode. Whenever a single player makes 3 consecutive baskets the announcer will say "He's on Fire!" and you will be until your opponent scores. While you are on fire you will make almost all of your shots and be able to perform more super dunks. You will also have unlimited turbo. The game difficulty has 5 levels ranging from very easy to very hard. There is no reason to drop below the normal difficulty, even when you first are learning to play. The defense is just as fun as the offense because you can really pound on the other team. The only problem is that blocking shots is quite difficult and seems a little random at times. Oh yeah, one more thing. Secrets Galore!!! You can unlock and play as Bill Clinton or Al Gore as well as many more.

Controls: Simple and intuitive. There are really only 3 buttons and the D pad. The shoulder buttons serve as the turbo buttons, Y and X are the pass/steal button, and B and A are the shoot/jump buttons. Using the turbo and shoot buttons together will allow you to perform the super dunks and the steal and turbo buttons together allow you to push your opponents down. Timing is important in the game. You have to hold down the shoot button to time your shots and timing is key on defense.

Graphics: NBA Jam has some darn impressive graphics on the Super Nintendo. The colors are lush and the players look good. You can't tell who you are by the players faces in the game, but each player is made as close as possible. The height of the players is relatively accurate, and players each have certain haircuts. Players with goggles, like Horace Grant on the Bulls, do have goggles in the game. The baskets and court all look very good. The crowd sucks, but so do all crowds in sports games. The coolest thing is when you perform a super dunk the crowd starts flashing there cameras.

Sound: The sound that is in the game is great. There could be more of it though. The announcer is not very good. He only has a few phrases that he will repeat numerous times in each game. My biggest gripe is that he will constantly call out "Ugly Shot!" even when it isn't. I will make at least 10 "Ugly Shots" a game. Other than that the sound is pretty solid. The ball sounds like its hitting the hardwood and it sounds good bouncing around on the rims too. Best of all is the sound of shattering glass hitting the floor after you break the backboard. It would be nice if there was more music.

Negative Points: NBA Jam uses a password system to save your progress. I thought that at this point that kind of thing was history. The password consists of 20 numbers and letters. The whole thing makes playing a full season much more annoying that it should be, but oh well.

Final Thoughts: I am writing this review in 2004 because it is one of 3 SNES games that I still play. That says a lot about a game. A game against your buddy is still one of the best multi-player experiences around. If you have a working SNES and like basketball at all then see if you can find a copy of NBA Jam on Ebay or at your local EB Games.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/04