NBA Jam
Boom-shaka-laka, Whoomp, there it is!
Posted October 11, 2010
Developed by Midway over 17 years ago, the NBA Jam series has always offered arcade basketball with a dose of humor for players in the arcade and at home on consoles. The NBA Jam series also spawned interest in arcade adaptations of other sports such as < aclass="external" href="http://videogametalk.com/reviews/898/blitz-ii--the-league/">NFL Blitz and NBA Ballers. EA Sports developed this most recent version of NBA Jam hoping to reignite the arcade entertainment that made the original such a popular game. The presentation is faithful to the traditional NBA Jam style, but includes a variety of new game modes in an attempt to broaden the depth of the game.
If you’ve never played NBA Jam before, you will notice immediately that this isn’t a realistic version of basketball like NBA 2K11. This is purely 2 on 2, arcade basketball with stars that you have grown to know over the years. The formula is pretty much the same as well. If you start sinking baskets over and over, your player is set on fire and becomes nearly unstoppable on the court, both on offense and defense. You can play with up to 3 other local players and you field a couple more superstars on your team in case you need to swap out players. The rules are relatively lax compared to simulation style basketball, but you do have to watch the shot clock.
EA has included a few new game modes in the mix beyond the classic campaign mode, specifically Boss Battles, 21 and Smash mode. Boss Battles pit you up against the best athletes in the NBA (old and new) and are infuriatingly difficult to beat. The difficulty is far too difficult to beat without practicing endlessly and playing a perfect game. It can be extremely frustrating for new players. 21 is exactly as is sounds and Smash mode pits you against a team to see who can smash the most glass backboards with dunks. None of the modes is exceptionally more entertaining than the classic mode and you can tell these are just modifications on the game rules rather than fully thought out game modes.
Another problem with the game isn’t a new one, but rather one that wasn’t fixed. When playing against the Wii, the rubber band AI will mount insane comebacks just to keep it close even if your best player is on fire. The AI will block great shots and trash your players just to keep the score close. They also have an uncanny ability to grab all the on-screen powerups before you realize they are even there. I wasn’t a huge fan of the motion controls, but I’m a classic controller guy at heart. They did perform pretty well though. Swinging the Wii-Mote up with cause your player to jump and start a shot. The speed at which you bring it back down will define the severity of the dunk or defensive move.
EA included plenty of achievements to earn along the way in the form of Jam Challenges. Challenges are mostly streak related like catching on fire or scoring a certain number of points. These unlock classic players as well as new gameplay modifiers. You can unlock these challenges much faster with a friend on hand for co-op play against the computer. Playing with friends is a superior experience as the computer’s range of moves is limited and can be learned after a few games.
Just like it was in the arcade, NBA Jam for the Wii offers vastly more enjoyment when playing with friends rather than playing the problematic A.I. The lack of online play is a true detriment to the title as playing against real competitors would have given us a reason to keep playing every time we needed an arcade burst of basketball fun. Instead, we are left to playing with friends when they are around. NBA Jam is certainly loyal to its arcade roots and will please long time fans of the old-school game, but lacks the longevity / depth that more recent basketball games contain. Frankly, I’m surprised that NBA Jam wasn’t released as a downloadable title, albeit a highly polished one. Give NBA Jam a rent on a lazy weekend and see if it’s worth investing the full MSRP into.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum
If you’ve never played NBA Jam before, you will notice immediately that this isn’t a realistic version of basketball like NBA 2K11. This is purely 2 on 2, arcade basketball with stars that you have grown to know over the years. The formula is pretty much the same as well. If you start sinking baskets over and over, your player is set on fire and becomes nearly unstoppable on the court, both on offense and defense. You can play with up to 3 other local players and you field a couple more superstars on your team in case you need to swap out players. The rules are relatively lax compared to simulation style basketball, but you do have to watch the shot clock.
EA has included a few new game modes in the mix beyond the classic campaign mode, specifically Boss Battles, 21 and Smash mode. Boss Battles pit you up against the best athletes in the NBA (old and new) and are infuriatingly difficult to beat. The difficulty is far too difficult to beat without practicing endlessly and playing a perfect game. It can be extremely frustrating for new players. 21 is exactly as is sounds and Smash mode pits you against a team to see who can smash the most glass backboards with dunks. None of the modes is exceptionally more entertaining than the classic mode and you can tell these are just modifications on the game rules rather than fully thought out game modes.
Another problem with the game isn’t a new one, but rather one that wasn’t fixed. When playing against the Wii, the rubber band AI will mount insane comebacks just to keep it close even if your best player is on fire. The AI will block great shots and trash your players just to keep the score close. They also have an uncanny ability to grab all the on-screen powerups before you realize they are even there. I wasn’t a huge fan of the motion controls, but I’m a classic controller guy at heart. They did perform pretty well though. Swinging the Wii-Mote up with cause your player to jump and start a shot. The speed at which you bring it back down will define the severity of the dunk or defensive move.
EA included plenty of achievements to earn along the way in the form of Jam Challenges. Challenges are mostly streak related like catching on fire or scoring a certain number of points. These unlock classic players as well as new gameplay modifiers. You can unlock these challenges much faster with a friend on hand for co-op play against the computer. Playing with friends is a superior experience as the computer’s range of moves is limited and can be learned after a few games.
Graphics
- The game’s visuals have a charming dated look that has been updated for the Nintendo Wii’s graphic processor. The ridiculous bobble-heads on the players and folks in the crowd will make you smile when they contort their faces into odd positions. Visual effects of the various dunk animations look fantastic and the game runs smooth as silk.
Audio
- Tim Kitzrow returns with completely new voice recordings to narrate the action on the court with ridiculous catch phrases. The voice work is a mixture of all his old material plus plenty of new quips to delight your ears. It sounded very much like an ESPN Sportcenter announcer who’s been allowed to completely cut loose with the inane banter. Anyway, Kitzrow is thoroughly entertaining. The explosive sound effects return to be paired with the crazy animations. The music is the weakest portion of the game, not much to speak of here. It doesn’t really matter though as the announcer is the feature showcase of the audio effects.
Conclusion
Just like it was in the arcade, NBA Jam for the Wii offers vastly more enjoyment when playing with friends rather than playing the problematic A.I. The lack of online play is a true detriment to the title as playing against real competitors would have given us a reason to keep playing every time we needed an arcade burst of basketball fun. Instead, we are left to playing with friends when they are around. NBA Jam is certainly loyal to its arcade roots and will please long time fans of the old-school game, but lacks the longevity / depth that more recent basketball games contain. Frankly, I’m surprised that NBA Jam wasn’t released as a downloadable title, albeit a highly polished one. Give NBA Jam a rent on a lazy weekend and see if it’s worth investing the full MSRP into.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum