NBA Jam

It?s been 10 years since Jam caused chaos on the court.

There was a time when the name NBA Jam was synonymous with action-oriented sports games?no matter what sport, if it had players bursting into flame and generally doing things no human being could ever manage, it was called a ?Jam-style? game. That time has passed and so has the mantle, leaving NBA Street the current king of the kinetic courts. However, the relaunch of Acclaim?s franchise is no mere pretender to the throne, and it earns back some of its old respect.

NBA Jam (2003 Remix)
Mind you, the modern NBA Jam is still playing follow the leader. Half of its elements have been borrowed from Street?s definition of roundball: three-on-three play with stylized, somewhat cartoonish pro players (including NBA legends like Bird and Chamberlain?but sorry, no Jordan), accrued points for special in-game moves, and a momentum meter that enables a super dunk.

The other elements have been, er, inspired by Midway?s post-Jam arcade offerings, NBA Showtime and NBA Hangtime?namely the inclusion of a hotspot, a heavy reliance on alley-oops, and a trivia contest at the end of each game. Then again, can you blame Acclaim? Different for different?s sake is not a recipe for good gameplay, especially in sports games; blending bits that are already proven to work simply makes sense.

Defensive Posture
The important thing is that Acclaim has made those elements work in harmony. NBA Jam is a fast-paced game of basketball that works for all audiences: It?s a one-button, newbie-worthy procedure to throw up an impressive-looking alley-oop, but experienced players with good timing can dish off multiple ?oops, totally flattening the defense.

Unfortunately, killing the D is fairly easy. While the A.I. players are good at reading alley-oop opportunities on their own and will often give a good shove to opponents after the bucket to boost the team?s Jam points (in fact, the computer always plays rough), your own teammates rarely go up for a rebound?they?ll almost always wait for the opposing team to clean the glass. And while the controls respond well on both platforms, you?ll find yourself frantically switching between team members in hopes of offering any kind of resistance to the offensive onslaught, and timing your swats is tricky.

The New Old School
Both the Xbox and PS2 versions feature identically smooth player animations, 3D animated crowds, and sparkly special effects, not to mention the excellent retro modes. When you?re playing the NBA legends, you?ll view the action through a nostalgic filter?the black-and-white presentation of the 1950s and 1960s is worth a rental alone. The soundtrack features good crowd sounds, well-timed (if repetitive) announcing by original Jam voice Tim Kitzrow, era-specific arena music, and not only music tracks but also extra play-by-play commentary from legendary funk bassist/groovy weirdo Bootsy Collins. NBA Jam features created players and teams as well as tons of unlockable goodies, like old-school announcers, chain-link nets, and extra courts (including the classic Boston and Chicago arenas). Be warned: You have to earn a lot of Jam points to get that stuff or even make a competent created player.

All in all, it?s nice to see Jam get its groove back; the break has done the franchise good, and the resulting relaunched game is worthy of its weighty legacy. NBA Street has a better all-around arcade-style game, but if all you care about are big dunks and big points, NBA Jam will deliver you to highlight heaven.

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