By Aaron N
NBA Jam is a classic game for any basketball fan. I don't think there is anybody who has never heard of the phrase "he's on fire." It was never a realistic basketball game, but as a kid I couldn't have enough of it. Some of my best gaming memories are from NBA Jam. So when Nintendo announced that a new version of the classic game was to be released for the Nintendo Wii, it had everybody talking. With updated graphics and a current roster of players, NBA Jam was ready to take you on a trip to simpler times.
Graphics:
The graphics for NBA Jam are exactly what we expected them to be, an updated version of the original games. The players look very much like the real athletes and they even had enough detail to put the different coaches in there on the sidelines, this impressed me greatly. The fans don't have a lot of detail to them, but that isn't necessary. The graphics aren't the best on the planet and do not match up to other NBA games released this year. But NBA Jam is unlike the other games and this shows with the graphics.
Story:
There isn't a story to NBA Jam. There is sort of a season you can play and this consists of playing random teams in a row until you have defeated all the teams in the game. Throughout it they have various legend teams scattered in between groups of current teams. It is fun to unlock different legends to play. This is how it was as well in the original, without the legends added in. There are other season type stories you can play, but the game is really just about playing a game of basketball and the lack of story doesn't hinder the game experience all that much.
Gameplay:
You play as two players of an NBA team. It is a two-on-two game setup and you only control one player and the computer controls your teammate. You can tell the computer where to pass and other actions, but you only have total control over one player. The goal of the game is to score the most points at the end of four quarters to win the game. You can change how many minutes are in each quarter but it usually averages two to three minutes each. This game introduces the alley-oop aspect. This makes it easy to score on almost every possession and cheapens the game a bit, but it is still fun to do nonetheless. The alley-oop play just calls for one player to press the jump button close to the hoop. He then jumps very high into the air and the teammate who has the ball can then pass it to him for an easy slam dunk. The slam dunks in this game are more outrageous than in previous installments, but that is part of its brilliance.
Sound:
The music in this game is very simplistic, but the game doesn't call for anything more. It is basically a looped song that sounds like it should be in the background of a rap song. The music doesn't add anything to the game nor does it take anything away from it. It is kind of just there. One thing that the classic NBA Jam games are known for is the announcer. He is the one who coins the phrases that made them so memorable. The announcer in this game is just as off-the-wall as in the originals. He has the feel of the original and the way he spouts out the classic catchphrases is great. They updated some of the lingo and I felt that it fit in very nicely.
Overall:
This game is a great, fun, and entertaining throwback that will have you playing for a while. But even though it's not the same as playing as BJ Armstrong, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, the game is sure to create a nostalgic feeling as you play it. They created a respectful homage to the past but also kept it entertaining for a new generation.
NBA Jam gets an 8/10
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