NBA Jam (1993)

Gameplay, Story and Value:

NBA Jam is just... good. Even if you don't like basketball, the arcade style gameplay is fun, fast and solid. Each game is 2-on-2 and you can play either single player against the CPU as well as competitive or cooperative multiplayer. The controls are fairly simple with one button to shoot/dunk, another to pass and another to fake. On defense these controls change to shot block, pass block and turbo respectively.

Quarters are short and games move quickly, and it's easy to play through several rounds in a short amount of time, and special boosts are given to players who can make consecutive shots without the other team scoring. My biggest complaint about the game's handling is simply that there appears to be no way to switch control between your two teammates. When your CPU teammate has the ball you can trigger a pass and shoot, but not take direct control. Since the AI is smart enough, this isn't really an issue, but I'm accustomed to having control over whoever actually has the ball.

The other issue with the game is the absence of any real game mode beyond exhibition matches. Some kind of tournament mode, or seasons, could have added much. Without any of that it really is just a quick pick-up-and-play kind of game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't facilitate longer play sessions.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

Having sunk many a quarter into the NBA Jam arcade cabinet when I was younger, I can say that while the 16-bit console port doesn't quite hold up, it does an admirable job. The court looks great with little touches like scores and the timer visible in the background, and the information overlays and brief, clear and informative. Players aren't exactly unique, but they're distinct enough that you can tell your two teammates apart. Animations are also clear enough that you'll easily know what's going on in the game, and how to react to it.

In sports games, the absence of music is often made up for by its ambient sounds and sound effects. NBA Jam delivers in this departments with its court and audience squeaks and cheers, the swishing of the basket and other ball sounds, as well as some very catchy digitized voiceovers. I still can't think about the game without immediately hearing "He's burning up! He's on fire! BOOM SHAKA LAKA!" going through my head. Cheesy, sure, but wonderfully so.

Afterthoughts:

Full disclosure, this is my first time playing this version of this game. As a kid I played a ton of it at the arcade, and my first and only console version of this game was NBA Hangtime on the N64. With those two games in mind, this one had a lot to live up to for me and honestly, with expectations in check, it delivered. I played a couple rounds of NBA Jam, both single player and multiplayer, for recordings, then a few more afterwards. While I don't think this will become my 2-on-2 basketball game of choice moving forward, I definitely had a great time playing it.

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Gameplay: