SNES Games I Love #13: NBA Jam

On 02/13/2020 at 07:35 AM by The Last Ninja

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Developer: Midway

Publisher: Acclaim

Genre: Sports

Release: 1994

Currently available on: Genesis, Game Gear, GB, Sega CD

About the game: This arcade port was one of the first NBA video games to use licensed teams and their players' likenesses. It's different from your typical basketball game in the fact that it's two-on-two basketball rather than the typical five. What makes this game so great is that it's not realistic: players can jump 20 feet in the air and can catch on fire. The game has some hilarious features, such as big head mode, and there's even a code to play as President Clinton. A commentator will say some phrases as you play, such as "Boomshakalaka" and "He's on fire!"

Why I love it: The first time I played this game was in college on an emulator. A friend and I thought we would try it out, and we fell in love with it! I'm not usually into sports games, but NBA Jam is an exception. Gameplay here is very fast-paced and fun, meaning the game never gets dull (which is a problem with most realistic sports games). It's empowering when your character is on fire and doing 20-foot slam dunks! The hilarious nature of this series is probably why gamers love it so much even to this day.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/13/2020 at 06:28 PM

He's on fire! This game was a big hit when I was a teen. I remember playing it on my friend's SNES.

The Last Ninja

02/14/2020 at 12:30 AM

It was huge. I think it was ported to just about everything

Cary Woodham

02/13/2020 at 07:56 PM

I never really got into sports games, so I never played this. Saw it a BUNCH in arcades, though. Even the cartoon Regular Show made references to this game!

My favorite sports game for the longest time was Super Dodge Ball on the NES. But then Wii Sports came and dethroned it.

02/14/2020 at 12:32 AM

Not much a sports gamer either, but those arcade-like sports games can be really fun. I also really love Midway's NFL Blitz.

SanAndreas

02/13/2020 at 08:54 PM

I had NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Supposedly the sound had slightly fewer voice samples, but the game had a lot more options than vanilla NBA Jam, like more players (in the roster, it was still 2 on 2 during the actual games), tournament mode, and a lot more. Like you, I'm generally not a sports fan unless it's arcadey-type sports.

Tournament Edition is the way to go

Machocruz

02/14/2020 at 12:07 AM

Had the Genesis version. One of the few games I actually purchased, most I rented. I was a big sports game fan back then, so the over the top antics were icing on the cake.

02/14/2020 at 12:33 AM

NBA Jam really stood out due to those over the top antics, made all other basketball games look pretty boring.

KnightDriver

02/15/2020 at 06:26 PM

Mark and I played a ton of NBA Jam. I forget whether we played on SNES or Genesis though. We still say those Marv Albert lines.

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/21/2020 at 01:03 AM

Loved renting this as a kid. NBA Street was a fun series later on, but not as memorable as the JAM.

PixlBit