PixlBit

Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #28/Blog a Day #3

Hello everyone, how are you?

I'm not a fan of sports in real life, I'm more of a casual fan, like I like the Lakers, the Dodgers and whatnot. But I never really make it a point to watch the games, but I still somewhat keep up with my favorite teams. I have to rep and cheer my hometeam somehow. The same is true for sports games. I never really liked them, I just find them boring. For me to try a sports based game it has to have a hook or a gimmick to it. Like Mario Super Sluggers, it's baseball but with Mario. You know you are bound to have a fun time with that. Or Mario Strikers Charged, it's soccer but again, with Mario. Punch-Out!! is a boxing game and I loved it. However those games released prior to 2010 so neither of them count on this list. However there is one sports game that I do love that isn't about Mario and whatnot and that game is none other than NBA Jam.

 

                      Classic Arcade Hoops Reignited! Oh and music is great too

"WHAT? A SPORTS GAME THAT ISN'T MARIO?!" Yes hypothetical reader, you read that right. I actually first played NBA Jam on the Super Nintendo back when I was a kid and I actually had so much fun due to the absurd nature of the game. I saw and I loved Space Jam so I shouldn't really be questioning how any of the stuff you do in NBA Jam is possible. So in short, NBA Jam is my kind of game!

Fast-forward to 2010 and I got the current issue of Nintendo Power and on the cover was a basketball player but I saw that he was holding a flamming basketball and I immediately knew that was NBA Jam. I read on and saw that it was getting revived, it looked really good and definitely wanted to get it for the Wii. Well that exactly didn't end up happening. I did get the game eventually, but on the PS3 in 2012. How does this revivial on an all-time classic stack up to the original?

"Somebody get the baking soda!...Or is it baking powder - I can't remember! What do you throw on someone who's on fire?!"

NBA Jam plays in a 2-on-2 format which is far less than what many are used to in other basketball games but that is due to its arcade roots, it worked well for it back in the day and it works well now. One thing you'll notice that stands out is the artstyle. The original game digitized the likeness of the players at the time. In this game the bodies for the players are in 3D, while here they used high resolution images of the player's heads. It makes their faces look realistic, more realistic than what current basketball games have at the moment if you as me.

One of the best things about NBA Jam is the absurdity and the disregard for the rules. There is no fouls or penalties, only things are defensive goaltending and shot clock violations. Other than that, anything goes in this game. Also defying the laws of physics with jumps that shouldn't be possible and slam dunks that aren't possible in real life. If you score 3 shots in a row, you become "On Fire" which allows you to get unlimited turbo, no goaltending violations, and increased shooting ability. This is what separates NBA Jam from the other basketball games out there.

If you are wondering, yes Tim Kitzrow, the announcer from the original game is back and he re-recorded all the original lines from the original game as well as new ones too. I heard there are 500 of them, and I don't think I've even heard them all yet which is crazy. His voice is what definitely makes this game special. All those lines are now iconic, who hasn't heard "He's on fire!" or "Boomshakalaka!" at least once in their life? 

                             I don't like politics but I'll make an exception this one time

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" There's plenty of ways you can play this game. It's available on the Wii, PS3, and 360. New prices for it will cost as much as a $60 game, but used prices for it are actually decent. If you want digital they should still have it on PS3's and 360's digital marketplace. I think it was replaced with NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. I'm not sure. I have never played that version, it's basically a re-release of the same game but with some added tweaks. Other than that I really have no idea how it is but from the looks of it the core game is still the same so I would say get On Fire Edition if you can't find the 2010 version at a decent price.

Final Thoughts: NBA Jam has always been a favorite of mine. It's a very easy game to pick up and play and it's a really fun basketball game without having to worry about all the sim stuff from regular basketball games like player stats, what is a player's favorite sandwich, or when they saw Space Jam. Granted, this game doesn't have the depth you would expect from regular basketball games but it isn't a problem since the original NBA Jam was an arcade game which is still true for this one. Only thing that will be dated is the rosters obviously since this is an old game, but that doesn't really take away from the fun you get from the game.

Sometimes a back to basics approach can be more fun. If you are a fan of NBA Jam and haven't played this one, I highly recommend it. Heck if you don't like sport games like me, definitely give it a go. It's really fun, it's absurd, and if you can get more people to play, definitely do so. My brothers played this game with me despite not being fans of sports in general, but they had a blast with it. It's the simplicity of this game mixed in with the over the top zaniness that goes on that sold them on the game. Again, it might not have all the depth and modes as the heavy hitters but it's a lot of fun and you'll get a lot of laughs out of it too. In a genre that is hard to innovate or improve I love NBA Jam among the sea of yearly sport game releases.

                                                        I still miss this legend

I wanted to take the time to say this: sometimes we get busy in our lives and it's hard to keep up with people you know. Check up on them every now and then. If you know someone on social media or in real life, say hi or whatever. Let them know that you still think about them or whatnot. We don't know what will happen tomorrow and before you know it, they are gone.

That's it for now, we'll be platforming and running away from robots as Andy Serkis for the next one. See you later and remember...