Biff Hardbody
Member
I've been on a basketball kick as of late, and I felt like going out to buy NBA JAM for the X-Box and see if it would rekindle any of the old JAM magjic. I played it all night with a friend. Its clear its no NBA street. Its basically the exact same NBA JAM we played 10 years ago, except alley oops rule the game and there's a new hotspot feature (think of it as a gamebreaker light).
The emphasis is mainly on offense, D isn't to hot in this game. Dunks and shots are hard to block, 3's are almost as common as 2's. Alley oops are the main weapon of choice in this game, they are basically 60% of your points. After alley oops, the emphasis is on regular old dunks, fortunately JAM has a slew of them.
The most impressive are the hot spot dunks. They are varied and truly spectacular. They all share the same feature of rocketing high in the air to a rediculous height while doing a partticular move/pose (Eqyptian walking, Travolta dance, Sleeping, Karate Kid...ecd). My favorite so far would have to be the one where the player "swims" high in the sky complete with water sounds.
Aside from that, there's not a whole lot to the gameplay. No tricks, passing is simple, and d is second fiddle. The "he's on fire" attribute is back, but has less dominance because the game is 3 on 3 and its harder to keep track of one player.
Graphics aren't to hot. They are colorful and cartoony, but street blows them away. The on fire effects are cool.
Sound is pretty fucking good in JAM. The announcer is back, and he's great. At times the commentary can be repetative, but he's got some great phrases that will really get you into the game. The main reason I rank JAM's sound so high is because of the use of all the great songs in the game. When you play in different era's (One of the best features of JAM is the era specific games, more on that in a moment), you'll hear various songs from that time. I played in the 50's and I heard some fantastic Smokey Robinson, James Brown, and JR. Walker and the All stars songs. Another cool sound touch is that the announcer changes with the time. In the 50's the same JAM announcer uses phrases you'd hear back then (That was a Jim dandy of a dunk!) and he sounds like he's coming out of an old radio. Very well done.
The different era mode seems like a high point of the game, where I asume you unlock teams from the 50's, 70's, and 90's. Perhaps the coolest aspect of the era feature is how the game changes in look. In the 70's you'll see Giant Afro's and the ABA style ball, while the 50's will be black and white (But with color effects). Its a cool little mode.
In the end, JAM is a fun game that feels shallow. Especially after playing NBA Street. However, some people might love it. Its certainly a good game to play with friends who only remember JAM and don't want to invest the time in learning something like street. I wouldn't buy it for single player, but its a good, light multi game. Its worth $15-20, and I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.
The emphasis is mainly on offense, D isn't to hot in this game. Dunks and shots are hard to block, 3's are almost as common as 2's. Alley oops are the main weapon of choice in this game, they are basically 60% of your points. After alley oops, the emphasis is on regular old dunks, fortunately JAM has a slew of them.
The most impressive are the hot spot dunks. They are varied and truly spectacular. They all share the same feature of rocketing high in the air to a rediculous height while doing a partticular move/pose (Eqyptian walking, Travolta dance, Sleeping, Karate Kid...ecd). My favorite so far would have to be the one where the player "swims" high in the sky complete with water sounds.
Aside from that, there's not a whole lot to the gameplay. No tricks, passing is simple, and d is second fiddle. The "he's on fire" attribute is back, but has less dominance because the game is 3 on 3 and its harder to keep track of one player.
Graphics aren't to hot. They are colorful and cartoony, but street blows them away. The on fire effects are cool.
Sound is pretty fucking good in JAM. The announcer is back, and he's great. At times the commentary can be repetative, but he's got some great phrases that will really get you into the game. The main reason I rank JAM's sound so high is because of the use of all the great songs in the game. When you play in different era's (One of the best features of JAM is the era specific games, more on that in a moment), you'll hear various songs from that time. I played in the 50's and I heard some fantastic Smokey Robinson, James Brown, and JR. Walker and the All stars songs. Another cool sound touch is that the announcer changes with the time. In the 50's the same JAM announcer uses phrases you'd hear back then (That was a Jim dandy of a dunk!) and he sounds like he's coming out of an old radio. Very well done.
The different era mode seems like a high point of the game, where I asume you unlock teams from the 50's, 70's, and 90's. Perhaps the coolest aspect of the era feature is how the game changes in look. In the 70's you'll see Giant Afro's and the ABA style ball, while the 50's will be black and white (But with color effects). Its a cool little mode.
In the end, JAM is a fun game that feels shallow. Especially after playing NBA Street. However, some people might love it. Its certainly a good game to play with friends who only remember JAM and don't want to invest the time in learning something like street. I wouldn't buy it for single player, but its a good, light multi game. Its worth $15-20, and I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.