NBA Jam (series)

NBA Jam
Genres Sports
Developers Midway, Acclaim, Electronic Arts
Publishers Midway, Acclaim, Electronic Arts
Platforms Various (see table)
Platform of origin Arcade
Year of inception 1993
First release NBA Jam
1993
Latest release NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
October 4, 2011

NBA Jam (sometimes "Jam" for short) is a long-running basketball video game series based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). Initially developed as arcade games by Midway, the game found popularity with its photorealistic digitized graphics, over-the-top presentation and exaggerated style of two-on-two basketball play. The successor to Midway's Arch Rivals, the original 1993 NBA Jam allowed players to jump many times above their own height, make slam dunks that defy human capabilities, and freely shove or elbow opponents out of the way. It also featured a variety of secret characters, as well as the ability to track player records and statistics between play sessions.

After the release of NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Acclaim, the publishers of the home versions of the Jam games acquired exclusive rights to release games under the NBA Jam name. Acclaim released one arcade game, NBA Jam Extreme, featuring the trademark over-the-top style of the previous games. Meanwhile, Midway continued its own series of NBA games with NBA Hangtime. After NBA Jam Extreme, Acclaim started publishing titles exclusive to home consoles with a more realistic style. Acclaim then attempted to return the series to its arcade roots with one more console game, 2003's NBA Jam, before the company closed its doors in 2004.

6 years later, Electronic Arts acquired the rights to the name and in 2010 they released NBA Jam for the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was an attempt to replicate the original Midway games on newer consoles and original lead designer/programmer Mark Turmell was consulted on its development.

Installments

Title Year Platform(s) Innovation/New features
NBA Jam 1993 Arcade, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Mega-CD Nintendo 64 2-on-2 basketball, one of the first sports games to feature NBA-licensed teams and players
NBA Jam Tournament Edition 1994 Arcade, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Atari Jaguar "Tournament" mode, more player attributes, player substitutions
NBA Jam Extreme 1996 Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows NBA SuperStars of the 90's, 3D graphics
NBA Jam 99 1998 Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color 5-on-5 basketball
NBA Jam 2000 1999 Nintendo 64 "Simulation" mode, "JAM" mode, improved Create a Player and Create a Team
NBA Jam 2001 2000 Game Boy Color None
NBA Jam 2002 2002 Game Boy Advance None
NBA Jam 2003 PlayStation 2, Xbox Legendary all-star teams (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s)
NBA Jam 2010 Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android New modes (Campaign, 1-on-1 boss battles, Elimination, 21, and Domination), High-resolution photographs for heads of players
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition 2011 PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade New AI, improved visuals, roster updates

External links