Ever wanted a game where you can kick Hilary Clinton's butt as Will Smith? You missed it, because the aforementioned was made about...13 or 14 years ago. NBA JAM: TE is that game. Made by the now defunct Acclaim, which produced Crazy Taxi, Mortal Kombat, and Burnout. TE( As I will occasionally call it), was made in Acclaim's 1990's prime. Keep a note, I'm reviewing the Genesis edition. I'm keeping the intro short, because the game explains itself. Basketball. Wackiness. OH MY HE'S ON FIRE!
Consoles:Arcade, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear,
Game Boy, Sega CD, Sega 32X, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar
Release Date:
Publisher:Midway
Developer:Acclaim
Players:1-4
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Storyline: NBA Jam's purpose, after reading the manual (Yup! I actually have it!), is to beat all 29 NBA teams to be the champion, and unlock all kindsa goodies. Not really a story, but then again it's a sport game, so it's a bit implied. But something is better than nothing it all. NBA Jam: TE's storyline is nothing special for a sports game, but makes an attempt.
Graphics: NBA Jam: Tournament Edition is an updated version of NBA Jam, which originally debuted in Arcades. And it shows. NBA Jam is a wonderful-looking game. In the early 90's, (I could go oe about these...), there were many sports games that tried to use the SNES and Genesis to be "3D"; these honestly looked and played like crap. TE takes a more sprite-based approach, staying simple but still dignified. The powerup effects, such as being on fire (I'll cover that later), and super dunks look lovely. People in the background even start taking pictures if you go high enough! Jam was in its prime for i's time in the GFX department, scoring a nice 5/5.
Note the color and how it's not too complicated, but it's still beautiful.
QUICK FACT! The term "Boomshakalaka", originates from this game. The announcer might say it if you hit a nice Three pointer or Dunk!
Gameplay: What can I say about Jam? In Game, you have a starting roster of about...100 1994-95 players to play as, from Chris Webber and the Washington Bullets (When they were the Bullets), to Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks (Still called the Knicks). From there, you play Basketball...why is this so cool? NBA Jam: TE is the most exaggerated sports game you will probably ever play. The only "Fouls" in game are The Shot Clock and no Goaltending, yup, that's it. No need to worry about rules, just pure fun. Controls, A to Shoot, which shoots the ball at the basket. B is for turbo, which speeds up your movement, but careful, you'll run out if you keep using it. And C is to pass. On Defense, B stays as turbo, but A acts as the jump button, to deflect and reject shots, while C is used to swipe at the offender. Simple? Yes.
Only in this game will Steve Mashburn ever jump over Patrick Ewing for a slam dunk from the foul line.
In game, you can also dunk the ball, or "Jam" it in. Some of these dunks are just your usual "Take it to the hoop" dunks, but some, if done right, can go to just about the ceiling, jumping from the 3 Line! If you make three or more shots, you are "On Fire". When on fire...the ball is actually on friggin fire. You can legally goaltend and make easy steals, as well as have a better shot at making a basket or dunk. In the Options menu, you can change many aspects of the game, one of these are Power-Ups. With Power-Ups, you could get anything from a Dunk Power-up, where you can dunk from ANYWHERE on the court, to a Fire upgrade, which lets you skip making three baskets and puts you automatically on fire. To wrap it up, NBA Jam has some of the most epic unlockables and hidden players. You know I'm a Philly boy, right? In NBA Jam, I likes to play with the Sixers as Will Smith and Randall Cunningham. That's right, a Rapper Turned Actor and the Quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1985-1995! But you can also play as...
Subzero
The Queen Of England
Heavy D
William "Big Bill" Clinton
The Grim Reaper
A Bull
And many more!
But many Classic players like Larry Bird are also available by entering special codes into a save file, another thing Jam had that many games at the time lacked. And last, who can forget the cheats? They were timeless, from bigheaded mode, to Rainbow mode...where the ball had a rainbow trail. Sucks that some players had their own video games, which stopped them from being in Jam, such as Shaq and Michael Jordan. That doesn't stop the Gameplay's 5/5, though.
Back in the day, they needed a fire extinguisher whenever Scotty Pippen hit the court.
Jam didn't sound like beeps and boops. Thank god, or it would have been unbearable. NBA Jam's sound is actually inspired by George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars. That's right, the dude who made Flashlight. The Announcer is actually, interestingly as well, inspired by Marv Albert, announcer of the New York Knicks. The Music is upbeat and cool, but only changes by quarter, so you'll keep hearing the same 4 songs. Sound effects are top notch, the announcer being one of the most memorable things in the game. YES, HES ON FIRE FOR A 4/5. I know I'm lame for that....
Longevity: Like I've mentioned before, TE has many unlockables and cheats. After you've beaten all 27 teams, you get the expanded roster, which adds more players to each team. Also, as I've said before, there's a plethora of cheat codes and options that can make the game more interesting and fun just when you've thought it's run out. Simply, 5/5.
One Ran for over 1,000 yards, one got the first Grammy for a rap, how they both got in a Basketball game I'll never know.
Overall: What can I say? NBA Jam: TE is that one old game that stays fresh; hell, even if your friends don't know who Hakeem Olajuwon is, you can still have a good time with it! Easy to pick up, hard to put down, harder to not destroy if you get your butt kicked by the LA Clippers. Haha, but I kid, with a 19/20, NBA Jam: TE is easily a...
Buy
Try
Cry
Die
Linear Mode
