If you follow NBA Jam on Twitter, you may have seen a Tweet asking gamers for a Re-Tweet if they are ready for a new NBA Jam, seemingly hinting at the possibility of another game coming out at some point in the not too distant future. With a new generation of consoles out, it certainly wouldn’t be too surprising if EA Sports is looking to continue the popular series started by Midway back in 1993.
The most recent game in the series is the well-received NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, released digitally through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Android version of NBA Jam also recently received a roster update, which included audio and artwork for the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans.
No further details are available at this time, but we’ll be sure to post them as soon as they come our way.
The Android version of NBA Jam has rather unexpectedly received an update for the 2013/2014 season. The update adds a few rookies from this season including Anthony Bennett, reflects recent trades with Luol Deng appearing on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster and even more surprisingly, includes logo and audio updates for the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans (though the replacement audio was not provided by Tim Kitzrow, longtime voice of NBA Jam).
It doesn’t appear as though the iOS version has been updated as yet and as of this post, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition has not received any new updates either. As such, it remains to be seen whether or not the other mobile versions of NBA Jam or On Fire Edition for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will receive the update that’s come through for Android. We’ll be sure to post further details if and when they’re available.
For those of you with Android devices who may be considering picking up NBA Jam for some arcade hoops on the go, feel free to check out my review of the game here.
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to basketball video games, the real NBA or another area of interest to our community, either as a list of five items or in the form of a Top 5 countdown.
When it comes to basketball video games, we scrutinise them as only a dedicated gaming community can. With so much to prove and several missteps over the years, the NBA Live series has certainly attracted its fair share of criticism. Most of the time, I would suggest that the criticism has been fair-handed, constructive and warranted. However, I do feel that some of the criticisms that have been directed at NBA Live and some of EA’s other NBA offerings over the years have been wide of the mark.
It’s admittedly difficult to tackle this subject without sounding like an NBA Live or EA apologist, but it’s not my intention to make excuses or dismiss all criticism. I’m also not trying to downplay the success and brilliance of the NBA 2K series, which is the yardstick for NBA sims and has produced some of my all-time favourite basketball games. With that said, here are five criticisms of EA’s NBA games that I disagree with.
EA Canada is apparently holding playtesting sessions on April 11th and 12th for a “New NBA Concept” and are inviting anyone in the Vancouver area to fill out a survey if they are interested in getting involved. There’s no further information on the concept at this time and anyone who participates will certainly be under a non-disclosure agreement, but if you live in the area and are interested in doing some playtesting and getting a glimpse behind the scenes, I’d encourage you to fill out the survey.
It will be interesting to see what this new concept turns out to be. It’s unlikely to be NBA Live, which is currently being developed at EA Tiburon, but could be something related to NBA Jam or NBA Street if not a new game entirely. Feel free to speculate in the comments below, as well as in this thread in the NLSC Forum.
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition is currently on sale for 600 Microsoft Points in the Xbox Live Marketplace, 50% off the usual price tag of 1200 Microsoft Points. It’s also currently free through the PlayStation Network Store for all PlayStation Plus members, while non-PlayStation Plus members can purchase it for $14.99.
The game recently received a new roster update, with this year’s transactions and a handful of rookies added. The “Time is Money” downloadable content, which allows you to get a head start on unlocking content in the game, is also still available. Finally, you can check out my review of the Xbox 360 version of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition here, our interview with producer Cody Sawatsky here and discuss the game in The Virtual Hardwood section of the NLSC Forum.
It’s that time of the week again: a new NLSC Podcast is coming your way, hosted by Leftos, Ben and myself. As always, we talk about the latest basketball video game and NBA news, before moving on to some other areas of interest and even getting a little nostalgic. If you’re looking for a quick overview of this week’s episode, here you go:
We open with some chatter that includes the weather and in the process, get a great idea for a new theme park…patent pending.
The conversation turns a little dark, so we move on to a recap of the week in news.
NBA 2K13 and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition received roster updates last week, the latter prompting a little more discussion than the former.
A couple of potentially interesting notes about NBA Live are touched upon very briefly.
The Hornets will officially become the Pelicans effective as of next season and we know what their logo will look like. Has it changed our minds about the new name?
The reserves for the 2013 All-Star game have been announced. We react and talk about a couple of noteworthy snubs.
Leftos has no interest in discussing the Bulls/Pistons game, but I do get to express some enthusiasm for Jimmy Butler’s recent play.
Changing things up, we talk about some of our favourite web series, including the returning Nostalgia Critic.
Mention of the Critic leads us to reminisce about a few things we’re nostalgic for.
Click Play to listen to the latest episode!
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:33:51 — 75.8MB)
A fair warning, at times the language in this week’s podcast is coarser than usual and not what you’ll see in news posts and feature articles here on the NLSC. It’s something we can tone down (or simply bleep) if it becomes a problem for you, our listeners, so let us know your feelings on that as well as your thoughts on this week’s topics and the show overall, either in the comments below or here in the Forum.
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition has unexpectedly received a new roster update for the 2012/2013 season, reflecting the latest transactions and adding some of this year’s rookies. The new rosters come as a welcome surprise, as my previous inquiries into the possibility of getting new rosters for the game indicated that no updates were planned.
Newly added rookies include Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, though as with the players added in last year’s updates, their names aren’t called by Tim Kitzrow. There are also a few errors in the update as Jason Kidd is still on the Dallas Mavericks’ roster and a couple of the unlockable legends are one of the two default players for their respective teams.
To download the new rosters, simply go to the Online Arena from the main menu; obviously, your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 must be connected to the Internet to do this. The game will then automatically check for and download the new update, along with all the required art assets. Feel free to post your thoughts on the update in the comments below and discuss NBA Jam: On Fire Edition in The Virtual Hardwood section of the NLSC Forum.
From April 24th through May 1st, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition will be available on Xbox Live at a reduced price of 800 Microsoft Points. If you’ve been thinking of picking up the game, be sure to take advantage of the sale as soon as possible.
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition recently received its second roster update, which included player movement accurate as of the trade deadline and added several new players to the game. For those who aren’t too sure about the game, you may want to check out my review from last year; while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our producer interview here. Finally, feel free to discuss the game in The Virtual Hardwood section of the NLSC Forum.
As I previously speculated here, a new roster update for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition was indeed in the works and is now available to download. To get the update, simply go to the Online Arena and the new roster will be downloaded automatically, along with all the necessary assets.
In addition to updating the rosters accurate as of the trade deadline, the second roster update also adds the following players: Kyrie Irving, Jimmer Fredette, Jeremy Lin, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, MarShon Brooks, Nene, DeAndre Jordan, Darren Collison, Aaron Afflalo, Roy Hibbert and Kyle Lowry. It seems that the new players are not called by their names, suggesting that no audio updates are included, but their addition to the game certainly balances out the rosters after the first update left a couple of teams’ lineups very thin.
Is another roster update for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition on the way? On the game’s official Twitter and Facebook page, EA Sports are asking fans which player they’d like to see added via a roster update, with the Facebook post inviting users to hit the Like button if they want to see new rosters. While it isn’t exactly confirmation, it does perhaps hint that a new roster update is in fact in the works.
If there is another roster update, it will be interesting to see if any new players are added in light of those posts. The previous update released for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition reflected trades and signings involving all players originally included in the game but did not add any new players, leaving the rosters for some teams very thin while others became stacked. The game is also missing this year’s rookie crop due to the lockout (with the exception of Ricky Rubio, who signed his NBA contract before July 1st last year), so I would expect a few of the standout rookies to make the cut if we do receive a new update with additional players.
Xbox Live Gold subscribers can currently pick up NBA Jam: On Fire Edition for 800 Microsoft Points in the Deal of the Week. The regular price is 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15 for PlayStation 3 users. If you’re interested in downloading the game, you may want to check out my review here, as well as our post-release producer Q&A here. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition also recently received a roster update, which I’ve previewed with a video.
On the lighter side, Shaquille O’Neal made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon back in October and squared off against host Jimmy Fallon in a game of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, in the process losing a bet. As a result, he had to make the two-block walk to the studios wearing pink underwear. You can check out a video of “Shaq’s Walk of Shame” here.
With the release of the roster update for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, I’ve put together a short video containing gameplay clips featuring players that have changed teams including Chris Paul, Richard Hamilton, Vince Carter and Lamar Odom. Watch it out below or check it out here over on the NLSC’s YouTube channel if you can’t see the embedded video.
It’s currently still unknown whether this will be the first and last roster update for the game, or whether there’ll be further updates that add this year’s rookies and any future trades that occur. As soon as any new information is made available, we’ll be sure to post it. Remember you can discuss the new roster update here in the NLSC Forum and if you haven’t yet picked up NBA Jam: On Fire Edition and are considering doing so, be sure to check out the demo and my review of the game here. You can also check out our post-release developer Q&A here.
The long-awaited roster updates for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition are now finally available! Boot up the game and go to the Online Arena to automatically begin downloading the new rosters and the required assets.
Glancing at the rosters, it doesn’t appear as though any new players have been added, so no rookies apart from Ricky Rubio. However, existing players have been moved to their new teams with Chris Paul joining the Clippers, David West now playing for the Pacers and Lamar Odom is on the Mavericks to name just a few. This has left the rosters for some teams a little thin, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers who now only have two active players. Other teams however now find themselves with much deeper rosters, with the Dallas Mavericks now boasting six active players in addition to their legends and mascot.
It remains to be seen if any further roster updates will be released to add rookies and account for any future transactions. Post your thoughts on the roster updates in the comments below or in this thread.
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition has been out for over three months now and has yet to receive any rookies or other NBA roster updates other than special teams with fictional characters. Kotaku posted a news article today which confirmed that promised roster updates are still planned for the digital game.
“We will be providing roster updates for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition this season.” She didn’t say when or how many, specifically, adding only “more information to come.”
Even though we didn’t get a date or even an estimate of what the update will entail, it is good to know that EA still plans on supporting their product as promised in its trailers. Feel free to comment on this news posting or reply to this Forum thread and for all things NBA Jam: On Fire Edition check out The Virtual Hardwood section.
2012 is upon us and before we know it, we’ll be entering a new season of previews for this year’s basketball video games. However, before those previews begin to come out and the games themselves eventually drop in October, there’ll be official updates for NBA 2K12 and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, along with plenty of community-made mods released for the PC versions of NBA 2K and NBA Live.
Join me as I take a look at some of the things basketball gamers have to look forward to in 2012!
NLSC Your source for basketball video games.
