Difference between revisions of "NBA Jam (EA Sports)"

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{{Infobox VG  
 
{{Infobox VG  
 
|title=EA Sports NBA Jam
 
|title=EA Sports NBA Jam
|image=[[Image:Nocover.jpg]]
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|image=[[Image:EAnbajambox.jpg]]
 
|caption=EA Sports NBA Jam cover art.
 
|caption=EA Sports NBA Jam cover art.
 
|developer= ''[[EA Sports]]''
 
|developer= ''[[EA Sports]]''
 
|publisher= ''[[EA Sports]]''
 
|publisher= ''[[EA Sports]]''
|series =''[[NBA Live|NBA Live]]''
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|series =''[[NBA Jam]]''
|released=October 2010
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|released=October 5th 2010
 
|platforms=Nintendo Wii
 
|platforms=Nintendo Wii
 
|requirements=N/A
 
|requirements=N/A
 
}}
 
}}
'''EA Sports NBA Jam''' (stylised as '''EA SPORTS NBA JAM''') is an upcoming [[EA Sports]] basketball video game for the Nintendo Wii, slated for release in October 2010. It was announced on January 11th 2010 that EA Sports would be reviving the franchise previously developed by Acclaim/Midway during the 90s. As of {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}, no plans to release the game on any other platforms have been officially confirmed, though rumours persist that it may be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.
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'''EA Sports NBA Jam''' (stylised as '''EA SPORTS NBA JAM''') is an upcoming [[EA Sports]] basketball video game for the Nintendo Wii, slated for release in October 5th 2010. It was announced on January 11th 2010 that EA Sports would be reviving the franchise previously developed by Acclaim/Midway during the 90s. As of {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}, no plans to release the game on any other platforms have been officially confirmed, though rumours persist that it may be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.
  
 
== Connection to previous NBA Jam releases ==
 
== Connection to previous NBA Jam releases ==

Revision as of 12:10, 9 July 2010

EA Sports NBA Jam
EAnbajambox.jpg
EA Sports NBA Jam cover art.
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series NBA Jam
Platform(s) Nintendo Wii
Release date(s) October 5th 2010
System requirements N/A

EA Sports NBA Jam (stylised as EA SPORTS NBA JAM) is an upcoming EA Sports basketball video game for the Nintendo Wii, slated for release in October 5th 2010. It was announced on January 11th 2010 that EA Sports would be reviving the franchise previously developed by Acclaim/Midway during the 90s. As of March 2024, no plans to release the game on any other platforms have been officially confirmed, though rumours persist that it may be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.

Connection to previous NBA Jam releases

According to the press release announcing EA Sports NBA Jam, the new game is intended to be a faithful recreation of the gameplay of the original NBA Jam, with "new game modes, characters and gameplay depth". On May 13th 2010 it was confirmed that Tim Kitzrow, the original voice of NBA Jam, will be calling the action in the new game.

Features

The game will feature classic elements of the NBA Jam series including two-on-two gameplay, Fire and tournament play. NBA Jam Creative Director Trey Smith has also confirmed that the game will include an arcade-style take on Dynasty Mode in the form of the Remix Tour and "boss battles" involving NBA Legends including Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. NBA Jam will also include old school cheats like Big Head Mode and over one hundred unlockables including hidden characters, teams, Privileges and other bonuses. As of March 2024 no further details on the specific unlockables been revealed except that they will be unlocked via an Achievement-like system called Jam Challenges.

Gameplay

EA Sports NBA Jam features arcade-style two-on-two gameplay in the same vein as the original NBA Jam games including an up-tempo style of play, superhuman jumping abilities, high flying dunks well above the rim and no personal fouls. Fire returns as a gameplay element/power-up and players can perform alley-oop, spin moves and crossovers, similar to NBA Hangtime. Team Fire, a feature in NBA Hangtime, will not be present in the new NBA Jam.

On the Wii, the game makes use of the two face buttons to perform passes and crossovers, the back trigger on the Nunchuk as the turbo button and the motion controls for movement. Shooting is performed by flicking the Wii Remote, flicking once to begin the jumpshot then again to release the shot, simulating a shooting motion. The same method is used while holding turbo to perform dunks and layups. While on defense, swatting with the Wii Remote allows the player to block shots. Users may also opt for classic controls if they do not wish to use the Wii Remote.

The game will also include a counter to the shove move, one of the most popular methods of stealing the ball or stopping dunk and layup attempts in the original series. Defenders can still shove players with the ball but the offensive player now has the ability to roll away from the defender in an attempt to protect the ball and avoid a turnover.

Game Modes

NBA Jam will feature a classic tournament mode in which the user must square off against all 30 NBA teams, including one-on-one boss battles with NBA Legends including Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. It will also feature an alternate campaign mode called the Remix Tour that is twice as long and offers a different gameplay experience with halfcourt games, different rules, expanded boss battles and more.

Unlockable Players

As of March 2024, the following unlockable players have been confirmed for NBA Jam.

NBA Legends

  • Larry Bird
  • Magic Johnson
  • Dennis Rodman
  • James Worthy
  • Detlef Schrempf
  • Hakeem Olajuwon
  • Clyde Drexler
  • Kevin McHale
  • Manute Bol
  • Spud Webb

NBA Mascots

  • Rumble (Oklahoma City Thunder)
  • The Raptor (Toronto Raptors)

NBA Jam Player Picks

Beginning with the week that the new NBA Jam game was announced, the official website has been running polls that allow gamers to vote on the three players they would like to see included for each NBA team. Three teams are featured each week, with the polls being accompanied by a blog entry that detail the EA Sports team's picks for each of the current week's teams. Gilbert Arenas was noticeably absent from the Washington Wizards' poll. It was later confirmed that his legal problems and subsequent league suspension contributed to his absence.

Catchphrase Contest

On May 13th 2010, EA Sports announced a Catchphrase Contest along with the confirmation that the original voice of NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, would be returning to call the action. Gamers were invited to submit their suggestions for catchphrases to be called by Kitzrow during different gameplay actions including dunks, assists, alley oops, blocks, three point shots, two point field goals, "on fire" shots, steals, shot clock violations, rebounds and missed shots. The top sixty four choices were then selected and subsequently presented to the community in a tournament format, with fan voting ultimately deciding the top four choices which were then coded into the game.

The winners were "Objection Sustained!", "No Shoot for you!", "Bangalanga Do-Dah!" and "And The Survey Said...DENIED!"

Rumours of a release on XBLA/PSN

On February 9th 2010, gameinvestments.com reported a rumour that EA Sports NBA Jam may be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network at a later date, rather than remaining a Wii exclusive. As of March 2024, there has been no official confirmation that the game will be released for any platform other than the Nintendo Wii. During the EA Sports' Season Preview Community Event, creative director Trey Smith did not deny the possibility of a release for other consoles when asked by a representative for Operation Sports but gave no official confirmation nor timeframe for possible XBLA/PSN versions. This stance was later repeated in an interview with IGN.

On July 7th 2010, GamerBytes noted that the German USK rating system had cleared an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version of NBA Jam, furthering rumours that the game would not remain a Wii exclusive.

Downloadable Content Rumours

In response to a question about Gilbert Arenas' absence from the Player Picks polls, an EA Sports representative confirmed that Arenas' legal problems and subsequent league suspension were factors in excluding him from NBA Jam. It was also originally noted that the situation would be monitored and the possibility remained that Arenas could be added later via downloadable content. However, a further statement confirmed that no commitment had been made to update NBA Jam on the Wii, promptly dispelling the rumours.

Reception

IGN named NBA Jam the Best Sports Game at E3 in their E3 Awards.

Links

The revised NBA Jam logo featuring the EA Sports logo