NBA Jam (EA Sports)

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EA Sports NBA Jam
Nocover.jpg
EA Sports NBA Jam cover art.
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series NBA Live
Platform(s) Nintendo Wii
Release date(s) Fall 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 Fall 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".


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 and "boss battles" in the form of NBA Legends including Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Hidden characters will also be included and playable, though as of March 2024 no further details have been revealed.


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.

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.


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.


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.


Downloadable Content Rumours

The revised NBA Jam logo featuring the EA Sports logo

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.


Links