Okay so yesterday and early this morning I spent a considerable amount of time play NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. I must say they did a pretty good job of bringing them back to life. I guess they had to make up for the total mess they delivered earlier in the year. It's kind of funny because there really wasn't a lot of hype for this game to begin with. I was definitely happy that it was coming back but I guess I would've been just as happier playing the old NBA Jam.
One thing that I did notice was that NBA Jam is produced by EA Sports. Back in the day it was made by Midway. Midway was mainly a huge producer of several popular arcade games including one of its biggest games Mortal Kombat. Let me clarify. It was Ed Boon and his NetherRealm squad created Mortal Kombat but Midway were the ones who published the game and got it into arcade machines.
NBA Jam still has the same memorable gameplay. The AI is still annoyingly aggressive as hell. This time they're even worse. If the ball is loose they push you down to the ground to get it. If you have the ball and your on the ground and you try to get up they sometimes push you back down before you even get the chance to do so. You sort of have to move in the opposite direction of where they're pushing in order to get away. It doesn't always work though.
The computer is a damn cheater in this game. It goes out of its way to make this game very challenging. So challenging that you want to break your controller. Yeah the good old times are back. The AI just always knows just when to timely block your shot or to instinctively shove your team mate just enough to miss your pass. Nobody is that perfect especially in basketball. I've seen some nice give and go plays but the stuff that happens in this game is just ridiculous. The game within itself is ridiculous so I guess I shouldn't really be too upset.
The worst is the slow reaction time. The reaction time and timing is key to success in this game. You kind of have to think ahead of time when it comes to making your moves count. If you miss a shove it really shows as your opponent makes their way to the basket and you're left dragging behind them. Its the same for when you're on offense too. If you don't get that shot off in time your adversary will definitely be there block it. There are no freebies in this game. You gotta earn your keep.
There are some nuances to the game too. For instance EA Sports added the Jam Now, Road Trip, and Online Arena modes to the game. Within each mode you receive experience points as you play building your progress up level by level. I'm on level 13 right now. Jam Now is something you could do either alone or with a friend. Road Trip takes you on a wild basketball odyssey going up against other opponents all the while you progress and gain experience points.Jam now is just for playing exhibition games against the computer or another opponent. The online arena is where you can match your skills against other online opponents. You'll also gain experience and rewards playing online as well.
There's also a Jam Store that replaces the code system from the old game. Now instead of using three letter codes to obtain hidden characters like Bill Clinton or the funk master George Clinton you can buy the with the reward credits you earn in the game. Characters are not the only things you can get from the Jam Store. You can also purchase icons, backgrounds, teams, name titles, and special privileges, which are unique extras for the game. Man they really tried to keep people engaged in this game huh? On average I usually see a little over 250 people on this game at a time. So it's not really catching everyone's attention. It's more of a cult classic.
All in all I still love the game. It brought back a lot of memories for me. Plus it kind of fills in the gap for the NBA since they're still in a lockout. It feels weird without having any basketball games on TV. I'll give this game a 7 out of 10.
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