Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2013 10:45:36 GMT
This is a translation of my NBA Jam report from my website ´Gordman´s Game Treasure´, exclusive for the Sega8Bit platforms. Have fun by reading!
On september 5 in the year 2011, the operator of SMS Power!, Bock, got a package again. The package arrived after a long time of 2 months. Bock got it from a former developer and didn´t expect whats inside of the package for sure. At first, one of the game carts didn´t started. But after a more exact inspection, the game turned out to be NBA Jam! Reason enough for me to present you a report of this game!
Facts
Developer/Publisher: Iguana Entertainment, Inc. / Acclaim Entertainment Inc.
Platform: Sega Master System
Release: Unreleased Prototype
Genre: Sports
Players: 1 to 2
Development
As NBA Jam was released on all consoles at that time, it seems that only the Master System version got no release. It is a pity, because NBA Jam has an official NBA licence. So this is what the Master System needed, but never got. The game is dated with 1994, which makes sense, because the Game Gear version was released in 1993. After the informations of Bock, the game is a Game Gear conversion. However, the possibility that the Master System version features a 2-Player Mode with a bigger colour pallette and a full resolution screen, is a verification that it´s NOT a pure Game Gear conversion. But the Game Gear version conduced as a first presentation! The Master System version was developed by Iguana Entertainment. It´s possible that the game has some problems on an NTSC Master System. To set out from that point, we can be sure that NBA Jam was planned to be released only in Europe. If you are a private person who decides to make a reproduction of the game, build in a battery backup memory because NBA Jam saves high scores/records.
The Teams
The game includes 27 teams and 54 players. The player combinations are different at some console/handheld versions. Everytime again it is an angrily fact that Michael Jordan, the NBA´s top star at that time, has no NBA license (he owns the rights of his name, not NBA). That means that MJ never participated in an NBA video game. To get his licence would have been too expensive and no one was ready/able to pay so much for that. There were some troubles with the names of Shaquille O´Neal and Charles Barkley too in the past.
I took the time to create a list with all teams and player duos on the Master System (Screenshot from Gordman´s Game Treasure):
About NBA Jam
In NBA Jam, a match will be played in 2-on-2 style.The attributes of all NBA players are adapted to their real abilities. But a key feature is the exaggerated gameplay: The players jump very high. Much higher than their own body height which allows to make some unnaturally, but crazy and maniacal slam dunks. There are also no rules except goaltending and 24-second violation. That means that you could punch your opponents out with pleasure to get the ball. If the same basketballer points three times in a row, he comes into the On-Fire Mode: He is much faster and his scoring is more precise.
On september 5 in the year 2011, the operator of SMS Power!, Bock, got a package again. The package arrived after a long time of 2 months. Bock got it from a former developer and didn´t expect whats inside of the package for sure. At first, one of the game carts didn´t started. But after a more exact inspection, the game turned out to be NBA Jam! Reason enough for me to present you a report of this game!
Facts
Developer/Publisher: Iguana Entertainment, Inc. / Acclaim Entertainment Inc.
Platform: Sega Master System
Release: Unreleased Prototype
Genre: Sports
Players: 1 to 2
Development
As NBA Jam was released on all consoles at that time, it seems that only the Master System version got no release. It is a pity, because NBA Jam has an official NBA licence. So this is what the Master System needed, but never got. The game is dated with 1994, which makes sense, because the Game Gear version was released in 1993. After the informations of Bock, the game is a Game Gear conversion. However, the possibility that the Master System version features a 2-Player Mode with a bigger colour pallette and a full resolution screen, is a verification that it´s NOT a pure Game Gear conversion. But the Game Gear version conduced as a first presentation! The Master System version was developed by Iguana Entertainment. It´s possible that the game has some problems on an NTSC Master System. To set out from that point, we can be sure that NBA Jam was planned to be released only in Europe. If you are a private person who decides to make a reproduction of the game, build in a battery backup memory because NBA Jam saves high scores/records.
The Teams
The game includes 27 teams and 54 players. The player combinations are different at some console/handheld versions. Everytime again it is an angrily fact that Michael Jordan, the NBA´s top star at that time, has no NBA license (he owns the rights of his name, not NBA). That means that MJ never participated in an NBA video game. To get his licence would have been too expensive and no one was ready/able to pay so much for that. There were some troubles with the names of Shaquille O´Neal and Charles Barkley too in the past.
I took the time to create a list with all teams and player duos on the Master System (Screenshot from Gordman´s Game Treasure):
About NBA Jam
In NBA Jam, a match will be played in 2-on-2 style.The attributes of all NBA players are adapted to their real abilities. But a key feature is the exaggerated gameplay: The players jump very high. Much higher than their own body height which allows to make some unnaturally, but crazy and maniacal slam dunks. There are also no rules except goaltending and 24-second violation. That means that you could punch your opponents out with pleasure to get the ball. If the same basketballer points three times in a row, he comes into the On-Fire Mode: He is much faster and his scoring is more precise.
Gameplay:
The game modes are ´Head to Head´ and ´Team Game´. If you choose Head to Head, you will play against one of your friends. In Team Game, both of you will play together in the same team. If you play against the computer, there is no real difference with the game modes. The game makes much more fun with friends. For the options, there are the Timer Speed (1 slow to 5 fast) and the Difficulty (1 easy to 5 hard) to choose, and you will note the clearly recognizable differences between these settings. At 5, the opponents do much more steals and three points. There is also the Tag Mode to choose. If you choose yes, you can switch between your players during a match by passing. If no, your partner is controlled by the computer. Additionally, you can turn on the CPU Assistance. With that option, the computer also helps you during a match and controls your partner a bit.
The game modes are ´Head to Head´ and ´Team Game´. If you choose Head to Head, you will play against one of your friends. In Team Game, both of you will play together in the same team. If you play against the computer, there is no real difference with the game modes. The game makes much more fun with friends. For the options, there are the Timer Speed (1 slow to 5 fast) and the Difficulty (1 easy to 5 hard) to choose, and you will note the clearly recognizable differences between these settings. At 5, the opponents do much more steals and three points. There is also the Tag Mode to choose. If you choose yes, you can switch between your players during a match by passing. If no, your partner is controlled by the computer. Additionally, you can turn on the CPU Assistance. With that option, the computer also helps you during a match and controls your partner a bit.
The controls are clear: Button 1 for shooting, button 2 for passing (offense). In the defense, button 1 is used for jumping and button 2 for stealing. To sprint, you have to touch the directional pad twice. You sprint as long as you don´t stop. The player does what you want, but the team mate could be more intelligent, so it´s advisable to use the Tag Mode. Apart from that, there is nothing more to critisize. But it would have been great to switch between your players in the defense, but of course that was impossible with two buttons on the pad. The three point rating is extremely high. You can even score from the other side of the court. You get some tips after the 1st and 3rd quarter. At the half time, you will see the game statistics (like in every basketball video game).
On the court, things are getting hot. The music pleases and makes the game more exciting. Sometimes, I note a squeaking sound or something, but I don´t know where it comes from. Maybe the squeaking shoes on the parquet. There are sounds for every action (dribbling, dunking, stealing and so on) and it shows that the developers did their best. Graphically, it might be the best basketball game on the Master System. The fans at the background are shaded of course, but the guys on the front look very decent and detailled. The fans and officials at the sidelines and of course the players. By the Seattle SuperSonics, we have Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf. As we have the typical black guy with Shawn Kemp, we recognize Detlef Schrempf by his blonde hair. To know who is who is an important plus, because they have different abilities and that´s useful in specific situations. The teams have also their correct shorts (colours). The parquet looks really nice in typical NBA style and the whole atmosphere rocks. Everytime you do a slam dunk, you see the flashlights in the crowd. A very positive point is that NBA Jam has no graphical bugs like jerking/bucking and the overlapping of the players is very limited. In games like Basketball Nightmare, it´s a real nightmare. In NBA Jam, you feel nothing of that.
The Game Gear cheats also work fine on that Master System prototype! A few Action Replay codes are known too, you can find them below on the link to SMS Power!.
Gordman´s Opinion
I describe NBA Jam as a finished Master System game. I played many matches and didn´t see any appreciable bugs and have a lot of fun by playing it. Only one time, two players disappeared while another one was On Fire. You play as a ghost for the rest of the quarter, and that´s definitely a bug. But it is still the best basketball game on the system and mellower than Pat Riley Basketball. Awesome graphics, awesome atmosphere, awesome gameplay. No wonder that NBA Jam elaborated it´s good name. It´s a shame that it wasn´t released!
Availability
You can Download NBA Jam on SMS Power! to play it on the PC via emulator. Reproductions sometimes appear on the internet.
Links
SMS Power! entry: NBA Jam
Thanks to SMS Power for the screenshots!
On the court, things are getting hot. The music pleases and makes the game more exciting. Sometimes, I note a squeaking sound or something, but I don´t know where it comes from. Maybe the squeaking shoes on the parquet. There are sounds for every action (dribbling, dunking, stealing and so on) and it shows that the developers did their best. Graphically, it might be the best basketball game on the Master System. The fans at the background are shaded of course, but the guys on the front look very decent and detailled. The fans and officials at the sidelines and of course the players. By the Seattle SuperSonics, we have Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf. As we have the typical black guy with Shawn Kemp, we recognize Detlef Schrempf by his blonde hair. To know who is who is an important plus, because they have different abilities and that´s useful in specific situations. The teams have also their correct shorts (colours). The parquet looks really nice in typical NBA style and the whole atmosphere rocks. Everytime you do a slam dunk, you see the flashlights in the crowd. A very positive point is that NBA Jam has no graphical bugs like jerking/bucking and the overlapping of the players is very limited. In games like Basketball Nightmare, it´s a real nightmare. In NBA Jam, you feel nothing of that.
The Game Gear cheats also work fine on that Master System prototype! A few Action Replay codes are known too, you can find them below on the link to SMS Power!.
Gordman´s Opinion
I describe NBA Jam as a finished Master System game. I played many matches and didn´t see any appreciable bugs and have a lot of fun by playing it. Only one time, two players disappeared while another one was On Fire. You play as a ghost for the rest of the quarter, and that´s definitely a bug. But it is still the best basketball game on the system and mellower than Pat Riley Basketball. Awesome graphics, awesome atmosphere, awesome gameplay. No wonder that NBA Jam elaborated it´s good name. It´s a shame that it wasn´t released!
Availability
You can Download NBA Jam on SMS Power! to play it on the PC via emulator. Reproductions sometimes appear on the internet.
Links
SMS Power! entry: NBA Jam
Thanks to SMS Power for the screenshots!
I'm going to have to spend some more time with this game myself when I get the chance.
