5 BOROUGH SPORTS

This game is amazing right from the very beginning- who wouldn’t get pumped if you see an iguana spinning a basketball wearing sunglasses? NBA Jam also arguably has the greatest music in any video game of all-time. It’s the official anthem of 90’s basketball (the golden years of the NBA). Even though Jordan isn’t in the game, there are some classic three-man rosters for each team. With the Knicks, you have the deadly defensive combo of Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks. But they’re not even close to being the best in the game. That would have to be either the Jazz with Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek or the Sonics with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf.

The Classic 20 foot Vertical

Similar to NFL Blitz, the gameplay for NBA Jam is fast, exciting, and energetic. It’s not as violent, but there are  no fouls. If you get hit, the crowd boos. That’s it. Plus, a full court shot isn’t that bad of an offensive strategy. The players in this game can make that shot like it’s their job. How can anyone not love a game where players who dunk jump 10 feet above the rim? When playing Jam, you will experience the fastest eight minutes of your life. Games go by quickly with two minute quarters, but you will find yourself with over 60 points each game. Plus, how can you go wrong with Dick Vitale as the broadcaster? The guy says the best lines in video game history (“Moster Jam!,” “He’s heating up…he’s on fire!, “Stolen!”, “Razzle Dazzle!”, “Slams it in!”). If it wasn’t for the awesomeness of Pat Summerall in Madden, Vitale would be the best video game broadcaster.

Personally, I owned the NBA Jam Tournament Edition for Super Nintendo. Having played every version of this game, I would say the best versions are the original 1993 NBA Jam for Sega Genesis and the ’94 Tournament Edition for SNES.

This entry was posted on February 26, 2011 at 3:08 pm and is filed under Top 10 Greatest Sports Video Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.