# Wii NBA Jam Hands-on



## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

*NBA Jam Hands-on
*
*That ol' NBA Jam charm is being worked into a new design. And it is good.
*by Craig Harris 

*March 31, 2010* - I think of all the games that were revealed to be in development for the Wii as 2010 releases, NBA Jam was the one I probably went over the top crazy for when the announcement was made. Hear me out: I was a huge fan of the original game, and I've probably played an insane amount of hours on the NBA Showtime machine -- the game's spiritual sequel -- we currently have in our breakroom. The original Jam and its follow-ups are insanely competitive and an absolute blast to play with two, three, or four players. I may have been skeptical about the game's quality right when the game was announced -- there have been many NBA Jam's since the Midway original but none has even come close to the fun of the classic. But earlier this month I had the opportunity to play a few rounds in an early build of the game, and I have to say: the EA Sports team has absolutely nailed the Jam feeling in this new game. 

For those not familiar with NBA Jam, here's a refresher: it's a two-on-two game of hoops with professional ballers, and the only rule: no goaltending. Knock players on their asses to steal the ball, then rush to the hoop and slam it down in a spectacular air dunk. The Wii version of the game uses the original Midway design and its follow-ups as a sort of foundation for what the new console game will be. The version I played was definitely early but it had the basics down pat. 





In my hands-on I was only allowed to play using the Wii remote and nunchuk combination, but when the game's finished, you'll be able to use the standard Wii remote on its side, as well as the Classic Controller. For motion control, the designers stick with one command: shoot. Simply flick the Wii remote upwards for the jumpshot, and then flick it again to let the ball fly. You can modify the shot by holding a button down to fake out the other player by keeping your feet planted. 

All the Jam rules remained the same: sink three baskets without the other team scoring and that player will go On Fire. While on fire, his shot percentage will skyrocket to near 100% from as far away as halfcourt, his turbo power will be unlimited, and he'll be able to goaltend other players' shots without penalty. 

What really set the NBA Jam presentation was the visual style that the team's going for: 3D character bodies with 2D photorealistic heads that change depending on the players' mood and position. The style had a very South Park or Jib Jab feel, as the heads were clearly moving independently to the bodies. But it's a style that works extremely well to the over-the-top arcade action of NBA Jam. 




The game even uses the same play-by-play announcer from the old arcade game. His brevity definitely matches the color commentary of the original title, but it definitely sounded a little weird listening to him keep things concise like "Lays it up!!" in a current generation game when they only did that back in the day due to memory restrictions. 

The Wii version of the game is running rather smoothly, but at a solid 30 frames per second and not at 60 like in the preceding NBA Jam/NBA Hangtime/NBA Showtime designs. The game definitely plays with the same visual grace as the games that inspired it, and if it remains locked at 30 it wouldn't be a terrible thing. But the design team isn't ruling out a 60 frames per second upgrade somewhere during the game's development cycle. 

The team also isn't completely ruling out online play for NBA Jam on Wii. Though right now the game doesn't have online support, it wasn't a hard "no" when I asked if online was in the cards. I couldn't resist mentioning during the team's uncertainty that, if NBA Jam doesn't have online play, it'd be one of the first EA Sports games -- aside from EA Sports Active -- to omit internet support. Madden has it, FIFA has it, Tiger Woods has it…NBA Jam? Let's make it happen, guys. 

Even at this early state, the NBA Jam team is getting it right. This Wii version looks and plays like a true NBA Jam sequel, and not at all like a copycat wanna-be that's simply using the namesake. Anyone who dropped tokens in an original NBA Jam machine should keep their eyes on this Wii game's development: that old-school charm is coming back.

Source: IGN


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