NBA Jam: On Fire Edition - Xbox 360 Live Marketplace 1200 Points
8.4
10
5
5
Excellent Throwback
I just picked this up on XBLA as it was on sale, and I am extremely happy I did. Its well worth the normal price (which makes getting it on sale that much better).
The rosters are somewhat lacking at the start. You play 2 on 2 so only having 4 players isn't that bad (odds are you can find at least 1 of your favorite players for your team), but there are a handful of teams that only have 2 players, and quite a few who only have 3. Now as you progress through the "Road Trip" which is the campaign mode of the game you will unlock the mascots for each team (just beat them once and they will unlock), and you will eventually save up enough to pick up historical players (there are 2 for each team, in some cases more, they cost 1000 coins each which can easily be earned by winning 2 games). So after 4 wins you can easily have 5 players to choose from for you favorite team.
My only real beef with the game so far is the amount of games one has to play to purchase the items (players are affordable but the teams cost a lot of money). I'm already getting fatigued playing the game, not in that the game isn't enjoyable but rather it is such a gargantuan task that I know I will hit a wall where earning coins will be a labor rather than entertaining.
The graphics aren't trying to compete with NBA 2K or even Live/Elite, so they should be judged accordingly. They are made to resemble the old arcade feel of the original NBA Jam but have been updated substantially. They have 3D bodies with 2D heads (just like the original games where the bodies were clearly art while the heads were an actual players head), and the courts look great. The fans are about the same quality as the ones you would see in the first sports games of the current gen (front row looks good, the rest not so much), but they do nothing to take away from the enjoyment of the game.
The sound is great, all the players have the same grunts which is odd (especially when you have someone like Shaq making the same sounds as Steve Nash), but the game really shines in the Broadcast booth, the guy who did the commentary to the original games is back and just as awesome, if not even better than he was back in the day. There are several comments he'll make that will have you laughing or at least smirking, and said comments are very diverse (no hearing the same thing every game over and over).
Gameplay is great, you don't worry about fouling anyone , in fact, goal-tending is the only thing that is enforced, and even that appears to only be called when the ball would have gone in (as opposed to real life where it doesn't matter if the ball would have gone in or not). You can shove, steal and throw elbows, and you aren't limited by normal physics. However players are still limited by the real life abilities/tendencies, pretty much everyone can dunk in the game but if they tend to do layups they are much more likely to pull those off even with alley oops. In the situations where they do dunk they have a greater chance of missing them or getting stuffed. Now there are several areas where the game is obviously unrealistic but there are many aspects of the game that give it a realistic feel. For example each player has a different feel (the release point and style of Dirk Nowitzski is much different from his teammate Jason Kidd), their animations even vary based upon their era (Dominique Wilkins putting up a jumper does not look like Joe Johnson putting one up).
A quick note for those wondering about which version to get:
Both versions of the game are close in price, but they have some differences. Most notably would be the rosters, the disc versions are from 2010 while the DLC version is for the current NBA season. I can't speak as to which game is better personally, (as I have not played the disc version) but I can tell you that the DLC version has higher review score across the board.
All in all the game is simply fun! It has the craziness of a arcade game, but still manages to feel at times like a realistic basketball game, combining the best of both worlds to create an excellent experience well worth the low price tag.
2/11/12
hey it is just fun
To put it simple this game is just fun. I have never been a fan of the NBA or basketball in general. But as a kid I was a huge fan of NBA Jam on the Genesis and SNES. I am so glad they did a modern version. If you played the original years ago you will feel at home. It is just plain awesome. You can unlock plenty of NBA legends like Larry Bird etc.
2/11/12
Great game must buy!
This is an amazing game. If you played NBA Jam on the Wii or Xbox 360, it is better than that. There is more characters like SSX character, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Gary Payton and Shaun Kemp. Everything about this game is amazing. You can play online and road trip is awesome but has a good difficulty. You must buy!
11/19/11
One stupid problem
Every time u take out the ball the computer pushes u they get it and dunk it this game is stupid
10/21/11
Awsome
this game is freaking amazing i dnt know what to say
10/20/11