Go Fanboy - Everyone Has A Favorite

Back in the day, there just wasn’t a better way to experience basketball on a console. NBA Jam from Midway invaded everything from the Sega Genesis to the Atari Jaguar and everything in-between. There were spin-offs and failed attempts from other publishers to bottle up and clone the fun that NBA Jam delivered, but nothing compared. With the fall of Midway and Electronic Arts’ deep pockets to scoop up the license, we now have a suitable remake from EA Sports. But everyone wants to know if this game is on fire or if it flames out before the first end of the first quarter.

The first thing that will delight fans of the old series is that EA actually gets “Jam” and what made it fun. This remake packs in all of the old-school fun, and revels in the fast-paced, pick-up-and-play nature that made the original so boom-shocka-locka fun. While the game's been modernized thanks to motion control and updated graphics; “Jam” is still very easy to get to grips with the gameplay.

The basic formula remains virtually identical. You score more hoops with your two-man team than the opposition using a mix of exciting dunks, alley-oops and knockdowns to embarrass the competition. NBA Jam's the ultimate arcade and unrealistic equivalent to EA's NBA Live series, and goes. Well, maybe using 2K Sport’s basketball games as an example would be better since those are actually good. But, this is an EA title and somehow it turned out well. Power-ups are back, and picking up one of those dotted goodies around the court delivers a temporary bonus, like a speed boost for example, while scoring three hoops in a row without having your opponent net one back sets the ball on fire, which ups your shot accuracy for a limited time. The controls are simple and easy for anyone to pick up right away which immediately provides the same accessibility of the original that made it so popular and will likely do the same for this edition.

There are two basic modes of play with the first being pretty standard. You lead your two-man team to stardom by winning games, but the second, known as 'Remix', contains a variety of special modes and features, including two-on-two boss battles pitting players against some of NBA's legends. It's an awesome alternative, and in total, EA reckons the game will last the majority of players around a remarkable 50 hours.

Of course, all of it is presented via Jam's spectacularly goofy presentation that sees licensed stars recreated with a 3D body and 2D head - something that, along with Tim Kitzrow's outrageously funny commentary, had us chuckling all the way to the backboard. But more importantly, NBA Jam feels like NBA Jam. It's a fantastic modern-day recreation of Mark Turmell's original that's guaranteed to have you in stitches, and a title that could prove to be another of the Wii's must-have sports games.