PlayStation

NBA Jam Extreme

Considering that NBA Jam was the first title to get me into sports games, I was expecting a great deal from Jam Extreme. Starting from scratch, however, is sure to bring about some hiccups. With the polygonal players, the game runs a bit slower than its sprite-based predecessors. This is crucial to the excitement level, and the game loses points here. The other problem I found was a bit of difficulty in determining the proper position of the player due to the shifting camera angles. Still, it's an exciting game and a dead-on port of the arcade. Check it out.

While not as fun as NBA Hang Time, Extreme still delivers the rock with enough authority to earn a spot in the playoffs.

Acclaim have captured the feel of an arcade basketball game perfectly with NBA Jam Extreme. If you already own a copy of NBA Live or In the Zone then you must find room in your collection for this insane rendition of your favorite sport. If you already own a copy of NBA Jam T.E, then trade it in against the sequel and you won't be disappointed.

NBA Jam presents the two-on-two style of basketball, only it panders not to realistic simulation, instead offering the gamer a plethora of special moves – players can somersault high toward the arena ceiling before dunking in spectacular fashion, flames trailing from their shoes (whereupon the enthusiastic commentators are wont to shout “I smell smoke”). The original PlayStation Jam Tournament Edition, was essentially a no-frills conversion of the SNES game, but for the sequel Acclaim has gone the 3D route à la Total NBA. The game itself is virtually identical bar a few extra moves and new statistics, with codes giving access to a host of extra features, such as giving players huge heads.

The modes of play range from exhibition to the round robin mode, in which you have to win to stay alive. The best mode is still one-on-one or two-on-two. The fast-paced competitive nature of this game has always been the series' best play feature. However, Extreme's moves a tend to be a bit slower than previous versions, and the excessive load time is also a drag. Even so, NBA Jam Extreme is near the top of multiplayer arcade-style basketball games.