EA Sports confirmed on Monday their return to the 2-on-2, arcade-style basketball court with a remake of the 16-bit classic NBA JAM. The new NBA JAM will be bringing Monster Jams and Boom-shaka-laka’s to the Nintendo Wii. The title is being developed by EA Canada, and will see a release sometime in 2010. This announcement squelches many long running rumors about the existance of such a remake.
There are few who grew up in the 16-bit era that do not have fond memories of playing NBA JAM either at home or in the arcade with friends. The game was a cultural phenomenon. NBA JAM brought the superstars of one of the NBA’s greatest generations of players into a fast-paced and fun video game. Alongside of its trademark over-the-top competition and impossibly spectacular slam dunks, the classic game brought the infamous Big Head Mode into the limelight, and all but introduced the world to turbo mode.
Details are thin on the new NBA JAM currently, but the press release does stress that the new game will revive the classic gameplay that we know and love while throwing in additional gamemodes and features to sweeten the deal. Though these additions were not detailed, the press release does state that the new game modes and characters will add more gameplay depth. NBA JAM Wii will also feature NBA-licensed teams and players, a feature that the original game practically pioneered.
NBA JAM saw a similar revival in 2003 when the series was remade on the PS2 platform. The game saw limited success, however, as it struggled to compete with other arcade-basketball games such as NBA Street and NBA Ballers. The very genre that NBA JAM established had grown significantly and prevented it from excelling in an era where realistic basketball sims were king. Here’s to hoping that EA Canada is on fire with NBA JAM on the Wii and avoids a similar ‘ugly shot’ of its predecessor.
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