NBA Jam review

Jam is always best played with or against a buddy (both co-op and head-to-head options are available), but it’s no slouch in the single-player world either. The old-school Campaign mode pits you against every team, advancing until you’ve defeated the entire league.

There’s also a so-called Remix campaign, sporting power-ups, non-traditional modes like Elimination and 21, and Boss Battles that pit you against an impressive array of NBA Legends. A lot of these modes switch up the view, offering a distinctly different look and challenge.

It wouldn’t be Jam without loads of secret unlockable characters (athlete and otherwise), and it won’t be long before you’re playing with and against players you used back in the day – names like Dennis Rodman, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Larry Johnson pepper a huge list of retro ballers.

If it weren’t for a lack of online play, NBA Jam would be virtually perfect. Even so, Jam is our favorite sports title of the year. Sure, our memories of wasting scads of hours playing the original in the arcade color our judgment, but no matter what, Jam flat-out rocks. It’s gotta be the shoes!

Oct 5, 2010