The Top 7... Precursor Games

News
By published

Halo 3's ending revealed? Big Daddy's father unmasked? Witness the evolution that led to today's favorites

Arch Rivals begat NBA Jam

NBA Jam may be the game you think of as the pioneer of glass shattering slam dunks. But Midway had already smoothed out this backboard breaking maneuver beforehand with Arch Rivals. In fact, if you take out the advanced graphics, NBA licenses, and replace the punching with some ball slapping to steal, Miday's NBA Jam plays just like Arch Rivals.

Above: Arch Rivals showed us that you don't need official licenses for a fun sports game. NBA Jam showed us that having them helps a lot

Useless Facts:
- Michael Jordan was noticeably absent from NBA Jam's roster. Scottie Pippen's pumped up stats may have been meant to make up for the MIA MJ.
- Like most Midway games, NBA Jam featured a ton of Easter eggs. NBA Jam Tournament Edition even let you play as Bill,Hillary, andGeorgeClinton.

For more of GamesRadar's rants and raves, check out ourTop 7 Compendiumfor everything from the worstPR disastersto the mostunsexy femme fatales.

See more Games News
GamesRadarTylerNagata
GamesRadarTylerNagata
Latest in Games
First Berserker: Khazan screenshot showing two characters engaged in battle
Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike"
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
Khazan holding a red glowing sword during the upcoming PS5 game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
"Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting": Lead dev on promising Soulslike RPG pushes balanced difficulty because "if stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
There's never been a better time to play Chrono Trigger than on its 30th anniversary as the all-time JRPG great is just $4 in Steam Spring Sale
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic roguelike dev says innovation for innovation's sake is too expensive to survive: "We're a studio of 50 people with bills to pay"
Latest in News
First Berserker: Khazan screenshot showing two characters engaged in battle
Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike"
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
Khazan holding a red glowing sword during the upcoming PS5 game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
"Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting": Lead dev on promising Soulslike RPG pushes balanced difficulty because "if stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
There's never been a better time to play Chrono Trigger than on its 30th anniversary as the all-time JRPG great is just $4 in Steam Spring Sale
The Surrender
The Boys star's new horror movie gets great first reactions calling it "truly terrifying" featuring some of the "best performances" of 2025 so far
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode
More about games
King Kong

Ubisoft's surprisingly ambitious King Kong game faced a sudden change because Peter Jackson's son didn't like the ape's face: "I had to rework Kong’s head, alone in the studio"
Old School RuneScape Smite collab

MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
First Berserker: Khazan screenshot showing two characters engaged in battle

Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike"
See more latest
Most Popular
First Berserker: Khazan screenshot showing two characters engaged in battle
Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike"
King Kong
Ubisoft's surprisingly ambitious King Kong game faced a sudden change because Peter Jackson's son didn't like the ape's face: "I had to rework Kong’s head, alone in the studio"
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
Khazan holding a red glowing sword during the upcoming PS5 game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
"Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting": Lead dev on promising Soulslike RPG pushes balanced difficulty because "if stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
There's never been a better time to play Chrono Trigger than on its 30th anniversary as the all-time JRPG great is just $4 in Steam Spring Sale
The Surrender
The Boys star's new horror movie gets great first reactions calling it "truly terrifying" featuring some of the "best performances" of 2025 so far
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic roguelike dev says innovation for innovation's sake is too expensive to survive: "We're a studio of 50 people with bills to pay"
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode
WandaVision
Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen says she's enjoyed playing Scarlet Witch for over 10 years and would "love to keep doing more"
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' expert difficulty looks like the best way to play since it does way more than just dial up enemy HP bars