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NBA Jam for Super Nintendo SNES
NBA Jam for Super Nintendo SNES turns basketball into a fast match between two teams of two players. You choose an NBA duo, sprint towards the basket and try to score with a shot or an exaggeratedly high dunk. The camera follows play across the court while commentary accompanies key actions. The teams have different strengths in speed, dunks, defence and three-pointers. Your choice of duo therefore matters even when everyone uses the same buttons.
Three main commands let you shoot or block, pass or steal the ball, and use turbo. That temporary acceleration helps with a sprint, dunk or hard shove, but the meter runs down. If the same player scores three times in a row, he goes on fire and temporarily gains unlimited turbo and better shooting chances. Ordinary shoving does not result in a personal foul. You still need to respect the shot clock and the rules on blocking a descending ball.
You can play alone against the computer, form a team with another person or compete against each other. Three or four simultaneous players require a Super Multitap and one controller per player; those accessories are not included. Initials and a password let you keep track of your match record. This is the original SNES release of NBA Jam, without Tournament Edition's expanded team selections and extra match rules.
Region and language
Our Super Nintendo SNES games are PAL editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
With NBA Jam for Super Nintendo SNES, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.
The history of NBA Jam
Midway first made NBA Jam for arcades, where it appeared in 1993. Mark Turmell led the design and programming. His team built on Arch Rivals' fast two-on-two basketball, combining it with real NBA teams, recognisable players and digitised imagery. Acclaim published the home versions, and Iguana Entertainment handled the 1994 SNES adaptation. The game thus moved from an arcade cabinet with four control stations to a cartridge for Nintendo's console.
Turmell later explained that players in early tests already expected differences between basketball players. The team therefore developed attributes such as speed, power, stealing and three-pointers. The on fire rule came from an idea by programmer Jamie Rivett. Three consecutive baskets could make a player much stronger temporarily. This also changed defending: you had to prevent points while paying particular attention to which opponent was building a dangerous scoring streak.
The SNES release retained the exaggerated dunks, short commentary lines and fast matches, but used its own controller and a Super Multitap for four participants. The home version also used initials and passwords to retrieve results. NBA Jam Tournament Edition came later, changing the player selection and adding rules. This first cartridge instead shows the earlier structure: two players per team, few interruptions and a constant choice between passing, shooting, shoving and the right moment for turbo.
Similar games for Super Nintendo SNES
NBA Jam Tournament Edition for SNES keeps the two-on-two basketball and high dunks, but expands the player selection and match settings. You can choose from more team members and get extra rules and options. The original NBA Jam sticks to the earlier duos and a simpler match structure. Timing a pass or turbo burst helps in both; Tournament Edition also gives you more choices around the match itself and your team's composition.
NBA Live 95 on SNES also features real NBA teams, but puts five players per side on court and follows ordinary basketball much more closely. You have to pay more attention to positions, moving the ball and fouls. NBA Jam reduces the team to two and makes room for shoving and improbably high dunks. Finding an open shooter pays off in both, but Jam turns each attack more quickly into a direct contest between an attacker and a defender.
Super Tennis for SNES also has you build short rallies through timing and positioning. A well-placed ball can unbalance an opponent, just as a pass in NBA Jam creates an open scoring chance. Super Tennis, however, uses a net and strokes with different trajectories instead of basketball, shoving and turbo. You read the other person's movement in both, but the way you create space differs greatly.
Super Soccer on SNES also revolves around passing, finding space and choosing the right moment to shoot at goal. The football pitch holds a full team, giving you more players to consider. NBA Jam keeps things manageable with two basketball players per team and much bigger jumps. In both, you have to switch quickly between attacking and defending; Jam lets physical shoves and a growing on fire streak determine the result much more directly.
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe for SNES combines sports matches with precise ball control, runs and building an attack through several players. NBA Jam opts for smaller teams and heavily exaggerated basketball action. Teamwork and finding an unmarked teammate help in both, but ISS Deluxe asks you to open up a larger football pitch and a more extensive defence. Jam can complete the same transition with a single turbo sprint and one high dunk.
