NBA Jam is coming back and I'll wait for the inevitable price drop

[Stoney Mason]

Were you unenthused by the rumor that EA Sports new title would be an NFL-branded trainer for the Wii? You'll like this one better. ESPN.com says the game will be an updated NBA Jam, for the Wii.

Citing "unnamed sources," ESPN.com says EA Sports got the rights from the NBA to deliver an updated version of the arcade classic for retail release. The report adds that the game's creator, Mark Turmell, has been hired on by EA Sports Canada to consult on the product.

NBA Jam was a wildly successful 2-on-2 basketball game first released by Midway to the arcades in 1993, and later ported by Acclaim to the Super Nintendo and Genesis. The success of EA Sports' arcade-style titles for the NHL and NFL in the past year makes it a good bet they'd want to spin up an NBA offering sometime soon. The demise of Midway (and Acclaim back in 2004), also means the NBA Jam name is likely held by someone unlikely to develop it anytime soon, and probably happy to make a quick buck off the IP.

An EA Sports spokesperson told Kotaku the publisher wouldn't comment on rumor or speculation - but did add the announcement is set for sometime next week.

I emailed contacts with EA Sports and the Vancouver studio to ask for comment. Anything they say will be updated here.

http://kotaku.com/5440036/rumor-nba-jam-returning---to-wii

[demi]

DAMN BRO WII IS OFF THE CHAIN

[drew]

this exclusive is a SLAM DUNK

[Vizzys]

CHAOS DUNK

shut up and jam

[Flannel Boy]

First screenshot:

[drew]

oh god

[Brehvolution]

Is that Cheryl Miller?

[Nintendosbooger]

Smart move by EA. A lot of the old school JAM fans have migrated to the Wii this generation and there's less competition there

[Crushed]

that's the xbla/psn version

wii version:

[Ichirou]

I hope Bill Clinton is back as a hidden character.

[ferrarimanf355]

I'll take it, regardless of console.

[tiesto]

I wouldn't mind an NBA Showtime port on XBLA/PSN, with online play. This remake will only interest me if they still keep digitized characters, lol.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

XBLA

[Flannel Boy]

Smart move by EA. A lot of the old school JAM fans have migrated to the Wii this generation and there's less competition there

So fans of an NBA videogame have migrated to a console that has yet to have a half-decent NBA game?

[Don Flamenco]

Smart move by EA. A lot of the old school JAM fans have migrated to the Wii this generation and there's less competition there

less competition because nobody is making games for the system.

[drew]

yeah i am without a doubt the biggest fan of nba jam on the internet and i migrated to the sexbox

[Barry Egan]

A lot of the old school jam fans are unemployed and in their 30's.

 

Goatse just lost it's title as the most impressive stretch on the web.

[Sho Nuff]

BOOMSHAKALAKA



OH MY HE'S ON FIRE

[Great Rumbler]

[youtube=560,345]5mf98dAnQ88[/youtube]

[drew]

the snes version is an abortion

superior genesis version

[OptimoPeach]

How did that guy win the tip-off?

the snes version is an abortion

superior genesis version

Genesis announcer sounds less like Marv Albert, though

[Brehvolution]

Anybody remember the pay structure at the arcade? Wasn't it 25 cents for a 2 minute quarter or some ripoff?

[Akala]

XBLA

(Image removed from quote.)

[Great Rumbler]

superior genesis version

I had the tournament edition on the Genesis.

[AdmiralViscen]

I'll buy it

[EmCeeGrammar]

Should I care about this franchise

[OptimoPeach]

Should I care about this franchise

TERRIBLE SHOT

[bork]

the snes version is an abortion

superior genesis version

They're both ass.  ARCADE. 

[EmCeeGrammar]

Should I care about this franchise

TERRIBLE SHOT

Answer the question.

[OptimoPeach]

Answer the question.

Ever play NFL Blitz? Enjoy it? Then yeah. Shit's badass n stuff; timeless classic, blah blah blah.

Seriously, download a rom and check it out. I imagine it's aged fairly well

[M3wThr33]

superior genesis version

I had the tournament edition on the Genesis.

I had the Sega CD version. Superior one. God damn, I love NBA Jam. My brother got pissed at me all the time because the AI was distinguished mentally-challenged. I'd hang in the back court, while my brother and his AI would cover me, then I make an impossible pass to my teammate who is all alone in the paint. BOOMSHAKALAKA!

Oh, and goal tending. FUCK THAT. I hated that warning. At least I could keep my On Fire if I did it.

Nintendosbooger should update his Top Ten Wii Xclusivez List.

Shit. I was going to say that.

[OptimoPeach]

Shit it was UGLY SHOT, not TERRIBLE SHOT :'(

[M3wThr33]

When I went to DigiPen, there was an NFL Blitz arcade machine for freeplay setup in the cafeteria. (Amongst other machines)
One day the display was JUST red and black. So someone stuck a piece of paper next to the marquee that made it say "Virtual Boy Blitz"

It was still awesome to play.

[The Sceneman]

I loved those sweet halftime video sequences (now called gifs) that were the same every time.

[Sho Nuff]

My friend at Midway, err Warner Brothers, is fuming about this. He wasn't aware EA owned grabbed the rights. He just now found out.

OH MY, HE'S ON FIRE

[Saint Cornelius]

My friend at Midway, err Warner Brothers, is fuming about this. He wasn't aware EA owned grabbed the rights. He just now found out.

That's sad. Mark Turmell must be quite salty as well.

[Stoney Mason]

My friend at Midway, err Warner Brothers, is fuming about this. He wasn't aware EA owned grabbed the rights. He just now found out.

That's sad. Mark Turmell must be quite salty as well.

The game's original creator, Mark Turmell, who currently works at EA Tiburon as a senior creative director, is allegedly collaborating on the project.

[Don Flamenco]

Should I care about this franchise

TERRIBLE SHOT

Answer the question.

it's nostalgia hype.   

[Stoney Mason]

it's nostalgia hype.   

At this stage yes.

But then that is what fuels 90% of the interest in gaming for most franchises.


An updated redone and retooled NBA Jam as an XBLA/PSN level title would interest me. But probably not a full fledged $40 to $60 retail game.

[Positive Touch]

will buy if there are enough awesome new cameos

[Third]

Lol who cares about NBA Jam. Why all the meltdowns? A 3rd rate franchise being released on a 3rd rate console sounds normal to me.

[Don Flamenco]

it's nostalgia hype.   

At this stage yes.

But then that is what fuels 90% of the interest in gaming for most franchises.


An updated redone and retooled NBA Jam as an XBLA/PSN level title would interest me. But probably not a full fledged $40 to $60 retail game.

but people will get bored with it in a few hours because EA can't recreate their childhood hype level for NBA Jam.  Particularly since the game's fun came out of how imbalanced it is; the makings of an amazing game just aren't there.  That's why no one has made an NBA Jam in 10 years...it wasn't because the game was so awesome that it needed to be kept under wraps to generate hype.  That's the problem with most of these reboots. Watch it happen.  

[Flannel Boy]

Why all the meltdowns?

 

[Jansen]

http://twitter.com/DavidEllis

@andrewpfister It's a Wii exclusive initially.

so there is still hope for a non-shitty version!

[Third]

Why all the meltdowns?

 

I just read the GAf thread. People are mad that this game is a Wii exclusive. Who cares.

[Saint Cornelius]

Stoney, "allegedly"

Lol who cares about NBA Jam. Why all the meltdowns? A 3rd rate franchise being released on a 3rd rate console sounds normal to me.

You're such a non-gamer.

[Stoney Mason]

but people will get bored with it in a few hours because EA can't recreate their childhood hype level for NBA Jam.  Particularly since the game's fun came out of how imbalanced it is; the makings of an amazing game just aren't there.  That's why no one has made an NBA Jam in 10 years...it wasn't because the game was so awesome that it needed to be kept under wraps to generate hype.  That's the problem with most of these reboots. Watch it happen.  

I think you could make a fine updated and rebalanced NBA Jam and people would like it. Like I said not at the $60 dollar level because at its core the appeal of NBA Jam is as an arcade game. Which is right at that XBLA level. Same as something like Pac Man Championship edition.  

As a full price release I agree. It can't match nostalgia love because the appeal of the game has always been a simple fun arcade title. Same as NFL Blitz. You can't sell arcade games for $60 or even $40 dollars at today's retail.

[Stoney Mason]

Stoney, "allegedly"

Actually I named the thread title to rile up people because its so easy especially with recent events on here regarding the Wii but factually its correct. NBA Jam is coming back and its a Wii exclusive. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing and why is up to an individual to decide or even if they care about this particular franchise anymore.

As far as meltdowns, who is melting down in this thread?

[OptimoPeach]

it's nostalgia hype.   

At this stage yes.

But then that is what fuels 90% of the interest in gaming for most franchises.


An updated redone and retooled NBA Jam as an XBLA/PSN level title would interest me. But probably not a full fledged $40 to $60 retail game.

but people will get bored with it in a few hours because EA can't recreate their childhood hype level for NBA Jam.  Particularly since the game's fun came out of how imbalanced it is; the makings of an amazing game just aren't there.  That's why no one has made an NBA Jam in 10 years...it wasn't because the game was so awesome that it needed to be kept under wraps to generate hype.  That's the problem with most of these reboots. Watch it happen.  

Naw, if I actually had a Wii I'd be mildly interested. There's pretty much nothing left in sports games except for the insipid yearly sims that cater to ex-jocks, and I could see it being at least decent if they try. Think NBA Street only faster paced and less clunky

[Don Flamenco]

yeah, goes without saying it can't be a $60 game.  I'm gonna disagree on the Pac-Man analogy...dude, that's Pac-Man, a proven timeless game.  I put NBA Jam on the Killer Instinct end of the nostalgia hype scale-- probably gonna turn out ugly and break a lot of hearts.  but we'll see.

[Stoney Mason]

yeah, goes without saying it can't be a $60 game.  I'm gonna disagree on the Pac-Man analogy...dude, that's Pac-Man, a proven timeless game.  I put NBA Jam on the Killer Instinct end of the nostalgia hype scale-- probably gonna turn out ugly and break a lot of hearts.  but we'll see.

The Pac Man reference is more about remaking an arcade game and how much you can sell it for. It's why things like Outrun or Bionic Commando or Virtual On or other arcade properties are better suited as XBLA type stuff nowadays since nobody in their right mind is going to pay large money for that stuff.

The only exception to this seems to be fighting games although even the interest in buying those at full price has declined relative to where it use to be for the bulk of consumers.

[ferrarimanf355]

My friend at Midway, err Warner Brothers, is fuming about this. He wasn't aware EA owned grabbed the rights. He just now found out.

Your friend should be lobbying for an arcade-perfect port of Rush 2049 on XBLA/PSN.

[etiolate]

You missed the awesome ESPN article's tidbits.

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4795625

The Pippen Jinx
Did Scottie Pippen's ratings really drop when he played certain teams or was I just the least clutch shooter every time I played Detroit? "It's true, but only when the Bulls played the Pistons," explained Turmell. "If there was a close game and anyone on the Bulls took a last second shot, we wrote special code in the game so that they would average out to be bricks. There was the big competition back in the day between the Pistons and the Bulls, and since I was always a big Pistons fan, that was my opportunity to level the playing field."

Played the fuck out of the SNES version. Mitch Richmond

[Stoney Mason]

You missed the awesome ESPN article's tidbits.

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4795625

The Pippen Jinx
Did Scottie Pippen's ratings really drop when he played certain teams or was I just the least clutch shooter every time I played Detroit? "It's true, but only when the Bulls played the Pistons," explained Turmell. "If there was a close game and anyone on the Bulls took a last second shot, we wrote special code in the game so that they would average out to be bricks. There was the big competition back in the day between the Pistons and the Bulls, and since I was always a big Pistons fan, that was my opportunity to level the playing field."

 

[bork]

Lol who cares about NBA Jam. Why all the meltdowns? A 3rd rate franchise being released on a 3rd rate console sounds normal to me.

I like arcade sports games, but I'd rather see a new (good) version of NBA Street over NBA Jam.  EA BIG  :'(

[Stoney Mason]

I like arcade sports games, but I'd rather see a new (good) version of NBA Street over NBA Jam.  EA BIG  :'(

Same for me.

[OptimoPeach]

I'd take NFL Blitz over both. Nothing like celebrating a sack with belly flops and elbow drops on the downed QB

[WrikaWrek]

It's gonna be a shitty game, and no one will buy it, and wiitards will keep defending 3rd parties kind of success on the Wii.

[Saint Cornelius]

wiitards

this + your edgy Eminem avatar = you're a douche.

[Third]

Can't wait for the first unboxing vids for this game on youtube.