NBA Jam Designer Diary #1
Acclaim talks about the past and future of NBA Jam in the first of our exclusive diaries.
Brandon Fish
NBA Jam Producer
Acclaim Studios Austin
To a lot of gamers over the age of 20, when you mention the words "NBA Jam," they can't help but smile. That's what I did the first time I played the new NBA Jam cabinet in the bowels of the student center at Bradley University. It was a game that used real NBA players, was easy to pick up and play even for people who weren't sports gamers, and had all the secrets and extras to keep me coming back for more. After some time and a lot of quarters, I was eventually able to get my initials up into some of the top-10 lists on the machine. Ten years later, I'm now here at Acclaim Studios Austin with an incredibly talented team of programmers, artists, designers, and sound engineers, trying to re-create the magic. We are going to keep a diary of our progress, from the very beginning of the early R&D stages of development, all the way to the very end, when we deliver to the shelf.
The History of NBA Jam
Before setting out to create a sequel in a series as popular and successful as the NBA Jam franchise, we had to learn about the history of the brand. Fans of the series will have certain expectations of what an NBA Jam game should be like, so we have to build up from the roots. In 1993, NBA Jam was released as one of the first-ever licensed sports coin-op video games. Users could choose a real NBA team with the digitized faces of real NBA stars and play a game of two-on-two full-court basketball. All the gameplay was over the top, with players soaring and catching "on fire" after sinking three baskets in a row. Since there weren't any referees, players could push and shove their opponents to gain possession of the ball. All the high-flying action was accompanied by entertaining play-by-play from the announcer. It was the first of its kind, and it created the genre of over-the-top sports games.
Later in the year, NBA Jam Tournament Edition was released, offering updated rosters, more player options per team, and the ability to switch players at halftime. Every player was also given eight different attributes, and there were numerous tweaks, fixes, and additions to warrant the new game. Both versions were highly successful and saw wide release in arcades everywhere.
NBA Jam Comes Home
The following year, Acclaim brought NBA Jam into the home on the 16-bit consoles (the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo). The games were basically the same as the coin-op versions, with a few added options and a practice mode (no defenders). Drawing on the appeal of having a popular arcade game in your living room, these ports also enjoyed tremendous success.
A few years later, in 1996, NBA Jam Tournament Edition made its way to the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. For the first time, the game at home was the same or better than the game in the arcade. New gameplay features like extra-point hot spots and on-court power-ups made their appearance. 1997's NBA Jam Extreme ushered NBA Jam into the 3D era. No longer were the players digitized 2D sprites--they were full 3D models moving on a 3D court. This enabled Acclaim to experiment with dynamic cameras and increase the range of motions available to every player. A professional announcer from TV was now providing the play-by-play.
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