User Rating: 8.1 | NBA Jam XBOX
I'm going to use the Doom 3 argument here: Just because this came out a decade after it's early 1990's original doesn't mean the gameplay has to be improved over the course of that decade. Honestly, NBA Jam didn't need to be fixed, so the publishers wisely didn't fix it. The game would not have been nearly as cool (and certainly wouldn't have been NBA Jam) if it wasn't overly simple. I mean the controls are the exact same as they were on the Sega Genesis, with the addition of the "Alley Oop" mechanic. However, one thing that is upsetting is the computer controlled team's inability to lose. I scored 32 points in the first quarter, then wound up losing the game 68 to 105. It's like I made the Xbox mad and it took it's wrath out on me. Then there are the times when you're up by 6 with about 30 seconds left, they steal from you TWICE (which is surprisingly hard to do), and then sink the miracle shot to win by 1. That's happened multiple times, and it's really quite frustrating. But, other than this virtual cheating, this game is a well-updated version of the multi-platform classic, and well worth the $15 I paid for it (just make sure you're playing a CD of music you can STAND in the background).
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