High octane, fast-paced, and a very entertaining announcer, this simple yet dopamine-inducive game will get you playing until your mother tells you to stop. Produced by Iguana Entertainment and Midway Games, project was headed by Mark Turmell.

Simple controls and rules

It has one of the most straightforward rules and controls, and it doesn’t feel monotonous. You have two characters that you control, basically it’s a two-on-two game choosing from the roster of NBA superstars, you go and cross the half court line, and try to shoot or dunk by any means necessary, no fouls. Each player has various stats, such as speed, dunks, defense, and three-point shooting, which contribute when you’re forming a team.

Effects

The effects were sort of lacking, specially on their dunks, being that it is their main attraction, could’ve added some power-up effects or the sort, it’s just for cosmetics—but at the time, it was enough to keep us playing until the sun was up. Featuring some of the most well known NBA players at the time, although they couldn’t get His Airness, Michael Jordan, due to licensing issues.

One of it’s charms is the commentary led by none other than Tim Kitzrowthe, who also did the iconic voice of your favorite sports franchises such as NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz and MLB Slugfest, and over a dozen other classic pinball games. He was also the one who invented the phrase “Boom Shakalaka!” and earned instantly earned pop-culture immortality. Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you’re going to get hyped up by his commentary.

Conclusion

Overall, this game was awesome and is a great couch co-op game. Great gameplay, simple controls, great sounds, and a variety of players to choose from. If you can, get the Tournament Edition, it has updated rosters, new features, and Jon Hey created new music specifically for NBA Jam: Tournament Edition to replace the original NBA Jam music. Special mention to Primal Rage, another underrated SEGA game I’ve played on the Genesis.