| NBA Jam | |
| Developer: | Acclaim Studios Austin |
| Publisher: | Acclaim Entertainment |
| Producer: | Brandon Fish |
| Designer: | Vu Thai Dang |
| Programmer: | John Yuill |
| Artist: | Michael Taylor |
| Composer: | Mike Tekulve Nelson Everhart |
| Series: | NBA Jam |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Genre: | Sports |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
NBA Jam is a 3-on-3 basketball video game published by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2003. It is part of the NBA Jam series. The game was announced on May 12, 2003. The play-by-play is voiced by Tim Kitzrow.[1] There was also originally to be a GameCube version of the game.[2]
The game is based on the 2003–04 NBA season and features some of the NBA's best players from that season. After a series of more simulation-oriented Jam games, NBA Jam features fast-paced gameplay more akin to the arcade originals, although in a departure from the series' usual 2-on-2 formula, the teams are made up of three players instead. The game also features various courts and special teams, including all-star teams composed of various NBA legends. It is the last NBA Jam released by Acclaim, as the company became defunct the following year.
NBA Jam would also be the last Jam game released until Electronic Arts revived the franchise with its 2010 NBA Jam game.
The game is dedicated to the programmer’s niece.
This NBA Jam in particular is the first game within the franchise to be released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with the previous version NBA Jam (2002) being on the GameBoy Advance. Technology is progressing fast and video games being a multi-billion dollar industry are no exception to the trend. Sports games in particular are extremely popular, with 68% of American teenagers agreeing. In the case of NBA Jam developers included 3-D animation, which is completely different from the previous version of the game.[3] On top of the actual advancements inside the game, the game's console has also drastically improved. The PS2 offers a faster CPU speed, higher resolution, and improved RAM compared to the GameBoy Advanced. The GameBoy Advance has a smaller size, allowing for gaming on the go.[4]
The music in NBA Jam ranges from before 1970 to 2000. Including multiple artists such as Chuck Berry, King Floyd, and SubUrban. SubUrban makes the most appearances on the soundtrack with six songs. Followed up by F.O.S and Bootsy Collins with two songs each. Since the game was released in the early 2000s most of the songs are from that era but the variety included in the soundtrack helps accommodate a larger audience. The developers purposely included lots of rock and hip-hop into the soundtrack; in the '60s and '70s rock was widely listened to by the younger generation, and in the same respect the '90s introduced the boom of rap music.[5] With such a diverse soundtrack NBA Jam was set to appeal to the masses.
The game received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.