''NBA Jam'' is a 3-on-3 basketball video game published by

Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game publisher based in Glen Cove, New York. Originally founded by Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes, and Jim Scoroposki from a storefront in Oyster Bay in 1987, the company built a global develop ...

for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

in 2003. It is part of the ''

NBA Jam ''NBA Jam'' is a List of basketball video games, basketball video game series based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). Initially developed as arcade games by Midway Games, Midway, the game found popularity with its photorealistic digi ...

'' series. The game was announced on May 12, 2003. The play-by-play is voiced by Tim Kitzrow. There was also originally to be a GameCube version of the game. The game is based on the

2003–04 NBA season The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Detroit Pistons defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the 2004 NBA Finals. The 2003–04 NBA season was the culmination of ...

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 Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...

revived the franchise with its 2010 NBA Jam game. The game is dedicated to the programmer's niece.

Music

The music in ''NBA Jam'' ranges from before 1970 to 2000. Including multiple artists such as

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

, King Floyd, and SubUrban. SubUrban makes the most appearances on the soundtrack with six songs. Followed up by F.O.S and

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himse ...

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 Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

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. With such a diverse soundtrack ''NBA Jam'' was intended to appeal to a broad audience.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the

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website

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:NBA Jam (2003 video game) 2003 video games Acclaim Entertainment games Acclaim Studios Austin games Cancelled GameCube games NBA Jam PlayStation 2 games Xbox games Video games developed in the United States Multiplayer and single-player video games