NBA Jam, the 1993 classic that popularized sayings like “He’s heating up!,” “He’s on fire!,” and my favorite “Boomshakalaka!” has been revamped and released by EA games.  Taking off where the old one left off the game has only been made better through technological advances, mainly the graphics.

                Game play remains for the most part exactly the same as I remember.  The teams have been updated with their respective greats.  In the case of my hometown heroes, the Golden State Warriors, the team is lead by Monta Ellis, David Lee, Andris Biedrins, and the man whose three-pointers are unstoppable: Stephen Curry.

                Defying the laws of gravity the backboard breaking, earth shaking, incredible dunks have only been made better.  Complete with the flashing lights of the fans taking pictures. Offensive spin moves and crossovers make guarding a bit more difficult them the game of old.  While on defense and the pick just isn’t an option there is always the old standby shove, fortunately free-throws not included.

                Some of the classic codes of the original are still available.  Use these to mix things up a bit:

 · Beastie Boys team

At the title screen, press Up(2), Down(2), Left, Right, Left, Right, Circle, X. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Select Play Now mode, then press Plus at the team selection screen to find the Beastie Boys team.

· Democrats team

At the title screen, press Left(13), X. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Select Play Now mode, then press Plus at the team selection screen to find the Democrats team, which includes Barack H. Obama, Bill Clinton, and others.

· Republicans team

At the title screen, press Right(13), X. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Select Play Now mode, then press Plus at the team selection screen to find the Republicans team, which includes George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and others.

· J.Cole and 9th Wonder team

At the title screen, press Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, X, Circle. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Select Play Now mode, then press Plus at the team selection screen to find the J.Cole and 9th Wonder team.

· Play as Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle (ESPN SportsNation)

Select Play Now mode. Enter "ESP" as initials for player one and "NSN" as initials for player two. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound at team selection screen. Press Start at team selection screen to find Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle from ESPN SportsNation.

· Play as Mark Turmell (developer) and Tim Kitzrow (announcer)

Select Play Now mode. Enter "MJT" as initials for player one. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound at team selection screen. Press Start at team selection screen to find Mark Turmell (creator of NBA Jam) and Tim Kitzrow (announcer).

· Play as NBA mascots

Select Play Now mode. Enter "MAS" as initials for player one and "COT" as initials for player two. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound at team selection screen. Press Start at team selection screen to find the NBA mascots.

 
Do you remember the classic 1989 Fred Savage movie The Wizard which featured the Nintendo Power Glove?  For those of you that do, there was actually a contest held in 1990 similar to the one at the end of the cult classic.  At the time the competition was considered to be a challenge to even the most experienced of gamers.  Promoted by Nintendo Power Magazine, the onetime must have gaming publication, contestants faced a timed challenge on three different games; super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and one of my personal favorites Tetris.  Each of the three titles was adapted from their original game play to have a different scoring system which would be tallied at the end of the challenge. 

                Each finalist was awarded a copy of the game cartridge used in the challenge.  The cartridge is titled 1990 World Championships, and known by retro gaming collectors as the “Grey Cartridge”.  The cartridge is noticeably different from normal Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in that is has three small switches on the front to set the time limit given for game play.  Only 90 of these cartridges were awarded, making one of the most sought after NES titles.  The average price for one of these games ranges from about $5000-$6000, however some have gone for north of $9000.

                 Roughly half of these game cartridges have made it onto the market which means the other half are still waiting to be discovered.  While perusing eBay the other day I came across a listing that featured the title amongst a collection of other Nintendo memorabilia.  If you’ve got money to burn and want to own a piece of gaming history check the listing out here.  Or if you’re like me and are simply fascinated by the amount of money games of my youth are fetching do the same.     


medal of honor, flash, google, html 5, emerging media, marquette