The Friday Five: 5 Forgotten & Overlooked Basketball Games

[Andrew]

This week's Friday Five takes a look at five games that you may or may not remember, but I feel are interesting to look back upon:
The Friday Five: 5 Forgotten & Overlooked Basketball Games

[benji]

Slam n' Jam 96 featuring Magic and Kareem for the PS1 and Saturn is actually the second game in a series. The 3DO version called Slam n' Jam 95 has faked/renamed NBA players ala Super Dunk Shot.

Give n' Go is a home version of Konami's Run and Gun arcade series with an NBA license. Slam n' Jam is oddly similar in nearly every way to Run n' Gun. The 3DO original featured Van Earl Wright doing commentary.

Left Field Productions did Slam n' Jam, they would later do the NBA Courtside games. The original and 2002 being pretty good.

[Andrew]

Left Field Productions did Slam n' Jam, they would later do the NBA Courtside games.

I noticed that when I pulled the game out to grab the screenshot. I wouldn't mind a few more companies throwing their hat into the ring with some NBA games, if they can get the license.

I also remember trying to edit Slam 'N Jam back in the day. I managed to change a few player names through hex editing, making #42 on Magic and Kareem's All-Stars James Worthy and so on.

[benji]

I noticed that when I pulled the game out to grab the screenshot.

You can see it on the screenshot.

The NBA is notorious (compared to almost every other major license) for being willing to sell the license to anyone (Baller Beats being a prime example) which is one thing I love about them. But producing a basketball game on a ten month dev cycle is abusive, especially for startups and especially today. If you look at a lot of the older titles they were constantly being thrown out because you only needed to grab five or six guys to put one together and even into the PS2 era you could do it with 25 or less full time employees.

And I assume the NBA is becoming more picky along with the industry, they want big console titles, Baller Beats was a Kinect title, etc. Someone coming along saying they want to do a throwback indie title for Steam/XBLA/PSN/etc. might not get the approval, or lower fees.

I should edit the wiki more. Part of the reason the whole REAL TALK endeavor was started.

As for the topic. I don't think I'd pick any of these necessarily although it depends on the context. Forgotten or Overlooked. Slam n' Jam falls in my forgotten pile (especially 95 which was another great 3DO title that took a long time for PS1 to surpass), but Run n Gun/Give n Go in the overlooked because I think the latter dumbs it up just enough to be something you can still play today and have a good time with. (Which is why I recommended it to Jackal and others. Well, Give n Go anyway.)

I haven't played Slam n Jam in a while but from what I recall it "reals" it up too much in comparison and so you land more in the area where you're fighting it's limitations. I still think it's superior gameplay wise to the Live's until 99. Other franchises, well...

[JaoSming]

The NBA is notorious (compared to almost every other major license) for being willing to sell the license to anyone (Baller Beats being a prime example) which is one thing I love about them.

[Andrew]

I'd be interested to see if someone could develop a really good basketball game without the NBA license (preferably making it for PC and patchable), just to see how well it would perform and whether they could subsequently work out a deal for the NBA license for a sequel.

[Kenny]

Did anyone play NBA Basketball 2000? I had it on the original Playstation console. Despite it's rather redundant name, it was pretty solid.

[Andrew]

I don't recall that one, but Nintendo 64 was my console of choice during that era so that'd be why.

[benji]

It got a PC release as well. I only ever played the PS1 version.

It originally started as a ESPN branded title (among a number of others) but ESPN bailed out of video games suddenly and it got delayed and rebranded to FOX Sports when that was a fledgling practically free license.

And it wasn't pretty solid. Unlike their hockey series which was pretty hardcore.

The creators of it actually went on to good things with Simpsons: Road Rage, Simpsons: Hit and Run, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Scarface: The World is Yours, and Prototype series. Unlike say...High Voltage.

[JaoSming]

all of a sudden I recall playing Fox Sports College Hoops 99 for N64..... not a hidden gem. But I do seem to remember a call for help button with an audible yell.

[benji]

That game went through some major delays as well. (Which for that era was like six months to a year.) And made the switch to become Fox Sports branded.

I think that might be the only NCAA game on the N64. Would have to check, but only one I can think of.

Meanwhile PS1 got some decent titles in the March Madness series. (99 never happened.)

Fox Sports College Hoops was from the makers of BMX XXX and Dave Mirra series.

Aggressive Inline and one of the PS2-era Mirra games were pretty decent. Tony Hawk clones but nothing wrong with that.