NBA Jam Walkthrough

NBA Jam is a professional basketball-influenced video game that was released on October 5, 2010 for the Wii, X-Box and Playstation 3 consoles. The game is a reboot of the original version released by Midway in 1993; first onto arcade machines and then Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. http://sports.ign.com/articles/868/868378p1.html Known for its exaggerated gameplay, NBA Jam allows players to perform gravity-defying dunks, shatter the glass backboards and handle basketballs consumed in fire. Another characteristic of the series is the ability to unlock secret real world characters, such as: Bill Clinton, Heavy D, Will Smith and even the game's designer, Mark Turmell. http://sports.ign.com/articles/868/868378p3.html

The NBA Jam released in 2010 follows the same trends, even in the case of its graphics, which are rendered in a more cartoonish style than most modern sports games. There have alos been updates to the secret characters which include George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and the musical group, the Beastie Boys. The following walkthrough applies to the version of the game available to the Nintendo Wii. It details the controller layout, the different game modes and the secret characters. There are also hints, tips and strategies to succeeding against the opposing teams and conquering the mini-games.

NBA Jam was first incarnated as a coin-operated arcade machine in 1993 and while it was not the first exaggerated sports game ever created it is considered to be one of the most influential pioneers in the field. http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/216813/nba-jam-retrospective/ Since 1993, the game was released continuously until 2008 when it was retired due to poor sales performance. http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/216813/nba-jam-retrospective/ The title changes that occurred in the series' run were: NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, College Slam and NBA Jam Extreme.

Aside from the exaggerated gameplay, another staple of the NBA Jam series is the ability to expand the size of the players' heads and an overly exuberant announcer who uses an inordinate amount of catchphrases such as: "Boom-shaka-laka" and "Slam-a-jamma".

Wii Remote/ Nunchuck

Basic Gameplay:

• Move Player: Control Stick

• Turbo: Z Button

• Pause Game: + Button

Offense

• Pass: A Button

• Pump Fake: Flick Wii Remote up while pressing and holding C Button

• Spin: B Button

• Crossover: B Button while pressing and holding Z

• Jumpshot: Flick Wii Remote up, then forward

• Slam Dunk: While moving towards the net, flick Wii Remote up, then down

• Elbows: Double tap Z Button

• Alley-oop: When you're teammate jumps towards the hoop and begins to flash, pass him the basketball. To go for the alley-oop yourself, run towards the hoop and flick the wii remote up as if going for a dunk. If your partner is a CPU, press A to have them pass you the ball and then flick the Wii Remote down to finish the dunk.

• Rebounds and Putbacks: Flick the Wii Remote up to jump up and grab the ball. Swing the Wii Remote forward after grabbing the ball to toss it back into the basket.

Defense:

• Steal: B Button

• Shove: B Button while holding down the Z Button

• Swat Block: Flick the Wii Remote up to jump and then flick the Wii Remote forward when your opponent goes up for the shot.

Wii Remote

Basic Gameplay:

• Move Player: D-Pad
• Turbo: B Button
• Pause Game: + Button

Offense:

• Call for Shot: A Button
• Call for Pass/Pass: 1 Button
• Spin: 1+2 Button
• Crossover: 1+2+B Button
• Shoot/Dunk: 2 Button
• Elbows: Double tap B Button

Defense:

• Steal: 1 Button
• Shove: B Button+ 1 Button
• Block/Rebound: 2 Button

There are 6 modes of gameplay available in either an easy, medium, hard or insane difficulty:

1. Play Now: Compete for a single match victory
2. Classic Campaign: Go head to head against 36 NBA teams and secret teams to be rewarded the title of champion.
3. Remix Tour: Travel the country to defeat all 6 divisions, earning bronze silver and gold awards to unlock new challenges.
4. Remix Modes: Compete in a variety of game modes.
5. Boss Battles: Test your skills against a boss player, after first defeating them in remix mode.
6. Jam Camp: Learn the game's basics by going through a variety of drills and instruction screens.

Make 3 shots in a row with the same player to be "on fire". When this happens there is a greater percent chance that you will make shots.

When your player's shoes glow, it means your turbo is activated.

Overall Hints and Tips

1. At halftime during classic and Remix 2 V 2 games, substitute in your best 3-point shooters if you're behind and your best defenders if you've got the lead.
2. Keep close contact to your opponent when swatting their shot to avoid goal tending.
3. When "on fire", take 3 point shots over dunking the ball to pull further ahead into the lead.
4. Conserve your turbo by using it only when you need to catch up to an opponent heading towards the basket to score or when you are breaking away down the court to score for yourself.
5. While shoving will not always jostle the ball loose, it is more effective than stealing in most instances. You can perform it while your opponents' back is turned and it can also give your teammate time to set himself up in a better defensive position should the ball remain in the other team's position.
6. While running down the court under heavy defense, pass often to open up a dunking or alley-oop lane for you or your teammate.
7. If you and your teammate are under heavy defense at one end of the court, hold onto the ball for a moment or two rather than rushing into action. If it's a CPU teammate they should eventually knock their defender down with their elbows, in which case you should pass them the ball.
8. When the other team is taking the ball out, make sure you or your teammate is guarding the far end of the court to avoid breakaway scoring.
9. Never double up on a single opponent. If you're playing with a friend, choose who you'll cover ahead of time and if it's a CPU, choose the opposite of who the computer covers.
10. Shoving while running, will stop your player in his tracks and if you miss then it can allow your opponent to break further away.

Follow the on-screen instructions and learn all the basic controls for playing the game and making shots. You will need to perform moves 5 times each to complete Jam Camp.

Big Head Mode will be made accessible after completing Jam Camp.

2 V 2

Played like a classic game of basketball, but with a variety of power-ups that appear at random on the court. The player that picks up these power-ups has their skill or appearance affected in some way.

Power-ups:

1. Power (P): Power your way past defenders.
2. Quickness (Q): Increases your speed.
3. Rubber (R): Become immune to shoves.
4. Accuracy (A): Increases ability to make jump shots.
5. Mini (M): Shrinks your opponent to a laughable size.
6. Random (?): A power-up is given to you at random.

Hints and Tips:

1. When the ball is being taken out by the opposing team, run off-screen and up and down the half-court area as this is where the power-ups tend to appear.
2. Most of the time, you will not be able to recognize the power-up before you pick it up due to the fast pace nature of the game. Outside of the shrink and speed power-up, the only indication of the gained ability is the color you or your opponent will begin to flash. For strategic purposes, on offense as well as defense, it's important to memorize the corresponding color to its power-up. They are: red for power, green for rubber and yellow for accuracy.
3. When your teammate gains the power-up, it's always a good idea to keep the ball in their possession.
4. When your opponent gains speed or power, rather than attempting to cover them, stay in the paint and anticipate where they'll be taking the shot from.
5. When your opponent has rubber, use the steal button rather than the shove or stay on them to swat block their shots.

Smash

Dunk the ball as much as possible to break the glass backboard. The remaining strength of each blackboard is indicated by a colored bar on the bottom corners of the screen. The first team to shatter the backboard wins.

Hints and Tips:

1. While dunks and alley-oops cause the most damage, there is still a very small amount done by normal jump shots.
2. If you are looking to end the game quickly or catch back up from a loss, then keep the ball away from your CPU teammate as he will be more likely to shoot the less effective jump shots.
3. Dunking while on fire causes extra damage.

21

Hints and Tips:

Score 21 points to win the game in an every man for themselves scenario with either one, two or three opponents. Dribble outside the 3 point line to clear the ball after your opponent misses the shot. Putbacks of an opponent's shot will drop their score.

1. Work hard to make putbacks when your opponents' scores are below 12 as they will return to 0. On the flip-side of that, try to make it to 12 as quickly as possibly in your own score as you will only be sent back to 11 should your opponent complete a putback.
2. The game's initial jumpball is the most important area of the game, in that by winning it and getting early possession of the ball you can continue to keep possession after every basket made. This will also help you go "on fire" improving your accuracy.
3. If there is more than one opponent, stay on the move when you have possession of the ball to ward off the multiple defenders. Zig-zag often and avoid dunks unless the lane is completely clear.

Elimination

It's every player for themselves and at the end of each round the lowest scoring player is eliminated. Scores reset after each round and players keep possession after each basket they make. The last player standing wins.

Hints and Tips:

1. If an opponent begins to leap ahead in points, make them your first priority for guarding. Even if another player picks up the ball, stick to the leader and allow the points to evenly distribute so you can take the lead easier the next time you have possession of the ball.
2. Watch the countdown timer in the corner of the screen, as it tells you when each round is ending and how much more aggressively you need to be playing in case you are in line to be eliminated.

Domination

Control the colored spots on the court to earn points. To take control of a circle, score a basket while standing inside of it. As time goes on, the spot will generate fewer points until it returns to a neutral color, in which case you must score from it again to regenerate it.

Hints and Tips:

1. Scoring from a flashing domination spot will reset the points on all your spots.
2. Go for the center spot first as it is the easiest to hit for dunks and jumpshots and will immediately start racking up points on the scoreboard.
3. You can shoot from a spot already owned by an opponent to steal it from them.
4. In 2 v 2 domination, assign one player as a defender of the spots and the other as a shooter to secure territory.

The closest thing to a story mode in the game, players are faced with defeating all available teams in the game as well as unlocking secret teams as play progresses. Every time you defeat 5 teams, you will then face off against a legendary team with players from the past such as Larry Bird or Karl Malone.

Highlight any saved tournament you'd like to forget and hit the 1 Button to erase that specific game while saving the file that goes with it.

Press the 1 Button on the Campaign Central screen to bring up the Options menu. In between match-ups you can adjust audio, change game difficulty, view Jam Challenges and your record in Games played.

For hints and tips see the overall game portion of this walkthrough.

At the Press A to Start screen:

• Play as Republicans: Holding the Wii Remote vertically, press right 13 times, then press +.

• Play as Democrats: Holding the Wii Remote vertically, press left 13 times, then press +.

• Play as Beastie Boys: Press Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B Button, then press +.

• Play as 9th Wonder and J Cole: Press up, left, down, right, up, left, down, right, 1 and then 2.

Enter Initials:

• (2 players needed) Play as the ESPN Sports Nation: 1st Column: ESP ; 2nd Column: NSN

• (2 Players needed) Play as the Mascots: 1st Column: MAS ; 2nd Column: COT

• Play as the Original Generation Team: MJT