14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts managed to up the already strong nostalgia level for the upcoming Nintendo Wii exclusive NBA Jam by announcing (on April 1, with some pretty serious mistiming) that two of the best players ever to slam a basketball in anger, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, would be featured in the title and that gamers would be able to play out their age-old rivalry.
Trey Smith, who is the creative director working on NBA Jam at Electronic Arts, talked to MTV Multiplayer about his upcoming product and clearly said that ”Whoever wins the championship, they'll be the second-to-last team, and then we'll have a legendary battle. Right now it's slated: Magic and Bird.” The mode will apparently be called Classic Campaign and will take some playing to get to the Johnson versus Bird match but it will be worth it.
Smith was also pushed about what other characters might be coming in NBA Jam, the interviewer mentioning some outlandish possibilities like President Barack Obama, Air Dog or Bill Clinton, but he refused to rule out their potential presence from the game as unlockables. It seems that Electronic Arts is truly interested in old-school appeal for their videogame revival.
The new Nintendo Wii NBA Jam appears to be very true to the original arcade experience. The matches are always 2 on 2 and the dunks, the highlight of the basketball game, are as over the top as they can be. The graphics on the Wii also have an arcade look, the player portraits still being in 2D and the crowd barely defined.
EA has added some motion control capabilities to the title but they can all be turned off by those who like a classic experience. The publisher is not talking about a clear release date but fans can expect to see the game on shelves before Christmas.