NBA JAM: On Fire Edition (XBLA) Review

Posted by Todd Vote on 10.13.2011

"Welcome to the block party, you can have everything but a shot!" NBA Jam: On Fire Edition has released, but how does it stack up? 411's Todd Vote checks in with his full review!


Title: NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Genre: Sports Action
Players: 1-4
Rated: E for Everyone

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition is the follow up to EA's relaunch of one of the greatest arcade sports franchises of all time. While again not being perfect On Fire Edition (OFE) is a solid second effort that corrects some of the problems the original title had last year. First off is the price point, while some were angered at the idea of paying $60 for last years game, this year EA decided to release the game as an XBLA title for a great price of 1200 points (About $15). Also gone is the Remix Tour. Love it or hate it last year, this is gone, and parts of it have been mixed in with the new campaign mode, a mode now being called "Road Trip".

Road Trip is a pretty expansive campaign, giving you the options of playing against every team in the league in different medal challenges. Each team has a bronze, silver and a gold medal challenge to play through initially. Bronze medal matchups are classic 2 vs. 2 NBA Jam action. The silver medal match ups are where things start to change a bit, and you can see how some elements of the Remix Tour have been implemented. silver and gold offer up variations on the classic matchups, adding modifiers such as alley-oop dunks only being worth one point, dunks worth 3, and 3's worth 4, and even a type where a team goes on fire as soon as they sink a shot. The fire will be extinguished once the other team sinks a shot, making it a sort of seesaw battle.

In addition to Road Trip, players can also compete in a Jam Now game, which is basically a quick match setup, pick your team, your opponent and you are off and running. Jam Now is basically the place you want to hit if you are just hopping on for a quick game. You can turn on any powerups or new skins for the ball before your match starts in this mode. Not much else to be said here.



Finally we have the Online Arena. This mode features a weekly dynamic tournament that gives a shot for someone new to be at the top of the leaderboard each week. Get as many wins as you can in any given week, your rank will be displayed on your Jam Card.

Every match you win, no matter which game mode you play in will earn you Jam Bucks. You can get extra bucks by meeting Jam Challenges while in your game. Jam Bucks are used to unlock most of the goodies this game has to offer; new players, NBA legends, mascots, new teams, things of that nature. There are plenty of unlockables to keep you playing for a long time to come.

The sound is everything you would expect from NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow returns to offer his special blend of announcing, and he has plenty of new quips to get out. There are new music tracks in the game, and if I am not mistaken there are few more than we had in the last game. Personally I found the jam tracks to all be a bit repetitive. It wasn't long before I was listening to my own music and just letting Kitzrow work his magic.



Gameplay has been tightened up quite a bit this year. Of course that could have something to do with this one being built for the Xbox and PS3, instead of being ported from the Wii. In addition to tightened controls, tag mode is here. Tag mode allows you to control both players on your team instead of just being assigned to one player till half time.



There are a few new mechanics introduced for you to play with. First off is the Razzle Dazzle moves. By clicking both trigger buttons in combination with the shoot button or the juke button will give you the option of adding a little salt to the wounds of your opponents. For example, you might just let the ball bounce, while you bend down to tie your shoe, or you may stand on your hands and shoot a basket with your feet. You need to be careful with these, as they leave you open to steals.

Next EA Canada has implemented team fire. To achieve team fire you must successfully complete 3 alley-oop dunks. Like the regular fire, this will give you unlimited turbo, and unleash the massive dunks for both you and your teammate. Where team fire differs, is in the fact that it is timed, and can only be put out once the timer runs out, or if the opposing team sinks an alley-oop of their own. To counteract this new mechanic, alley-oops aren't really a gimme anymore, and it can be a challenge to get off three in a row.

Pros
+ Tim Kitzrow!
+ Fast paced Arcade action!
+ Plenty of bang for your buck
+ BOOMSHAKALAKA

Cons
- Jam tracks get repetitive
- AI can be a bit cheap at times

The 411:

So, what are we left with? Fast paced arcade action, huge dunks that quickly take you back to the NBA Jam of old, and so much content for the price. NBA Jam is well worth a purchase. The gripe about the jam tracks is solely based on personal preference, and you can always use your own music. THIS GAME IS ON FIRE!!!

Graphics	9.0	The game easily matches that of its big brother that was released on disc last year.
Gameplay	9.5	It's NBA JAM, whats not to love?
Sound	9.0	Kitzrow is back, and better than ever. Not a fan of the in game music, but that is all a preference, dunks are thunderous, the sound is very vibrant
Lasting Appeal	9.0	There is so much to unlock in this game. Add that with the incredibly addictive gameplay, and the game is win!
Fun Factor	9.5	I actually like the way the Road Trip campaign is set up. The medal system works really well.
Overall	9.2   [  Amazing ]