My Blast with NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
Alright, so the other day, I dusted off my console, lookin’ for something fun, something a bit old-school but still snappy. And there it was, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. I’d heard good things, seen a few clips, and figured, why not? Time to see if it lived up to the hype, or at least the hype I built in my own head.
Fired it up, and man, that initial menu, the music – it kinda gets you pumped. First things first, I had to pick my team. Spent a good few minutes just scrolling through, seein’ all those familiar faces, the legends. It’s a real trip down memory lane. I eventually landed on a classic duo, can’t remember exactly who first, probably some East coast powerhouses just to get my bearings.
Then it was onto the court. The controls, gotta say, took me a hot minute. Not like, super complicated, but you know, getting the feel for the turbo, the shoves, the timing for shots. My first few possessions were probably a comedy of errors. Passing to the wrong guy, bricking easy layups, getting shoved clean off the ball. Classic beginner stuff.
- I remember distinctly trying to master the alley-oop. Button combo seems simple, right? But gettin’ the timing and positioning just so, with the AI breathing down my neck, that was a challenge.
- And the shoves! Oh man, the shoves. Learning when to legally (or illegally, who cares, it’s Jam!) push someone out of the way for a steal or an easy bucket. That felt good.
I think I started with just some quick play matches to get the hang of it. Kept the difficulty pretty low at first, wasn’t tryin’ to get embarrassed right out the gate. The “On Fire” mechanic, that’s the core, right? String together three baskets, and suddenly your player is literally engulfed in flames, ball burning, net sizzling. Nailing those shots while on fire, especially from downtown, pure satisfaction. The announcer shouting “He’s on fire!” never gets old, seriously.
After feeling a bit more confident, I decided to dive into what they call the “Road Trip” mode, I think. Basically a campaign where you take on different teams, different challenges. This is where it really started to click. You unlock stuff, players, different game balls, all that jazz. Some of those challenges were actually pretty tough! Like, “win the game but only score with dunks” or something equally ridiculous. Forced me to actually use different strategies, not just run-and-gun.
The best part, for me, was definitely playing with the legends. Seeing guys I watched as a kid, or even before my time, pulling off these insane, over-the-top moves. It’s just fun. No other way to put it. Some of these legendary players are so ridiculously overpowered, it’s hilarious. In a good way, though. That’s the charm of NBA Jam.
Sure, there were moments of frustration. The AI on higher difficulties can be absolutely brutal. Sometimes it feels like they read your mind, blocking every shot, hitting every impossible jumper. And the classic rubber-band AI is definitely present – you get a big lead, and suddenly the other team turns into superstars. But hey, that’s arcade sports for ya. It keeps you on your toes.
But the highs definitely outweighed any of those little annoyances. That feeling when you perfectly time a block, leading to a fast break and a monster dunk. Or when you snatch a victory in the last few seconds with an on-fire three-pointer. That’s the stuff. It’s simple, it’s loud, it’s over-the-top, and that’s precisely why it works.
So yeah, spent a good chunk of time with it, and it was a blast. It’s not trying to be a super serious basketball sim, and thank goodness for that. It’s just pure, unadulterated arcade fun. If you’re looking for something to just pick up and play, have a laugh, and see some ridiculous basketball action, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition definitely delivers. Got my fix, and I’ll for sure be jumping back in for more sooner rather than later. Boomshakalaka!
