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Written by J Brodie ShireyNBA Superstars Is Bringing The Classic NBA Jam Vibe To Arcades
Written by Brian Shea
In 1993, the original NBA Jam hit arcades and revolutionized the arcade sports genre. High-flying dunks, flaming basketballs, and the biggest names from the hardwood served as trademarks for the classic quarter-munching cabinet. Though the series has been absent for years now, with the last entry arriving in 2011 under the EA Sports umbrella, Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills have partnered with the NBA and the NBA Players Association to bring that same arcade-style basketball action to arcades with NBA Superstars.
NBA Superstars brings 3v3 arcade-style basketball action, featuring all 30 teams consisting of 120 of the biggest stars in the NBA. Players can take the court as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and more in the first NBA-branded arcade game since the mid-'90s. The cabinet supports up to four players and looks to include the same backboard-rattling dunks, physical defense, and longshot three-pointers that made players fall in love with NBA Jam back in the 1990s.
The game features Superstar Mode, where you can battle it out to earn MVP honors. You can also track your stats over several play sessions with free online accounts that you log into using a QR code. Thanks to the inclusion of iconic announcer Tim Kitzrow, the entire experience is tied together and brought back to the NBA Jam roots.
You can see more in the trailer below.
NBA Superstars' arcade cabinet features a fully animated LED stadium scoreboard, a 75-inch screen, camera-flash-simulating marquee lights, and team color-coordinated RGB LED lights. The cabinet is set to arrive in arcades this summer. Unfortunately, there is no word on whether it will be making the leap to home consoles following its arcade debut, like NBA Jam before it.
What is your impression of NBA Superstars? Does it feel like it will help alleviate the longstanding absence of games like NBA Jam and NBA Street, or will it just make us yearn for the Golden Age of this genre? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!