NBA Jam Extreme

It's no secret that I didn't particularly like the earlier versions of this game. I'm a sim fan, not an over-the-top man.The flaws and repetitious play of those games far outweighed the dazzling dunks that were the main attraction. For this very reason, I was skeptical about Jam Extreme because I knew nothing about it and assumed the worst.

Never have I been so wrong (well, that's not exactly true, but let's just say so for emphasis). NBA Jam Extreme is one of the most enjoyable adventures in the absurd I have ever taken.The developers have really got something to be proud of here.

What makes Jam Extreme so much better than its predecessors is the introduction of a 3D environment. 123,000 texture-mapped polygons a second, moving camera, and the court depth that results, raise this game to another level.This version also allows you to pick from six players per team, incorporates 12 attributes per player, and boasts 20 of the nuttiest dunks I've ever seen.

Oh my God, you say, What else could they possibly add to make this game any more fun? Well, let me tell you: NBA Jam Extreme has added another feature in the form of, yes, another button. The Extreme button is its name, and total wackiness is its aim. Whenever your player needs even more crazy power than can be achieved with just your basic turbo, hit that Extreme button and watch the fireworks.

There are other little features that greatly enhance this coin-op, but I'm not going to go into them. I'll leave these for you to discover on your own. NBA Jam Extreme is in the arcade right now and will be coming to Saturn and PlayStation in September. By the way, look for me as a secret character in the home version. I'm there, baby.