NBA JAM News Post

NBA Jam Release Date, 11/17 - 49.99 - Title Update in December (360, PS3)

12:08 PM - October 20, 2010 by Steve_OS

EA SPORTS NBA JAM to Feature Online Play on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Critically Acclaimed Game Will be Available In Stores on HD Platforms November 17; Free Title Update To Enhance Online Experience By December

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTS™ NBA JAM will be available in stores worldwide November 17 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and, for the first time ever for the arcade classic, in high definition and featuring online play. Described by Gamesradar.com as “virtually perfect”— NBA JAM will take advantage of the online communities playing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to bring all the action into your own virtual arcade.

Featuring gameplay that is true to the original, NBA JAM will have players spinning with ankle breaking moves to the basket and on the way to high-flying, backboard-smashing dunks. With two distinct game modes—Classic Campaign and Remix Tour—plus online modes, EA SPORTS NBA JAM offers something for everyone.

At launch, gamers will be able to take on all rivals playing Classic 2-on-2 online^ for the first time ever, measuring their success on Friends and Global Leaderboards. In December 2010, the online features for NBA JAM will expand significantly with several major online features being delivered through a free title update for connected gamers. In December, connected fans will be able to team-up locally and online to compete in Remix Games, including classic arcade hoop games like Backboard Smash, Domination Free-for-All, Elimination, and 21. Fans will also be able to make it a Jam Party online by inviting up to 3 friends to play. Plus, gamers will be able to take on the world in Online Progression, levelling up through a series of challengers and secret online JAM Challenges to unlock online exclusive rewards and hidden content in the ultimate quest for global bragging rights.

“We have listened to our NBA JAM fans and appreciate their desire to play this game online, so we are going to deliver the online feature set they expect and deserve,” said Trey Smith, Creative Director of NBA JAM. “Fans will be able to play Classic JAM online right out of the box, and can expect to enjoy features like Team-up, Remix Online, Jam Party, Online Progression, and even more secret players and teams, in December.”

In Classic Campaign, players can take a trip down memory lane, individually or with a friend, as they play all 30 teams in the NBA in a worst to first ladder tournament. In Remix Tour, players will be faced with a new twist on the traditional NBA JAM experience. From boss battles against some of the NBA’s greatest legends, to half-court game modes with distinct challenges and winning conditions, players will be taken through an NBA JAM experience completely unique to the basketball videogame genre while demonstrating classic arcade hoops at its best.

EA SPORTS NBA JAM for Wii™ is currently the 8th highest rated sports game ever on the Wii*. It is available in stores now. EA SPORTS NBA JAM is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI in Europe. The MSRP on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation3 is $49.99 US. Visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/NBAJAM to join the EA SPORTS NBA Jam Facebook group or visit http://nba-jam.easports.com for more information about the game.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences that ignite the emotions of sport through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Game: EA Sports NBA JAMReader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: iPad / PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 16 - View All

EA Sports NBA JAM Videos

Member Comments

# 61 DickDalewood @ 10/27/10 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	Could be because no one here cares about the Wii. And could we PLEASE stop saying "Well it was 50 dollars then" blah blah blah. Yes, it was $50 THEN. Guess what? In the early 80's, VHS tapes were $80. Things go down in value over time. If any other SNES games were re-released and it cost $50, NO ONE would buy it or even consider buying it. What makes NBA Jam so different? People keep saying "It's a fully featured game." What the heck are these features that are so special? Online play, HD graphics and remix mode. Not special.

A) It IS a fully featured game... Whether or not you care about those features is a completely different argument that applies to ANY game.

B) VHS tapes have dropped in value because they are no longer a supported format... However, put those same movies onto a bluray disc with updated HD visuals and guess what? They cost the same price as any other bluray. Add more features, like making of, behind the scenes, etc and guess what again? We have a $30 movie that was released twenty years ago. Now, imagine if they actually went in and tweaked the acting and overall quality of that film?

I'd say (for Jam) new moves and tweaked gameplay, a 30+ hour Remix Tour, a ladder mode AND online play is just as "special" of a feature package as what most other sports games give us with a bland offline franchise, all-star weekends, and online play. The only real titles that may offer more in terms of depth are The Show and 2K11... And what do you know, they cost $10 more.

I understand the personal preference of not WANTING to spend the money on this title, but to argue, in terms of the market, that this title is not worth it's cost is ridiculous. If that is what many of you believe, then you better be in the same boat as Blzer that NONE of these games today are.

# 62 Blzer @ 10/27/10 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pared


	Spare everyone with "no one has a (or cares about the) Wii.". That's the worse argument I've seen. The largest selling console that no one apparently has suddenly.

I think the only real argument I had here was that I wasn't complaining about the $50 price tag on the Wii because I hadn't even heard of it, let alone the fact that I don't own a Wii.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	I understand the personal preference of not WANTING to spend the money on this title, but to argue, in terms of the market, that this title is not worth it's cost is ridiculous. If that is what many of you believe, then you better be in the same boat as Blzer that NONE of these games today are.

You're right, though... in today's game market, I do believe the game in its current form is worth $50 given all of the features. As we already know, I just don't want to spend that much. However I also do believe that games like this can sell on Live and PSN very well with lower costs (as they won't need to spend as much for production, distribution, and hell even in marketing) and the same exact features. I was very much expecting them to release a version like the one in Elite in the online stores though. Oh well, I can be patient waiting for a price drop.

# 63 metal134 @ 10/27/10 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pared


	Spare everyone with "no one has a (or cares about the) Wii.". That's the worse argument I've seen. The largest selling console that no one apparently has suddenly.

Nobody here cares about the Wii. We're not talking about everyone else, we're talking about this message board. I have one and I still don't pay attention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	B) VHS tapes have dropped in value because they are no longer a supported format... However, put those same movies onto a bluray disc with updated HD visuals and guess what? They cost the same price as any other bluray. Add more features, like making of, behind the scenes, etc and guess what again? We have a $30 movie that was released twenty years ago. Now, imagine if they actually went in and tweaked the acting and overall quality of that film?

Not a valid argument. VHS tapes dropped in price LONG before they went obsolete. VHS tapes were not still $80 in 1990, yet there was no DVD and no Blu-Ray (and Laserdisc sure as hell didn't do anything to make the VHS format sweat.)

# 64 Pared @ 10/27/10 01:47 PM

Fine, so using that logic no multi-platform game should discuss each game's differences including the Wii version in an attempt to determine value, since "no one here cares about the Wii."

Yeah, I get your point. Makes a lot of sense in our discussion of worth here.

# 65 DickDalewood @ 10/27/10 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	Nobody here cares about the Wii. We're not talking about everyone else, we're talking about this message board. I have one and I still don't pay attention. Not a valid argument. VHS tapes dropped in price LONG before they went obsolete. VHS tapes were not still $80 in 1990, yet there was no DVD and no Blu-Ray (and Laserdisc sure as hell didn't do anything to make the VHS format sweat.)

You're comparing cartridge to bluray/DVD games, which, again as shown by the feature list, bring MUCH more to the table, so it IS a valid argument. Again, this game brings us WELL over 30 hours in offline modes, plus infinite online replayability. As soon as you give ME a "valid" argument on how that is any less of an offering that what every other game gives us today, then I'll gladly listen. And let's not forget that the devs DID tweak and update the gameplay on this as well.

As soon as one of you can come up with something other than a personal preference statement, you cannot argue the FACTS that this game offers as much in the way of content as every other current gen release, and does so for $10 less.

# 66 Pared @ 10/27/10 02:41 PM

This isn't a "tweak and update" though. The game was re-built entirely. Nothing was re-used from Midway.

Most re-releases people are talking about come from the same company that developed the original title, with access to all source-code. The team making this re-created the game without any of it.

It's actually quite a technical feat if you think about it.

All of these minor facts add up to why it makes sense they are selling it as a stand-alone game.

# 67 DickDalewood @ 10/27/10 03:03 PM

Well said Pared, and thanks for clarifying that. So go ahead and add that to all the points I just made and there is literally no argument that, when viewed in correlation with the rest of the market, this isnt a $50 game. Hell, it could have been $60 honestly.

# 68 metal134 @ 10/28/10 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	As soon as one of you can come up with something other than a personal preference statement, you cannot argue the FACTS that this game offers as much in the way of content as every other current gen release, and does so for $10 less.

Uh, personal preference/opinion is pretty much what this whole argument boils down too. There are no real FACTS.

# 69 DickDalewood @ 10/28/10 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	Uh, personal preference/opinion is pretty much what this whole argument boils down too. There are no real FACTS.

Incorrect. The "argument" has been that this game is not worthy of a $50 price tag. To determine that you need to take personal preference out of it and simply look at what is being given for that amount. When compared to other current gen releases, this game is actually giving just as much, if note MORE content, than most $60 games, and for $10 less. That part is fact. Whether or not that content suits an individual's personal tastes is where opinion comes in, but that could apply to EVERY game ever created, so the pricing debate is ultimately irrelevant.

# 70 ExtremeGamer @ 10/28/10 08:06 AM

I look at it this way. Do I feel it's worth $50? Yes.

Do I want to pay $50 for it? No.

I wouldn't have paid $50 let alone $60 for Elite to get it for free. But facts are facts, the game was "free" on the 360/PS3 with Elite. BUT, to get the full game, EA was going to charge around another $20 to get the content on the disc, we know that for a fact since some PS3 guys have Elite and the content is there to be unlocked as DLC.

Now EA has to make the Elite money back somehow, they can't very well sell Jam, with more features, on 360/PS3 for $20 when it's $50 on Wii.

How come this argument never came up over the last few months? The Wii version was always $50, and the 360/PS3 version was always free. Now it's an argument that EA decided to sell a more feature filled version for the same price with better graphics?

Bottom line, the game with it's feature set is clearly a $50 title, no matter how you look at it. It's your opinion, personal preference if you feel it's worth it to you or not.

# 71 Pared @ 10/28/10 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	Uh, personal preference/opinion is pretty much what this whole argument boils down too. There are no real FACTS.

Not at all. I think DDW has done a great job giving you FACTS on why this is comparable to a stand-alone title. I've even given you FACTS, to oppose an argument of worth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtremeGamer


	I look at it this way. Do I feel it's worth $50? Yes. Do I want to pay $50 for it? No. I wouldn't have paid $50 let alone $60 for Elite to get it for free. But facts are facts, the game was "free" on the 360/PS3 with Elite. BUT, to get the full game, EA was going to charge around another $20 to get the content on the disc, we know that for a fact since some PS3 guys have Elite and the content is there to be unlocked as DLC. Now EA has to make the Elite money back somehow, they can't very well sell Jam, with more features, on 360/PS3 for $20 when it's $50 on Wii. How come this argument never came up over the last few months? The Wii version was always $50, and the 360/PS3 version was always free. Now it's an argument that EA decided to sell a more feature filled version for the same price with better graphics? Bottom line, the game with it's feature set is clearly a $50 title, no matter how you look at it. It's your opinion, personal preference if you feel it's worth it to you or not.

Again, it was never "free" in the sense that it wasn't worth anything. Giving someone a throw-in incentive does not equal free. Weather floor mats are not "free" but a dealer can take a loss and decide to give them to you when you purchase a car.

I understand ideally we're arguing linguistics but it's an important piece of the discussion. And we've already discussed why, as evident by DirtyJerz' well put explanation. No need to rehash that.

# 72 ODogg @ 10/28/10 11:05 AM

NYYanks26 is correct, just wait a while and we'll see this title be $29 in no time..

# 73 ODogg @ 10/28/10 11:08 AM

Also, I echo what EG said, it's probably "worth" $50 but I don't want to pay that. Also, value is not based on comparing the content to other games, value is determined based on how much play time you will get out of it.

In other words Mass Effect 2 no doubt has way, WAY more in it to do than NBA Jam but if you bought NBA Jam and played it 10 times more than Mass Effect 2 than the value of NBA Jam is worth $50 more than Mass Effect 2 is worth $59.

With that being said, I do plan on picking up this title but I will wait for a deal on it in the $20-$30 range.

# 74 metal134 @ 10/28/10 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	Incorrect. The "argument" has been that this game is not worthy of a $50 price tag. To determine that you need to take personal preference out of it and simply look at what is being given for that amount. When compared to other current gen releases, this game is actually giving just as much, if note MORE content, than most $60 games, and for $10 less. That part is fact. Whether or not that content suits an individual's personal tastes is where opinion comes in, but that could apply to EVERY game ever created, so the pricing debate is ultimately irrelevant.

No, it is not incorrect. You've given "facts' for why you feel it's worth $50 and I don;t think they support your case. I've given "facts" for why I don't feel it's worth $50 and you don;t think they support my case. Bottom line is, you feel it's worth $50 and I don;t feel that it's worth even close to $50.

# 75 DirtyJerz32 @ 10/28/10 03:03 PM

I think it all comes down to this.

If you want to pay $49.99 for it than go ahead and do it.

If you don't and you think it's over priced, then don't buy it.

I'm sorry but, the fact that this conversation is still going on is crazy.

NFL2k5 came out at $19.99 and 3 years later, with huge decrease in features APF 2k8 came out at $59.99. Was APF worth $59.99? No, that's why they lowered the price. Nobody hear knows how long NBA Jam will be $49.99. My point is, companies want to make money and that's all. No company is in the business of not making money.

# 76 Pared @ 10/28/10 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyJerz32


	I think it all comes down to this. If you want to pay $49.99 for it than go ahead and do it. If you don't and you think it's over priced, then don't buy it. I'm sorry but, the fact that this conversation is still going on is crazy. NFL2k5 came out at $19.99 and 3 years later, with huge decrease in features APF 2k8 came out at $59.99. Was APF worth $59.99? No, that's why they lowered the price. Nobody hear knows how long NBA Jam will be $49.99. My point is, companies want to make money and that's all. No company is in the business of not making money.

This should really be the bottom line of any argument here. "Speak" with your money.

# 77 DickDalewood @ 10/28/10 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	No, it is not incorrect. You've given "facts' for why you feel it's worth $50 and I don;t think they support your case. I've given "facts" for why I don't feel it's worth $50 and you don;t think they support my case. Bottom line is, you feel it's worth $50 and I don;t feel that it's worth even close to $50.

I said the market justifies the price. Whether or not you want to purchase it for that is your call, as is the case with EVERY game.

Like DirtyJerz said, it's hilarious that this is even a conversation honestly, as these same "arguments" could be made about every game released.

# 78 metal134 @ 10/29/10 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	I said the market justifies the price.

Which is not a FACT. At this point, that's an OPINION. And my OPINION is that based on other games of the same era or later that have been released at a much lower price point that the market DOES NOT justify the price. If game after game after game of the same era has been released at a $10-$20 price point, how then does the market justify a $50 price point when no other game from the time has? Let's look at the other main FACT being presented. "It's a fully featured game." What the heck does that even mean? Monday Night Combat was a "fully featured" game. $15. Perfect Dark was a "fully featured" game. $15. Darwinia + was a "fully featured" game. $15. etc.etc.etc. So again, the point remains that this whole thing is about personal preference whether you guys want to admit it or not.

# 79 bigball12 @ 10/29/10 01:13 PM

Just confirming, my version of NBA Jam for the PS3 does have Remix tour, it is locked though. I can nearly 100% confirm, that the DLC planned to unlock it would have been KB big. It is already in the game, just locked. The interview with Trey Smith earlier saying that they were working hard to get the remix tour in the game would seem untrue, as it is there to begin with.

# 80 Pared @ 10/29/10 01:17 PM

Just because you see a big "lock" on the screen does not mean it was 100% fully implemented correctly.

That's quite a big assumption you are making there.

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