Rebirth of a Classic

When stumbling upon the news that EA Sports was going forward with an updated version of NBA Jam, I struggled to find words to explain my reaction.

Excitement? Joy? Tear-inducing convulsions due to pleasure overload?

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Even though I was a part of the Nintendo-craze in the late 80's, I consider myself a 90's kid. The golden era of video games for me was that decade, and the shining light was the original NBA Jam for Sega Genesis (which was vastly superior to the SNES version).

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I had a long history with he game. I probably spent about 90% of my time/earnings on the arcade-version. That included almost all of a week-long vacation in Orlando when our hotel had the console in their downstairs game room (note: if you're ever staying in the Orlando World Marriott, check and see if DCS still has the 2nd highest score). I remember shoveling driveways through the winter and saving up $60 to buy NBA Jam at the Kay-Bee Toys store at Trumbull Mall. I then remember getting grounded by my father for asking to stay home from church on Easter so I could continue a 48-hour NBA Jam bender that I was on in April of 1993.

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I only wish Ewing/Stark's NBA Jam dominance was real

We exchanged codes for secret characters (i.e. Bill Clinton, Air Dog, etc.) in the cafeteria at school, we held neighborhood tournaments - hell, I don't think I went outdoors other than to wait for the school bus for 10 months. I even did irreparable damage to a few friendships because of the game. That's how big of an NBA Jam dork I was.

Nothing will ever top the original classic, but this version of NBA Jam should greatly cut into my productivity, just like it did 15 years ago.