In Third Person

Within days of announcing that NBA Jam for iPhone was on the way, EA released the game to the iTunes store. Unlike NBA Live 10, which was a heavily watered-down version of the console game, NBA Jam on the iPhone stays relatively close to the recent console games. This mobile package includes essentially the same graphics, same sounds, and most importantly, the same exciting gameplay, in a format you can take with you anywhere.

I am extremely impressed with how much of the NBA Jam experience made it on the iPhone. The game retains the same look of the console version and runs at a smooth frame rate. Even on the small screen, every player’s face was instantly recognizable, rims were set on fire and backboards were broken on monster dunks.

From a gameplay perspective, NBA Jam works nearly as well as its counterparts, which is awesome. Almost all of the moves available to you in the console game are available to you here and it’s relatively easy to control, at least in “Arcade” mode. By default, Arcade mode is your control setting, which gives you three buttons to handle shooting, blocking, passing, stealing and turbo. To initiate turbo dunks or shoves, you have to slide your thumb from the turbo button to the shoot or steal button, which is a bit weird at first. However, it doesn’t take long to adjust. Gesture mode is available as a control scheme as well, where almost all of your commands are screen swipes rather than button presses. I did not like this control method at all, but maybe it’s just a matter of preference.

Even the little things you would expect from an NBA Jam experience are here. All of the commentary made the jump and there are ton of unlockables for you to get. My only gripe with NBA Jam on the iPhone is that it does not support multiplayer of any sort. It would have been nice to have, but I don’t see that as a deal-breaker.

If you have fond memories of playing the original NBA Jam in the arcade or would like to play the new NBA Jam on-the-go, buy this now. This game will not disappoint you. If you’re not a sports fan, but are looking for a fun and fast-paced game, I’d recommend you give this a look, too. Just like the original game, you don’t need to be a basketball fan to have fun with it. Even at $5, which is relatively high for an iPhone game, it’s still a good deal, considering the fact that you’re getting essentially a $40 console game in your pocket. When all is said and done, NBA Jam on the iPhone is a backboard-shattering, rim-blazing slam dunk.