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How to WIN at NBA JAM!
by
Randolph S. Vance
and
William G. Henderson
E-Mail: RSVANC00@mik.uky.edu (NeXT Mail)
WGHEND00@mik.uky.edu (NeXT Mail)
Version 1.13
Revised: August 18th, 1993
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Introduction.
Are you tough enough to take on all 27 of the NBA teams? If you think you are,
get set for the most intense basketball video game you'll ever play!
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History.
Version 1.0: The original FAQ as posted by Carl Chavez. Informative but
some parts about power-ups were inaccurate.
Version 1.1 and 1.2: Corrected versions by Randolph Vance and Greg Henderson.
We updated the information on how to do power-up tricks. These versions
are unpublished and unposted, but if you go to the Kentucky Arcade, you
might find a hard copy we printed of these versions. Some of which were
HIGHLY INACCURATE, especially about the Tank Game.
Version 1.3: Posted May 1st, 1993. Corrections on some of the power-up
tricks, especially on how to do the Tank Game and the Fair Shake.
Version 1.4: Posted May 4th, 1993. Updates information on "HE'S ON
FIRE!", as well as informing of the new special guest star, Petro.
New sections, the Rumor Mill, and this History.
Version 1.5: Posted May 4th, 1993. Overall revision of 1.4.
Version 1.6: Posted May 5th, 1993. Confirms code for Defensive + Intercept
powerup at one time.
Version 1.7: Posted May 10th, 1993. Another all-around revision, this time
of 1.6, as well as what happens if you win the game by defeating all 27
NBA teams. Also information on how to milk the clock. How you can tell if
the NBA Jam machine you play on is in need of an upgrade, today on ROBERTO!
Version 1.8: Posted May 19th, 1993. Three new Special Guest codes, plus
information on abilities of Special Guests. Yet another revision. Man goes
beserk and kidnaps nineteen Game Show Hosts with slice of Lime, film at 11!
Version 1.9: Posted May 24th, 1993. Actually nothing new from last time, but
lots of rumors from between postings.
Version 1.10: Posted June 8th, 1993. New power-up combinations.
Version 1.11: Posted July 6th, 1993. Information on more power-up tricks.
Version 1.12: Posted July 20th, 1993. The first post VG&CE article FAQ.
New Codes, Tony Scott.
Version 1.13: Posted August 18th, 1993. Overall update of 1.12
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A Special note.
Greg and I wish to dedicate this version of the FAQ to the late
Drazen Petrovich of the New Jersey Nets. The 11th leading shooter overall
in the NBA will definatly be missed.
This version is also dedicated to the late Reggie Lewis, of the Boston Celtics, who passed away on July the 27th, 1993. To you and Drazen, we hope to keep
your memories and your spirit alive in NBA JAM!
We also would like to pay our respects to the late James Jordan, father
of basketball superstar Michael Jordan, whose senseless death will
be felt by us all forever.
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Rumor mill.
The Rumor mill is where untested or unconfirmed reports of power-up's or
other things go. Stuff in the Rumor mill will be tested by us, to see
if they do indeed work, or if we can confirm their existance of them by
asking Mark Turmell. Something of note, Mark Turmell denies the existance
of Second Fatality moves in Mortal Kombat, classifying them under Vaporware.
I talked with Mark and asked him the big question; Is there a bug with the Offensive Power-Up. I asked if he could test it and look at the Assembler
Code for the game and he reported that there was no bug. I am wondering
if I may be in error when I say tap turbo 21 times, when it could
be a matter of tapping ANY button 21 times. I'll report back what I
find when I test my theory at the arcade.
As for Mark reading the Net, he now has more or less a direct news
so now he can read all the latest posts. This means he is keeping a close
eye on all your suggestions. After talking with Mark, and discussing new
ideas I'd like to see in a sequel, he said to post a notice and get
people interested in serious suggestions for improvements and power-ups for
NBA JAM II. Mark has said that if he likes the idea, not only will he put
it in NBA JAM II, he'll also give the person who suggested it credit
on the Design Team screen.
I talked with Turmell and asked him if Todd McClearan was in the game
as a special guest character. He confirmed my suspicions, but again, would
not divulge the information. Todd was another street ball player from Chicago
who helped model the digital players.
PLEASE DO NOT CALL MIDWAY OR VG&CE AND ASK FOR CODES! They are trying to build
interest in the game, to keep from slipping in the polls. It's like when
Mortal Kombat was out for a while, play was low and Midway released the
info about Reptile Man. Voila! Renewed interest! Part of the game
is the process of discovering the female codes. It'd be no fun if you
called Turmell and asked him, and 24 hours later, your neighbor's
nine-year old nephew knows the codes.
Other rumors have been circulating on different ways to do power-up's.
All the power-ups that are listed here are either given to us by Turmell,
or have been confirmed to work by either Turmell or by us. Consider this
FAQ posting to be the FINAL WORD. Anyone else telling you another way to do
these tricks may be lying just to look big, your mileage may vary.
NBA JAM is being developed for the 16 Bit Home System markets, there are
versions coming out for the Super NES and Genesis that Mark is working on.
They showed a 25% completed version of Super NES NBA JAM, and it looked
very promising. Hell, I'd consider getting a Super NES if NBA JAM turns
out as good as it does in the Arcades.
Speaking of NBA JAM for the home, VG&CE and Midway are GIVING AWAY a
$4,000 NBA JAM machine in a contest. Just mail in your name, address
and age on a postcard and get it in by October 1st to this address:
NBA JAM Contest
c/o VG&CE
9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (No joke)
Employees of Midway, VG&CE, Larry Flynt Publications, their subsidiaries,
and their immediate families are not eligible. Void where prohibited,
No purchase necessary.
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Before you play.
NBA JAM is an multi-coin game, so make sure it's worth it for you. Some
arcades have their machine set at one coin per period, others may have more.
Look to spend a dollar to two per complete game, depending on location.
Also, ask your arcade owner about the version of NBA Jam they own. Versions
of NBA Jam that have been released to arcades are 2.0 and above. There
are some minor bugs in Version 2.0 that regard the machine swallowing up
an occasional coin and not giving a credit, and also problems with the
Tank Game killing off players and ending a regular game, along with correcting
a jersey color problem with special guests. Our arcade has two NBA Jam's
that were Version 2.0. Recently, the owner has put in 3.0 update chips that
correct the credit problems, fixes the jersey color of special guests and
prevents games from ending at the Tank Game. Our arcade owner recommends to
everyone with 2.0 release machines that they contact their distributor as
soon as possible and obtain and install 3.0 update chips. The coin swallowing
problem is also another annoying bug in the Williams game Smash TV. If you own
a Smash TV original machine or kit, check with the distributor for possible
update chips. Some assembly required, batteries not included.
Here is a simple test to see if your machine is 2.0 or 3.0. Put in enough
for one period of play. Enter the Turmell code, MJT, March 22nd. If Turmell
is in a purple color Lakers uniform, you are on a 2.0 machine. Inform the
owner of this fact, tell them of the necessary upgrade chips and how obtain
them through the distributor.
If Turmell is in the color jersey of the team you select, such as a red
jersey for the Bulls, you are on a 3.0 machine.
If you play in a 2-on-2 complete game, usually four to eight dollars, the
winning two player team gets to stay on for free to face the next two people
or the Computer.
It is always best to enter your initials for the record keeping. If you play
in a four player game, and some dumb newbie selects NO for entering initials,
cold-cock him!
Enter your initials, followed by your birth month and birth date. This tells
the Computer who you are. If you have never played before, there will be no
record available of your statistics. If you have, the computer will show you
your record and winning percentage, followed by a streak of wins, if any,
and an update of your last complete game. Only complete games count in
records, partials do not.
Pick your team carefully. The 27 teams are made up of two of the best and
brightest of the NBA, although Jordan isn't available for the Bulls.
Each team has their strenghths and weaknesses. i. e. the Sacramento Kings
have a good dunker with Spud Webb, and a good three point shooter with
Tisdale, but they are slow. Golden State has an excellent three point
shooter with Mullin, and a fair dunker. Orlando has a terrific three
shooter (Skiles) and a terriffic dunker (Shaq), but they have worse speed
than Sacramento. In my opinion, the three teams with the best balance are
Charlotte, Chicago, and Atlanta.
People have been buzzing about, "Well, where's Michael Jordan?".
The official word from Turmell is that Jordan is NOT in the game. Neither
is Magic Johnson, who is rumored in the machine also. Reason being that
Midway got a blanket deal to carry two people from 27 teams, and that they
were VERY lucky to get Shaq. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson apparantly are
seperate entities from the NBA Licensing, and so, would be entitled to more
money than it appears Midway had.
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1. Basic Moves
TO PASS: Press pass. Press turbo and pass to throw a quicker, safer pass.
TO SHOOT: Hold the shoot button down. Shot is more accurate when player
is at the peak of the jump.
TO HEAD FAKE: Tap shoot button once. Unfortunatly, your Computer drones
will shoot if you do this while they have the ball.
TO DUNK: Hold shoot when running. Hold turbo and shoot for a super dunk.
(More on Super Dunks in Section 2.)
TO LAY UP: Hold shoot for a short time when running.
TO THROW ELBOWS:
1) Tap turbo twice.
2) Tap shoot repeatedly (head fake seems to include an elbow throw).
TO STEAL:
1) Tap steal to knock ball away.
2) Tap steal and turbo to knock OPPONENT down.
TO BLOCK: Hold shoot button to jump. Hold turbo and jump to jump higher.
TO REBOUND: This is automatic if you're close enough; otherwise press shoot
and point toward the ball.
TO ALLEY OOP: Easier to do with two player teams. The player without the ball
moves under the basket and holds shoot (to jump). Meanwhile, the ball handler
presses turbo and pass to throw to the jumping player quickly.
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2. Special Techniques
To reject a dunking player, it's best to wait until the dunker has reached
the peak of his jump before you jump to block. For example, if Barkley
starts a cannonball dunk, wait until he's coming down before you press
turbo and jump. Also, make sure you're in front of the player and near
the basket.
Another way to reject a dunker is to knock him down (turbo and steal) if
it's a low dunk like an "easy jam".
To block a shot, you need to jump at the same time you believe the shooter
will jump. I usually let the shooter shoot while I'm in his face (but not
jumping) and then I'll grab the rebound (or my teammate will). It is
possible to block the buzzer 3-point attempt. Right after the ball is passed
inbounds press turbo and jump and point toward the shooter.
To steal, there are three good techniques:
1) stick close and press steal a lot. This is not my technique, so
say much about it, but it seems to work well for others.
2) knock 'em down. It's more fun, and can be done continuously
to computer opponents until they drop the ball.
3) let a player shoot while you're near their basket, and jump
before it gets there. Hopefully you won't get called for goaltending.
To rebound, there are two good techniques:
1) press shoot to jump toward the ball AFTER it has hit the rim or board.
2) knock down opposing players near the ball so you can grab the ball off
the floor.
If you are close enough to the ball your player will jump automatically to
rebound.
SHOOTING: Try to have a screen when you're trying to shoot. There seems to be
a pattern with the computer in which you can usually go 3/4 down the court
and have a screen for the 3-point shot if you let your computer teammate
run ahead of you. This is great for players like Mullin...
Head fakes work great. Make sure you mix in a few elbow throws though, or
you may be knocked down.
If you're doing an easy jam with an opponent nearby, it's best to pass to
your teammate in mid-dunk. He's usually open and you won't have to worry
about getting knocked down.
SUPER DUNKS: Several different dunks - YOU MUST BE MOVING TO DUNK!
Easy jam: close to basket, hold shoot.
"Look out!" (360 dunk): near the second tick on the key, hold shoot.
Two-handed jam: from close and above the basket, hold shoot.
Tomahawk jam 1: from close and below the basket, hold turbo and shoot.
Tomahawk jam 2: from the middle of the key, hold turbo and shoot.
Tomahawk jam 3 (windmill): from 3/4 length of key (bottom of circle), hold
turbo and shoot.
Cannonball slam (fireball): from top of circle, hold turbo and shoot.
Really high 720 slam (also the "Tarzan yell" slam or "helicopter rotor" slam):
from a corner of the key, or from outside the key near the third tick mark
on the key, hold turbo and shoot.
Weird slam (don't know what to call it; he puts his knees up and spins 2 or 3
times): from outside the key near 2nd or 3rd tick on the key, hold turbo
and shoot.
Spreadeagled slam: From middle of key, hold shoot.
Really high behind the back slam (similar to easy jam): from middle of key,
hold shoot.
The dunk where the dunker hangs on the rim: near third tick on the key
(but outside the key), hold turbo and shoot.
In mid-dunk, if your teammate is open, you can pass the ball back to them by
pressing pass. Then, they can take an easy three!
In the fourth quater and in any overtime periods, you can break the backboard
in a spectacular display with any specialty dunks.
When time is running out in the period, dunking isn't a good option. If time
runs out in mid-dunk, you made a "bad decision". ;)
MILK THE CLOCK: In a one-player or a two person team vs. the Computer, you
can burn seconds off a clock and keep a lead from changing as quick as it can
if you play fast break basketball. If you have a lead of four points or more,
and get the basketball from a basket or goaltend, get the ball, stay at your
end of the court, hold your position, stay for as long as you can. The
Computer will stay in it's position and do nothing until the Shot Clock counts
down below 5, then it will force you to take your move. At 6 seconds, quickly
pass to your teammate if he's open, or if you are, take a shot. Even if you
miss, you get better a better shot at rebounding, then you can get the ball,
pass back to the man in backcourt, and milk the clock again. This trick works
best in the fourth quarter.
"HE'S ON FIRE!": When a character makes three consecutive shots in a row,
he is said to be "on fire". After that, all his future shots will stand
a much more improved chance of entering the basket, although I have seen
some miss while on fire. You can really open up a lead when on fire by
launching three after three. You will stay "on fire" until the other team
makes a shot go in their basket.
When you're on fire, to stay on fire, work in the back of the court,
goaltend any layups or three-pointers, steal and rebound when possible.
This also works if you're "heating up", i. e. you've made two shots in a
row and need a third to go on fire. Plus, when you're on fire, you have
the advantage of unlimeted turbo power, even if you're the kind of player
that holds down turbo during a game.
When someone else in on fire, the best way to get them off fire is to dunk
the basketball.
You don't stay on fire forever, you lose it after a period of time. A rather
long time, it seems, usually 30 points, but you do lose it.
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3. Secret Codes.
All secret codes are done before the Tip-off, when the announcer says,
"Tonight's match up: (Team) versus (Team)" and continued right up until
the tip-off. You can use these codes and power-up your computer teammate,
or if you feel in a particularly evil mood and see someone on the machine
you don't like, you can power-up his Computer opponents.
BIG HEAD: Hold joystick up and hold down Turbo and Steal at "Tonight's
match up". Gives your player a head three times larger than normal. Some
arcades might have their machine set to have Big Head permanently on, as it
is also an operator-adjustable feature, therefore, doing this on such a
machine will turn Big Head off.
POWERUP DEFENSE: Tap Steal or Block eight times when it says "Tonight's
match up". Eight times only. Gives you extra defensive power.
POWERUP INTERCEPT: Hold down joystick and hold down all three buttons during
"Tonight's match up". Gives you extra intercept power.
POWERUP OFFENSE: Tap Steal or Block 21 times at "Tonight's match up".
21 times only. Gives you extra offensive power. This is a VERY DIFFICULT
power-up to get, so be patient.
POWERUP DEFENSE AND INTERCEPT:Through trial and error, I have FINALLY
got the formula for Defense-Intercept combo power-up.
At "Tonight's Match-Up", tap the shoot button seven times, then all at
once, hold down the joystick and all three buttons. This is one method,
there may be more to get Powerup Defense and Intercept.
POWERUP DEFENSE AND BIG HEAD: Tap turbo six times, hold turbo and steal,
then hold the joystick up at "Tonight's match-up".
FAIR SHAKE AND POWERUP INTERCEPT: Tap turbo seven times, then hold the turbo,
pass and shoot buttons, then hold the joystick down.
FAIR SHAKE AND BIG HEAD: Press turbo eight times, then hold turbo and steal
down, and hold the joystick up.