NBA Jam

NBA Jam took basketball, removed everything that made it slow, and turned the remainder into a fighting game with a ball. Two on two, no fouls, no free throws, and dunks from the free-throw line.

Its signature is the fire mechanic. Score three baskets in a row without the other team scoring and your player literally catches fire - the ball glows, the crowd reacts, and every shot you take goes in from anywhere on the court until the other side scores. That single rule creates the game's whole tension: every possession matters, and the trailing team is always one stop away from switching the fire off. Underneath it is a real basketball game with a shot clock, steals, blocks and a small, tight court that forces contact. The players are digitised photographs of the actual 1993 rosters, the commentary is sampled and endlessly quotable, and the arcade version let four people play at once with a pair on each side.

• ▸The on-fire system - three unanswered baskets and everything goes in
• ▸Digitised 1993 rosters with real facial photographs
• ▸Two-on-two on a half court with no fouls or free throws
• ▸Four-player cabinets with a pair on each team