'NBA Jam' is totally the inspiration for this latest street basketball game

You see the resemblance, right?!
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
'NBA Jam' is totally the inspiration for this latest street basketball game
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We've seen many different takes on street basketball in video games over the years, but none are more memorable than NBA Jam. The mixture of cartoonishly big-headed ballers and high-speed 2v2 play was an instant sensation in '90s arcades and the consumer hardware it quickly spread to.

The series popped up in the years that followed -- most recently in a 2010 remake from Electronic Arts -- but the spirit of Jam clearly lives on in the newly announced NBA Playgrounds. Same reliance on real NBA rosters, same highly stylized players, same 2v2 showdowns.

No one's on fire -- a Jam signature -- but that's the only noticeable difference in this trailer.

We'll find out soon if Playgrounds measures up. It's coming to PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime in May.

Topics Gaming

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


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