As always, two stars from all 27 NBA teams are available, rated in Speed, Dunks, Three-Pointers, and Defense. You're still in a two-on-two match highlighted by monster dunks, bone-crushing slams, and fiery basketballs. Graphics problems aside, this version of NBA Jam tries hard to resemble its arcade predecessor. While the players move smoothly across the side-scrolling court, it's often difficult to see the details that would help you line up a defender to steal the ball, or enable you to shoot a basket in a crowd. Although the graphics are sharp, colorful, and detailed, their quality is limited by the LCD resolution and the physical size of the screen.
The fundamental drawback of putting NBA Jam in a handheld format is the size of the players on the tiny screen.
While this cart is a praiseworthy attempt to squeeze all the teams, features, and spirit of the smash arcade hit into the tiny confines of a hand-held system, much is lost in the translation. Continuing its simultaneous full-court press of all game systems, NBA Jam leaps onto the Game Gear with mixed success.
