Have you ever played the original NBA Jam And wondered why the Pistons look so good when they face the Chicago Bulls? It isn’t necessarily because most copies of the arcade game have BJ Armstrong in the lineup instead of Michael Jordan, who initially did not give his likeness in the game. Sometimes it’s easier to blame the game mechanics than to blame your loss on your virtual basketball skills, but in this case it’s true!
According to lead designer and programmer Mark Turmell, that’s by design. If you’re a Chicago Bulls and you’re in a close game against the Detroit Pistons, you will miss the last shot. That’s because Turmell, who grew up in Michigan, is a Pistons fan. After decades of speculation, he admitted it to Ars Technica in his ‘War Stores’ video about the legendary NBA game. “If the Bulls took a last-second shot against the Pistons, those shots would miss.”
So if you’re even playing against a friend and they pick the Bulls, you should probably pick the Pistons just to make sure you have the upper hand in case the game is near. Don’t forget to push as much as possible. Although your version of the game does not have Micheal Jordan, the NBA Jam The mechanics definitely leaves room for the Jordan Rules.
And if you want to be a little cruel and always have the advantage, don’t reveal the secret of the game to whoever you’re playing. Is that technically cheating? Maybe, but you can always tell your friend that this is how the game was created. You had nothing to do with that competitive advantage.
The rest of NBA Jam The ‘War Stories’ video is full of gems like these. Did you know that Shaq bought a copy of the game and traveled with him during the season? That’s how dedicated he was to playing NBA Jam. You can see the full video here.
