As a result, the video game of the 1990s NBA Jam it actually includes a code that prevents the Chicago Bulls from scoring a last-minute shot against the Detroit Pistons. Instead, the ball just … wouldn’t go in, apparently. NBA Jam Lead designer and programmer Mark Turmell’s recent video interview with Ars Technica has been circulating online, and he admits he plays around with programming a little to favor the Pistons just a little when they would play the Bulls.
Around 20 minutes into the video, which you can watch in full above, Turmell reveals his cunning addition. “Making this game in Chicago, during the heyday of the Michael Jordan era, there was great rivalry, you know, the Pistons and the Bulls, but the only way I could get back to the Bulls once they got past the hump was to affect your abilities against the Pistons in NBA Jam, “says Turmell,” so I put a special code in so that if the Bull took a last-second shot against the Pistons, those shots would miss. And if you ‘If you’re ever playing, make sure you pick the Pistons over the Bulls. “
The creator of NBA Jam finally confirms the long conspiracy theory that the game was timed so that if the @ChicagoBulls took one last second hit against the @DetroitPistons, they would always fail.
Mystery solved! pic.twitter.com/ugBw7cbx8k
– ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) June 26, 2020
To be fair, this is not exactly news. Turmell had already recorded his little insert, and the internet seems to remember he did it once in a while, but the Ars Technica video serves as a useful reminder for 2020. “If there was a game closed [against the Pistons] and anyone in the Bulls took one last second hit, we wrote special code in the game to make them bricks, “Turmell told ESPN in 2008.” There was a lot of competition on the day between the Pistons and the Bulls, and as I was always a big Pistons fan, that was my chance to level the playing field. “
What do you think of the little sneaky code? You’re a great NBA Jam fan? Let us know in the comments or contact me directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to discuss everything related to gaming!
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