NBA Street/ Jam
We’re aware at this point that our list is looking pretty soccer-based, and that’s probably because it’s the best sport to arcadify (it’s a new word I made, deal with it) with a video game (fight me).
Even so, it’s impossible to ignore the likes of NBA Street and NBA Jam for offering some of the most compelling arcadey sports action that’s ever graced our screens.
Regardless of whether you were more of a fan of Street or Jam, I think we can all agree that the simplicity of their control schemes and the outrageous dunks and leg-breaking skills you could pull off made these titles what they were.
And yet even taking into account NBA Street Homecourt’s 2007 release on 360 and PS3, we’ve been without a new entry for far, far too long.
Sadly, EA Sports retired the “BIG” label of NBA Street’s developer back in 2008, changing it to Freestyle, before seemingly shuttering the developer for good a couple of years later.
Whether or not the publisher would hand over the rights to another developer under its umbrella remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure, we need a better arcade basketball game than NBA Playgrounds 2.
