The History of NBA Jam - Arcade console documentary 

Patman quickly becoming an all-star of the U.S retro scene. Also NBA Jam swear edition is amazing.

19:16 This rewrote the best moments in NBA Jam history! 😂 My history teacher in 7th grade made a deal with us stating that if we scored high on the next test then we would get to have a free day to play games, and we did exactly that, so he brought his SNES and NBA Jam into the classroom and my classmates and I got to play it until the end of the class period. The teacher got in trouble for that, but he remains a legend to us for understanding how to motivate a class to put the effort in to learn.

I have great memories playing this game back when blockbuster was having a tournament. I’m not normally in the sports but this one was definitely a crossover for the average guy.

Boom shakalaka! Oh my, he's on fire! Is it the shoes?! The dialog spoken by Tim Kitzrow is great. Now we need a NFL Blitz video

Man, the good old days. I've must've spent well over $20 bucks with my friends rocking this game playing from the Suns Gorilla and beyond. The early 90's was a phenomenal time to be a young teen in the arcade scene.

Yet another outstanding video👏 Kudos to the Patman for acknowledging the greatness of WrestleFest 👌👍😎

This brings back amazing memories of my childhood and my father. I remember the Easter he surprised me with the game on super nintendo. It had been released for a month or two at that point but was sold out everywhere and very hard to find. What a great time to be a kid

Man, I remember going to my local skating rink to play this plus all my hours on the Genesis version. If their was online multiplayer back during the day I'd be #1 for at least 3 years.

I got to meet Mark a few years ago at a convention (his first convention, actually). Got him to sign my SNES cartridge. I'm not even a sports fan, but the arcade action of this one was always a lot of fun. He had some great stories, too, especially about making the Wrestlemania Arcade Game.

NBA jam during the holidays....ohhh my!.. worthy shout out to nba hang time another great game still got my copy for the snes thanks for the trip down memory lane patman

Monster Jam! He's on fire! This was my favourite SNES game growing up as a kid, right up there with NHL 94. So much fun to play with my brother as young teens! Thanks for an in-depth look at this classic, sir. Well done!

Great doc. This game was the most phenomenal arcade gaming experience at your finger tips with animations and secret characters

On the Baseball side we had Base Wars: Cyber Stadium Series, Hockey: NHL Break Away 99, & Oh you're darn right NBA Jam was our Basket Ball my dude!

Great documentary on NBA Jam, PatmanQC! 4 billion quarters = 1 billion, that's a lot and like Pong breaking the machines too from stuffed change. I bought NBA Jam on the Genesis back then, a fun game as a fan of the Bulls and Knicks. Unlocking characters was fun. Surprised they had in those curse words in the arcade cheat. Akklaim, that was sneaky of them taking the license for themselves. Time to hit the courts and replay this classic again! Thanks!

Another outstanding video Patman! You know, the NBA of this era was unlike any other. Every team in the league had at least a few recognizable, big-name stars that the general public knew and recognized. The NBA of 2022 has maybe four or five big names and a bunch of people no one knows or cares about. It's really sad and I don't know what changed to cause such a loss of superstar NBA players.

One of the reasons it made so much money is you have to put credits in for each of the four quarters. I think it was 2 credits for the first quarter and 1 credit for each of the other three if you were going to play a whole match

I own a TE in my home arcade, and I hope the Michael Jordan rom eventually gets released/leaked. NBA Jam is one of my favorite arcade games of all times. The replay is awesome.

You're commentary gets me everytime. Just when you think it's just gonna be a regular review, all shiny and pretty - you bring us back down to earth and make us miss the good ol days even more. My utmost sentiments Patman ❤️

I do want this 1up machine. That game is still fun. I pulled it out for the 13 year old and he really had fun playing.

The Atari Jaguar port of Tournament Edition was very good. Well worth checking out 👍

When I worked in midtown Manhattan, during lunch I would gontonthe NBA Store and play NBA on NBC....undefeated...my name was known the world over.......in my mind, lol

Patman literally just made me relive my gaming childhood

I was 17 and just started to play basketball when this game came out, I remember playing till 3, 4 am, love this game, great video, awesome data you gave us, thank you!

Oh yes one of those sports games I loved playing. Always pretended I was one of these legends doing crazy moves I wanted them to do on games. Great as always.

i love when you say "no doubt about it, this game is fun" while you flash a score of 78-18 lol

As a kid my brothers and i never really played sports games but NBA Jam was the one special exception because it was simply too much fun. We played for hours and still quote this game to this day

Pretty stoked to see this one pop up this morning. Thanks for another gem sir.

I played it on a Genesis not long ago and I was surprised at how fun it still is.

There’s just something about Patman videos that makes my day so much better! It’s not just the retro arcade content, it’s the delivery with the dry/cheeky humour! Thanks so much for all you do Patman!

If it wasn't for a watch mojo video on Mortal Kombat characters in other games & media, I never would've hear of this game

Great Video Patman! I managed to get a sealed copy of Nba Jam at Classic Gane Fest earlier this year and Mark was at the Fest. I managed to get him to sign it. Hope to see you talk about the Arcade edition ports someday as well.

Fantastic video Patman, you’ve inspired me to fire this up on Mame over the weekend

this was my JAM back in the day!! 90s, we got together with friends after school just to play at the arcades and then got it for SNES

The New and Surgically enhanced Sonya Blade line took me out 🤣 thanks for this trip down memory lane on NBA Jam

I always get a smile across my face when I hear 'Happy Little Games'! You're the bee's knees, Patman!

This was one of the most exciting arcade games ever, and it came at the right time when the NBA was at its highest point. Recreating matchups from the rivalries of the time made it that much more fun.

Another awesome video! It's no surprise you found all the secrets and then some behind NBA Jam :)

Excellent video as always.

Loved your Skinemax joke. I almost choked on my drink 🤣🤣 Keep doing what you're doing!

Great video pat. In any follow ups it's probably worth mentioning the cameo of Tim Kitzrows voice in the voice pack for Rage 2 named "He's On Fire" 👍🏻😉

Had to come show love to one of my favorite channels. Keep coming with these great videos.

Another post I love NBA jam

Top notch content..I learned some new things..loved this video

Great review, BOOMSHAKALAKA!!

Good lesson to how important audio is for a game. Without the hype man announcer it wouldn’t have been such a hit. BUT WITH. That announcer it was a absolute HIT

You really outdid yourself on this one my friend. One of my all time favs!

A billion $ in quarters in year one ? That is astounding figures, and early proof that pay to play gets you the big bucks. I remember absolutely feeding this machine with coins like it was a hungry labrador. my fave edition is Max Hangtime. The ability to do lean in shots from near the baseline was a huge plus. Patman you are up near 70k subs, WOW! Congrats to you it's a testament to what wonderful videos you make I've been watching for a long time but never really comment but NBA Jam is so iconic and such a crossover game for people. Multiplayer it really shines most of all you can have some epic games with close finishes but the game's rubber-banding can be frustrating too is the other side of keeping games close The NBA nowadays has talent bursting at the seams and there are a huge amount of big names and superstars and a lot of young superstars doing some craaaazy stuff (check out what Ja Morant is doing that dude is a video game) Some people in the comments saying the NBA these days is trash.... I can only think you don't actually watch any games at all🤣 Fas as Tennis games go I have been a huge fan of that too and I can say without a doubt my favourite two old school Tennis games were Roland Garros on the Amiga but my #1 and a game I still play now all the time is ATP Tour Tennis on the megadrive. That game is fantastic.

It's very cool to see so many photos from outside Dennis' Place for Games. That's the first place I saw NBA Jam and was completely enamored with it from day one. Dennis was a cool old dude too. I was saddened when the 2 locations he owned closed down.

thank you for this documentary, this is exactly what I was looking for !

Another great video! I always get excited when you talk about new games, NBA Jam is a somewhat forgotten gem. We really need a remake

Amazing classic… as always great video.

Me:"Oh NBA Jam I don`t know if this is my cup of..." Pat: "Was there really an X-Rated verison of this game... ?"" Me: 👀

Excellent video, dude. Loved every minute of it.

The game was insane on release. I remember going to Geneva on the lake and first seeing it in an arcade. The sound was cranked up and a huge crowd was around the machine. It was fun just watching it. My dad ended up surprising us with the genesis version. There's a pizza shop near me with NBA jam that I play whenever I go there.

Patman! You're videos are warm and comforting like chicken noodle soup. Thanks for all the content.

I play NBA Jam at the arcade when I was a kid it's still fantastic today also I'm a clippers,suns, and Raptors fan.😀👍🏀🎮

I always enjoy your videos. This is one of my all time favorite games. Still have the SNES version. Maybe ill go back and play it this weekend. 👍

Thanks for another great deep dive into gaming history!

A cult classic... i played the hell out of the 2011 version of this... bring it back! Long live NBA Jam... hangtime was funn tooo ❤ NBA JAM TE ON PS1 WAS THE BEST HOME VERSION 🏡

That this game was popular at the time, I really liked the Arcade version.

Cool video man! I have an NBA JAM arcade board I throw in my MK2 machine once in a while....I'm going to have to install it & play it again here soon!

Always look forward to what you are going to cover next

NBA JAM is a legendary classic! I have a copy for the Sega CD. I would love to have an arcade correct copy of Arch Rivals. I loved playing that game when it came out. Awesome video Pac as usual💪🏆 - Pantyeatr1

I used to work for Williams Electronics back in the day in Chicago. I remember they had a prototype room with mostly pinball games and NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat and my supervisor would have to go back there and tell the employees to get back to work after staying in there past our lunch break. Lol. I remember Macaulay Culkin coming there because they had a Home Alone pinball machine and he came to check it out. Lol. Good times!

I've got to have hundreds of hours on the SNES version! So many tournaments! Good times! Great vid!

Almost 30 years ago? Ugh, I feel old. I was in my last year of high school when this released.

Another awesome video Patrick!

Excellent! I used to own this JAMMA pcb. I'm usually not a fan of sports games but I did play this one a lot.

*PatmanQC* on a scale of 1 - 10 I give this video a Boom Shakalaka! You're on fire with this one!

This is a great documentary. This was when the NBA was at its peak in popularity, it’s still popular but not like it was back then, all thanks to Midway. Midway was hella popular in the 90s, from NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, NFL Blitz, WWF Wrestlemania Arcade and a few others.

Patman, Thank you for mentioning the biographical film of Midway "Insert Coin." I was able to find the film online and just finished watching it literally two minutes prior to my typing this comment. I am not going to reveal the website where I found the film, but all that needs to be done is a proper search. However, I will say to everyone that reads this, "Insert Coin" is a must-see. Patman, keep the vids coming. I cannot wait for your next vid. Also, I loved your comment referencing "Skin-a-Max." 🤣

I'll never forget my first NBA JAM arcade experience. It was an early version so I got to choose my favorite player, Charles Barkley. Down by one point in the 4th quarter, I got passed the defense and launched in the air for the super high, triple summersault dunk as the final seconds ticked away. This was nearly a "bad decision" that would have left me hanging in mid air and with a loss on my record but Sir Charles slammed it through just as the clock hit zero prompting an animation that left me absolutely awe struck, shattering the backboard in slo motion something I still have never seen again. Eight years later I had a job and my very own NBA JAM TE full size arcade in my basement, which I still have to this day. It is the third version however so no Barkley, Shaq, broken glass or MK characters. It does however have what ended up being my favorite duo/team on the game and one that wasn't on the early versions due to a mid season trade, Ron Harper, the most well rounded player on the game imo and Dominique Wilkins of the LA Clippers.

Another great video!!

Your best documentary yet! Keep 'en coming; Now to find a cow licking a fence..

The game that got me through those monotonous times in university. :) Still great today, and you know you've had a great game when you got the Tarzan dunk to go. :D

Great work as always!! Would you ever do a arcade documentary on ( Cruis'n & world) ?

Probably the only time I enjoyed playing basketball.

thanks for this one. One day Mark Turmell will make a hangtime sequel

I was legendary at this game. Shawn Kemp was always my choice. The key to never losing the ball to your opponent was passing. Always reversing directions to pass when advancing down the court and, as many of my opponents never mastered, passing and passing back, when going up for a dunk. Me and a guy I didn't even know except as a teammate on NBA Jam would CRUSH our opponents. Cheers to that guy whoever and wherever he is.

This and NFL blitz was great

I will say to this nicely extensive documentary, forgot a special character, Barney. As a kid, I recall not just Bill Clinton, others etc, but in that same game, Barney the purple dinosaur being playable.

Thank you! Loved this game as a kid! "He's heating up!"

Fantastic video! Did you say “tickle your taint” in your intro!!?!😂😂

This is the only sports game I ever enjoyed. I went to a friends house, and he had it and wanted to play it with me, and I was very hesitant because I hate sports. But I agreed to 1 game, and we ended up playing all day, and when i went home, I asked for it for my birthday. I got NBA JAM LE on the Genesis a few weeks later.

The cursing version is legend!! I laughed hard Af!!

Watching intently, waiting for reference to secret tank game. NBA Jam was in a supermarket when I was growing up and played the tank game when I had no quarters. Wish I remembered the code. More likely I was told of said code by one of the avid Street Fighter/MK players that new every move and easter egg. Thank you, teenagers 2-3 years my senior.

I used to love this on Sega CD.

Another gem comment , great ball handling sir

Watching this after the announcement of NBA Superstars by RAW Thrills! Super excited for that game to come out soon! NBA JAM is so back! :D

NBA Jam will always have a special place in my heart. Here's a little story as to why: When I was only 4 or 5 years old and me and my family were on our annual vacation resort there was a little video game tournament near our place in the reception building. The video game was NBA Jam for the Sega Genesis. 3 or 4 guys were already playing and I wanted to join in too. But they didn't want to play against me because they thought I was too young, thinking I didn't really know how to play, etc. And the man in charge of the tournament let me play. And guess what: this 4/5 year old kid beat EVERY SINGLE ONE of those fellows lol! Mind you they were all in their pre-teens or teens lol. They were all shocked and my mom was laughing at them. I remember the man in charge of the tournament say I could choose 1 of 2 prizes: a free t-shirts (I can't remember what the shirts say) or a box of doughnuts. I didn't like doughnuts at the time so I chose the free t-shirts. My mom actually recorded part of the tournament on a camcorder. It was either 1996 or 1997 and I was wearing a lime green Lion King tank top with little Simba on the front lol. Wonderful times back then! Just wonderful!

Back with another tour de force!

Great work

I think part of the reason nba jam made more than other games is because it was 2v2, (yes there was 4 person co-op games but not 2v2) which at the time was pretty unique. As well as controls were pretty easy to comprehend where some the games of the time like street fighter or mortal kombat etc. which had more involved joystick commands.

The Genesis version is the game that got me into the NBA.

great stuff!

Man I wish they would remaster this gem for modern day consoles

Tickled taint was said so casually, it got through customs lol. Nice gaming history per typical, but that threw me lol.

Arcade Tech for around 25 years. 32:42 'Putting quarters on games hasn't been seen since pac-man, and Donkey kong' I remember that back in the day, but we didn't see that again until Street Fighter 2 came out a couple of years earlier in 91/92. SF2 where we played, locations had a 'next' quarter device mounted on the machine, which held 8 quarters. NBA JAM did it too a couple of years later, but I didn't see that happen again after that until Dance Dance Revolution, but we used custom cards/IDs. I worked at Chuck E Cheese, and we had one, and some people that worked there had "perfect' records with no loses, but I saw for myself, if they lost, they would shut the machine off before it saved their stats.

I fell asleep watching this. I wanted to stay awake watching the history of one of my favorite games but the lack of enthusiasm or character from this channel put me to sleep until now

Loved this game. Would play as either the Bulls or Suns. Loved how the same arcade cabinet would save your stats when you put in your initials each time. I would play every weekday walking home from high school at my local deli when this came out until I finally beat the Bulls at the end. Was so satisfying to finally see that end screen. So who did you play as Pat? Tickled your taint lol.