Platform: Sega Saturn

Developer: Iguana Entertainment

Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment

Release Date (NA): 1996

Genre: Sports

Nerd Rating: 4 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry

Get on your feet and make some noooooooooise! March Madness is officially upon us for yet another wild tournament filled with alley-oops, slammin’ dunks, and… what… Lightning strikes?? Okay, so maybe College Slam isn’t quite like the real deal, but it sure as hell provides the players with that basketball flare and plenty of over-the-top action. Having been born and raised only 15 minutes from Tobacco Road, I like to think I know a thing or two about college hoops. And what I can tell you is College Slam sure is an interesting take on a basketball game.

NBA Jam T.E., the previous basketball installment from Acclaim

So, before you start to think you’ve just discovered NBA 2K’s special younger brother, this is nothing like any “new” basketball game you’ve ever played. Considering that College Slam was developed and created by the same group that brought you NBA Jam and NBA Jam TE (with the exception of Midway Games who was also involved in the original 2 releases), you will instantly notice many similarities. In fact, it’s actually tough to tell the difference, and can you believe that this game is on a fifth generation CD-based console?! Unfortunately, College Slam takes the same tired formula that made NBA Jam a success and tries to duplicate it, except this time using the likenesses of NCAA Division I college teams. All of the perennial favorites make their appearances such as Duke, Kansas, Michigan, UNC, Arkansas and more. It is kind of nice to get with a friend during March Madness and jam the rock with a whirlwind of slam dunkness. But that’s about as far as College Slam can take you, unless you’re going to the after party with all them sorority hoes… And in that case, I’ll be upstairs in the 2^nd bedroom to the left.

College Slam features four different game modes: Head-to-head, Semi-Finals, Tournament Time, and Season Match-up. The different game modes only make a difference in your purpose for playing the game as they have no effect on the actual gameplay whatsoever. The game plays like it plays regardless of the mode. Head-to-head is your standard single game hoops while the other modes offer multiple game scenarios. My personal favorite of the litter is Season Match-up. This is something that provides the college basketball enthusiast a way to really get into the action and play hoops for some bragging rights. In Season Match-up, you can choose a single team and go the length of a 20-game season to qualify for the most coveted accolade… The NCAA Tournament!

Season Match-up is for the gamer who doesn’t mind sitting in a room filled with cigarette smoke playing through 20 matches in a single day drowning in a pot of coffee laced with drops of angry sweat. But maybe you want to get more involved with your friends in a high-stakes tournament-style slug-fest. Good news folks, it’s Tournament Time. Since College Slam didn’t receive full NCAA permission (they only acquired rights from a collegiate product licensing company), “tournament time” is more widely known as the Sweet 16. The box claims that you can get up to 16 players for tournament time! Sure, I guess that’s feasible. But considering that this is a game of 2v2 hoops that requires a multitap and 6 controllers to play with more than 2 people, your 10 other friends will have to sit back and wait their freakin’ turn to rub dirt in your face. Through alternating, 16 players CAN play in the Sweet 16, but it’s kind of an odd situation to have you and 15 of your friends sitting around anxiously waiting to play a Sega Saturn basketball game. If Tournament Time, Season Match-up, and Head-to-head aren’t enough to pique your interest, then I’m afraid College Slam might not be for you.

College basketball games aren’t usually the kind that people care to pick up and play year-round. But from February to April, it can be quite enthralling. I personally find the level of “heat” between you and your opponent to be on the next level, and nothing is more fun than talking shit to your friends about how your team is better than theirs, or making claims like “if I score from full court, the Tarheels will win the whole tournament… In real life.” That level of real-life trash-talking and emotional bitch-slapping might be the only thing that makes College Slam even half-enjoyable.

College Slam suffers tremendously from a lack of innovation on nearly all levels. While it’s not entirely identical to NBA Jam, it is far too similar to be considered a new game. The gameplay is inherently an NBA Jam game starting with its 2v2 match-ups to its large bodied players and over-the-top slam-dunk foolishness, but there are some subtle differences that make College Slam a little different and possibly worth a second look… whoa, hey, cool your jets, I said possibly. While picking your favorite college team, you will be given an opportunity to choose two players out of five total. In past NBA Jam games, the two players were already chosen for you and no options were granted. Another small change seems to be an update in the graphics department, which is aesthetically pleasing over some of the horrid cutscene graphics from the Genesis and SNES versions of this game. But something is just odd about these players. It looks like they tried to actually put the real players’ heads on the bodies of the players in the game. What you get is a weird sort of copy & paste look, like something from a Jib Jab Christmas eCard your coworker sent you.

College Slam actually loses some valuable gameplay mechanics when compared directly to its major-league predecessors. NBA Jam and NBA Jam TE both featured considerably better sound effects, control mechanics, and overall enjoyability. One thing in particular that just rubs my fur the wrong way (yes, I’m covered in fur. Wanna fight about it?) is the lack of sound effects, especially the lack of dribbling sound. When I’m running with the ball, I want to hear the sound of dribbling, the sound of my sneakers squeaking on the hard wood, and the sound of men grunting and groaning… what? I mean, um… GO WOLFPACK! But I don’t get that. There’s no dribbling sound unless I’m standing still. It doesn’t match and it sounds odd!

Overall, College Slam is a disappointing game. Even in 1996, we were better suited playing a basketball game on a previous system over trying to play College Slam on this “next generation” system. Some of the more notable features are the improved graphics, color, and a decent representation of some of the colleges’ jersey colors. It is disappointing, however, that the controls feel much more awkward than before and we also couldn’t get a better quality game to bring in March Madness appropriately! But Iguana and Acclaim both paid for it as College Slam didn’t achieve any of the commercial success as its two precursors. College Slam is at best average in most aspects and its developers put forth very little effort to provide its owners with something unique and different.

Oh, before I let you go, I have to mention… Where did all of the awesome commentator one-liners go?! THAT turned out to be the most saddening part of the game. Now, go throw this game at a moving train!

Nerd Rating: 4 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry