Wayback Wednesday: Why Being On Fire Was So Cool in NBA Jam
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at being On Fire in the NBA Jam series, and analysing why it’s such a great video game powerup.
“He’s On Fire!” The iconic call from the legendary Tim Kitzrow echoes in the minds of all basketball gamers who’ve played NBA Jam. In fact, thanks to the game having such an impact on basketball and pop culture, people who have never played a single NBA Jam title are undoubtedly still aware of it! Being On Fire in an NBA Jam game is to arcade basketball gaming what Mario’s super mushrooms are to platformers. It’s not just a core aspect of the series’ identity, but something that its imitators have tried to replicate and put their own spin on, to varying degrees of success.
I’ve discussed the NBA Jam series several times in Wayback Wednesday features. This includes retrospectives of the original game, Tournament Edition (twice, in fact), and the overlooked 2003 release from Acclaim. I’ve investigated its unusual ratings, and reflected on other notable facts about various games in the NBA Jam lineage. However, apart from obligatory mentions when covering gameplay mechanics in my retrospectives, I’ve yet to dedicate an entire feature to being On Fire in NBA Jam. If I can talk about Kevin Edwards having the wrong portrait, I should definitely cover the game’s iconic powerup in-depth! To that end, let’s take a look back…way back…
In a series that’s infamous for its secrets, from hidden players to the way that the AI pulls strings to retain competitive balance, achieving the state of being On Fire in NBA Jam is extremely straightforward. Simply make three consecutive baskets with a player while not letting their teammate or an opponent score, and they’re en fuego! When On Fire, a player has unlimited turbo, meaning that they can sprint and push without losing stamina. Their abilities are boosted, with the hot hand allowing lower-rated shooters to knock down their attempts more frequently. A player who is On Fire is able to goaltend without penalty, thus it provides a boost at both ends of the floor.
Of course, while it’s easy in theory to attain and powerful while it lasts, there’s balance and strategy to NBA Jam’s Fire. While it only takes three consecutive baskets to heat up and subsequently catch fire, a single basket by your opponent is all that’s needed to extinguish your flame, or prevent it from igniting in the first place. Additionally, if an opponent goaltends one of your shots, it doesn’t count towards the streak. Conversely, you or your teammate can commit goaltending on an opponent’s shot, strategically giving up a basket to prevent, achieve, or preserve the powerup. Fire will go out by itself after a player makes four consecutive baskets, so it’s not (normally) infinite.
When you look at it, being On Fire in NBA Jam isn’t just an exciting moment and a cool visual. It’s one of the most well-designed mechanics in all of basketball gaming. Such a powerup could very easily be overpowering and unbalanced, yet the risk and strategy involved makes it rewarding to attain without leaving the opponent helpless. AI players also did a great job of demonstrating some of the tactics that might not be immediately apparent, such as protecting and preventing Fire with goaltending. This gives Fire some depth and balance, while remaining easy to understand and strive for. It’s a design philosophy that other arcade basketball titles have often struggled with.
Take NBA Playgrounds, for instance. The Lottery Pick mechanic was an interesting idea in theory, rewarding you for playing clean and not shoving, and providing an array of powerups. In practice, it was ultimately disappointing. Many of the Lottery Pick powerups were useless or not very fun, and when you were ahead, there was a tendency to “randomly” receive one of the more boring ones. It was just one of the ways that NBA Playgrounds fell short of NBA Jam. Fire was an effective powerup in a game with genre-defining mechanics. Lottery Picks were an idea that were better on paper, in a mediocre NBA Jam clone that had needless sim elements in its gameplay.
However, while it’s important to recognise the mechanical brilliance of being On Fire in NBA Jam, the pure excitement of the powerup mustn’t be understated. What better way of representing a player having the proverbial hot hand than to have the ball glow and burst into flames when they touch it? Instead of a player figuratively scorching the nets, we can see them literally setting the twine ablaze! As I said, Tim Kitzrow enthusiastically declaring that a player is heating up and then exclaiming “He’s On Fire!” is burned into our brains – no pun intended – because it made the moment even more exciting. Forget analysing the mechanics; being On Fire in NBA Jam was cool!
It’s also timeless. “On Fire” is sporting lingo that never goes out of style; particularly in basketball, real life or virtual. The visual of burning nets and the ball being aflame never gets old, because fire provides enthralling imagery. There are catchphrases and slang that fall out of vogue, but complimenting something or someone with the phrase “On Fire” has eternal pop culture relevance. As for video games, I’ve never heard an NBA Jam gamer express a distaste for the On Fire powerup. There’s never been a call to remove it, or change how it works. I don’t know anyone who says that NBA Jam would be better without Fire, and I don’t think I’d be able to take them seriously!
To that end, Fire hasn’t ever drastically changed since the original NBA Jam; not in any of the sequels that are worth playing, at any rate. In NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, the method and benefits of catching fire remain the same as the 1993 release, as do the counterstrategies. Despite this, it doesn’t feel old, or in need of a revamp. This makes it unique among hoops game mechanics, and again, it’s a testament to what a brilliant and well-designed idea it was from the very beginning. It didn’t need to be overhauled or evolve into a different concept to remain relevant. Being On Fire works just as well as in 2022 as it did in 1993, and would do so in a new NBA Jam, too.
With that being said, while the original mechanic has remained untouched, it has been effectively expanded upon with Team Fire. Introduced in NBA Hangtime along with the ability to throw alley-oops, scoring three consecutive baskets on lobs without your opponent making a shot activates the powerup. Both players will be On Fire – with all of the boosts and benefits that brings – for 25 seconds, or until their opponents score on an alley-oop. The 25-second timer only counts down when you have the ball, so if you’re quick and crafty, it can last for a few offensive possessions while allowing both players to goaltend. Team Fire also burns blue, making it stand out from regular Fire.
The 2010 reboot of NBA Jam and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition by EA Sports also had another use for Fire. In those games, it was the only way to perform “over-the-top dunks”: the most spectacular jams wherein the camera panned out as players soared into the rafters before throwing it down. In the original Midway games, the top-rated dunkers were able to fly off-screen without being On Fire, though they had far more success and it looked cooler when they were. I do like that about the original NBA Jam games, but I also believe that reserving the ability for players On Fire was a good change by EA. It made sense, and allowed the powerup to grant an additional reward.
It also added further incentive to catch fire, especially in a few Road Trip challenges in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. In one of the challenges that award more points for dunks and alley-oops, performing an over-the-top dunk will net you ten points on a single play. Needless to say, this can immediately turn the tide of a game, facilitating a heroic comeback against the CPU on high difficulty, or a crushing defeat if the AI manages to throw down a couple of ten point jams. Another challenge mixes things up with one shot to gain Fire that never goes out until an opponent scores. Having that powerup potentially ping pong between players makes for a very exciting shootout!
Once again, NBA Jam’s Fire has not only impacted pop culture, but like the rest of its mechanics, it’s ultimately influenced an entire genre. Other arcade hoops games have implemented their own powerups, often taking cues from NBA Jam’s approach of three uninterrupted baskets. It’s not just arcade titles, either. Obviously the “Rule of Three” is a trope and rhetoric that extends far beyond the virtual hardwood, but it’s interesting that early NBA Lives employed the subtle use of a Fire-like mechanic. If you made three baskets or three defensive stops without the opponent scoring, the player indicator would flash indicating positive momentum, and a temporary boost.
Nothing beats the thrill of the original powerup of being On Fire in NBA Jam, though. There’s the tension and urgency on both sides after the second consecutive basket that heralds a player is heating up. One team is eager to get their man On Fire, while the other is determined to end the streak before that can happen. That only escalates when the flame is lit, as now there’s pressure to not waste being On Fire, or to extinguish it as soon as possible. If you lose Fire before you can use it, your excitement dwindles along with the flame. Conversely, it’s a triumphant feeling to quickly douse the Fire. When a player or team gets On Fire in NBA Jam, the intensity goes through the roof!
Iconic video game series don’t achieve their status through one aspect alone, but they all have their signature features and mechanics that make them memorable. Mortal Kombat has its gory Fatalities. Doom has its room-clearing BFG. As I mentioned, Mario becomes Super thanks to his mushrooms. NBA Jam’s gameplay could still hold up respectably well without Fire, but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun, nor would the series have achieved the same iconic status. Not only does it capture an aspect of basketball in an entertaining and visually appealing way, but it’s a superbly-designed powerup with unparalleled timelessness compared to gameplay mechanics in other hoops titles.
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