A rival to NBA Jam?
Barkley: Shut up and Jam was a street ball version of NBA Jam, with good ol' Charles Barkley on the cover. Hence, the courts were now set at train stations, beaches, rooftops, gyms, etc. Also instead of picking one of your favourite NBA teams, you picked your players from a bunch of street ball players on the bench.
There were a few subtle differences between this and NBA Jam as well. You no longer had to 'hold' the power meter button. Instead you hit the power button and use one unit of your power bar. These units could be replaced by sinking three pointers, stealing the ball, rejecting dunks, etc.
While many were quick to label this an NBA Jam rip off, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like many flooded genres (FPS, I'm looking at you), it all comes down to theme and playability. Personally, I really liked the theme of this and found it just as playable as it's mighty competitor. It didn't hurt that I was also a big fan of Sir Charles...
This is still my favourite basketball game, even after all these years. If you liked NBA Jam, it's well worth checking out.