College Slam hit the PlayStation like a poorly aimed three-pointer: it has its moments, but mostly just leaves you scratching your head wondering what just happened. It's a college basketball game that attempts to score big off nostalgia and, well, the sheer absurdity of its gameplay. But let’s dunk right into the details without any further ado—like a player caught in mid-air, lost in the thrill of the game.
Each team starts out by picking any two out of five players to play with during the game. During timeouts, and at half-time, the player has a choice to make substitutions. When a player makes two baskets in a row, the announcer says "He's heating up," and if he makes three baskets in a row without the other team scoring, he says "He's on fire!", which makes it easier to score. In the season mode, the player can pick from 44 teams, and then play a 20-game season against quality competition. In the tournament mode, 16 teams compete for a chance to win the national championship. The player also has the ability to edit teams and players. Like *NBA Jam* before it, the gameplay is goofy, but yet competitive as players can easily make full-court shots off and on (but usually often) and can score 3 in a row to get a flaming ball (to have a chance to become player of the game). Occasionally the college ball players can get struck by lightning as they dunk.
Graphically, *College Slam* looks about as cutting-edge as a VHS tape of a college basketball game taped in the early '90s. The character models are a smorgasbord of colors, but like your cousin's tie-dyed shirt from that one awkward family reunion, they won't age well. Characters are recognizable only in their intent to play basketball, and while you might give it a look of confused fondness, you’re probably better off squinting at the TV and pretending these are actual players. Still, the environments manage to capture that college sports vibe, resembling everything from local gymnasiums to university arenas—sans the vibrancy and detail you’d expect from this era’s best titles. It’s like if your art student friends decided to paint college basketball scenes using only the leftover paint from the last three school projects. Functional, but not exactly a masterpiece.
*College Slam* attempts to ride the coattails of *NBA Jam* and, while it manages some decent laughs and moments for ridiculous gameplay, it ultimately falls short of a three-point shot from downtown. With mediocre graphics, gameplay that lacks the finesse of its predecessors, and the not-so-charming feeling that you’re playing a hastily cobbled together pseudo-basketball game, it wades into the depths of sports game mediocrity. So, if you’re a die-hard nostalgic '90s gamer looking to relive the glory days or just fancy a good laugh while hurling imaginary balls through hoops, feel free to check it out. But for the others, you might want to steer clear—unless you enjoy confusion and cringe more than actual basketball. In the end, *College Slam* is like a lively party that devolves into utter chaos: enjoyable at first, but as the night goes on, you're left wishing you had just stayed home with a classic. Spare yourself the jumbled mess—there are better ways to shoot your shot!
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