GenesisOverview
Barkley: Shut Up and Jam! is a belt-scrolling 2-on-2 street basketball game developed and published by Accolade (under their "Sport Accolade" brand) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in North America and Europe in 1994. The SNES version was also released in Japan on September 30, 1994 by Den'Z as Barkley's Power Dunk (or Barkley no Power Dunk).
Similar in concept and gameplay to the 1993 arcade game NBA Jam, Shut Up and Jam brings the attitude of urban full-court streetball while adhering to a loose, arcade-style gameplay. Along with 15 original ballers from throughout the United States, the game features a playable version of well-known professional basketball player Charles Barkley.
Along with a sequel and a cancelled Atari Jaguar release (of which its prototype was released in the 2000's), the game was later received a more well-known 2008 fangame (the surreal and comedic basketball-themed JRPG Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden - Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa) and its cancelled sequel.
Both the game and its sequel also received an Evercade release by Piko Interactive in 2021 (as part of the Piko Interactive Collection 2 bundle), where it was renamed to Hoops: Shut Up and Jam! and had removed all likenesses and voices of Charles Barkley (replacing him with the more generic "Joe Hoops"). This version was later included in the Accolade Sports Collection compilation.
Gameplay
Like NBA Jam, the game features an aggressive arcade-style form of basketball, where the only foul to keep in mind is goal tending (where a defensive player blocks a falling shot from above the rim).
Instead of continuous "Turbo", the game includes limited "Power" bursts that increase the potency of shots and dunks (with dunks becoming more animated "super dunks"). Each player starts with six Power bursts and can only regain them through successful steals and 3-point shots.
The game uses a password system for the Series and Tournament modes, and the game is unique for allowing players to change the scoring method from timed games to being the first team to score either 21 or 50 points.
Characters & Teams
The game includes 16 playable characters, with the only real-life player being Charles Barkley himself (although he is replaced with the generic "Joe Hoops" in some versions).
In the Single Game and Series modes, players choose their two-man team from the entire roster. In the Tournament mode, players choose from seven pre-made teams (each representing a specific U.S. city) and face off against the others before challenging Sir Charles's Phoenix team.
Characters
| Name | Twos | Threes | Dunks | Rebound | Steal | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Charles | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Smoothy | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Wildman | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Xaos | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| Chilly | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Funky D | 4 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Gunner | 8 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| Sarge | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| D Train | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Spike | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Dane | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Sweet Pea | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| T Bone | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Newts | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Fly By | 8 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Stonewall | 8 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
