Barkley Shut Up and Jam 2

Sir Charles and his knights of the round ball return in this improved sequel to Barkley's original two-on-two dunkfest.

Native Suns

The gameplay stays true to the original. With ten selectable characters (plus some hidden characters), Barkley 2's side-view street-ball action (no refs and no fouls) goes down in Exhibition and Tournament modes. Barkley himself is no longer selectable; players will have to face him and his teammate in eight locations on the tournament circuit.

Departing from the abundant shoves and knockdowns in the original, this sequel adds defensive finesse, so look for more strategic steals and blocked shots. New special features, like smashed backboards and "monster" dunks, ramp up the action.

The Juice meter from the original returns, affecting each character's speed and skills. Unlike the turbo meter in NBA Jam, your Juice meter grows (giving your character more power) when you successfully steal the ball and hit super dunks. Conversely, your Juice diminishes when your shot is blocked or when your opponent steals the ball from you.

Looking Civilized, Charles

The graphics are the biggest improvement over the original Barkley. The characters have much smoother animations, which are especially noticeable on the dunks. The detailed backgrounds have some funny scrolling effects, and after making a dunk, players even showboat.

The sound, like the graphics, is also enhanced. Although you hear cleaner dialogue from Barkley, some effects are sorely missed, like a sound indicating a turnover.

No Role Model

Like Barkley in real life, this game suffers from control problems. While there are many dunks and a great alley-oop feature, the standard gameplay could be smoother, and the action stays at relatively the same pace throughout the game. Although you can swap between your two characters in a one-player game, your computer partner isn't nearly as cooperative as you'd expect.

Charles is one tough competitor in the Tournament mode, a worthy challenge for veteran b- ball gamers. Strategists will like the complex above-the-rim action as they double-clutch dunks and tap in missed shots, while novices will dig the raw excitement of the street game. Although it isn't NBA Jam, all hoops fans will enjoy Charles' court.

A kind of a tuned-up version of the original, and unfortunately, that's not saying much. You'd probably be better off just getting that other street-ball sim and then swearing at whoever's playing with you. Y'know, talk some trash! This game sure is... uh, does!

A kind of a tuned-up version of the original, and unfortunately, that's not saying much. You'd probably be better off just getting that other street-ball sim and then swearing at whoever's playing with you. Y'know, talk some trash! This game sure is... uh, does!

A kind of a tuned-up version of the original, and unfortunately, that's not saying much. You'd probably be better off just getting that other street-ball sim and then swearing at whoever's playing with you. Y' know, talk some trash! This game sure is... uh, does!

A kind of a tuned-up version of the original, and unfortunately, that's not saying much. You'd probably be better off just getting that other street-ball sim and then swearing at whoever's playing with you. Y'know, talk some trash! This game sure is... uh, does!

In the game you play street basketball two-on-two with your friends on with computer. So there are no referees, no fouls, and no shot clock, but the teams called by the names of cities such as Phoenix or Chicago. You can choose your player from 16 available players, including Barkley himself.