NBA JAM
HIDDEN GAME: Contains a secret Battlezone-style mini-game that can be played! To trigger it, hold both player 1 and 2 joysticks DOWN, along with the TURBO, SHOOT, and PASS buttons for both players and the game will appear (picture #1). The combination is done on the "Tonight's Match-Up" screen. If you're using version 3.01 and you survive for 1 minute in the game, you'll return to NBA JAM with all 4 players having full powerups. If you are using version 2.0, when the tank game ends, so does your NBA JAM game! The trick apparently can also be done in the attract mode, but this might have only been possible with the original version 1.0. If you can survive for 1 minute, you'll return to the game with all 4 players having full powerups. This secret was deemed unethical by many of the video game magazines of the time, and magazines like EGM and Gamepro were specifically asked not to publish the code. Both magazines agreed, and to this date it is the only video game code that is considered "taboo" by the press.
HIDDEN MESSAGE: During the hidden tank game, you can trigger a copyright message to appear by holding both player 1 and 2 joysticks RIGHT and player 2's TURBO and PASS buttons down (picture #2). The actual message is encoded and not visible in plain text. As a side effect, you also win the tank game. This was likely added to use in any court cases against bootleggers that may have removed the visible plain text/gfx copyright string(s) from the code.
Hidden credits: During the attract mode, hold down any of the 3 action buttons for several minutes. A hidden credits display will appear showing everyone involved with the creation of the game, along with a fireworks display (see video). {Scott Stilphen}
Its possible to enter a code that allows the cheerleaders to be playable characters, but the codes were intentionally made complex since their existence did not please the NBA. As a result, the information has never been released, and to date none have been found.
There are a lot of hidden player and secret power-up codes. Among the more popular:
MJT Mar 22 - Mark Turmell, lead designer (and the most powerful character in the game)
SAL Feb 1 - Sal DiVita, artist
SL_ Jun 24 - Shawn Liptak, programmer
TWG Dec 7 - Tony Goskie, animator
RJR Jan 17 - Jamie Rivett, programmer
WIL Jan 1 - Willie "Air" Morris, player model
HOW Jul 15 - Stephen Howard, player model
SNO Jan 3 - Sheridan Oursler, Midway staffer
Since designer Mark Turmell is a Detroit Pistons fan, he sweetened the arcade code to give them a slight advantage over their regional rivals, the Chicago Bulls. Turmell said in an interview, "If it boiled down to a last-second shot, forget about it - the Bulls would never score."
This was the first-ever officially licensed arcade sports game.
