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Wayback Wednesday: Ben Wallace & NBA Live 07

Wayback Wednesday: Ben Wallace & NBA Live 07

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Ben Wallace and his short stint with the Chicago Bulls, and how I associate it with NBA Live 07.

I had to check the archives to see if I’ve ever listed my favourite players in any of my articles. The closest I’ve come was naming my All-Time Starting Five in The Friday Five back in 2014, though I’m not sure I’d still choose that lineup today! One of those players definitely isn’t a favourite of mine, while another one is rapidly becoming a former favourite (seriously, Pip: stop it, get some help!). In any event, while my favourites have come up on the NLSC Podcast and I’ve alluded to them in various articles over the years, I haven’t yet dedicated an entire feature to discussing them.

By the same token, I haven’t ever discussed my least favourite players, except in passing. One name that you may have heard me mention on our podcast is Ben Wallace. Although I acknowledge his talent and importance as a member of the 2004 Detroit Pistons, I’m absolutely not a fan of Big Ben. That’s not to cast aspersions on him personally, as I obviously don’t know him. We all have our sporting villains though, and ironically, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year was solidified as one of mine after playing for my favourite team. It’s a stint that’s represented in one of my all-time least favourite games, NBA Live 07. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: Franchise Mode Free Agency Follies

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on the free agency follies I’ve experienced while playing Franchise and Dynasty mode.

Part of being a diehard NBA fan is taking a keen interest in what happens when there’s no basketball being played. You’ll find some fans that describe the offseason as their favourite part of the year, or at least consider it as exciting as the Playoffs. It makes sense. There’s optimism as teams are making moves to gear up for a new season, and drama when the biggest names change their jerseys. Of course, most of that drama is over within the first couple of weeks. These days, teams are in a bigger rush to get deals done, so we don’t see many situations like Michael Redd in 2002.

Since franchise modes emulate the key aspects of the NBA offseason, we’re able to experience virtual free agency. For those of us who like to play (or simulate) multiple seasons in franchise modes, the offseason and free agency reflects the anticipation and enthusiasm of the real event. There’s the added fun of being in control, and signing the players that we wish our favourite team would, or could. To that point though, virtual free agency can likewise end up being a disappointment. We might also discover that even if we make desirable moves, being a successful NBA GM is easier said than done. I know that I’ve had a few franchise mode free agency follies over the years.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: July 1st, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

Alley-oops are a common sight here in the NLSC Top 10 Plays, and rightfully so. However, this week’s selection of lobs is certainly special, featuring stylish and ambitious passes, incredible finishes, and one particularly ludicrous play that we discussed in the latest NLSC Podcast! And of course, there are some ankle-breaking moves sprinkled in, along with jaw-dropping dunks that didn’t need an alley-oop to get off the ground. A total of seven games are featured in this week’s countdown, ranging from NBA 07 through to NBA 2K23. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 13)

The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 13)

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is Part 13 in an ongoing series looking at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.

We’ve reached the unlucky thirteenth instalment in this series about phantom stints! Mind you, I’ve actually been rather lucky when it comes to this second run of articles all about players who only appeared on certain teams in games. As I’ve said, I thought that I’d exhausted all of the worthwhile examples after the first seven instalments. It turns out that I’d overlooked some prominent names and lesser-known players alike, but fortunately David L has been doing some research of his own, and passed along that information so that I could cover those omissions.

To that point, Part 12 covered Mike Miller, as well as four more obscure players that are likely only remembered by the most hardcore basketball fans and gamers. No judgement or gatekeeping here, of course. Even if you do recall them, I can attest to it being easy to forget that they’re examples of players who only appeared on certain teams in games! This instalment features some more familiar names, but at the same time, their phantom stints can still fly under the radar; especially when they only appear in a certain version of a game, or official roster updates have erased the stint. All the more reason to compile these lists, so that we can reflect on some fun trivia!

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Wayback Wednesday: Atmosphere Settings in NBA Live

Wayback Wednesday: Atmosphere Settings in NBA Live

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the Atmosphere settings in NBA Live.

Following a decade of duds and dormancy, it’s easy to forget how innovative NBA Live was, even after NBA 2K became the premier brand in sim basketball gaming. With that being said, if you’re been playing basketball video games long enough to remember a time when NBA Live was still widely considered a viable, or indeed even a preferable choice, you’ll probably remember NBA Live 10 as a strong release. I’ve seen people nominate it as the best game in the series, and while I appreciate it a lot more following last year’s retro kick, I’d only go so far as to say it’s one of the best.

I do see why many of my fellow gamers give NBA Live 10 the nod, though. It did several things right after a few rough years for the series, and appeared to be steering it in a better direction. NBA Live 10 still holds up today, and boasts a few features that newer releases – including the latest NBA 2K games – actually lack. One example that I’ve yet to cover in-depth here in Wayback Wednesday is the game’s Atmosphere settings. They weren’t unique to NBA Live 10, but it could be argued that the first implementation of the concept was the best. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: The Identity Crisis Of An Open World

Monday Tip-Off: The Identity Crisis Of An Open World

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some observations of how bringing the open world approach to MyCAREER has led to an identity crisis.

I haven’t been shy about sharing my disdain for the direction of MyCAREER. I’ve bluntly stated that the mode sucks in NBA 2K23, and that it’s reached the point of no return. I’ve also unfavourably compared it to MyCAREER in NBA 2K14, which I’m still greatly enjoying. I’ve discussed the varying quality of the stories, and how that approach could best be used. Over the years, I’ve experienced the best and worst of MyCAREER, so when I say that the mode is at an all-time low, that doesn’t come from a point of ignorance, nor is it hyperbole.

It wasn’t an immediately sharp decline, but the writing has been on the wall since NBA 2K18. I’ve described it as a turning point for the series, and MyCAREER is the mode that was most impacted. The implementation of The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 steered MyCAREER towards an eventual identity crisis, which finally came to fruition with the expansion into The City in NBA 2K21 Next Gen. Not everyone wanted to see it that way, preferring to shout down anyone who dared not enjoy it. Now that the problems are painfully obvious to all but the staunchest shills and fanboys, we can openly acknowledge that the mode doesn’t know what it wants to be.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: June 24th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

Big dunks, big swats, explosive moves. That’s the theme of this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! And when I say dunks, I’m not talking about wide open rimgrazers. You’ll see some wild alley-oops with acrobatic finishes, and some absolutely vicious poster dunks. There’s also great two-way plays, broken ankles, and even a clutch dagger in there for good measure. On top of that, there’s the usual great variety as six different games are spotlighted in the countdown including NBA in the Zone 2000, as well as NBA Live 09; a game we’ll be revisiting soon on the NLSC Podcast. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

The Friday Five: 5 Player Absences You May Not Remember

The Friday Five: 5 Player Absences You May Not Remember

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five player absences in various basketball video games that you may not remember.

What’s a sure sign that someone has been playing basketball video games since the 90s? They remember a time when sim titles weren’t guaranteed to feature every player in the NBA! These days, the agreement with the Players’ Association allows all active players to be represented in licensed video games. Roster updates will take care of anyone who’s missing at launch, adding new players as the season progresses. Back in the day, we had to resolve player absences ourselves, either by customising our own rosters, or downloading community-made updates whenever possible.

Even if you don’t remember those days from personal experience, you’ve probably seen and heard people like me talking about them! As such, prominent examples of player absences like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are well-known. There have been some other noteworthy player absences through the years however, some of which have likely been forgotten. Since I enjoy NBA and basketball game trivia, I’m sharing five examples of potentially overlooked player absences that I recall. Please note that I’m referring to players who were absent when they were still active in the league, so historical players that remain unlicensed in NBA 2K don’t count here.

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Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting My 1998 Roster for NBA Live 96 PC

Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting My 1998 Roster for NBA Live 96 PC

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at my 1998 season roster mod for NBA Live 96 PC.

It’s overwhelming to think that the NLSC has been around for more than a quarter of a century! Our founders tipped things off in 1996, I took over in 2001, and we’re still around all these years later. Through all the ups and downs, moving to different hosts, and putting up with some nonsense along the way, we’ve managed to outlast a ton of websites. We’ve also outlasted more than a couple of basketball video game series (and indeed, video game studios and publishers). Unfortunately we’ve lost some mods and resources along the way, but we’ve still got some fun stuff from the early days.

To that end, our archives have preserved some of my earliest roster mods for NBA Live 96 PC. Upon discovering the NLSC in 1997 and all of the work that people in the community were doing, I was inspired to try my hand at some modding as well. I released that work through my own site – the NBA Live Domain – and felt immense pride when our founders added it to the database of mods on the NLSC. How do I feel about those mods today? It’s been a while since I’ve played with or taken a long look at them, so I thought I’d start by revisiting my 1998 roster for NBA Live 96, which I actually co-credited to my cousin Clinton. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: Keep Those Old Saves

Monday Tip-Off: Keep Those Old Saves

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a PSA to hold on to your old saves whenever possible.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that more recently, I’ve preferred to stick with an old favourite – or new favourite old release, as is the case with NBA 2K14 for PS4 – rather than play the latest NBA 2K. It’s not just a matter of liking the gameplay better in older games, though admittedly that is a key factor. To be blunt, I’m tired of grinding and starting over from scratch every year, knowing that I won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour when the servers are shut down. And yes, the use of the word “labour” is deliberate here, because it does end up feeling more like work than play.

And so, I’ve gravitated towards games that hold up well, and I can continue to dust off and play for years to come. Reaching my sixth year in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is far more rewarding than anything I could achieve in NBA 2K23’s mode, which will one day be inaccessible. Retaining access to my Chicago Bulls Dynasty in NBA Live 06 PC holds far more appeal than any cards that I could collect in NBA 2K23 MyTEAM. With care, I can preserve those experiences and revisit them whenever the mood strikes, which isn’t the case when live service content is involved. However, thanks to a lack of foresight, there are long-lost saves that I’ll never be able to revisit.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: June 17th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

This week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays features a dazzling assortment of dunks – as always – but it’s not just about leaving the rim rocking. There are some incredible moves setting up the drives that culminate in those fantastic finishes, including some unique ones that you may not have ever seen before; even if you’ve spent hundreds of hours with the game! There’s also a move by Derrick Rose that shows how NBA Live 14 had promise amidst its roughness, and a play demonstrating why Terry Hanson is a Virtual Hardwood Legend. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

The Friday Five: 5 Factors Drawing Me To Older Games

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five factors that are drawing me towards playing older games rather than more recent titles.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a predisposition for playing older games, basketball or otherwise. My earliest forays into gaming came with a system that was already outdated before I was born, thanks to the Video Game Crash of 1983. I’m also a creature of habit prone to sentimentality and nostalgia, so I’m not one to readily throw the past away and never look back. I didn’t always have the latest hardware growing up, so sometimes I had to stick with the older games that I could run. It’s why I was still keen to update NBA Live 96 PC as others were gearing up for NBA Live 98.

Old habits die hard, so it’s no surprise that I remain open to playing older games, even though I own and can play more recent releases. Still, it’s not just nostalgia that has me reaching for old favourites over the last few NBA 2K games. It’s part of it, sure, but in all honesty, as far as my experiences on the virtual hardwood, I’ve had more fun going back to NBA 2K14 and an assortment of other older titles. Even though I was impressed by NBA 2K23 – and all of its nostalgic content – I soon put it aside to play my favourites from yesteryear, as well as search for new retro kicks. When I reflect upon it, there are five main factors that are continually drawing me to older games.

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Wayback Wednesday: 25 Years Since The Last Dance

Wayback Wednesday: 25 Years Since The Last Dance

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on it being 25 years since the Chicago Bulls’ sixth championship, aka The Last Dance.

I admire fans who continue to support teams that haven’t won a championship, or even had the opportunity to compete for one by making it through to the NBA Finals. As rough as it’s been to be a Chicago Bulls fan in the 21st century, I’m comforted by the memories of watching their incredible run in the 90s. That’s not to say that I don’t want to see them get back there, but I had it pretty good growing up as a Bulls fan; far better than fans of most other teams! As such, with so many bandwagoners, and fans that follow players rather than teams, I respect loyalty to clubs despite tough times.

Of course, those memories of the glory days are getting further into the past! To put it into perspective, there were fewer years between Bill Russell’s last championship and Michael Jordan’s first, than there are between MJ’s first ring and today. Sure, that’s just how the passage of time works, but it doesn’t make it any less wild to get your head around! As the 2000s became the 2010s, and the 2010s became the 2020s, every Bulls title began passing milestones that would’ve felt like such a long time ago to a kid like me in the 90s. As an adult in 2023, it seems like it was only yesterday! And now, The Last Dance is a quarter of a century old. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: No News Is No Reason for Clickbait

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on creating clickbait content in lieu of actual news.

I’m a content creator in the basketball gaming community. I think it’s fair to claim that; I write articles, co-host a podcast, produce videos, and even occasionally create mods. To that point, I’m all too aware of the desire to see your content clicked on, downloaded, shared, and hopefully enjoyed. I realise that we all need to aim for SEO, jump on trends and hashtags, and attempt to appease whatever convoluted algorithm is steering people towards content on any given platform. I’m not puzzled as to the reasons why content creators engage in clickbait, because it’s a highly effective tactic.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a cheap, lousy practice. Mind you, if the content is at least halfway decent, then having some clickbait-y elements is somewhat excusable. Indeed, if the content is enjoyable and there’s nothing really misleading about it, you could argue that it isn’t actually clickbait. Some things are pure clickbait however, and it does exist in the basketball gaming community. With an extremely short preview season nowadays, not to mention NBA Live’s absence, it’s inevitable – and logical – to fill in the silence with speculative content. That needn’t be a problem, but it depends on how it’s presented. A lack of news is not an excuse for clickbait.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: June 10th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

I try not to say it too often so as not to diminish the meaning, but this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays is one of the best yet! The community really brought the goods with an array of flashy moves and spectacular finishes, from ankle breakers and crafty passes to rim-rocking dunks and acrobatic layups. That includes a DeAndre Jordan windmill in NBA Live 15, and a play from the 2023 NBA Finals in NBA Live 06, as set up by the NBA Live 2001 Legends. Indeed, the NBA Live series was quite popular this week, accounting for four of the eight games featured in the countdown. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.