NBA Live 16

In addition to a new title update which includes the 2016 All-Star court and jerseys, NBA Live 16 has received another new roster update. As mentioned in the previous post, the rosters for the East and West All-Stars have been updated, including Pau Gasol replacing Jimmy Butler. Chris Bosh’s last minute scratch will obviously have to wait until next week’s roster update at the earliest.

Five players on the way up in this week’s roster are Kyrie Irving (+3 to 87), Aaron Gordon (+4 to 80), Kyle Lowry (+4 to 87), John Wall (+3 to 90), and Gordon Hayward (+2 to 82). Conversely, five players on the way down this week are Jusuf Nurkic (-3 to 76), Andre Drummond (-2 to 88), Tony Parker (-2 to 84), Chris Bosh (-2 to 85), and Channing Frye (-2 to 74). Eleven active players are currently rated 90+ overall, headed up by Stephen Curry at 96 overall. The roster also includes recent player movement, and 45 accessory updates; check out this spreadsheet for more details.

NBA Live 16 has also received new All-Star Weekend content in Ultimate Team: over 50 new player cards (including boosted versions of the All-Star participants), 12 Solo Challenges, and one new Master Challenge. All the latest content will be there once you fire up the game, so if you’re playing a little NBA Live 16 over the All-Star Weekend, feel free to discuss your experiences in the comments below, as well as in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum.

A new title update (v1.06) for NBA Live 16 has come through on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The patch updates the game for the 2016 All-Star Weekend, adds new content for BIG Moments, and includes a few fixes. Per the update history on PlayStation 4, a quick overview of the patch is as follows:

• New All-Star court and jerseys
• New Live Season content
• Bug and stability fixes

The blog on the official website also mentions that the patch includes various improvements to presentation and online head-to-head play. From the looks of things, there are some new player face scans in the game, as New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingas now has a proper face.

A new roster update has also come through for NBA Live 16 today. The latest roster includes updated All-Star lineups, right down to Pau Gasol replacing the injured Jimmy Butler on the East All-Stars. Notably, a couple of recent coaching changes are also reflected, as Tyronn Lue is coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers (and the East All-Stars), and J.B. Bickerstaff is now coaching the Houston Rockets. Jeff Hornacek, Derek Fisher, and Lionel Hollins are yet to be replaced.

Feel free to add your thoughts on the latest NBA Live 16 patch in the comments section, as well as in this thread in the Forum. Also see below for some screenshots of the new All-Star court and jerseys in-game, and don’t forget to join us in compiling this year’s Wishlist for NBA Live 17.

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We’re back to our usual timeslot this week, with Episode #145 of the NLSC Podcast! This week, Arcane and I are talking Wishlists, our recent experiences with NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16, the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, and more.

On this week’s show…

• Our official Wishlist threads for NBA Live 17 and NBA 2K17 are now open, so start posting your constructive feedback!
• We reflect on All-Star Weekend in NBA Live, and fantasise about its return.
• A list of players missing from NBA 2K16’s historical teams has been posted over on Reddit, leading us to wonder about the future of retro teams.
• What have we been doing in NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16 this past week? We recap our latest adventures on the virtual hardwood.
• How did we originally find the NLSC and get involved with it? We answer a mailbag question about our history with the site.
• Who are some our favourite fringe NBA players? Have we ended up acquiring any of them in our franchise games?
• Derek Fisher is the latest head coach to get the axe. The circus continues in New York.
• ESPN has named Michael Jordan the greatest NBA player of all-time in a recent feature. We don’t disagree.
• The NBA is considering changing the Hack-a-Whoever rules. We’re not heartbroken.
• Blake Griffin has been suspended for his altercation with an assistant equipment manager. Meanwhile, Markieff Morris is still trying to force his way out of Phoenix.
• The 2016 All-Star Weekend is almost upon us. We run down our official predictions.
• After double-checking the date for our next show, we also give our Bold Predictions for this week.
• We wrap up Episode #145 of the NLSC Podcast with another trivia game, and an interesting note regarding LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:28:31 — 43.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Get your week started here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to basketball video games.

If you caught Episode #144 of the NLSC Podcast, you’ll know that I went on a bit of a rant about a recent experience I had while playing NBA Live 16 online. In a nutshell, I had an opponent who was losing quit with a couple of seconds left in the fourth quarter, to avoid the loss and rob me of the win. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly pleased by that turn of events. The word I used on the Podcast was “scumbag”, and I stand by that description. It was not the sporting thing to do, plain and simple.

The matter of sportsmanship in online basketball gaming is an important one, and since podcasts aren’t everyone’s favourite medium, I’ve decided to write about it in this week’s Monday Tip-Off. Of course, the issue isn’t exclusive to basketball games, but when it comes to both major hoops titles, unfortunately there aren’t really any measures in place to prevent or at least discourage it. Don’t like the way things are going? Want to avoid picking up a loss? Then just quit, or cause a disconnection. Or preferably, don’t. To put it bluntly, it’s incredibly poor form, and shouldn’t be allowed.

You may feel that it isn’t a big deal, that it’s just the way it goes with online play. I would strongly disagree with that assertion, however. This is something that both EA Sports and 2K Sports need to find a way to address, and behaviour that certain basketball gamers need to cut out.

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We’re a little late again this week, but our streak is alive as Episode #144 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Arcane and I discuss recent news and events in basketball gaming, bring back a couple of segments, and talk about a few NBA topics including the upcoming 2016 All-Star Weekend.

On this week’s show…

• The NBA Live 16 rosters have been updated, but do not include this year’s All-Star teams, jerseys, or court. We also touch on the continued lack of updates to BIG Moments and NBA Rewind.
• Following our speculation last week, the NBA 2K16 Road To The Finals Pro-Am tournament has tipped off with pre-season play. Unfortunately for PC gamers, it appears to be console only.
• Take Two is being sued over the unauthorised use of certain players’ tattoos in NBA 2K16. Fair or foul?
• Returning in this week’s NLSC Podcast, Our Week in Basketball Gaming! This week, it’s all about Ultimate Team, MyCAREER, and a rant about sore losers online.
• What are some of the biggest mistakes we’ve made in franchise modes over the years?
• Do we have any plans to get into some NBA 2K16 modding?
• Jeff Hornacek has been fired by the Phoenix Suns, and replaced by Earl Watson. Not altogether surprising.
• With the trade deadline looming, we look at some rumours making the rounds, and consider who might be changing teams. Will any big names be wearing new jerseys after the deadline?
• We give our thoughts on the suggestion that Kobe Bryant will shut it down after All-Star Weekend.
• The participants for the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout have been announced, so we throw out some early predictions.
• Could Kevin Durant end up with the Golden State Warriors next season?
• In this week’s Bold Predictions…more of the same. The slump has to end sometime, right?
• We wrap up Episode #144 of the NLSC Podcast with the return of Trivia Question, featuring a tidbit from beyond the arc.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:37 — 39.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

A new roster has been pushed through for NBA Live 16, and EA has now published a blog detailing the latest updates over on the official website. A couple of recent transactions are accounted for, though as discussed in Episode #143 of the NLSC Podcast, Josh Smith is still on the Los Angeles Clippers’ roster. In addition to adjusted ratings, the latest roster also includes 37 accessory updates.

Five players on the way up in the latest roster are Nikola Vucevic (+3 to 86), LaMarcus Aldridge (+2 to 86), Carmelo Anthony (+2 to 89), Bobby Portis (+2 to 74), and Dwyane Wade (+2 to 85). Five players on the way down this week are Matthew Dellavedova (-3 to 79), Derrick Rose (-2 to 80), Patrick Beverley (-2 to 80), Avery Bradley (-2 to 80), and Evan Fournier (-2 to 76).

For a full breakdown of all the changes in the latest roster, be sure to check out this spreadsheet. If you’ve got any thoughts you’d like to share on the latest roster, or feedback you’d like to send along to the development team, feel free to have your say in the comments below, as well as in this thread in the NBA Live 16 section of the NLSC Forum.

We’re coming at you a little later this week, but Episode #143 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join Arcane and I as we discuss recent updates for NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16, give our thoughts on the 2016 All-Star selections, answer a few mailbag questions, and more.

On this week’s show…

• We tip things off with a look at recent NBA Live 16 updates, including thoughts on the latest rosters, and the lack of content for BIG Moments.
• EA are dropping out of E3, in favour of hosting their own event, EA Play. The event will be open to the public, and will feature hands-on game demos.
• Speaking of EA, we also touch on some recent comments Andrew Wilson made about changing the company’s image.
• Patch #5 has been released for NBA 2K16. Its focus suggests that the Pro-Am Road To The Finals tournament isn’t too far away.
• The starters and reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game have been announced. We recap the selections, and give our thoughts.
• We reflect on the selections for the Rising Stars Challenge, which were also recently announced.
• David Blatt’s unexpected and virtually unprecedented firing got a lot of people talking in the past week, so it’s our turn to weigh in on the situation.
• Last week, we discussed players who might be traded. One of them has been, as Josh Smith has been sent back to the Houston Rockets.
• We compare the 1996 Chicago Bulls to the 2016 Golden State Warriors. Who would win, what would the match-ups be like, and how close would it be?
• Who are some of the biggest Draft busts that come immediately to mind? Unfortunately, MJ has picked a couple of them.
• We’ve both come up empty in Bold Predictions the last couple of weeks, which means Andrew is still yet to get on the scoreboard. Surely, this is the week it all turns around!
• We wrap up Episode #143 of the NLSC Podcast with a bizarre incident involving Blake Griffin.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:17:04 — 38.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Get your week started here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to basketball video games.

The official roster updates for NBA Live 16 haven’t exactly received universal acclaim so far. In addition to a couple of players still lacking proper faces, there have been lingering issues with missing players, incorrect jersey numbers, and other anomalies with player bio data, though subsequent updates have included several fixes on all those fronts. I do suspect that there may still be some issues with the update system that’s in place, and the lack of in-game roster editing functionality is sorely missed as a result. However, except for a couple of weeks over the holiday break, the weekly updates have been coming through consistently, and on time.

Each week, the official NBA Live website spotlights the biggest movers and shakers in the latest roster update, and there have been some significant ratings changes since NBA Live 16’s launch. Generally speaking, I feel that some really good work has been done with the ratings in the NBA Live 16 roster updates, as the season has progressed. Having made unofficial roster updates for NBA Live for many years, I appreciate the constant balancing act of not getting too carried away boosting and decreasing ratings, and the pain of getting overall ratings to look “correct”, without skewering the individual ratings to make it happen.

So, what stands out to me the most when it comes to the improved ratings in NBA Live 16?

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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to basketball video games, the real NBA, or another area of interest to our community, either as a list of five items or in the form of a Top 5 countdown.

Since we’re getting into Wishlist season, last week’s edition of The Friday Five covered five features that I’d like to see return in NBA Live. I’m continuing with that theme this week as I count down the top five gameplay improvements that I’d like to see, preferably beginning with NBA Live 17. While I really want to see the game modes get deeper and some more bells and whistles added, NBA Live’s gameplay still needs some polish and enhancement, as it’s obviously an important aspect of the core experience.

That’s not to say it needs a complete overhaul, or that the current tech isn’t capable of doing the job. I’ve seen some good things from the IGNITE engine, and there’s been a noticeable improvement over the past three years. However, there are definitely some much needed improvements and additions that need to be made to NBA Live’s gameplay, to get it to the level it really needs to be at. So, without any further ado, here are the top five gameplay improvements that I want to see in NBA Live, beginning with number five.

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The Week 8 roster update for NBA Live 16 has now come through. The latest update adds Lorenzo Brown to the Phoenix Suns and Elliot Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Joe Harris is now in the free agent pool. Player ratings have also been updated, and there are 32 adjustments to player accessories in the new roster. For the full breakdown, check out this spreadsheet.

As far as the biggest movers and shakers in the latest roster update are concerned, five players on the way up this week are LeBron James (+2 to 93), Chris Bosh (+2 to 82), Evan Fournier (+2 to 78), Jimmy Butler (+1 to 92), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+1 to 79). On the other side of the ledger, five players on the way down this week are Wesley Johnson (-3 to 77), Andrew Bogut (-2 to 85), Kyrie Irving (-2 to 86), Nikola Pekovic (-2 to 74) and Kyle Korver (-2 to 76).

There are currently ten players rated 90+ overall in NBA Live 16. Stephen Curry remains the top dog at 95 overall, while the latest roster has LeBron James and Russell Westbrook tied for second at 93. Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard are third at 92 overall, with Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul sitting at 91. Draymond Green and and Tony Parker are both currently 90 overall.

Any thoughts on the latest NBA Live 16 roster? Feel free to have your say in the comments section below, as well as this thread in the Forum.

It’s Thursday once again, so a new episode of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Arcane and I are fulfilling our digital broadcasting duties this week with Episode #142, featuring more topics related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and the past week of action in the NBA.

On this week’s show…

• We discuss the most recent NBA Live 16 roster update, including the addition of Elton Brand and the latest ratings adjustments.
• A rumour regarding the expansion of the NBA Live development team has been brought to our attention. We don’t have any inside information, but we have a few thoughts on the possibility all the same.
• The good news: face scanning has come to NBA 2K16 PC. The bad news: a lot of gamers probably won’t be able to take advantage of it, at least not yet.
• We reflect on the issue of content creators getting burned out, talking about our own experiences and offering some advice.
• Jimmy Butler became the fourth Chicago Bulls player to score 50+ points. On a less positive note, it looks like Joakim Noah is out for the season.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day saw some wild games in the NBA, including a career high 52 points by Kemba Walker.
• A couple of players from the Class of 1999 are looking to make a comeback in the NBA.
• Matthew Dellavedova has been voted the dirtiest player in the league. Will we still defend our fellow Aussie?
• Andre Drummond set a new record for free throws missed in a single game. We take the opportunity to discuss the Hack-a-Whoever strategy.
• We offer up some suggestions of players who may be traded before or at the deadline.
• The NBA might appeal to international fans – like us – by scheduling some morning games in the future. Yes, we’re all for it.
• This week’s Bold Predictions see…well, more bold predictions. Last week wasn’t kind to us.
• We end Episode #142 of the NLSC Podcast with an interesting trivia note coming out of the Chicago Bulls/Golden State Warriors game.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:05:36 — 32.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to basketball video games, the real NBA, or another area of interest to our community, either as a list of five items or in the form of a Top 5 countdown.

In recent episodes of the NLSC Podcast, Arcane and I have been discussing the future of NBA Live, particularly how it’s a case of “now or never” when it comes to certain features and improvements. Likewise, back in October of last year, I engaged in a little early Wishlist talk in The Friday Five, with a piece titled 5 Things NBA Live 17 Absolutely Has To Do. Suffice to say, we have some strong feelings about what we feel the series has to achieve with this year’s iteration, as do other members of the basketball gaming community.

Since it is just about time to start creating our official Wishlist threads, I thought I’d use this week’s Five to revisit the topic of what needs to be done with NBA Live. There’s obviously going to be some overlap with the previous discussions, as I haven’t changed my mind about what I believe are the most important areas that Live needs to improve in. That said, on this occasion, I’m focusing on five features that I’d like to see return, and prioritising them in the form of a Top 5 countdown. Without any further ado, let’s tip things off with number five.

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A new roster update has come through for NBA Live 16, featuring ratings adjustments and lineups that have been updated as of this week. This includes the addition of Elton Brand to the Philadelphia 76ers, and a few recently released players being moved to the free agent pool. Brand is the only newly added player in the Week 7 roster, but 78 updates to player accessories have been included.

As a result of their strong play as of late, five players on the way up in this week’s roster are Kyle Lowry (+3 to 89), Patrick Beverley (+2 to 81), Kawhi Leonard (+2 to 92), Jimmy Butler (+2 to 91), and Draymond Green (+2 to 90). Five players on the way down are Tim Duncan (-2 to 84), LeBron James (-1 to 91), Marc Gasol (-1 to 84) Kobe Bryant (-1 to 80), and Zach Randolph (-1 to 79). Kobe and Randolph had been two of the highest rated players at their position upon the release of NBA Live 16, with ratings of 89 and 90 respectively.

Stephen Curry remains the highest rated player in the active rosters, at 95 overall. Cover player Russell Westbrook is right behind him at 94 overall, with Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul tied for third at 92 overall. Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, and DeAndre Jordan are rated 91 overall, while Draymond Green and Tony Parker currently sit at 90 overall. The number of 90+ overall players has essentially been cut in half since the release of NBA Live 16, which in most cases has brought players’ ratings back to a more reasonable and less overpowered level.

For a full breakdown of all the updates in the latest roster, check out this spreadsheet. If you have any thoughts on the NBA Live 16 rosters, or feedback that you’d like to share with the development team, feel free to join in the discussion here in the Forum.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for another episode of the NLSC Podcast! In Episode #141, Arcane and I discuss the future of NBA Live and NBA 2K, NBA Jam trivia, and the latest NBA news and results as we find ourselves at the midway point of the 2016 season.

On this week’s show…

• Has EA Sports done enough to create interest in NBA Live 17, or will the plug be pulled? Do they need to be doing more with NBA Live 16 to drum up interest for this year’s game?
• What’s holding EA back from releasing a game that can compete with 2K?
• We discuss some of the issues with animations in both NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16.
• With the NBA All-Star festivities not too far away, we reminisce about All-Star Weekend in NBA Live. Do we want EA to bring it back? You can probably guess our answer to that one!
• Fox Sports Australia recently posted some NBA Jam trivia, which we quickly recap and reflect upon.
• Which mode do we prefer in NBA 2K: MyLEAGUE, or MyGM?
• Moving on to this week’s NBA discussion, we mention a couple of notes from the past week, and run through a few midseason surprises and disappointments.
• The second returns for this year’s All-Star balloting have been released. The likely starters are becoming clearer, so we talk about some candidates for the reserves.
• Which Chicago Bulls player is most likely to be traded: Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, or Jimmy Butler?
• We revisit the question of which number the Los Angeles Lakers should retire for Kobe Bryant.
• Should Kevin Garnett receive a similar send-off to Kobe?
• In this week’s Bold Predictions for Next Week: Andrew still isn’t on the scoreboard. Will his latest prediction break the drought?
• We wrap up Episode #141 of the NLSC Podcast by naming the team we’d buy if we won this week’s big Powerball jackpot.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:19:05 — 40.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

EA Sports has pushed through the first roster update of 2016 for NBA Live 16, accounting for the latest player movement, and updating various players’ ratings according to their recent performance. As mentioned in Episode #140 of the NLSC Podcast, the rosters for NBA Live 16 hadn’t been updated since mid December.

Five players on the way up this week are Draymond Green (+5 to 88), C.J. McCollum (+3 to 80), Jimmy Butler (+2 to 89), Rajon Rondo (+2 to 84) and Larry Nance Jr. (+2 to 73). Conversely, five players on the way down in the latest roster are Zach Randolph (-2 to 80), Al Jefferson (-2 to 83), Chandler Parsons (-1 to 81), Damian Lillard (-1 to 87) and Steph Curry (-1 to 95).

Stephen Curry remains the highest rated player in the active rosters, with his overall rating of 95. Cover player Russell Westbrook is right behind him at 94 overall, while LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul are tied for third with an overall rating of 92. Incidentally, the lowest rated player in the game is Joffrey Lauvergne  of the Denver Nuggets, at 56 overall.

There doesn’t appear to be any other fixes or gear updates included in the latest roster. For a full overview of the player movement and ratings changes, check out this spreadsheet. If you’ve got any thoughts or feedback on the latest roster, feel free to have your say in this thread over in the NBA Live 16 section of the Forum.