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Monday Tip-Off: Low-Stakes Basketball Gaming

Monday Tip-Off: Low-Stakes Basketball Gaming

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 reflections on how much I’m enjoying low-stakes basketball gaming.

Naturally, Play Now/exhibition mode is a necessary staple in basketball video games, as it is in all sports titles. It’s important to be able to just jump into a game where the result doesn’t have to count, especially while we’re getting acclimated to a new title. However, historically speaking, I generally haven’t played too many exhibition games once I’m hooked on a release. More often than not, I’ve just used Play Now to grab screenshots for an article or news post, immediately quitting after getting what I need. If I was going to settle down to play a full game, I wanted it to count for something.

Over the past few years though, my habits have drastically changed. I’m still eager to play games that count, as my ongoing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER and other preserved save files demonstrate. At the same time, I’ve become far more open to – and keen on – low-stakes basketball gaming. Even putting aside sessions where I’ve just fired up a game to capture screenshots or video for a feature, I’ve probably played more Play Now and exhibition mode games in the past couple of years than I have in a long time; perhaps ever in my decades of hitting the virtual hardwood! I must say that it’s been incredibly refreshing, and as such, it’s something that I intend to keep doing.

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NLSC YouTube Round-Up Through March 2024

NLSC YouTube Round-Up Through March 2024

Due to a combination of trying to stay on top of other news and content, as well as troubleshooting some ongoing issues with our server – they should hopefully be fixed soon! – I’ve unfortunately been neglecting to post bulletins about uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel. If you’re subscribed to our channel however, you’ll know that Dee and I continue to frequently upload basketball gaming highlight reels.

Thanks to some minimalist roster modding in NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360, I’ve been able to follow up on my 2011 NBA Finals reel with a game featuring the 2003 Raptors and Rockets, re-creations of Reggie Miller’s final matchup with Kobe Bryant and the Spurs vs. Pistons NBA Finals from 2005, a showdown between the Class of 2002 and 2003, and a clash of All-Time Nets vs. All-Time Suns. I also played a game between the Knicks and Hornets in NBA 2K7 for St. Patrick’s Day, and celebrated March Madness with games of All-Time MSU vs. All-Time Wake Forest in NBA 2K17 and 2003 Syracuse vs. 2004 UConn in NCAA Basketball 09.

Dee meanwhile has uploaded highlights from a variety of memorable titles, including our co-op sessions that saw us take on the 76ers with the SuperSonics in ESPN NBA Basketball, face the Trail Blazers with the Hornets in NBA 2K18 for PlayStation 3, battle the Nuggets with the Suns in NBA Live 2000 PC, and stage an 80s All-Stars showdown in NBA 2K2. You’ll also find Dee’s highlights from NBA Street Vol. 2, featuring the Grizzlies taking on the Celtics.

Check out all of the recent NLSC YouTube uploads through March below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content, including the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee. As always, we’re open to suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, so by all means hit us up!

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The Friday Five: 5 Reasons NBA 2K17 Was The Best NBA 2K

5 Reasons NBA 2K17 Was The Best NBA 2K

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 reasons why NBA 2K17 has been the best game in the NBA 2K series so far.

Since I’ve already declared my pick for the best game in the NBA Live series – NBA Live 06 PC, incidentally – I figured that I should do the same for the NBA 2K series. As you can see, I’m giving the nod to NBA 2K17. As with my nomination of NBA Live 06 PC as the best NBA Live we’ve ever seen, my choice of NBA 2K17 isn’t exactly objective. I have plenty of affection for the game, as it’s one of my all-time favourite basketball titles, irrespective of series. Of course, there’s really no such thing as unbiased opinion, though there are well-reasoned and poorly-reasoned ones.

I believe I can present a fair and hopefully compelling case for NBA 2K17 being the best NBA 2K. You can definitely make valid arguments for other games in the series, and indeed, NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 has risen up my personal rankings over the past three years. As was the case with the best of the NBA Live series, it’s a close race between the top NBA 2K releases, and personal preference does come into play. With that being said, while my first four points could also apply to some of NBA 2K17’s predecessors, the fifth point is what puts it above all of its successors, at least in my view. And so, without further ado, here’s why I say NBA 2K17 was the best NBA 2K!

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Monday Tip-Off: C’mon Take-Two…CTC

Monday Tip-Off: C'mon Take-Two...CTC

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 clear message for Take-Two: when it comes to historical players, CTC; cut the cheque!

Browse the classic teams or the lineups in MyNBA Eras, and you’ll be able to compile a lengthy list of players who are missing. Now, getting everyone into the historical rosters in NBA 2K is easier said than done, and it’s unlikely we’ll ever see complete lineups outside of community-made projects. It should also be noted that 2K has made significant strides here, working diligently with Kenny Gattison – former NBA player and now Vice President of membership and Player Programming for the NBRPA – to get more alumni onto the virtual hardwood.

Even with his assistance, it’s not an easy task. Some players are difficult to track down, while others may not be interested in participating. If they’ve passed away, their family may be understandably reluctant to sign over their likeness rights. And of course, other players may simply be unimpressed by the offer Take-Two has made to them. In fact, three of the biggest names who remain absent – Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Rasheed Wallace – have been pretty clear that they’re dissatisfied with 2K’s pitch to be in the games. Indeed, when Sheed was asked about his absence, his response was CTC; cut the cheque! As such, I believe Take-Two should cough up.

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Monday Tip-Off: Video Game Teams

Monday Tip-Off: Video Game Teams

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 look at the concept of Video Game Teams.

Dee and I have mentioned “Video Game Teams” and “Virtual Hardwood Legends” on several episodes of the NLSC Podcast. That’s because they’re part of some of our favourite basketball gaming memories, and I know that we’re definitely not alone in that regard. There have been many articles and posts from basketball and other sports gamers who fondly recall players and teams that were dominant in video games – even unstoppable – irrespective of their real life performance. Indeed, video games are undoubtedly responsible for gamers becoming fans of certain teams and players!

At the same time, enthusiasm for the real sport frequently determines our choices in video games. For example, we’re more likely to use our favourite players and teams – if we have them – because there’s already some degree of emotional investment. We’ll also seek out a change of pace though, and if we’re passionate about the sport and its history, we’ll recreate interesting scenarios and historical showdowns. Over the years, we’ve seen many busts that become superstars on the virtual hardwood, and teams that fared much better in games. They’re often a blast to play with, but as the term “Video Game Teams” might be somewhat ambiguous, I figured I’d take a shot at defining it.

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Wayback Wednesday: Classic Teams in EA’s NCAA Basketball Series

Wayback Wednesday: Classic Teams in EA's NCAA Basketball Series

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 classic teams that can be found in a couple of games in EA Sports’ NCAA Basketball series.

It’s March Madness once again, and for long-time basketball gamers, that means our thoughts turn to college hoops titles. It’s been over a decade since we’ve been able to hit the virtual NCAA hardwood, at least without the aid of mods or retro gaming. As someone who grew up in a PAL region, I wasn’t able to play college basketball video games for many years. Indeed, it wasn’t until I was gifted a PlayStation 3 in 2019 and tracked down a few games from 2K Sports’ College Hoops and EA Sports’ NCAA Basketball series that I was finally able to experience them for myself.

I have to tell you, that’s been a blast! While the NCAA mods for NBA Live and NBA 2K have been fantastic, there are some aspects of college basketball that they can’t quite capture. The on-court experience in NCAA Basketball and College Hoops back in the day was impressively authentic, and a fun change of pace from the NBA titles. Even without adding real player names, I really enjoy them. However, something that has really captured my attention in NCAA March Madness 08 and NCAA Basketball 09 is the classic teams. Not only are they great bonus content, but they also had long-lasting ramifications on basketball gaming. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: Giving NCAA Games The Old College Try

Monday Tip-Off: Giving NCAA Games The Old College Try

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 reflections on my recent interest in college basketball video games, particularly EA’s NCAA series.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles and on our podcast, I didn’t grow up playing college basketball games, as issues with international licensing rights prevented them from being released outside of North America. With no PAL versions of the games, it was usually unfeasible to import them, since they wouldn’t work on the hardware that I own. Of course, college basketball itself isn’t as popular in Australia as the NBA or our own NBL are, so I’ve always had a more casual interest in the NCAA anyway. At the same time, I was intrigued by college basketball video games.

After all, I loved playing with the fictional players in World League Basketball, which of course was originally a college hoops title that was rebranded for PAL regions. I also read previews of NCAA games with a degree of envy, my interest piqued by mechanics such as momentum meters, the ability to shatter the backboard, and the inclusion of classic teams. When a friend gifted me his old PlayStation 3 back in 2019, I was finally able to add a few college basketball games to my collection. It was satisfying to track them down and finally check them out after all this time, as well as write about them. Recently however, they’ve been getting more time in my rotation.

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Monday Tip-Off: Don’t Let Imperfection Stifle Fun

Monday Tip-Off: Don't Let Imperfection Stifle Fun

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 advice to not allow imperfection get in the way of having fun on the virtual hardwood.

When it comes to sim basketball games – or sim sports titles in general – accuracy is obviously the name of the game. Inaccuracies, whether aesthetic or gameplay-related, stick out like a sore thumb. We have a similar philosophy when it comes to modding. Missing or incorrectly assigned art updates, inaccurate ratings, or some other mistake, will not go unnoticed. Perfection is a lofty and indeed impossible goal, but developers and modders alike strive to come as close to it as possible. At some point of course, we do need to make peace with some level of imperfection.

In fact, it’s important to not let imperfection stifle or stand in the way of fun. Again, this isn’t to say that accuracy isn’t important or something to aim for. However, by focusing on imperfections or allowing limitations to shoot down an otherwise good idea, you’re robbing yourself of a good time on the virtual hardwood. You can and certainly should point out errors, and constructively criticise aspects of games and mods that could stand to improve. There are undoubtedly times when an imperfection will detract from the experience. With that being said, as the saying goes, perfection is the enemy of good, and the pursuit of it can often stand in the way of our enjoyment.

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Wayback Wednesday: Throwback Stints in NBA Live 06 Xbox 360

Wayback Wednesday: Throwback Stints in NBA Live 06 Xbox 360

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 some throwback stints, as portrayed by the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06.

Tinkering with the rosters to set up fun scenarios and minimalist modding projects has become a staple of my retro basketball gaming. I enjoy the challenge of seeing what can be done with the assets I have at my disposal, and it’s gratifying whenever I’m able to cobble together something that I can at least get a game or two out of. Some attempts are more successful than others as far as creating playable scenarios, but if nothing else, I’ll get some interesting screenshots out of my endeavours. That’s what happened while I was on my extended retro kick with NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360.

While exploring the idea of a makeshift classic teams roster – something that fell apart thanks to a roster editing glitch that can happen way too easily – I ended up placing a number of players on their former teams, and taking some screenshots. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with those screens, but I didn’t want my efforts to go to waste, and figured that they’d come in handy for an article somewhere down the line. I may find further use for them yet, but for now, here are some throwback stints that I set up in the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Wayback Wednesday: Minimalist Modding & Retro Gaming

Wayback Wednesday: Minimalist Modding & Retro Gaming

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 at how minimalist modding can improve the retro basketball gaming experience.

It’s no secret that just as mods can enhance the most recent basketball video games, they can also breathe new life into old favourites. This obviously goes beyond the virtual hardwood. I remember discovering custom WADS for Doom II way back in 1998 that changed Doomguy and the enemies into characters from The Simpsons and South Park. I wasn’t really playing Doom II anymore, but learning about those mods and seeing what they were capable of encouraged me to dust it off so that I could try them out. It’s a great example of mods making an old game fresh and new again.

Of course, even without custom maps, those were still larger projects, akin to a current or retro season roster for an older basketball game. Those are fantastic and I absolutely support them; especially given my renewed interest in retro basketball gaming after a few years of feeling underwhelmed by the latest NBA 2K! However, minimalist modding can also freshen up older games and make them even more fun to revisit. Indeed, whenever I get hooked on an old game, I can’t help thinking about ways to change things up with some minimalist modding in order to expand upon the retro basketball gaming experience. Let’s look at a fun way to go back…way back…

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NCAA Basketball 09 Classic Teams & Other Highlights

NCAA Basketball 09 Classic Teams & Other Highlights

As we’ve been doing all year – and will continue to do in 2024! – Dee and I have recently uploaded highlight reels from various basketball games that we’ve been playing. The latest batch of highlights come courtesy of the classic teams in NCAA Basketball 09, Ultimate Team in NBA Live 18, all-time fantasy rosters in NBA 2K19, and a co-op session of NBA Live 10.

I’ve been casually working on a custom roster for NCAA Basketball 09, adding real names to all of the players on the classic teams. I’ve played a couple of games with that work-in-progress roster in the past week or so, beginning with a showdown between Shaquille O’Neal’s 1990 LSU Tigers and Larry Johnson’s 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. I also re-played the 1979 National Championship game between Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans and Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores, which went live today in honour of Bird’s birthday. Happy Birthday Larry Legend!

I also dusted off NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team once again, in order to play with my 90s All-Stars squad. This resulted in a very fun game against the Brooklyn Nets, packed with highlights that I just had to share. Meanwhile, Dee always brings a plethora of spectacular moments with his highlight reels, as you can see in the NBA 2K19 video in which he and his brother are using a squad of 2000s Legends against a Los Angeles Clippers team built using an all-time fantasy draft. In their hands, the new stars of a new millennium really put on a show!

Finally, Dee also connected with NBA Live Dude to play a co-op game of NBA Live 10 over Parsec. As you may know, Dee has been instrumental in getting the community into Parsec, and he and I often use it to connect for co-op action on the virtual hardwood. He and NBA Live Dude showcased why NBA Live 10 is still worth playing in 2023 and beyond, and why it will continue to be in our rotations as well. Don’t forget to check out his guide on how to set up Parsec, and be sure to join us in the NLSC Discord! As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, and be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content.

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NLSC Podcast #498: Mods vs. MyNBA Eras, & Overdue Call-Outs

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #498 of the NLSC Podcast!

After revisiting NBA in the Zone 2 over Parsec last week, we recap a fun showdown as we took on the Nuggets with the SuperSonics, while reflecting on the sim-arcade hybrid approach and comparing the game to NBA Live 97. We also played NBA 2K13 using the 1993 season roster from URB, which leads us to compare the attention to detail in retro mods to the lack thereof in MyNBA Eras. Speaking of inaccuracies, the WNBA Players Association called out NBA 2K24’s terrible player likenesses, a move that we wholeheartedly support. We also imagine the ideal gameplay for NBA 2K and NBA Live by combining our favourite mechanics from previous games in both series, and give a heads up on a great PC gaming deal.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The Friday Five: 5 Reasons NBA 2K Has a Virtual Monopoly

The Friday Five: 5 Reasons NBA 2K Has a Virtual Monopoly

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 reasons that NBA 2K now has a virtual monopoly over the virtual hardwood.

We’re fortunate that the NBA hasn’t followed the NFL’s example of offering video game developers and publishers exclusive rights to their license. In theory, we could still see an array of licensed NBA video games from a variety of companies, since there’s nothing legally preventing them from throwing their hat into the ring. Of course, in terms of feasibility and practicality, it’s not so simple. NBA 2K has set a high bar that sim basketball games are expected to clear and raise, meaning the NBA license alone won’t allow alternative titles to compete.

Since no one else is taking a chance on competing with NBA 2K, they have a virtual monopoly when it comes to basketball video games. Sure, there have been a handful of NBA Live games over the past decade – though none since 2018 – as well as two NBA Playgrounds titles. We’ve also seen some indie hoops games that don’t use the NBA license, including the outstanding Basketball Classics. However, NBA 2K is the only Big Name™ in basketball gaming, and the lack of alternatives and competition is essentially a monopoly. How did we get to this point? Here are five reasons that NBA 2K was able to establish a monopoly, with a little help from its one-time competitors.

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The Friday Five: 5 Things I Miss When I Play Old Games

The Friday Five: 5 Things I Miss When I Play Old 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 things that I miss when I go back and play older basketball video games.

Retro basketball gaming is awesome, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! That isn’t to say that newer games aren’t great too, and I certainly sink hours into them as well. However, don’t let the naysayers tell you that all previous releases were inferior to their modern counterparts, and it’s only myopic nostalgia that allows you to enjoy them. Whether it’s the pervasive presence of recurrent revenue mechanics, a grind that feels more like tedious work than a fun and challenging journey, or a questionable design choice in the gameplay, newer is not always better.

By the same token however, it’s true that not everything was better in the “good old days”. Some ideas, or entire games, have aged poorly. We can also forget that even the classics have problems of their own. If nothing else, there are enhancements and additions in more recent basketball games that I miss when I go back and play old titles. Their absence doesn’t render those old games unplayable or unenjoyable, but you definitely do miss the fun and/or convenience that they added. Even if there’s an old approach that still has merit and would work fine, we’ve grown accustomed to a new way of doing things. Whatever the case, I miss these five things in old games.

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NBA Live 10 Fantasy Teams Highlights: Classic Teams

NBA Live 10 Fantasy Teams Highlights: Classic Teams

With the launch of NBA 2K24, you can expect plenty of post-release coverage and content from us, including commentary and highlight reels. However, I wanted to share a couple of recent uploads to our YouTube channel that you may have missed, featuring highlights from Fantasy Teams games in NBA Live 10.

As Dee and I have discussed on the NLSC Podcast, NBA Live 10 has been a reliable go-to for us to play over Parsec. I’ve also developed a much greater appreciation for it since revisiting it a couple of years ago, and it’s now one of my all-time favourite basketball video games. The Fantasy Teams mode has been a fun way of changing up our NBA Live 10 sessions, especially when we’ve put together makeshift classic teams. That brings us to the two highlight reels that I’m sharing today.

The first game is one that I played on an actual PlayStation 3, using a work-in-progress Fantasy Sandbox roster. Using Fantasy Teams and the players available in the default rosters, I put together the 2001 Orlando Magic and took on the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. The second game was played using the PS3 emulator with Dee hosting over Parsec, where – inspired by the Mamba Moments in NBA 2K24 – we used Fantasy Teams to re-create a 2006 season matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Both games were a blast to play, and produced some great highlights in a game that still holds up superbly.

You can check out both of those highlight reels below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content, including the weekly Top 10 Plays, episodes of the NLSC Podcast, game retrospectives, video essays, and more.

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