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Monday Tip-Off: Our Players Before MyPLAYERs

Monday Tip-Off: Our Players Before MyPLAYERs

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 the bygone practice of creating ourselves in basketball video games, long before we had MyPLAYERs.

When we think about creating players in basketball video games these days, it’s usually to either add a missing player to the current or historical rosters, or to create our avatar for career mode play. It makes sense, of course. Even though we have official roster updates, community rosters are not outmoded. Indeed, they’re essential as far as adding retro players that can’t be licensed. Career modes have been popular since their introduction, and have only become a bigger part of basketball gaming with the advent of the connected online team play experiences.

Obviously, we’ve been creating rosters and career mode avatars for years now. Although not everyone chooses to give their MyPLAYERs their real name and face – either via a scan or a close-enough approximation with the in-game creation tools – many of us do or previously have created ourselves for use in MyCAREER. Most of my MyPLAYERs have been “me”, aside from the fictional scenario where I’m good enough to play in the NBA! However, long before MyCAREER and its connected modes, many of us created ourselves on the virtual hardwood. It may seem like a quaint notion nowadays, but it was fun thing to do before we had these deep modes.

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Monday Tip-Off: Fear & Losing in NBA 2K

Monday Tip-Off: Fear & Losing in NBA 2K

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 how a fear of losing and having a bad time in NBA 2K’s connected modes has poisoned the online scene.

It’s been a familiar sight since the introduction of The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18. Plenty of MyPLAYERs running around or just standing there idly, while others wait at the Got Next spots, hoping in vain to get the numbers to play a game. Meanwhile, in The Rec, MyPLAYERs enter the locker room, only to quickly exit before a game can begin. Naturally, you stand a much better chance of getting a game if you’re with friends, but the hub world concept is intended to encourage gamers to socialise and form impromptu squads for pick-up games. It hasn’t quite worked out that way!

To put it bluntly, there’s a fear of losing in MyCAREER’s connected modes. No one enjoys losing of course, but when the fear of taking an L is so great that you’d rather not even play, that’s a big problem! At the same time, there are legitimate concerns about the quality of the online experience. It isn’t just about not wanting to lose, but also having no desire to team up with selfish players and trolls who are going to make it incredibly difficult to win. Between some people taking things so seriously that they don’t want to risk a loss, and others not wanting to jump into a game knowing that it’s going to be a bad time, the online scene in NBA 2K remains shockingly substandard.

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Monday Tip-Off: Half a Decade in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

Monday Tip-Off: Half a Decade in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

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 playing half a decade (and counting) in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

It’s wild that my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is now in Year 6. That would’ve been unthinkable just a few years ago, as it took me a long time to warm up to the game! On top of that, I began a proper playthrough of the mode for a Wayback Wednesday feature posted in August of 2021, and by October that year, I’d decided that finishing my rookie season would be a good way to say goodbye to MyCAREER; at least for the moment. Three years later, I’m not only still playing that game, but I’ve finished four more full seasons on top of that!

There’s no doubt that it’s become one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences. NBA 2K14 still holds up superbly on the sticks, and while MyCAREER is missing a few key features that I’ve enjoyed in later iterations of the mode, I also appreciate its simplicity and focus on the NBA. As far as the journey itself, I’ve been impressed by how each season has held my attention and provided its own subplots, even though the cutscene-driven story basically concluded after my rookie year. It’s been fascinating to see how the league has changed, and also, how some things have stayed the same. As I’m sure you can tell from my recaps, it’s been a fun half decade.

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NLSC Podcast #510: Street Hoops & NBA 2K League Elitism

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #510 of the NLSC Podcast!

Are the NBA 2K League competitors actually the best NBA 2K gamers in the world? Both we and the community have some thoughts on that, as well as a ridiculous comparison to real NBA players. Meanwhile, a session with Street Hoops by Black Ops Entertainment has revealed it to be a hidden gem, as we had an absolute blast with it! We also discuss the importance of the unwritten rules of sportsmanship in basketball, and thanks to the NBA Live 2001 Legends, reflect on the real and virtual accomplishments of Keith Van Horn. Finally, since we shared our basketball gaming resolutions last week, this week we open up the mailbag to find out what the community has planned for 2024.

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!

Monday Tip-Off: Crunching Those Virtual Numbers

Monday Tip-Off: Crunching Those Virtual Numbers

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 racking up statistics, and keeping track of the virtual numbers we accumulate in basketball video games.

Grumpy Elder Millennial of 39 that I am, I have a love-hate relationship with stats. I dislike how basketball and NBA discourse has been reduced to numbers, often cherry-picked to suit an agenda. Of course, even in my 20s – when I wasn’t quite as old or as grumpy – I disliked the way advanced metrics were beginning to creep into hoops talk. Some of the statistical feats being cited these days are utterly ridiculous: “first player to have 39 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists, three steals, two blocks, and shoot better than 54%, on a Monday, in a blue jersey”. Just stop!

With that being said, stats are still interesting, and they do factor into analysis of the sport. They’ve always been relevant to some degree, and part of the discussion. Big performances matter, and are fun to watch. After all, if a player scores 50, they’ve clearly hit a lot of shots, potentially on some spectacular plays. The same goes for the numbers we post on the virtual hardwood. Whether we’re controlling NBA players or an avatar in a career mode, most of us enjoy filling the stat sheet. Game-to-game, it keeps things interesting. Over the course of a virtual season, those numbers can be almost as fun to look at as the statistics that star players are tallying in the real NBA.

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Monday Tip-Off: When MyPLAYER Isn’t Your Player

Monday Tip-Off: When MyPLAYER Isn't Your Player

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 my thoughts on a lack of true role-playing opportunities with your MyPLAYER in MyCAREER.

It’s been interesting to see the birth and subsequent evolution of career modes in basketball video games. Putting aside the story-driven campaign in Sony’s NBA series, or the single season experience in the PlayStation 2 version of NBA Live 09, the first true career mode came with NBA 2K10’s My Player. That name eventually morphed into MyPLAYER and was given to our avatars, while the mode itself was re-branded as MyCAREER. NBA 2K14 brought a more cinematic approach to the mode, and since then, MyCAREER has essentially become a basketball MMORPG.

While the core concept of MyCAREER remains the same – you’re an NBA rookie with an opportunity to play through a career in the league – these changes have obviously impacted the on-court and off-court experience. Ironically, as the mode has become more and more RPG-based, there’s actually been less opportunity to role-play with your MyPLAYER! Where we were once left to use our imaginations and project a personality onto our avatars, we’re saddled with a character that’s following a script. Whether it’s by limiting our choices, or putting the story on rails via cutscenes, there are undoubtedly times when our MyPLAYER doesn’t feel like it’s our player.

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The Friday Five: 5 Changes That Fix MyCAREER Stories

The Friday Five: 5 Changes That Fix MyCAREER Stories

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 outlines five changes that would fix some of the stories in MyCAREER.

As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, I have a love-hate relationship with the story-driven approach to MyCAREER. I can appreciate the production values and some of them have been enjoyable tales, but others have been poorly-written and intruded on the gameplay experience. I’ve made snarky jokes about them, but I also find them fascinating to analyse. Perhaps it’s because it feels like the concept of a MyCAREER story has so much promise, but the execution has too often hindered my enjoyment, or just been somewhat disappointing.

While I don’t believe in dismissing criticism with “let’s see you do better”, I do think that critique can be bolstered by identifying potential improvements. In other words, the fact that I’ve never written and produced a MyCAREER story doesn’t disqualify me from having an opinion on them, but I should be able to suggest ways in which the stories could improve rather than just dismissively calling them bad. On top of that, it’s an interesting exercise to consider just how much we’d need to change in order to provide – in my opinion, at least – a much better experience. With that being said, I’m going to give it a shot! Here are five changes that I’d make to MyCAREER stories.

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The Friday Five: 5 MyCAREER Habits I Can’t Break

The Friday Five: 5 MyCAREER Habits I Can't Break

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 habits that I can’t break when I play MyCAREER.

Without a doubt, I’m a creature of habit. If I’m comfortable and there’s no need to switch things up, I’m not going to change for change’s sake. I have my go-to orders at my favourite fast food restaurants, as well as my preferred dishes if I’m eating at a more upscale establishment. I enjoy having a routine, and while I am open to new interests and experiences, I also know what I like, and what I can reliably stick with. This carries over into my gaming, basketball or otherwise. I’ve established preferences and habits that work for me in the games that I regularly play.

Needless to say, once I developed a taste for MyCAREER, I soon developed habits that are now extremely difficult to break. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as those habits have allowed me to enjoy MyCAREER in a number of games; as well they should, seeing as how they’re formed by my preferences and the experiences I want out of the virtual hardwood! However, some of those habits come from how I play other genres of video games. Being a creature of habit can also have its drawbacks, eschewing change and variety in favour of the familiar. With that being said, here are five MyCAREER habits that I can’t – or at least, very seldom – manage to break.

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Monday Tip-Off: Control & Influence in Career Modes

Monday Tip-Off: Control & Influence in Career Modes

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 about the importance of having an appropriate amount of control and influence in career modes.

There’s a reason that I’ve been talking about playing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER in so many articles and on the NLSC Podcast, posting updates and highlights over on my Twitter/X, and maintaining a story topic in the Forum: it’s been a blast! Playing into my sixth season has been so fun and rewarding, and it’s reminded me of why I came to really enjoy career modes. The emphasis on grinding and pushy recurrent revenue mechanics that have come to plague more recent iterations of MyCAREER aren’t an issue. There are no quests, no open world nonsense…nothing but virtual basketball.

Of course, being one of the earliest iterations of MyCAREER, and the first to adopt the story-driven approach, NBA 2K14’s take on the career experience does have a few limitations. There’s no private court where I can shoot around whenever the mood strikes, either for genuine practice or just to fill time. A few of the stats screens are inaccessible unless a news story on the in-game NBA.com links to them. There’s content that I can no longer access because the servers have long been shut down. However, it’s the features that granted more control and influence in later games that I really miss, even if the lack of them arguably makes for a more authentic experience.

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NLSC Podcast #495: A Second Look at NBA 2K24

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #495 of the NLSC Podcast!

Now that NBA 2K24 has been out for over a week, how do our second impressions compare to our first look at the game? This week we join the community in discussing how we feel about the gameplay after more time on the sticks, and it’s fair to say that we’ve noticed a few more issues! Having dived into MyTEAM and MyCAREER, we’ve also got some thoughts on the disappointingly greedy approach in both modes, as well as the difference between fair challenge and artificial difficulty. In addition to our ongoing NBA 2K24 coverage, we also take some time to catch up on what we’ve been doing in NBA 2K14, NBA 2K19, and NBA Live 06, while getting far too excited reminiscing about former NBA big man Chuck Nevitt.

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!

NBA 2K24 MyPLAYER Builder & Badges Insight

NBA 2K24 MyPLAYER Builder & Badges Insight

The latest Courtside Report for NBA 2K24 provides an insight into the MyPLAYER Builder and Badges in this year’s game. There have been some notable changes in both areas in NBA 2K24 Next Gen, revamping the way that MyPLAYERs are created for online and offline play alike. Changes to Badges are also applicable to MyTEAM.

There will be 24 new Badges this year while a few others have been removed, for a total of 77. Badges have also been split into four tiers, with each Badge having its own attribute requirements to be unlocked. This year, Badge levels will be determined by how frequently they’re used. Badges that are used often will trend towards the level that matches your play, while seldom-used Badges will trend downwards, though won’t drop below Bronze. Badge Perks will also provide boosts to progression.

In addition to completely customised builds, this year’s MyPLAYER will also provide templates based on NBA players for gamers who’d prefer a quick start. The naming system has also been improved so that builds are described more accurately, and there’s apparently been more focus on preventing meta builds that are OP.

I’ve summarised the information from the NBA 2K24 MyPLAYER Builder & Badges Courtside Report below, but as always, I recommend reading the original article for the full scoop. Dee and I will be discussing the latest NBA 2K24 news on the next NLSC Podcast, but in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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The Sunday Substitute: The MyPLAYER Transaction Report (Part 5)

'Where intensity happens' advertisement from NBA 2K13.

Welcome to another instalment of The Sunday Substitute! After another lengthy hiatus, I’m coming back and continuing with my series within a series, The MyPLAYER Transaction Report. For anyone new here, it’s a series where I document the teams I’ve played for across the NBA 2K and Live titles.

This edition includes the two latest titles – NBA 2K22 and NBA 2K23 – with a detour in between. Indeed, this is the beginning of me getting a taste for the older titles. I’m noticing many of them are holding up better than I expected, even without their online features.

Perhaps it’s out of me longing for a time when MyCAREER wasn’t a gigantic cutscene with some basketball attached. Or maybe I just like going back and seeing the names that are no longer in the league. Shoutout to Gary Forbes, Toney Douglas, and Justin Harper – they were all my teammates at some stage in NBA 2K13. In any case, expect to see some older titles in future entries of this series.

For now, we start Part 5 with a familiar scenario: an alternate build. This time, I find myself north of the border, backing up a rising star in Pascal Siakam.

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Monday Tip-Off: Being Broke Isn’t The Problem

Monday Tip-Off: Being Broke Isn't The Problem

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 how accusations of being “broke” are justifying predatory practices in gaming.

It’s time once again for me to attempt the impossible task of shutting down an ad hominem that’s become far too popular in basketball gaming discourse (and gaming discourse in general). Spend enough time talking about microtransactions, pay-to-win (or pay-to-enjoy) mechanics, and tedious grinding, and someone will accuse you of being “broke”. For you see, the only reason not to want to pay above and beyond the cost of a game is – apparently – because you can’t afford it. Conversely, being willing to dump disposable (or not-so-disposable) income into a game is somehow virtuous.

There are so, so many problems with that line of thinking. Sadly, however, shills continue to trot out that argument to shut down any criticism of recurrent revenue mechanics. “Broke” has become a buzzword along the lines of “cartoonish“, only it’s far worse because of how judgmental it is towards your fellow gamers. Obviously, there are hobbies that are expensive, and given the cost of hardware alone, video games do arguably qualify as such a hobby to some extent. There are still reasonable and unreasonable costs though, and focusing on personal wealth overlooks that the problems with recurrent revenue mechanics have nothing to do with being broke.

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Wayback Wednesday: A Forgotten NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

Wayback Wednesday: A Forgotten NBA 2K14 MyCAREER

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 a forgotten NBA 2K14 MyCAREER game.

I’ve been having a blast with MyCAREER in the PlayStation 4 version of NBA 2K14 since I revisited it a couple of years ago to write a retrospective. I got hooked on it after giving NBA 2K14 PS4 a second chance following an uncommonly negative first impression, and it’s become one of my favourite basketball video games. It’s why I’m currently in my sixth season in that MyCAREER, with an eye towards somehow, some way, playing through to the current day. Truly experiencing an NBA career is far more fun than grinding and worrying about the online meta!

However, while that specific game is a fairly recent kick, it wasn’t actually my first foray into MyCAREER in NBA 2K14. When it was released, I did begin a new MyCAREER in the PC version of NBA 2K14, intending to continue the fun that I’d had in NBA 2K13. That didn’t come to pass, as I struggled to enjoy the game, and didn’t warm up to NBA 2K14 until almost a decade later. I did keep the save file though, and it was interesting to revisit it now that I have a more positive view of NBA 2K14. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NLSC Podcast #480: Is NBA Live 15 Overlooked?

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #480 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA Live 15 generally wasn’t well-received when it was released, but might it be somewhat overlooked today? A fun session playing the game over Parsec prompts us to take a deep dive into all of its pros and cons. Suffice to say it’s a mixed bag, but it might just work its way into our rotation! We also connected to play NBA Live 06 PC with a 2012 season roster, and were reminded of what a special release it was. In this week’s mailbag, we join the community in talking about how we play basketball in real life. Which players would we compare our style of play to, and does that at all influence the creation of our players in career modes?

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!