NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on how a focus on online modes and content is killing – or at the very least, putting a serious damper on – retro gaming on the virtual hardwood.

Unless you’re talking about beloved classics, sports games – and in particular, the ones that see a new release every year – tend not to be very popular in retro gaming circles. Because they’re attempting to capture reality in both their gameplay and aesthetics, they tend to age worse than other genres. Sports gamers want the latest release, set in the most recent season. As a result, sports games don’t make second-hand retailers a lot of money, resulting in their trade-in value being very low. If you’ve ever tried to trade in your old basketball titles, you’ll know that all too well.

This phenomenon predates the more recent approach to designing basketball games, though it used to be easier to stick with an older title, or go back to one. One could have a lot of fun dusting off an old favourite, and indeed, that’s a major factor for my Wayback Wednesday features. However, the games of the current generation don’t have the same retro gaming appeal. The heavy focus on online modes and content mean that titles are far more limited than they used to be once the servers have been shut down and support has ceased. It’s not just online multiplayer that’s been cut off, but access to major parts of the single player retro gaming experience, too.

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We’re wrapping up this week with the latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC, specifically some new player updates. Download them all at the links below!

Shuajota
J.P. Macura Face
Andrew Albicy Face

MonkeyManJSV
Khem Birch Face

Arteezy
Michael Jordan 1985 Face

BLY
Dwyane Wade Final Game Face

Torogi
Fred VanVleet Face & Model (Updated to v2.0)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

An exciting new release by eskayelle has been added to our Downloads section: the Double Z Mod for the Super Nintendo version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition! The mod is an ultimate 90s update for NBA Jam TE on SNES, adding several new players and teams. An overview of the key features is as follows:

• Forget the Rookies! Now play as the 1992 Dream Team!
• Bugs from the original game have been fixed, i.e., the Grand Champions and Injuries bugs.
• Assets from the original game have been restored, such as the Mortal Kombat banners.
• Battle the 27 NBA teams from worst to first, based on 1992-93 conference standings and playoffs results.
• Tons of new secret characters, including Hulk Hogan, David Hasselhoff, Arnie (as the T-800), and more!
• Play as the 72-10 1996 Chicago Bulls!
• Play as the Motor City Bad Boys!
• Play as “The Worm”, Dennis Rodman, on at least four teams!
• Play as a new Underdogs team, pairing up some secret characters and other interesting match-ups.
• Expanded rosters are now as easy as inputting 2 versions of the Konami code.
• Enjoy new announcer sound clips with some serious 90s sound bytes. Just try not to smile when you hear the Macho Man chime in…or Ric Flair…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
• As an added bonus, included is a patch to play as Jean-Claude Van Damme. Welcome to NBA Jamme!

Download it here, and check out the release topic here for further information, support, and previews. eskayelle is also working on an NBA Jam 2K20 TE mod which will update the game with current season rosters, similar to the NBA Jam 2K17 mod that was released a couple of years ago. You can find more information on that project here.

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 NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five is a list of five options found in basketball games that are rather (or indeed, completely) pointless.

Generally speaking, it doesn’t hurt to have as many options as possible in basketball video games. When it comes to the selection of modes, we want options. When it comes to the controls, we want options. When it comes to gameplay sliders and game settings, we want options. When it comes to customising the game in any way…well, you get the idea. While it may seem intimidating to have too many options, I’d much rather that and simply ignore anything I don’t want to tinker with, rather than wish I had the ability to change something.

With that being said, there have been options and tasks in basketball video games that have felt pointless. In the best case scenario they can just be ignored, but they can still be annoying, if only because you can’t help but feel that they could (and should) be more useful. They leave you wondering why the developers bothered to have those options in the first place, or why something wasn’t done more efficiently. Others may simply be left over from previous games where they had more of a purpose, and some benefit the publishers more than gamers. Whatever the case may be, some options are quite pointless, and these are five that come to mind.

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Check out the latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC! Today’s new and updated releases include player faces, rosters, presentation updates, and more. Please see below for all the download links.

Shuajota
Willy Hernangomez Face
Domantas Sabonis Face
Juan Hernangomez Face
Allonzo Trier Face

Torogi
2009-2010 Pau Gasol Face
Tobias Harris Face
Marc Gasol Face & Model (Updated to v2.0)
RKJ No Injuries Roster (With New Retro Teams) (Updated to v2.0)

MonkeyManJSV
Walt Lemon Jr. Face

Aston2K
ESPN NBA Finals 2019 Scoreboard
All Teams Golden 3D Logos

TwisT
Crowd Update – 2019 Playoff Shirts (Updated to v32)

sticky-fingers
2007 ESPN Overall Presentation (Updated to v1.2)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m reimagining The Jordan Challenge in NBA 2K11.

The Jordan Challenge was a significant milestone in basketball gaming. In celebrating the career of Michael Jordan, it achieved what once seemed impossible: adding actual retro teams, rather than just a collection of Legends on Decade All-Star squads. Retro teams would be established as the norm, and the mode also paved the way for NBA’s Greatest the following year in NBA 2K12. The Jordan Challenge is a mode that I’ve profiled in a Wayback Wednesday feature, as well as gone back and finished. It’s a lot of fun, and a great achievement in one of the best NBA 2K titles.

With that being said, The Jordan Challenge isn’t perfect. As I’ve previously noted, the ten challenges do lack variety. Three of them are set in the 1990 season, recycling the 1990 Chicago Bulls and taking up spots that could’ve gone to other memorable games from MJ’s career. It doesn’t ruin the mode, but looking back, the inability to license certain players did limit it somewhat. With that in mind, I’m doing something a little different for this week’s Wayback Wednesday, and reimagining The Jordan Challenge with some additional and alternative games. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Episode #288 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Arcane and I are sharing our thoughts on the big gameplay update in Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19, and reacting to some other recent NBA Live news.

The show tips off with a few thoughts on the NBA Finals that we knew would be outdated by the time it went live; we apologise for the jinxes! We then turn our attention to the announcement that online support will be ending for NBA Live 14 later this year, noting our surprise at how long the servers have been kept up and running. After that, we dive into Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19. Despite the best efforts and good intentions of the developers, the tweaks unfortunately haven’t all been for the best. This leads us to once again glance ahead to NBA Live 20, and talk about what must be done for this year’s release to deliver a great game of virtual basketball.

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:28:12 — 60.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

What are your thoughts on Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19 and expectations for NBA Live 20? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the perpetual problems with NBA 2K’s servers.

There’s an Australian idiom that goes “mad as a cut snake“. It can either mean very angry, or crazy and eccentric; in other words, playing off the two main definitions of “mad”. On this occasion, when I talk about being mad as a cut snake, I’m using it in the “angry” context and in reference to NBA 2K. Last week, I expressed my disgust on Twitter after issues with the MyTEAM servers caused me to waste a Locker Code following a disconnection. I usually prefer to keep my commentary constructive but sometimes, you just have to let off steam.

Look, I can keep things in perspective here. At the end of the day, basketball video games are just that: games. If the worst thing that happens to you in any given week is missing out on some free content in a basketball game, it’s been a pretty good week. Of course, this is a site dedicated to basketball gaming, so those are the matters that we concern ourselves with around these parts. As far as the issues that rank among the most concerning, online stability is undoubtedly up there. For all of the great things that NBA 2K has done with innovative modes and connected experiences, problems with the games’ servers continue to be a major letdown.

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In a post over on the series’ official subreddit, the NBA Live development team has announced that online support for NBA Live 14 will be ending on November 1st, 2019. Until then, Ultimate Team and other online elements will continue to function as normal. The official announcement reads as follows:

We are sad to announce that as of November 1, 2019, NBA LIVE 14 will be retired. Until November 1, 2019, you will still be able to enjoy NBA LIVE 14 and use any existing Ultimate Team™ Points.

The decisions to retire games are never easy. Our development team and operational staff have poured their hearts into this game, and have loved seeing our community play. It is hard to see it retired, but the number of players has dwindled to a point where it’s no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping NBA LIVE 14 up and running. We hope you have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of NBA LIVE 14 and we appreciate your ongoing patronage.

NBA Live 14 was released November 19th 2013, meaning that the game will have received online support for almost six years by the time the servers are shut down. This is definitely rare among annual sports titles, although EA Sports has provided extended online support for previous NBA Live titles, including roster updates for NBA Live 10 following the cancellation of NBA Elite 11. After the issues that followed the shutdown of NBA 2K14’s servers in 2015, 2K also extended their online support period for all of their games to 27 months. Barring any changes to that policy, the servers for NBA 2K18 are set to be shut down December 31st this year.

With fewer and fewer gamers regularly playing the older releases, we can very likely expect the servers for NBA Live 15 and NBA Live 16 to be shut down within the next couple of years. We’ll be sure to post any updates on those titles as further details are made available. In the meantime, if you’re a completionist and haven’t yet acquired the Trophies/Achievements related to Ultimate Team and other online features, you may want to start grinding ASAP!

It’s been a few months since the initial release, but NLSC Forum member Dr B has released a new version of his prototype basketball game, Hoop Universe. As previously mentioned, Hoop Universe utilises a retro aesthetic and style of gameplay, similar to Double Dribble and early NBA Live games. Key features of the latest release are as follows:

• Added dribbling and crossover animations.
• Added athletic stance/squat animations (currently cannot move from squat but this will be used for shuffling, step backs, etc.)
• Added player indicator and name to player’s shadow.
• Added indicator to nearest player (will be used for various offensive off-ball controls)
• Added more detailed hoops to practice screen in horizontal and vertical camera angles.
• Added teammates to practice scene.
• Added layering system to allow for a 3D effect.
• Added gamepad support.
• KNOWN BUG: Game Crashes if attempting to change leagues at player select screen.

The game is available free in our Downloads section; pick up the Windows version here, and the Mac version here! Dr B is currently adding new animations to the game, and is working on a free throw shooting system. Feedback is most welcome in this topic in the NLSC Forum, where you’ll also find further information, previews, and support for the project.

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 NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five is a list of five things that I’ve stopped doing in my NBA 2K19 MyCAREER games.

I’m at that point of the year where I’m trying to wrap up most of my business with the current games, maybe try a few other things before I’m completely bored of them, and then get ready for the preview season and this year’s releases. I’m more or less done with NBA Live 19 already; although I’m giving it another look in light of the recent patch, I just can’t get hooked on any of the modes. I enjoyed Ultimate Team last year, but NBA Live 19’s approach to the mode hasn’t been to my liking. I’m hoping it’ll be a different story with NBA Live 20.

Conversely, I’m still playing NBA 2K19 quite regularly. Despite my desire to get back to franchise gaming and a feeling of burnout when it came to career modes, I’m still going strong with MyCAREER. In fact, I actually have two careers going: one on PlayStation 4 in which I also play online, and a second one on PC. While I am still enjoying the MyCAREER experience, there are a few things that I’ve stopped doing in the mode. Most of them are admittedly extracurricular, but for several months they were nevertheless part of the MyCAREER grind. That’s in the past though, as for the most part, I’ve taken to shunning the following activities.

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The latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC include player updates, retro presentation, shoes, and more. Check them all out at the links below!

Torogi
Norman Powell Face
Serge Ibaka Face & Model
Iman Shumpert Face & Model (Updated to v2.0)
Kawhi Leonard Face & Model (Updated to v3.0)

sticky-fingers
1992 NBA On TNT Overall Presentation
2007 ESPN Overall Presentation

seanbarkley
[seanbarkley] KICKSOLOGY (Updated)

TwisT
Crowd Update – 2019 Playoff Shirts (Updated to v31)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at an NBA Live 07 preview that we had to pull due to spoilers.

The NBA Finals often brings us our first glimpse of the upcoming sim titles, though for the moment, both EA Sports and Visual Concepts are remaining tight-lipped. I’ve previously reflected on how the preview seasons seemed longer and more exciting in years gone by, and that was certainly the case in the mid 2000s. Back then, a lot of sites (including the NLSC) were on a mailing list for preview assets from EA. As the 2006 NBA Finals began, we received a press release detailing a simulation of the series in NBA Live 07, some prior gen screenshots, and new gen gameplay.

Unfortunately, we then received a directive from EA Sports that the feature and all of the media needed to be immediately pulled, as they contained something that wasn’t meant to be seen yet. As such, it would be a few weeks before we received any media that we could publish, and that 2006 Finals simulation in NBA Live 07 was lost to time. It’s something I’ve kept in my archives though, and since the Finals are upon us, it seems like a good time to bring it out of the vault. So, what was the result of the simulation, and why was the feature pulled? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Patch 1.25 is now available for NBA Live 19! As with all previous official patches, it will come through automatically as long as your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One is online. If you encounter any issues, try checking for the update manually or restarting your console.

As previously promised, the patch includes various tuning tweaks for gameplay, and a deterrent for gamers who hog the ball in LIVE Run. Shot contests have also been adjusted, and higher-rated ballhandlers won’t be forced into picking up their dribble as often. A technical fix for users with five players is also included.

The patch also includes new likenesses for over 60 NBA and WNBA players, venue and uniform updates for Quai 54, WNBA roster and uniform updates, and some NBA rating adjustments. Data for future LIVE Events has also been pushed through in the patch.

Check out the full patch notes below, as well as in the NBA Live 19 update history over in our Wiki. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section, as well as here in the Forum!

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on what the next big innovation in basketball games might be.

June is upon us, which means we’re drawing closer and closer to the beginning of a new preview season for NBA Live and NBA 2K. A few rumours are already starting to swirl, and it hopefully won’t be too long before we get a few teasers and tidbits to sink our teeth into. In the meantime, we’re left to speculate, and talk about what we want to see in this year’s games. I’m hoping that NBA Live 20 will prove to be a big step forward for EA Sports’ series; conversely, I expect NBA 2K20 to be another fine release, though I am hoping it won’t mark a return to NBA 2K18’s greedy approach.

A new console generation also looms, so beyond this year’s releases, I’ve begun to wonder about what the future holds for basketball games. Apart from concerns about the direction (and whether I’ve started to slip out of the core audience), I’ve also been wondering about the next step in terms of innovation. After all, we’ve already seen the games become more and more realistic, incorporate a variety of deep modes, and provide new experiences through online play. New hardware will naturally facilitate a jump in graphics and animations, but as far as features are concerned, what else can be done to innovate on the virtual hardwood?

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