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 future NBA 2K games could craft a better MyCAREER story.

As much as I’ve criticised the approach, I am somewhat fascinated by the concept of the MyCAREER story. It’s been done rather badly in a couple of games, be it the way it’s affected the gameplay experience, the narrative, or both. As such, it would be nice to have the option of a straightforward career mode. At the same time, a lot of effort has gone into the approach over the years, and it’s paid off with a couple of rather good and enjoyable tales. Since the concept doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, it’s vital that Visual Concepts does the best job possible with it.

When it comes to the MyCAREER story approach – in particular, the times it hasn’t been done well – there have been a few common drawbacks since its debut in NBA 2K14. Ill-fitting back stories and unlikeable personalities for the player character, annoying NPCs and cringe-worthy cutscenes, a lack of story branching, meaningless decisions, and general intrusiveness, are among the most prominent issues. The good news is that these problems can be remedied, and if backed by a well-written narrative with characters that aren’t annoying in a bad way, a story can enhance MyCAREER. To that end, this is how I’d like to see the MyCAREER story crafted in future games.

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Episode #268 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Kenny and I have new content and title updates for NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 to discuss, some NBA news to catch up on, and as always, some stories about what we’ve been doing on the virtual hardwood.

On this week’s show…

• The December 4th content update for NBA Live 19 features some worthwhile fixes and additions. However, we’re still left wanting a little more out of the game.
• Patch 1.07 for NBA 2K19 likewise provides a few welcome fixes and new content. It also includes a gameplay adjustment that should cut down on some online cheese.
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming saw some fantastic performances, a determined grind for more VC, and a few less-than-stellar random online teammates (except for one).
• We wrap up Episode #268 of the NLSC Podcast with the usual NBA discussion. This week’s topics include recent trades and signings, parity in the West, and the continuation of an unofficial Melo Watch segment.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:26:20 — 59.4MB)

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Got a mailbag question or topic suggestion for the next show? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

Many people are still playing NBA 2K14 PC, and so our community is still pumping out some great mods for a prior gen favourite. In addition to another big update to skoadam’s U R Basketball mod, today’s file additions include a few more future prospect faces, and an updated Mall of Asia Arena court. Check them all out at the links below!

Blang
Ja Morant Face
Ignas Brazdeikis Face
Shamorie Ponds Face

Sastre Matulin
2018 Mall of Asia Arena Court (2019 World Cup Qualifiers) (Updated to v4.0)

skoadam
2K14 U R Basketball V62 [35 Complete Seasons Mods] + Accurate 18-19 Roster/Rotations [ALL Transactions 13th December 2018] (Updated to V62)

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.

Our modding community has provided a variety of updates in today’s batch of file additions for NBA 2K19 PC. Check out all of the new and updated releases at the links below!

MonkeymanJSV
Udoka Azubuike Face

bluejaybrandon
Terrance Ferguson Face & Tattoo Update

TwisT
Crowd Update – Southwest Division (Updated to v2.0)

Shuajota
Ding Yanyuhang Face (Updated to v2.0)
Shuajota’s Realistic Roster (Updated to v6.4)
Official Roster Update (Updated)

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.

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 offers five tips for earning and managing VC in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER.

Fighting the urge to buy VC to level up faster in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER? You’re not alone, as the game is designed to push you in the direction of microtransactions. Since the situation is unlikely to get better anytime soon, I’ve decided that it would be more productive to focus on some content that helps gamers rather than critiques 2K’s design choices. After all, while microtransactions are strongly encouraged, VC can indeed be gained without spending real money. With that in mind, I’ve devised five tips that I hope will be useful for both earning and managing VC.

Before I get to the tips, I should emphasise that it’s still going to be a long process. As the push for recurrent revenue is quite aggressive, the grind is very real. Perseverance will pay off, however. Aside from the pre-order bonus for the standard edition, I’ve not spent any VC that I didn’t earn in-game, and as of this writing, I’m sitting at 74 Overall (starting from the base rating of 60). I did skip The Prelude for this player, though as a bonus tip, I would suggest that you play through it in order to get a head start on upgrades and Badges, as well as an opportunity for a higher salary out of the gate. With that being said, let’s take a look at some strategies for VC budgeting!

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Patch 1.07 has come through for NBA 2K19. It’s currently available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, with the PC and Switch patches coming soon. As always, the patch should download automatically as long as your console is connected to the Internet. If it doesn’t, try restarting, or checking for it manually.

The patch adds the latest uniform and shoe updates to MyCAREER, MyLEAGUE, and MyGM saves. According to reports over at Operation Sports, it unfortunately doesn’t update existing MyLEAGUE Online games. A couple of gameplay tweaks have also been made, including an adjustment to illegal screens. New player likenesses and action shots have been added, a few bugs have been fixed, and there’s some new functionality in MyTEAM and 2K Pro-Am. Unfortunately, the latter still doesn’t support less than five users per side, as in past games.

Please see below for the full patch notes. You can also find them here in our Wiki. Feel free to share your thoughts on the latest patch in the comments section below, as well as in this topic in our NBA 2K19 Forum.

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Newly minted Contributor DaCrispy has been doing some excellent work with NBA 2K11 PC, as you can see from today’s file additions. His latest releases include 2019 season court and arena updates, and a G-League mod. Pick them all up at the links below!

DaCrispy
Denver Nuggets 2018-19 Arena
Atlanta Hawks 2018-19 Arena
Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Arena
NBA G-League 2018-19 Update
Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Court
Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Arena

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 DBF files in the PC versions of NBA Live.

Our community has produced several amazing mods over the years. We’ve been able to go from fairly basic roster updates to comprehensive total conversions, and a wide variety of tweaks and enhancements. Of course, some games have been easier to mod than others. The feasibility of modding a game generally comes down to the format and structure of the files; the easier they are to decode and manipulate, the easier it’s been to develop tools to edit them. At times, developers have gone out of their way to make this task easier. CustomArt is one such example, while DBF files are another.

In short, the adoption of DBF files greatly expanded what we were able to accomplish with roster editing in NBA Live. It’s easily one of the most important developments in the history of our modding community, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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A new content update has come through for NBA Live 19. Unlike title updates, content updates are downloaded in-game, as long as your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One has an active Internet connection. Key features of the latest content update include:

• New Live Content Data for upcoming Live Events
• New shoes and gear
• Jerseys from this month’s top performers
• Holiday throwback “gifts” for icons – 3 throwback jerseys exclusively for Icons at only 1000 RP each, all through December.
• CANVAS Madsteez items for sale
• New Court Battles players
• Rosters Updated
• Fixed various issues with legends in court battles not appearing with their proper team info, portrait info or gear

For more information, check out this thread over on the official NBA Live Subreddit. As always, feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments section below, as well as take the discussion to our NBA Live 19 Forum!

Before we get too much further into the week, let’s catch up on the latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC! Today’s new and updated mod releases include face, court, and roster updates. Check them all out at the links below!

TwistedLogic
Antonio Blakeney Face

MonkeymanJSV
Tre Jones Face
R.J. Barrett Face

Manni Live
New York Knicks Madison Square Garden 4K

Torogi
LeBron James Portrait
RKJ No Injuries Roster (With New Retro Teams) (Updated to v1.5)

Shuajota
Calvin Abueva Face
Stanley Pringle Jr. Face
Beau Belga Face
Shuajota’s Realistic Roster (Updated to v6.3)

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.

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 double-dipping with basketball games on multiple platforms.

As someone who grew up playing a variety of video games on both computers and consoles, I’ve never cared for PC vs Console wars. I’ve enjoyed the hobby on both platforms, with the benefits that they each provide. Whether I’ve played a game on PC or console depends on whether or not it’s available on all platforms, the hardware I’ve had at my disposal, and if multiplayer is involved, which platform my friends are on. Of course, there are some games that I’ve enjoyed so much that I ended up double-dipping and buying them on a second platform as well.

Needless to say, basketball games are among the titles I’ve double-dipped with. In fact, when it comes to NBA 2K, I’ve double-dipped in recent years with the PC and PlayStation 4 versions; the former for single player gameplay and modding, and the latter for online play with the other members of the NLSC squad. While it’s worked out for me, in particular helping out with content creation and news coverage, I have to admit that one version of the game has usually somewhat gone to waste. With the amount of time we can sink into basketball games these days, it’s difficult to get the most out of a title on two different platforms. This year, I’m trying to remedy that.

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On the heels of the last release a couple of weeks ago, HAWK23 has released V43 of the Ultimate Base Roster for NBA 2K14 PC! Key features of the new version include:

• Added Ult Base Roster V43 Roster (current rosters as of 12/1/18)
• Added UBR V43 Association 2018 Roster (current rosters as of 12/1/18 best in association mode)
• Updated all transactions/signings through December 1, 2018
• Updated and improved coaching tendencies
• Fixed some player shooting forms/animations in 2000’s retro rosters
• Added accurate salaries/contracts to the 2018-2019 Rosters – courtesy Spider
• Added a few year-specific cyberfaces to the 2016-Current Rosters
• Fixed an issue with Mark Madsen’s CF (got overwritten at some point)
• Added real jerseys for the 1952 Indianapolis Olympians – courtesy Shinron
• Added real jerseys for the 1952 St. Louis Hawks – courtesy Shinron
• Added real jerseys for the 1952 & 1958 Minneapolis Lakers – Courtesy Shinron
• Added real jerseys for the 1960 & 1961 Minneapolis Lakers – Courtesy Shinron
• Fixed an issue with the 2002 Draft Class from loading

You can download the latest version of the Ultimate Base Roster for NBA 2K14 PC here! Be sure to check out the release topic here in the Forum for further information and previews.

Episode #267 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Unfortunately illness and jetlag got in the way of us recording an episode last week, but Kenny and I are back this week to catch up on the latest news and talk about what we’ve been doing on the virtual hardwood.

On this week’s show…

• Patch 1.15 has come through for NBA Live 19. We discuss the latest changes, recap some of the other additions and fixes in recent patches, and give our thoughts on where the game is at after a couple of months.
• EA Sports recently announced that NBA Live Mobile is the most downloaded basketball game this year. We reflect on how it’s helped the brand, even if it’s not something we’re into ourselves.
• NBA 2K19 has also received another update recently, namely Patch 1.06. Unfortunately we still haven’t seen the functionality we want to see patched back in for 2K Pro-Am, but there have been some other noteworthy and welcome changes.
• The in-universe value of Virtual Currency in NBA 2K19’s Neighborhood is truly astonishing this year. We note some of the oddities and issues with the exchange rate.
• Could a new college football game be paving the way for other college sports titles, including basketball? Can a sports game without licensing succeed in 2018?
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming included setting records in MyCAREER, playing with WNBA players and taking control of courts in NBA Live 19, and trying to unlock a team that’s close to our hearts in Basketball Classics.
• We wrap up Episode #267 of the NLSC Podcast with this week’s NBA talk. Topics include surprising results in the East and West, standout rookies, and more thoughts on Carmelo Anthony.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:56:42 — 80.2MB)

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Got a mailbag question or topic suggestion for the next show? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

In a retro mood this weekend? Freshen up a classic with today’s file additions for NBA Live 96! This time it’s a 2019 season roster update for the SEGA Genesis version of the game, created by K Dub. Check it out at the link below!

K Dub
NBA Live 19 Hardwood Classics (Sega Genesis)

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.

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 takes a look at five ways that NBA 2K pushes microtransactions on basketball gamers.

As much as I’ve criticised microtransactions in previous articles, I have to admit that I’m guilty of partaking in the practice. On some occasions, I’ve been more willing to drop some spare change on content because I’ve been enjoying the game so much. At other times, it’s been through gritted teeth because the grind has been so painful, and I’ve wanted to play online sooner rather than later. I’ve never broken my budget with microtransactions, but simply out of principle, this year it’s been my goal not to spend any real money on any form of virtual currency (in particular, Virtual Currency).

So far, I’ve made good on that resolution. The only VC that I didn’t earn in-game was the 5000 VC pre-order bonus for the standard edition of NBA 2K19. I’m currently 73 Overall, and I would have to say that grinding up the hard way has been a rewarding journey. It is most certainly a grind though, especially now that ratings upgrades are getting more expensive. You really notice how actively (and sometimes, aggressively) 2K pushes microtransactions when you’re trying to avoid them! Metaphorically, it’s gone from a gentle nudge to a firm hand shunting you in the small of your back. Here are five ways that NBA 2K games pressure us in the name of “recurrent revenue”.

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