NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

A new version (V2.8.1) of agent_michael_scarn’s Current & Legendary Edition Mod is now available for the GameCube version of NBA Street Vol. 2! Following on from the previous release, the new update accounts for the latest player movement. Key changes in the latest release are as follows:

• Swapped Andre Drummond for Jarrett Allen
• Swapped Victor Oladipo for Calvin Murphy
• Swapped Nikola Vucevic for Hedo Turkoglu

You can pick up NBA Street Vol. 2 Current & Legendary Edition here in our Downloads database! For more information on how to install it, as well as previews, further support, or if you just want to say thanks, check out this topic in the Forum.

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 the inactive players that can be found in the rosters of NBA Live 96 PC.

The PC version of NBA Live 96 is one of my all-time favourite games. I have so many fond memories of playing it, but it’s also a sentimental favourite. It was actually the first NBA Live game I owned; the Super Nintendo version of NBA Live 95 was the first game in the series that I played, but it was a frequent video store rental, and I didn’t add it or the PC version of NBA Live 95 to my collection until later. The game is obviously set in the 1995-96 season – also a personal favourite – and searching for NBA Live 96 content is what led me to discover the NLSC way back in 1997.

Even after I’d moved on to newer games, NBA Live 96 continued to be a valuable resource. Before Basketball Reference launched, we had to work a bit harder and consult various resources when we made retro roster mods, including older games. As I was quite fond of creating 1996 season mods, NBA Live 96 was one of my go-to resources. Unfortunately, its roster contained a few inaccuracies. While this certainly isn’t uncommon in games that predate official roster updates, the PC version of NBA Live 96 notably includes a number of players who were retired or inactive. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Basketball Classics 2.0 is now available on Steam! If you already own Namo Gamo’s fantastic retro-style hoops game, the update should come through automatically. If it doesn’t, try restarting your Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

The latest update adds long-awaited roster editing functionality. In addition to modifying existing player names, appearances, and attributes, the roster editor allows us to create brand new teams and players from scratch. A variety of player faces are available, with customisable hair and facial hair, accessories, and tattoos. Up to three custom rosters can be saved alongside the default roster, and custom rosters can be used in the game’s Season mode.

Josh and Dave discussed their plans for roster editing during their most recent appearance on the NLSC Podcast. You can listen to that in-depth chat with them in Episodes #342 and #343, during which we brainstormed some roster editing ideas. As for Basketball Classics 2.0, if you don’t already own it, I highly recommend picking it up on Steam. It’s currently $9.99 US, and well worth the price if you’re a basketball gamer with an appreciation for retro-inspired titles.

Today’s file additions for NBA Live 2005 feature an assortment of updates, from a custom camera to new lighting. Pick them up at the links below!

swishnet
Swishnet’s NBA Live 2005 Camera Patch
Custom Player Ability Icons
Swishnet’s Player Skin Update
Swishnet’s NBA Live 2005 Lighting Patch

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 some thoughts on the new Seasons approach adopted in NBA 2K21’s MyTEAM.

One of the major changes in NBA 2K21’s MyTEAM was the adoption of Seasons. For those unfamiliar with the concept, MyTEAM Seasons run for about six weeks, with each Season featuring its own theme, content, and Challenges. While modes of play such as Domination remain unaffected by Seasons, and Triple Threat Offline simply gains new rewards as each new Season begins, Season-based content such as The Agenda has a time limit. If you have any unfinished business on The Agenda by the time a new Season begins, too bad; it’s a new day in MyTEAM.

The Seasons approach is not unique to MyTEAM and NBA 2K, of course. It’s a form of the “games as a service” model that mobile and Triple-A games alike are using with ever-increasing frequency, which invites cynicism because of the way those mechanics utilise FOMO to push microtransactions, season passes, and so on. Less cynically, however, it’s a way to keep content fresh and not overwhelm late adopters with an overabundance of content. I’m generally in favour of Seasons in MyTEAM, but I do have a few criticisms and concerns that I’d like to discuss. Along with a few other aspects of the mode, the approach could be even better in NBA 2K22.

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Episode #371 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

We’ve both caught the modding bug, but one of us has been far more motivated and productive than the other. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from making lofty plans for roster projects! A recent Tweet by the EA Playtesting account offers a glimmer of hope for the future of NBA Live, though we’re wary about reading too much into it. Meanwhile, polls on Twitter and Reddit have made it clear how the community feels about the prospect of shot aiming in NBA 2K22…and invited toxic responses from the online elitists. In this week’s mailbag, we’re reminiscing about ESPN NBA 2K5 and NBA Live 2005, and discussing the idea of MyTEAM being released as a standalone game.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:46:34 — 73.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

Our own Dee4Three has been hard at work on faces for a variety of games recently, resulting in today’s file additions for NBA 2K19. Pick up a face for Charles Jones at the link below, and stay tuned for more retro season rosters for NBA 2K19, where this face can be put to use! Also be sure to check out this week’s episode of the NLSC Podcast, hosted by Dee4Three and myself.

Dee4Three
Charles Jones Face by Dee4Three

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.

Today’s file additions for NBA 2K14 PC include a retro jersey for the New York Knicks by Pep, and a jersey modding resource by NIKEAIRDRIP. Download them both at the links below!

Pep
1996/1997 New York Knicks HWC Uniforms

NIKEAIRDRIP
Jersey Name Removal Kit

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 is a list of five old basketball games that have shot up in price on the collectors’ market in recent years.

When it comes to sourcing copies of old NBA Live and NBA 2K releases, you won’t end up paying too much. Got your hands on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, and feel like taking a trip down memory lane with NBA Live 10? Even on eBay, you’ll likely pay less than ten dollars, Australian or US. Even games from the 90s – such as the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of NBA Live 95 – are generally cheap, as there are quite a number of copies in circulation. You might pay a little more for complete-in-box, but they’re mostly very affordable to collect.

And then, there are the old basketball games that have shot up in price. Last year I took a look at five old basketball games that are very expensive to collect, and there’s some overlap with this article. However, I’ve been made aware of some other titles that are tough to affordably source, at least through a market like eBay. Old basketball games are somewhat of a niche genre when it comes to video game collecting, and as I noted, many of them are too common to fetch a high price just because of their age. They’re still affected by the same trends as retro game collecting in general though, especially if they’re legitimately rare and highly sought after, as some of these are.

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The latest file additions for NBA 2K20 PC include retro faces by our own Dee4Three, and uniforms for the Harlem Globetrotters and the fictional Flint Tropics (from the movie Semi-Pro) by Bassman58. Check them out at the links below!

Dee4Three
Chris Mihm Face Pack by Dee4Three
Smush Parker Face by Dee4Three

Bassman58
Harlem Globetrotters & Flint Tropics Uniforms

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 some stints that lasted longer than I remembered, and the games that corrected me.

I’ll never claim to be an infallible source of knowledge, whether I’m talking about real basketball or basketball video games. There’s a lot of stuff I remember off the top of my head, but I’ve certainly found that it pays to double-check and look things up. When it comes to the players I grew up watching, I tend to have a good memory as far as who they played for, how long they played for them, and when they moved on to a new team. However, my recall definitely isn’t perfect. As such, when I revisit an old game, I’m sometimes surprised to see a player still on a particular team’s roster.

Yes, this is another example of basketball video games being interactive almanacs. As I’ve said, it’s one of the most appealing parts of dusting off old video games: seeing that snapshot of the NBA at the time they were developed. Just as there’s something really fun about seeing familiar faces in strange places, or back in familiar places for that matter, it’s interesting to be reminded of stints that lasted longer than I recalled. As usual, I’m looking at these examples through the lens of the games that reminded me of these tenures. With that being said, let’s take a look back…way back…

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Here are the latest file additions for NBA 2K21 PC! Today’s new releases include faces from our own Dee4Three, the latest retro faces from mjk2000, and a retro court by Lethanos. Check out all of today’s NBA 2K21 file additions at the links below!

Dee4Three
Cameron Krutwig Face
Reggie Miller Face Pack by Dee4Three
Chris Mihm Face Pack by Dee4Three

Lethanos
Atlanta Hawks ’14-’15 Court 16K by Lethanos

mjk2000
1978 Bobby Jones Face
1978 World B. Free Face
1977 Jack Marin Face
1983 Clyde Drexler Face
1977 Nate Thurmond Face

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 the story about a mysterious screenshot that I found in my collection.

For a long time – far too long, in fact – I left my weekly articles until the last minute. Not just writing them, but coming up with the topic, too. Even after I devised lists of ideas for future articles, I didn’t always have anything prepared by the time Monday, Wednesday, and Friday rolled around. In recent years, I’ve made a point of building up a buffer of articles based on my list of topic ideas. It’s meant that I’ve always got something ready to go, and if I’ve set aside the time, I’m able to schedule features a week or two in advance.

This prep work has been important for time management, consistency, and quality. Even though I’ve been pleased with certain articles that were actually written at the last minute, I’m far more satisfied with features that I haven’t had to rush. Part of preparing articles in advance is ensuring that I have appropriate screenshots to use, which means taking the time to fire up the necessary games to capture them, and set up any specific scenarios as required. It’s usually obvious why I have a particular screenshot in my archives, but recently I discovered one that left me stumped. This mysterious screenshot was for an article idea that I’ve completely forgotten about.

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Episode #370 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

After last week’s show, we were inspired to spend some more time with NBA Live 2001, and have a few more thoughts to share. A couple of options from the game also bring to mind suggestions for additional roster management functions and MyNBA settings. Our main discussion this week focuses on MyTEAM, specifically issues with overpowered cards. We note how it encourages NBA 2K’s pushy recurrent revenue mechanics, waters down the gameplay with an homogenised experience, and misrepresents NBA history. Notably, the issues also extend beyond MyTEAM into MyCAREER. In this week’s mailbag, we’re talking about Blacktop, as well as the idea of trash talking mechanics.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:53:33 — 78.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

Patch 1.10 is now available for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions of NBA 2K21. As always, the update should come through automatically as long as your PC or console is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

Similar to the recent patch for NBA 2K21 Next Gen, the latest Current Gen patch includes player likeness updates and fixes for various issues in MyTEAM. Although the specific players aren’t mentioned in the notes, it’s a safe bet that they’re the same ones that were updated on Next Gen. It also adds new decorations to 2K Beach in MyCAREER, and prepares the mode for some upcoming events.

The full notes for Patch 1.10 for NBA 2K21 Current Gen can be found below, and a full update history for the game has been documented here in our Wiki. Initially the patch caused some issues with corrupted saves (at least on PC), but it appears that a hotfix has since resolved the issue. If you’re still encountering difficulties, feel free to discuss them and any other impressions of the patch in the comments below, as well as here in the Forum. You may also want to contact 2K Support regarding any issues with corrupted files or missing VC.

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