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 game modes that are sorely missed nowadays.
Being a long-time basketball gamer eventually means missing a feature or an entire game mode that’s disappeared from recent releases. It may have been big and popular, or it might have been small and relatively niche, but either way, you wish that it were still available. There are countless examples that we could all cite, but there are five modes in particular that I believe are sorely missed nowadays. It doesn’t mean that we haven’t had other great modes and features, or that the games haven’t been any good since we lost these modes, but we still hated to see them go.
We must of course acknowledge that there are many reasons why modes we sorely miss were removed, and it’s not always malicious. If a mode wasn’t very popular, or if there was difficulty integrating it with new features, or there’s a solution that’s mostly better but for a couple of differences that appeal to a small contingent of the userbase, it’s going to end up on the chopping block. If the removal of a mode or feature helps generate recurrent revenue…well, that feels much shadier! Mind you, whatever the reason may be, it still stings to lose modes that we’re fond of. With that in mind, here are five modes that I’d suggest are sorely missed by basketball gamers these days.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.
New school meets old school in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, in just about every way possible! Current players and all-time greats alike are strutting their stuff, including some signature highlights from Michael Jordan and Vince Carter. Additionally, career mode avatars are stepping onto the virtual hardwood to break ankles and rock rims. The breadth of basketball gaming history is also represented in the latest countdown, with eight games ranging from NBA Live 95 through to NBA 2K25. You know you’re in for a treat, so let’s get to the action!
What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.
From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #589 of the NLSC Podcast!
In the wake of EA Sports announcing a new college basketball game, Take-Two is reportedly planning to develop a competing title. This decision follows a particularly insulting proposal to the CLC regarding the use of collegiate content, and an attempt to hamstring the development of EA’s announced game that involves a broken NDA. We definitely have some thoughts about the situation, and as you can probably guess, they aren’t exactly positive! We also join the community in discussing whether or not we’d like to see a new college game based on the NBA 2K engine and if we’d prefer that 2K beat EA to the punch, and touch on 2K’s new NBA deal which apparently includes initiatives that go beyond the virtual hardwood.
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 54:36 — 37.9MB)
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!
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 important it is to support your fellow basketball gamers.
In many ways, gamers don’t have a lot of power or leverage as consumers. We can choose not to buy games – and I’d certainly advise that if you’re not sold on a new release – but generally speaking, widespread boycotts are ineffective. The same goes for abstaining from pumping extra money into games via their recurrent revenue mechanics. Whales will still spend, apologists will bleat “it’s optional”, and the gaming experience will remain weaker for anyone who doesn’t want to pay. Even constructive criticism gets shouted down as “complaining“.
Obviously this frequently happens on most any platform where basketball games (or titles from other genres) are discussed. However, it’s particularly disheartening when content creators with significant influence jump on that bandwagon. I’ve seen some creators with large audiences share some truly terrible takes that throw their fellow basketball gamers under the bus, yet somehow they don’t seem to lose any credibility when they do so. Along with so much zero-sum thinking in the wider community, it underscores a lack of willingness for basketball gamers to support each other. That only plays into the hands of the suits, making it high time that we change this attitude.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.
It should be very clear by now that the community loves a mix of current and classic basketball games, and to that end, playing with stars past and present. As such, it should be no surprise that Michael Jordan has multiple appearances in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! Perhaps a little more surprising is a highlight from NBA Elite 11, which thanks to the leaked copies has made it out into the wilds of emulation. Spectacular highlights from seven different games are ready to get you hyped for a weekend of basketball gaming. Let’s get to the action!
What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.
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 how the addition of free agents in basketball video games has enhanced roster modding.
A pool of free agents and the ability to sign and release players is just one of those things that we take for granted in basketball video games. After all, it’s a concept that goes back to games released in the 90s, making it a well-established staple of roster customisation that we expect to see. Indeed, if you got into basketball gaming during the 2000s at the earliest, you probably haven’t played many sim games that didn’t represent free agency in their roster customisation functionality, or at least their season or franchise modes.
However, if you’re my age and you recall playing the classics of the 90s, you’ll no doubt remember how restricted we used to be when it came to modifying the rosters in-game. Even after the ability to trade players outside of season modes was added, it still took a couple of years to implement the free agents pool. It was longer still before that pool was frequently filled with players to sign! Needless to say, the addition of the free agents pool and subsequent inclusion of a selection of free agents every year significantly enhanced roster modding. Let’s take a look back…way back…
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.
Video game dunks can get us fired up just as much as the real thing, so it’s no surprise that the community once again provided us with an assortment of aerial artistry for this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! However, that’s not the only part of basketball that we’re excited to see replicated on the virtual hardwood, which is why the latest countdown also features a massive swat and a crafty gamewinner. Seven different games are featured this week, from NBA Live 2003 through to NBA 2K25. Let’s get to the action!
What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.
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 offers up five warnings for basketball video game collectors.
As a 90s kid who got into more than a couple of collecting fads over the years, I’d have to say that basketball video games have been among the most satisfying things to collect. It certainly helps that I don’t have to rely on favourable odds and hope that what I want is in a pack I’m opening, but compared to trading cards and other such collectibles, video games have a practical use. Of course, there are some people who collect video games of all genres simply for the purpose of displaying and eventually selling them, but I collect basketball games to play them…and yes, to create content.
Mind you, whatever your reason for collecting video games – whatever the genre – it’s a hobby with fluctuating difficulty and expense. Furthermore, because there is money to be made, too many people are hoping to cash in on the enthusiasm – or indeed, the desperation – of collectors. I’ve strived to be as savvy and frugal as I possibly can be while building my basketball game collection, and I’ll always advise any would-be collectors and retro gamers to do the same. To that end, there are some warnings that I strongly suggest you heed. Retro gaming and collecting is a blast, but you do need to be careful about costs, and keep a few things in mind if you want to play those games.
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 the way that 2K responded with pettiness to the announcement of a new college basketball game from EA Sports.
Last week, EA Sports surprised a lot of gamers with the announcement of a new college basketball title, tentatively scheduled for release in 2028. There have been some questions as to why the announcement is being made so far out. It appears that the Collegiate Licensing Company entertained bids for a new basketball game in late June, with EA Sports’ bid being successful. A three year development window would be similar to the return of EA Sports College Football, which was announced in 2021 and released in 2024. Presumably, pre-production on this new hoops title has begun.
Needless to say, while not everyone is optimistic about a new college basketball game from EA Sports – understandably so – many gamers are excited. It’ll be a new release from an established company, in a genre that’s suffered from a lack of alternatives and competition. To that point, how did 2K respond to EA Sports rejoining the basketball gaming space with a college game? In short, a quote reply to a post on X opining that they should be the ones making the game wryly saying “the campus has been quiet for too long”, and a statement in which they referred to themselves as the “undisputed home of basketball gaming”. Basically, 2K is giving pettiness the old college try.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.
The NLSC Top 10 Plays is always a spectacular countdown of virtual hardwood highlights, but the players are getting particularly fancy this week! That includes an impressive tribute to “Pistol” Pete Maravich by Austin Reaves, but unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan and Vince Carter steal the show with some signature slams. You’ll also spot a young Kobe Bryant modded into the Rookie Showcase in NBA 2K14. Six different games are in the countdown this week including a couple of interesting entries, namely The Dunkers and Fox Sports NBA Basketball 2000. Let’s get to the action!
What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.
From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #586 of the NLSC Podcast!
Although we generally focus on the Triple-A scene, there’s definitely untapped potential for the virtual hardwood and blacktop in the indie gaming space. To that end, this week we discuss The Dunkers, a 2D indie basketball title that’s currently available in Early Access on Steam. Following a competitive session with the game, we’re hoping that it will continue to be updated and ultimately fulfil its potential! We also once again touch on the possibility of EA Sports returning to basketball gaming with NBA Live or a college basketball game. Little did we know that a big announcement was on the horizon, so we’ll undoubtedly be coming back to this topic in the very near future!
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 47:37 — 33.1MB)
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!
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 changing my views on using automatic replays.
As I noted when I reflected on going back to manual substitutions, our basketball gaming habits and preferences can and do change. Maybe a particular game has a bug that requires a workaround, or perhaps you suddenly find that a specific feature is actually quite useful after all. You might discover that you change your mind again, or keep switching things up as you see fit. That’s basically how I now approach manual and automatic substitutions. There was a time when I’d always turn auto subs off and I’ve been gravitating towards that preference again, but sometimes I’ll still use them.
Automatic substitutions weren’t the only option that I used to adjust shortly after getting a new basketball video game. When automatic replays debuted in the NBA Live series, I ended up turning them off; usually after forgetting and skipping a few replays before heading into the options menu to save me the trouble! However, these days I usually leave automatic replays enabled, though I may still skip them if I feel the play wasn’t really worth watching again. Much like my evolving preferences with manual and automatic substitutions, my changing views on automatic replays came down to how I was playing games, and what I wanted out of the virtual hardwood.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.
Another offseason is here and we’re most likely at least a few weeks away from getting our first look at NBA 2K26, but that won’t stop us from hitting the virtual hardwood in a variety of favourites; especially when we have mods to keep them fresh! This week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays is another countdown jam-packed with aerial wizardry, in some fantastic scenarios facilitated by retro season rosters and other projects. With highlights from NBA 2K14, NBA 2K19, NBA 2K20, and NBA 2K25, it’s the best basketball gaming reel you’ll see all week. Let’s get to the action!
What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.
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 another list of things that you’ll see in games that are unpatched.
As I noted in my first article recalling things that you’ll see in unpatched games, official updates are a contentious issue. Day 1 patches do little to convince gamers that modern titles aren’t rushed out before they’re ready, and frequent updates can be annoying when they’re several gigabytes in size, essentially forcing you to download the entire game all over again. From the list of issues that they have to fix to some of the undesirable changes that are pushed through, the sight of a pending patch is one that makes many basketball gamers groan in frustration.
However, when we consider that we used to have to beg and plead for patches that barely fixed any issues, and for a long time weren’t viable on console, I’ve come to believe that having too many patches is actually the lesser of two evils. While there are times when foregoing an update or downgrading to a previous version is in fact preferable, you’ll also be reminded of some weird and bothersome issues when you play unpatched games. Of course, you’ll also see some interesting snapshots of the league when a game and its rosters are restored to their vanilla state. With that being said, here are five more noteworthy things that you’ll encounter without patches.
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 going back to manual substitutions in basketball video games.
Since I first got hooked on the virtual hardwood, my basketball gaming habits and preferences have evolved over the years. A couple of obvious examples that I often refer to are falling into a rut where I was grinding to level up a new MyPLAYER every year, and then subsequently breaking that habit by eschewing the latest release for some old favourites and new retro kicks. Of course, when it comes to my habits and preferences and the way that they change, isn’t always necessarily that big and drastic. I’ve also changed my mind about certain gameplay options and settings.
Like most basketball gamers I’m sure, I have my preference when it comes to manual and automatic substitutions, though it’s a setting that I have changed my mind about. More to the point, I’ve changed my mind about it a couple of times, or at least become far more flexible about my preference. Much like my other evolving virtual hardwood habits, there are reasons why I’ve come to prefer manual or automatic substitutions at different times. Right now though, I find that I favour manual substitutions whenever I play a mode that provides that level of control. Not only has it been refreshing to make that change, but it’s reminded me why I always used to prefer calling the shots.
NLSC Your source for basketball video games.
