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 Part 16 in an ongoing series looking at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.
So, as of writing, there will be four more articles covering players who only appeared on certain team in games, following this one. That will take us through to Part 20 on the last Friday of January 2024. At one point, this was going to be the final article in the series – at least for now – but David L has come through with so many great examples that I couldn’t not write about them! There were also too many interesting stories and players who were memorable for one reason or another for me to scrap what I had already written, so instead I decided to continue this series a little longer!
After covering some more obscure players in Part 15, Part 16 features names that are – with one exception – far more recognisable to fans who know their NBA history. Of course, their phantom stints can still easily fly under the radar. A couple of them are looser examples of players who only appeared on certain teams in games as they do have a prior stint with the club in question, but their return didn’t come to fruition outside of the virtual hardwood. As such, they do still qualify as phantom stints. Again, that’s probably what I should’ve called this series in the first place! In any case, let’s look at five more players with phantom stints that video games have preserved.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! 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, or hit up Dee on Twitter.
Not surprisingly, we’re starting to see more and more highlights from NBA 2K24 in the NLSC Top 10 Plays. That’s not to say that people aren’t still playing other games though, as this week’s assortment of powerful posters and awesome alley-oops also come courtesy of NBA 2K23, NBA 2K19, NBA 2K14, and even Fox Sports NBA Basketball! It’s also great to see a variety of modes and some mods on display. It underscores one simple fact about basketball gaming: as long as you’re enjoying your time on the virtual hardwood and creating memories, that’s what’s important. With that being said, 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 a list of five gimmicks in basketball gaming that didn’t last very long.
A common complaint about features, mechanics, or modes in basketball games is that they’re “gimmicky”. Of course, it’s possible to describe the more positive attributes of basketball games as “gimmicks”, in the sense that they’re selling points. However, we usually reserve the terms “gimmicks” and “gimmicky” for features and mechanics that we feel deserve the negative connotation. They’re the aspects of basketball games that add little value, and perhaps even detract from the overall experience. It’s why we say we want to see real improvements and great additions, and not just gimmicks.
Unfortunately, basketball games have experimented with ideas that turned out to be more gimmicky than beneficial. They’re not alone in that regard, though. Other genres of video games, television shows, films, social media platforms…not every idea will be a winner, particularly if the concept wasn’t necessarily intended to be beneficial to the audience. Some ideas are certainly creative and merited a try, but didn’t pan out as well as hoped. The good news is that although we’ve seen a number of questionable gimmicks in basketball games, many of them didn’t last too long. They either evolved into a better concept, or were dropped very soon afterwards, as in these five examples.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! 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, or hit up Dee on Twitter.
If there’s one thing that’s been proven three years into the NLSC Top 10 Plays, it’s that no matter what analytics say, the dunk still reigns supreme when it comes to highlights! This week’s countdown is another loving tribute to slamming and jamming the basketball, but it’s not just about throwing it down with flair and in faces. These dunks are being set up by some excellent moves, from crafty crossovers and spectacular spins to savvy defensive stops. Eight different games are on display this week, from NBA 2K24 to NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC. 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 a list of five things that I miss when I go back and play older basketball video games.
Retro basketball gaming is awesome, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! That isn’t to say that newer games aren’t great too, and I certainly sink hours into them as well. However, don’t let the naysayers tell you that all previous releases were inferior to their modern counterparts, and it’s only myopic nostalgia that allows you to enjoy them. Whether it’s the pervasive presence of recurrent revenue mechanics, a grind that feels more like tedious work than a fun and challenging journey, or a questionable design choice in the gameplay, newer is not always better.
By the same token however, it’s true that not everything was better in the “good old days”. Some ideas, or entire games, have aged poorly. We can also forget that even the classics have problems of their own. If nothing else, there are enhancements and additions in more recent basketball games that I miss when I go back and play old titles. Their absence doesn’t render those old games unplayable or unenjoyable, but you definitely do miss the fun and/or convenience that they added. Even if there’s an old approach that still has merit and would work fine, we’ve grown accustomed to a new way of doing things. Whatever the case, I miss these five things in old games.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! 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, or hit up Dee on Twitter.
NBA 2K24 is out now, and the community hasn’t wasted any time diving into it, with a spectacular poster dunk from the game taking the top spot in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! We’re not about to ignore past titles though, as you can see from the array of highlights in this week’s countdown that come from NBA 2K23, as well as old favourites such as NBA 2K14 and NBA Live 06. No matter the game or mode on display, and what you’re currently playing, the Top 10 will always get you in the mood to hit the virtual hardwood or blacktop. 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 a list of five aspects of retro content in older basketball video games that is underrated.
Retro content has been a staple feature in basketball games for decades now. It’s one of the best additions in sim and arcade titles alike, as it’s a blast to play with the stars of yesteryear in addition to the current generation of players. The amount of retro content has steadily increased since it was introduced, progressing from historical All-Star teams to retro NBA teams and All-Time legends squads. With the addition of MyNBA Eras in NBA 2K23 (and its return in NBA 2K24), it’s fair to suggest that these days we have more retro content than ever before.
With that being said, retro content has indeed been around for a long time, and an admirable effort was made with it in many old games. In fact, while the quantity of retro content in basketball games has never been higher than it is in NBA 2K23, we can certainly point to ways that older favourites boasted better quality. If nothing else, there are some aspects of the retro content in older basketball games that are quite impressive, and not just for their era. In fact, I’d go so far as to call them underrated, or certainly underappreciated, especially as they made the most of the resources that were available to them at the time. Let’s take a look at five examples of these aspects!
From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #493 of the NLSC Podcast!
Could you name your Top 25 all-time favourite basketball video games? We reflect on some of the titles that were ranked in last week’s Monday Tip-Off, and reiterate the distinction between personal favourites and “best” lists. With the release of NBA 2K24 looming, we also have some news on MyTEAM, MyCAREER, and The City to discuss. Have the promised changes to MyTEAM Points, pack odds, and Season progression, and the streamlined approach to the NBA career experience, affected our excitement and anticipation for this year’s game? Also, in this week’s mailbag, the community shares their reactions to NBA 2K24 gameplay footage, as well as some of the other details coming out of the recent community event.
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:10:27 — 48.7MB)
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 candid thoughts on why so many basketball video game reviews suck.
As much as I value thoughtful critique over statements that are blunt and insulting for the sake of being provocative, I must be frank here: many of the reviews of basketball video games flat out suck. They aren’t helpful to enthusiastic hoops gamers who want to know if a title is a significant improvement over its predecessor, and whether it’s worth getting. Their lack of insightful commentary provides no useful feedback to the developers, and seldom holds the publisher accountable for business practices that are predatory and even hostile towards the core audience.
It’s extremely frustrating for me. As someone who has been playing basketball video games for over 25 years, and – at the risk of sounding egotistical – knows a thing or two about them, I’m unimpressed by such poor evaluations of them as products. On top of that, my philosophy is to stand with my fellow gamers rather than shill for a company. I believe it’s vital to be honest with ourselves and each other, and to keep the community informed. Also, while there’s really no such thing as an “unbiased review” as opinions are always subjective, personal bias can impact fairness and accuracy. It’s these recurring issues that result in laughable and subpar reviews.
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! 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, or hit up Dee on Twitter.
It’s always fun to see a game make its first appearance in the NLSC Top 10 Plays, and this week, that title is NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant; a Gameboy Color exclusive from the developers of the NBA Courtside series. That one comes courtesy of frequent contributor and enthusiastic virtual hooper BBallVideoGames on Twitter/X. Speaking of regulars, LookyDaGamer provides us with another spectacular putback dunk, and Dee and I are both in there with some exciting moments from the games that are currently in our rotation. It’s another great countdown featuring four different games, 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.
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 plays that had a profound impact on gameplay design in basketball video games.
Since the aim of sim basketball games is to depict the NBA in a realistic manner, it goes without saying that events in the real league have had an impact on those titles. Likewise, our enthusiasm for real basketball makes us want to imitate NBA highlights on the virtual hardwood. It’s something that the games have allowed us to do with increasing accuracy over the years, as new animations, controls, and mechanics are added. Our desire to see certain plays accounted for in video games can be traced back to wide trends and specific moments alike.
Quite often, they’re the memorable plays that are assured to make all the highlight reels for decades to come; the iconic moments in NBA history. When we see them happen in real life and can’t replicate them in games, we immediately develop a keen interest in seeing them made possible in future releases. While it may not be entirely accurate to ascribe a particular gameplay addition solely to a single highlight, there’s no doubt that memorable plays have had an impact on gameplay development. After all, the developers are basketball fans too, and are just as eager to perform those dazzling plays on the sticks. Here are five plays that impacted gameplay design!
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 time when certain basketball video games were regional exclusives, and/or had late releases.
The basketball gaming landscape has changed drastically since our choices were whittled down to just NBA Live and NBA 2K, culminating in a virtual monopoly for the latter. When a handful of developers and publishers were throwing their hat into the ring with hoops games, we received a variety of titles of varying quality, but most brought something interesting to the table. Of course, not every game was available worldwide. While NBA Live and NBA 2K stood as examples of global brands, other games were regional exclusives, usually only released in North America.
On top of that, if other regions did receive a particular game, it might not be until several months later. It may seem like a terrible marketing decision to release an NBA game well after the season has tipped off, but there are titles that have come along quite late in a campaign, even with their domestic release. Indeed, not even NBA 2K and NBA Live have been immune to late releases, if only outside North America. It’s an interesting difference in the way that basketball video games used to be handled, so let’s take a look back…way back…
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 a countdown of my Top 25 favourite basketball video games, in celebration of another milestone here at the NLSC.
On Saturday, I celebrated my 22nd year of running the NLSC. It’s been a long ride with plenty of ups and downs, but I’m still very glad that I accepted the gig when Tim moved on to work at EA Sports, and that I stuck it out through some rough patches to enjoy the good times. To mark the occasion, I’ve decided to rank my Top 25 favourite basketball video games. This being my 22nd Anniversary as webmaster/admin of the NLSC, I was originally going to pick my Top 22 games. Top 25 has a better ring to it though, and it also serves as a belated 25th Anniversary celebration for the site itself!
Before we get to the countdown, let me emphasise once again that it is a Top 25 of my favourite basketball video games; not the Top 25 best hoops titles. That’s a different list, and if I were being more objective, there are games I’m listing here that wouldn’t make the cut. Because I haven’t spent as much time with certain NBA 2K, College Hoops, or NCAA Basketball/March Madness titles, I don’t have as much of an affinity for them, though that may well change in the future. I haven’t “forgotten” about those great basketball video games, but they haven’t become one of my personal favourites (as yet, anyway). With that being said, here are my Top 25 virtual hardwood classics!
Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! 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, or hit up Dee on Twitter.
With the latest news on Mamba Moments in NBA 2K24, and his birthday being just a few days ago, the late Kobe Bryant is definitely on the minds of basketball gamers! As such, he’s featured a few times in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, with virtual Kobe proving to be just as spectacular as the real deal. His teammate Lamar Odom is also getting in on the action as Dee and I re-created a 2006 Lakers vs. Mavericks matchup in NBA Live 10, and LookyDaGamer once again defends his crown as the Putback King. It’s another countdown jam-packed with exciting highlights from six different games, 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.
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 Part 15 in an ongoing series looking at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.
With the way that I’ve uncovered more examples of players who only appeared on certain teams in games – with a huge assist from David L, of course – I’ve had to alter plans and re-write instalments of this series. Four of the players that I’m talking about today were originally planned for earlier articles, and as two-for-one examples. When David sent in some bigger names and their phantom stints, I realised that by covering those four players separately, I had enough examples to produce further instalments. As such, there are definitely more entries in this series in the pipeline!
I’m actually glad that it worked out that way, as it means that I was able to run with a theme for this instalment. Both of those two-for-one examples involved players who only appeared on certain teams in video games thanks to being included in the same trade; either a swap for each other, or a multi-team deal. It also meant that I was able to get into more detail about each of those four players, and share some additional trivia on top of how they came to have those phantom stints. As for the fifth player, he’s a more straightforward example involving offseason free agency and preseason cuts, but he’s also a role player that long-time fans may remember. Let’s begin with…
NLSC Your source for basketball video games.
