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 picking up where I left off in Year 7 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.
After wrapping up my sixth season in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER and playing the first couple of games in Year 7, I decided to take a break. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying the journey anymore, but I felt it was time for a change. And so, I put that game on ice, with the intention of picking it up whenever I felt like it. Since then however, other basketball gaming activities have held my attention. It wasn’t until Dee and I were discussing our virtual hardwood habits so far in 2026 on the NLSC Podcast a couple of weeks ago that I thought about just how long it’s been since I fired up that save file.
To that point, my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER has been on the bench since September 2025. In other words, almost eight months now! I was surprised when I checked the date, though it speaks to how quickly the days, months, and indeed years fly by. I certainly don’t regret taking a break as I’m enjoying what I’ve been playing all year, but I have been thinking about bringing my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER back into the rotation. I’ll be alternating between it and other games more frequently than before, as it’s already been a long and satisfying journey, and I don’t want to shelve the titles I’ve been enjoying. Still, Year 7 features an intriguing scenario that’s drawing me 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.
There’s definitely a street and arcade motif to this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! Not only are there a couple of highlights from the recent closed beta for NBA The Run, but NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, NBA Jam 2004, NBA Hangtime, and NBA Street. Vol. 2 are also in the countdown. The sim games are also taking it to the streets, as you’ll find Blacktop highlights from NBA 2K14 and NBA 2K26. On top of that, there’s a great lob from a game between the Spurs and Thunder in NBA 2K26, and a vicious poster in College Hoops 2K8. 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 basketball gaming activities that may sound weird, but I definitely have fun partaking in.
Gaming is meant to be fun. That may sound like I’m stating the extremely obvious, but there are times when people seemingly forget that; or perhaps more accurately, refuse to recognise that there are different ways of enjoying gaming, and that they’re all equally valid ways of having fun. To that end, it would be hypocritical of me to say that anyone who enjoys a tedious grind or wants every game to be a brutal test of your stick skills isn’t entitled to their preference. However, it tends to be those gamers who attempt to shame others for not sharing their idea of what makes gaming fun.
Indeed, I sometimes wonder if we’ve come to take gaming too seriously. That is to say, if you’re not playing competitively, levelling and ranking up, or progressing to some kind of goal, it’s considered a waste of time. Now, I certainly enjoy having goals with my basketball gaming – it’s why I aim to play entire seasons – and I’ve also had fun dipping my toe into the competitive scene. With that being said, I also enjoy just messing around and finding other ways to enjoy basketball video games. While that may not seem odd on the surface, I acknowledge that some of my basketball gaming activities are a bit weird! Without any further ado, here are five examples of that.
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 Stretch and the rest of the OG NBA Street ballers.
With a spiritual successor in NBA The Run set to launch next month, NBA Street has definitely been on our minds as of late. As it happens, next month also marks 25 years since the original NBA Street was released. For basketball gamers of a certain age, that first NBA Street was the arcade basketball video game, held in higher regard than any of the NBA Jam titles. It certainly makes sense as it was a tremendous game that still holds up. Furthermore, by the early 2000s, the NBA Jam name had sadly come to be associated with some subpar releases.
I’ll be diving deeper into that with a retrospective next month. For now though, I’m reminiscing about Stretch and the other OG NBA Street ballers. In addition to placing NBA players on the blacktop, NBA Street introduced us to some memorable original characters. These ballers were basically the bosses of the City Circuit, standing in between us and the next location. Once we beat them, we could benefit from their streetball skill as they joined our squad. Stretch and the rest of the OG NBA Street ballers are undoubtedly legends, 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 some thoughts on how MyNBA Eras has made it unlikely that we’ll see any new classic teams added to NBA 2K.
Way back in 2016, I posted a Friday Five listing five classic teams that I’d like to see included in future NBA 2K games. I revisited the topic with a second article in 2018, and it ultimately became an ongoing Friday Five series. Some of those squads have since been added to the games. No, I’m not trying to take credit for that! Many of those additions were very popular and obvious choices, so I highly doubt that I had any influence here. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed seeing the selection of classic teams expand, and there’s never any harm in throwing out suggestions.
However, the most recent instalment in that series – Part 13 – was back in 2022. There are a few reasons why I haven’t circled back to that topic for just over four years now. For a start, at this point I’ve already covered many of the teams that I’m interested in. Again, some are already included in the games, while others are unlikely to be added. As I’ve discussed before, this generation of NBA 2K games has left me cold, so I’m less enthusiastic about discussing ideas for future releases in general. On top of that though, the addition of MyNBA Eras makes it seem far less likely that we’ll see new standalone classic teams. Of course, it could be argued that that’s actually for the best.
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.
We’re tipping off Year 6 of the NLSC Top 10 Plays in style, as the community once again brought the goods in nine different basketball video games! Devastating poster dunks and other flashy jams, huge swats, a wild fling to beat the buzzer in NBA Hangtime, and another game-winning buzzer beater can be found in this week’s countdown. You’ll also see some mods being enjoyed, five-player online team play action in NBA Live 95 for Super Nintendo, and a couple of appearances by Dee Brown. 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 loved about my NBA 2K13 MyCAREER with the Denver Nuggets.
NBA 2K13 is one of the games that I’d love to bring back into my rotation this year. Not only was it a fantastic release that was enjoyed by gamers who were already fans of NBA 2K, but it was the title that got me – a long-time NBA Live fanboy – into the series. The right stick controls provided familiarity, and enhanced the gameplay in an area that I’d argue was still a weakness for NBA 2K, even as it became the premiere NBA sim. It was well-balanced, a blast on the sticks, and offered deep modes that we could enthusiastically spend hundreds and indeed thousands of hours in.
Despite traditionally being a franchise gamer, MyCAREER was my mode of choice in NBA 2K13, rather than The Association. It turned out to be one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences, so I’d say it was a good decision! Although I intend to spend some more time with the rest of what NBA 2K13 has to offer as I look to make it a part of my retro basketball gaming rotation, I definitely won’t rule out revisiting that MyCAREER save every now and again. With that in mind, I’d like to reflect on five things that I loved about my NBA 2K13 MyCAREER, all of which were undoubtedly key factors in me taking such a long detour from franchise gaming.
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 the time that Stephen Curry was briefly rated 99 Overall in NBA 2K16.
Sunday marked ten years since Stephen Curry was named the first unanimous Most Valuable Player in NBA history. We can certainly debate as to whether he should’ve been the first, as there’s been some questionable MVP voting over the years; even when the “correct” player won the award. However, I’d suggest that even if Curry shouldn’t have been the first, he was nevertheless absolutely deserving of the honour. He had a tremendous season, with both he and the Golden State Warriors breaking records. Of course, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled the ending!
A month before the Cavaliers’ 3-1 comeback became the story that defined the 2016 season however, Curry and the Warriors were obviously the talk of the league. Their impressive campaign and Curry’s individual brilliance naturally inspired debate about ratings and rankings, which also carried over to the virtual hardwood. In the wake of taking home a second-straight MVP and in unanimous fashion, Stephen Curry was boosted to 99 Overall in the official rosters for NBA 2K16, in an update that came through ten years ago yesterday. 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 few thoughts on difficulty levels, and the impact they can have on basketball game reviews.
There’s a very old video game trope that has been dubbed “Easy-Mode Mockery” over on TV Tropes. In short, it’s when a video game makes fun of you for playing on the easiest difficulty setting. At its most benign, perhaps the easiest difficulty level will be accompanied by an insulting message or image. In extreme cases, playing on an easy difficulty will lock you out of certain content, such as the true ending. Infamously, one of my favourite adventure games – Monkey Island 2 – advertised its easy mode as being “suitable for video game reviewers”. Take that, critics!
All jokes aside, I’m not one for gatekeeping and elitism. Video games are meant to be enjoyed, and if hitting the virtual hardwood on an easier difficulty level is fun for you, don’t let anyone bring you down (but probably don’t brag about dominating the game on Rookie, either!). In fact, with the way many games cheat to allow the CPU to be challenging on the Superstar and Hall of Fame difficulty levels, it’s not always a very satisfying experience. To that point however, if you are reviewing a basketball game, you must play it on those tougher difficulty levels as well. Contrary to Monkey Island 2’s snarky jab, video game reviewers shouldn’t just be hooping on the easiest setting.
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.
As is often the case, this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays is a fantastic mix of the old and the new. Not only are nine different games on display from NBA Live 10 through to the upcoming NBA The Run, but we’ve got updated rosters in older games, and all-time greats doing their thing in modern releases. It’s the Legends that ultimately have bragging rights this time around though, as Wizards Michael Jordan and Larry Bird demonstrate why they’re two of the best to ever step onto the hardwood, real or virtual. 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 technical tips for anyone who’d like to get into retro gaming, in particular through the use of emulation.
There seems to be a growing interest in retro basketball gaming, and I love to see it! Obviously, people have been going back to old favourites or sticking with a treasured game for a long time now, but I’ve been noticing more enthusiasm for it in recent years. Whether it’s a case of NBA 2K fatigue, people reaching an age where they’re feeling more nostalgic, less stigma around retro gaming, or a combination of those factors, there’s a clear desire to revisit the classics. We’re keen advocates for that here at the NLSC, and moving forward, we’ll look to expand our retro gaming resources.
In that spirit, I’d like to share some technical advice for retro gaming, with a focus on emulation. Naturally there’s a certain charm to playing on original hardware – whether it’s a console or an older PC – and in some ways it’s definitely easier! There are many benefits to emulation though, whether we’re talking about retro console emulators or compatibility fixes to get old PC games up and running on a modern system. Thanks to the efforts of some talented people throughout the years, we’re at a point where emulation has greatly improved, and retro gaming is technically viable. You may encounter a few difficulties here and there though, so hopefully these tips will help.
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 the In the Zone mechanic in the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 07.
As you may know, NBA The Run will feature a mechanic called In the Zone. For more on that, be sure to tune in to the latest episode of the NLSC Podcast, where Dee provides his in-depth impressions of the upcoming game! Unsurprisingly, it’s not the first time that a basketball video game has used that well-travelled term for being locked in and performing at a high level. It was the name of Konami’s sim-arcade hybrid games, and it’s the title of an extremely catchy track from Midway’s NBA Hangtime. And of course, In the Zone was a mechanic in NBA Live 07 for Xbox 360.
Although NBA Live 07’s mechanic sprang to my mind when I first heard that NBA The Run would be using the name for its power-up, at this point, I think it’s safe to lay claim to the moniker. Not only is it a common term, but the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 07 was a terrible release that few gamers would care to revisit, so its take on being In the Zone is largely forgotten. With that being said, Wayback Wednesday is as much about digging into the forgotten history of the virtual hardwood as it is celebrating our most nostalgic memories, 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 some reflections on how there are times that I miss dice roll shooting mechanics in basketball video games.
At this point, it’s a safe bet to say that Green Releases will remain a fixture of NBA 2K’s shooting mechanics moving forward. It’s just a matter of how they’re handled, and whether there are any additional controls and mechanics such as shot aiming or rhythm shooting with the right stick. In recent years, the “Green or Miss” approach to shooting has been particularly contentious. On one hand, it rewards skilful input with a guaranteed result (blocked attempts notwithstanding). On the other hand, it’s not necessarily accessible, or preferable for offline play.
It’s funny to revisit the discourse around Green Releases back in 2017, when Mike Wang spoke of a desire to wean gamers off of the idea that they should be guaranteed baskets. “Green or Miss” certainly goes against that aim, demonstrating how attitudes have changed as NBA 2K has increasingly catered to the online scene. Personally, I’m in favour of Green Releases being guaranteed, very good or near-perfect releases still being reliable, and then progressively lower odds of success as the timing gets worse. To that point, while I wouldn’t change the approach of Green Releases always being successful, I must admit that I sometimes miss the old dice roll shooting mechanics.
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.
A couple of games are making their debut in the NLSC Top 10 Plays this week, including a title that won’t be out until June! A high-flying highlight from NBA The Run soars into the countdown, courtesy of the closed beta that took place this week. You’ll also find the flashy play that Dee and I discussed in Episode #628 of the NLSC Podcast, which came from our session with the PlayStation 2 version of NBA 2K11. Additionally, five other games provide the goods with poster dunks, breathtaking alley-oops, and clutch shots. 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 inaccuracies and other issues that have bothered me while basketball gaming.
Even the best basketball video games have had issues and inaccuracies. Perfection is basically an impossible bar to reach, and coding a sophisticated video game of any genre is hardly as simple as typing plain English into a word processor! Also, some ideas simply just don’t pan out. And so, we accept that our favourite hoops titles will have imperfections. In the best case scenario, it doesn’t stop us from enjoying them. Mind you, because we’re passionate about basketball and basketball gaming alike, any major inaccuracies and technical issues are naturally difficult to ignore.
Of course, these issues and inaccuracies don’t always ruin basketball video games. As I said, even our favourite games have them, and we all have different standards and expectations besides. With that being said, while technical problems, inaccuracies, and other issues may not completely spoil a game, they can still end up bothering us. The good ultimately outweighs the bad, but they’re still the finer points that we can’t help but notice, and would like to see fixed and improved upon for an even better experience. To that end, while the following five issues and inaccuracies didn’t stop me from having fun on the virtual hardwood, they were nevertheless a bit annoying!
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