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The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 15)

The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 15)

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…

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Wayback Wednesday: NBA Basketball for Intellivision

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 NBA Basketball for the Mattel Intellivision, in the form of another video retrospective.

I’ve covered some rather old basketball video games for Wayback Wednesday so far, but this is the oldest! Indeed, NBA Basketball for the Mattel Intellivision is one of the earliest hoops games ever made. It’s a game that I’ve planned on covering with a video retrospective for some time now, though I originally envisioned a different context and tone to what I’ve gone with here. I strongly believe that the approach I ended up taking was the right one, as it pays appropriate tribute to what is an important game in the history of the genre. So, let’s take a look back…and I do mean way, way back…

While NBA Basketball is a game that I’m guessing many people in our community haven’t ever played – especially if you weren’t born in the mid 80s or earlier – I hope that you enjoyed this retrospective of a pioneering title! For more basketball gaming videos, from retrospectives and essays to highlight reels and the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel. Shout out to Dee for connecting with me on Parsec to play this two player game, in order to get all of the footage! As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, as well as cover on the NLSC Podcast or in Wayback Wednesday.

Monday Tip-Off: Thoughts on “Green or Miss” in NBA 2K24

Monday Tip-Off: Thoughts on "Green or Miss" in NBA 2K24

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 pros and cons of NBA 2K24 running with a “Green or Miss” approach to shooting.

As revealed in last week’s developer blog on gameplay, shooting in NBA 2K24 will come down to “Green or Miss”. In other words, precise timing will be required, as any shot that isn’t a Green Release will be unsuccessful. However, this won’t be the case across the board. In modes such as MyNBA, MyTEAM, and Play Now, the timing will be more forgiving on lower difficulty levels, meaning that you’ll be able to make some shots without getting a Green Release. However, if you’re playing on Hall of Fame difficulty, or one of the online competitive modes, it’ll be “Green or Miss”!

It’s a strict approach to the shooting mechanics, though obviously not as strict as it could’ve been. It could prove to be a controversial decision, and will certainly fuel further arguments between NBA 2K gamers. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the “Green or Miss” approach, and the way it will be implemented in NBA 2K24. The idea has merit from the standpoint of establishing a skill-based competitive scene, but the concept still has its flaws. It needn’t impact the gameplay experience on offer in the traditional modes, but it’s still there in the background. I’m sure there will be many elitist takes on this, so let’s take a more nuanced look at the “Green or Miss” concept.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: August 19th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

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.

How do you like your dunks: a nasty poster capping off an aggressive drive, or stretching and soaring to catch and finish a perfectly-timed alley-oop? Thankfully, you don’t have to choose in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, as both kinds of aerial artistry are on display! There’s also a great ankle-breaker, as Brandon Knight avoids carnage at the rim on this occasion, only to get taken down on the perimeter instead. A total of six different games are featured in this week’s countdown, ranging from NBA Live 2005 and NBA 2K6 – which I just covered in Wayback Wednesday – right through to NBA 2K23 Next Gen. 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.

The Friday Five: 5 Things You’ll See In Unpatched Games

The Friday Five: 5 Things You'll See In Unpatched Games

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 you’ll see in games that are unpatched.

Patches are a contentious issue among gamers, and basketball video games are no exception. No game is perfect, and some issues are bound to slip by QA and won’t be discovered until a game is in the public’s hands. Naturally, we want to see those problems resolved via official patches, especially when there’s no viable unofficial fix. At the same time, we’re wary of undesirable changes being made to games that we’re enjoying, as we have seen games ruined by their updates. Day one patches are also the subject of scorn, being seen as an excuse to release unfinished games.

As such, many of us have mixed feelings whenever we receive a notification that a new update is waiting to be downloaded. With that being said, I’d much rather see regular updates than have to beg for them as we used to, or not get them at all. When you look back at certain titles in their unpatched state, you’ll see missing content, features, and functionality that really needed to be there, as in these five examples. Please note that I’m intentionally excluding the 1998 rosters in NBA Live 99. While it’s a notable example of the phenomenon, all games inevitably launch with outdated rosters. These five examples are more unique side effects of a game being unpatched.

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Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K6 Retrospective (Xbox 360)

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K6 Retrospective (Xbox 360)

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 Xbox 360 version of NBA 2K6.

As I’ve said before, as someone who grew up with NBA Live, it took me a while to truly get into the NBA 2K series. There was a sense of brand loyalty, but beyond that, I was accustomed to NBA Live’s approach to controls, gameplay mechanics, and modes. I remember trying out the PlayStation 2 version of NBA 2K6, and feeling somewhat underwhelmed. If nothing else, I disliked the Isomotion controls, which remained a barrier to getting into NBA 2K for years to come. I preferred to make the best of some rough NBA Live releases, rather than acclimate to a different game.

Obviously, I’ve had a change of heart! A handful of NBA 2K titles over the past decade now rank as some of my all-time favourite basketball video games. I’ve also been able to revisit older NBA 2K titles, and really enjoy them. One older 2K release that I’ve grown rather fond of is NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360. It seems only fitting, since I’ve also warmed up to the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06 after giving it another look. However, while NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 may be slightly underrated at times, NBA 2K6 is definitely a stronger all-around game. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: The Lies of Developer Blogs

Monday Tip-Off: The Lies of Developer Blogs

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 video essay examining the lies of developer blogs, with an example demonstrating why they should be taken with a grain of salt.

Back in August 2018, as the preview seasons for NBA 2K19 and NBA Live 19 were well underway, I wrote an article discussing the cynicism that developer blogs sadly often inspire. I drew some comparisons between the NBA 2K18 developer blogs and a Game Informer interview previewing NBA 2K19, noting that the latter revealed some outright lies in the former. I don’t like to throw around the word “lies” easily, but with some developer blogs, it’s a fair accusation. As we prepare for our first look at NBA 2K24, I wanted to revisit those blogs. They’re a reminder that while we may always hope for the best, we can’t always put much stock in what developer blogs say.

Considering how infrequently the illuminating discrepancies between the NBA 2K18 and NBA 2K19 previews are mentioned by content creators and influencers covering the games, I wanted to do my part in ensuring that the matter isn’t forgotten. It’s all too easy to write off understandable scepticism and fair criticism with the label of “hater”, or thought-terminating cliches about nostalgia and always preferring last year’s game. We have proof straight from the source that games don’t always get better, even if that isn’t admitted until later. Just something to keep in mind! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more video essays, and other basketball gaming content.

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: August 12th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

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 clear that many basketball gamers in our community love playing with historical rosters, so it’s no surprise that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant frequently appear in the NLSC Top 10 Plays. They’re in the countdown again this week, with the kind of spectacular plays that their real life counterparts often produced! The NBA Live 2001 Legends are also back, this time taking it to the rim with Steve Francis in NBA Live 2003. Indeed, aerial highlights remain the motif this week, as seven games spanning two decades are on display. 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.

The Friday Five: 5 Historically Difficult Players to Rate

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 players that have been difficult to rate over the years.

Since they became visible attributes, Overall Ratings have been the subject of much contention and debate. They aren’t nearly as important to realistic performance as individual ratings and other tendency data, yet they’re not completely irrelevant either. If a player’s Overall Rating seems too high or too low, it’s usually an indication that some (or many) of their individual ratings are off. Also, because they’re factored into rotation logic and trade value in franchise modes, it’s important that a player’s Overall Rating generally reflects their ranking amongst their peers.

It’s why in official and unofficial rosters alike, it’s necessary to pay some attention to Overall Ratings. Attributes such as “Intangibles” – found in certain NBA 2K titles – have been helpful in artificially adjusting Overall Ratings. Otherwise, it’s usually a matter of fudging a few ratings here or there so that the Overall Rating feels more accurate, without compromising realism in player skill and performance. Even so, there are some players that have been historically difficult to rate, especially without the aid of an Intangibles attribute. Looking back, these players are among the most likely to end up being overrated or underrated, at least according to their Overall.

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Wayback Wednesday: Inaccuracies in Basketball Games

Wayback Wednesday: Inaccuracies in Basketball Games

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 some noteworthy and recurring inaccuracies that we’ve found in basketball video games over the years.

Licensed sports titles are judged differently to other genres of video games. Because they’re aiming to depict a real sport played by real athletes, we expect accuracy. Even in arcade games with all of their breaks from reality, there’s an expectation that the players will resemble their real life counterparts, and that their ratings will reflect their strengths, weaknesses, and overall style of play. The bar is set much higher in sim titles, especially as technological improvements have led to increasingly realistic graphics and gameplay. Above all, we expect attention to detail.

Of course, none of us are infallible, and thus human error is inevitable. As anyone who’s ever worked on a roster mod can attest, it’s all too easy to overlook a jersey number, neglect a needed ratings update, or forget to double-check the spelling of a newly-added player’s name. That’s not even getting into leaving a necessary file out of the update, or any other technical mistakes! Still, it’s interesting to discover some of the inaccuracies that made it into the default rosters, especially before official roster updates were commonplace. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Monday Tip-Off: Can 2K Fix The Toxicity Of Its Online Scene?

Monday Tip-Off: Can 2K Fix The Toxicity Of Its Online Scene?

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 my thoughts on whether or not 2K can fix the toxicity of its online scene.

When you produce content or any form of entertainment, I firmly believe that you get the audience that you cultivate. This isn’t to say that periphery demographics aren’t a thing, or that popular works don’t end up attracting toxic people for the same reasons they appeal to more pleasant fans. However, some works establish or openly welcome problematic attitudes within their core audience. This includes elitist gatekeeping, and open disdain and hostility towards differing preferences, as well as other genres and interests. They may champion pseudo-intellectualism, and in extreme cases, bigotry.

I’ve spoken at length on many occasions about the toxicity in NBA 2K’s online scene. One might argue that I’m being melodramatic or overly sensitive, but if so, I’m not alone in my views. Just about everywhere that you’ll find discussion of NBA 2K and its online modes, you’ll see complaints about the toxicity, including assertions that it’s the worst in gaming. Now, that may or may not be hyperbole, as many of the issues with toxicity in NBA 2K’s online scene aren’t exclusive to the series. Nevertheless, the scene in other games has been described more favourably. This leads me to ask just how much of the problem is under 2K’s control, and what they can do at this point.

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The Sunday Substitute: The MyPLAYER Transaction Report (Part 5)

'Where intensity happens' advertisement from NBA 2K13.

Welcome to another instalment of The Sunday Substitute! After another lengthy hiatus, I’m coming back and continuing with my series within a series, The MyPLAYER Transaction Report. For anyone new here, it’s a series where I document the teams I’ve played for across the NBA 2K and Live titles.

This edition includes the two latest titles – NBA 2K22 and NBA 2K23 – with a detour in between. Indeed, this is the beginning of me getting a taste for the older titles. I’m noticing many of them are holding up better than I expected, even without their online features.

Perhaps it’s out of me longing for a time when MyCAREER wasn’t a gigantic cutscene with some basketball attached. Or maybe I just like going back and seeing the names that are no longer in the league. Shoutout to Gary Forbes, Toney Douglas, and Justin Harper – they were all my teammates at some stage in NBA 2K13. In any case, expect to see some older titles in future entries of this series.

For now, we start Part 5 with a familiar scenario: an alternate build. This time, I find myself north of the border, backing up a rising star in Pascal Siakam.

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NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: August 5th, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

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.

While we never get any complaints about dunks in the NLSC Top 10 Plays – I mean, why would we? – this week’s countdown does change things up with some acrobatic layups, beginning with Dr. J doing his thing in NBA 2K14. These finesse finishes are set up by some crafty moves, demonstrating that there’s plenty of ways to finish with style on the virtual hardwood! To that point of course, there’s still an exciting array of spectacular dunks, including posters, alley-oops, and putbacks. Once again, the variety also extends to the featured games, as six different titles are on display this 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.

The Friday Five: 5 Stints That Never Appeared in Games

The Friday Five: 5 Stints That Never Appeared in Games

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 player stints that never officially appeared in any basketball video games.

One of the reasons that I enjoy retro basketball gaming, and covering old titles for Wayback Wednesday, is the interactive almanac aspect. As I’ve said so many times, firing up old games is like consulting an almanac or encyclopedia. You’ll see all the familiar faces in strange places, and back in familiar places. The memorable teams of yesteryear are there to browse, and of course, play with. For so many of us, video games complemented our NBA fandom, and were part of following along with the league that year. Not to overuse a phrase, but they capture a snapshot of the season.

Well…for the most part! As I’ve demonstrated through various articles, there are aspects of basketball video games that prevent them from being completely accurate interactive almanacs. We’ve seen phantom stints; the players that only appeared on certain teams in games, as they didn’t ever suit up for that club in an official NBA contest. There are comebacks that were over before they began, and players who made it into the rosters of video games without ever tallying a single minute in the league. And then, there are the players who had stints that never appeared in the official rosters of a game. Here are five of the most memorable unaccounted for stints.

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Wayback Wednesday: The Folly of Separate Shoot Buttons

Wayback Wednesday: The Folly of Separate Shoot Buttons

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 approach of having separate shoot buttons in NBA Live.

If you asked me which basketball video game has had perfect controls and gameplay mechanics, I’d have to say we’re yet to see it! Obviously perfection is an unrealistic goal in general, but even if we amend the definition to mean near-perfect and without any major criticisms, I don’t believe any title truly qualifies. Even the best basketball games that come extremely close in that regard have had at least one quirk with their controls and mechanics. It may not render them unplayable or unenjoyable, but there’s still something about the concept that’s flawed.

That’s basically how I feel about the separate shoot buttons in older NBA Live games. It initially worked and was a good solution as far as deepening shooting controls, but then was taken to the extreme in NBA Live 07, exposing its flaws. It’s an interesting situation though, especially when compared to similar attempts to expand the passing controls. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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