NBA 2K8

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 reminiscing about NBA 2K8 making a cameo during the story in NBA 2K19 MyCAREER.

MyCAREER stories have undoubtedly been hit or miss. From the way they impact the gameplay experience to the quality of the stories themselves, some have managed to enhance the mode, while others have unfortunately detracted from it. For me, “The Way Back” – the story of NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER – was one of the stronger tales. It took us along a very different path to the NBA, with some genuinely captivating story beats. Sure, there’s a glaring plot hole that could’ve easily been avoided with only a slight change to the ending, but even that makes it interesting!

With that in mind, “The Way Back” is definitely one of my favourite MyCAREER stories. It also helps that the developers got creative in adding interactive elements beyond the usual gameplay. Not only did we have character and dialogue choices, but there were also hoops-related activities ranging from a barnyard pickup game to mini basketball at a fair. This also includes a memorable tribute to the history of the NBA 2K series, as our MyPLAYER ends up playing NBA 2K8 during the course of the NBA 2K19 MyCAREER story. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 basketball games of the 2008 season, and explaining why I believe it was the weakest lineup to date.

As much as I miss having multiple annual releases in the basketball gaming space – especially when we had at least three or four companies throwing their hat into the ring – it clearly wasn’t sustainable. The quality of those games was inconsistent across the board, and it didn’t help that some of them were console and regional exclusives. To that point, it’s no wonder that many series didn’t last nearly as long as NBA 2K, or even NBA Live. Still, it was great having so many choices that brought their own ideas to the table, and there were usually at least one or two fantastic games each year.

Nominating the best or strongest year in basketball gaming is tough; in fact, that’s a topic that Dee and I might have to tackle on the podcast, with the community’s input. If we’re talking about the worst or weakest season for basketball games though, I do have an answer that – while obviously subjective – I am confident in. After going back and reviewing NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, and Sony’s NBA 08, I believe that 2008 is the frontrunner for the weakest season for basketball video games. I certainly wouldn’t expect everyone to agree, but I have my reasons. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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As another week here at the NLSC draws to a close, I’d like to spotlight a couple of recent uploads to our YouTube channel! In case you haven’t seen them yet – or indeed, if you’d like to watch them again, we won’t mind! – Dee has uploaded some retro NBA 2K19 highlights, while I’ve done the same for NBA 2K8.

More specifically, Dee’s video showcases the 1986 roster mod from Stildo33 and company, as he takes control of the Portland Trail Blazers with a young Clyde Drexler and faces his brother who is using the Philadelphia 76ers with veterans Julius Erving and Moses Malone, and a young Charles Barkley. It was an exciting game with a wild finish, and it’s a great demonstration of a fantastic retro roster mod.

As I noted in this week’s Wayback Wednesday, I didn’t retroactively become a big fan of NBA 2K8 after revisiting it, but the game definitely has its moments. To that end, I’ve put together a compilation of the best plays from a couple of games I played against the CPU, taking on the 80s East with the 80s West, and the 90s West with the 90s East.

Check out those retro highlights from NBA 2K19 and NBA 2K8 below! As always, be sure to subscribe to our channel if you haven’t already, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play. We’ll do our best to get them into the rotation, and share the highlights with you!

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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 and PlayStation 3 version of NBA 2K8.

The tagline of NBA 2K8 was “It’s like that”. I find it extremely appropriate, though I guarantee it isn’t for the reasons that the marketing department at Take-Two intended. Instead, “it’s like that” are the frustrated words that run through my mind whenever I give NBA 2K8 a chance, and it disappoints me once again. Not to spoil the entire retrospective before I get into it, but if NBA 2K6 or NBA 2K7 had been the games to get me into the NBA 2K series – and they may well might’ve been, had I given them a fair chance back in the day – NBA 2K8 could’ve turned me off of it again.

Indeed, I’m prepared to call it one of the most overrated games in the entire series. The only reason I hesitate is because after looking at some contemporary reviews, it seems that the criticisms and unfavourable comparisons to its predecessors were being made back then, too. GameTrailers’ review even went so far as to call it a serious step backwards, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s unfortunate because the game does have a lot of good bones and enticing features, but for me, it’s been a major retro basketball gaming disappointment. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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For anyone who hasn’t seen them yet, Dee has uploaded the highlights from our Parsec session of NBA 2K8 to the NLSC YouTube channel. In this co-op game, we assumed control of the Class of 2004 squad and took on the Class of 2005, essentially staging our own version of the Rookie Challenge from the 2005 All-Star Weekend.

As we discussed in our recap in Episode #521 of the NLSC Podcast, unfortunately a power outage ended the game prematurely as the fourth quarter was drawing to a close. We were in the lead at the time – so I for one am going to call it a victory for us – but it was certainly shaping up to be a dramatic conclusion. As you can see from the highlights however, it was an exciting game up until that point with Ben Gordon lighting it up from range, Josh Smith skying for some thunderous finishes on alley-oops, and cover player Chris Paul giving us everything we could handle on defense. See for yourself!

NBA 2K8 is a game that I still need to cover for Wayback Wednesday, so stay tuned for that retrospective and further highlights! As always, we encourage you to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already, as well as hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #521 of the NLSC Podcast!

Could an unlicensed basketball video game possibly provide a viable alternative to NBA 2K, assuming that it had great gameplay, deep customisation and sharing options, a robust franchise mode, and a price tag of $39.99 USD? This week, we join the community in discussing this very intriguing idea, while drawing comparisons to old titles such as World League Basketball and other unlicensed sports games. It’s safe to say that there’s interest in the concept, but certainly some valid concerns as well. We also take a look back at NBA 2K8 for PlayStation 3 following a co-op Parsec session that sadly ended far too abruptly, and share an encouraging injury update with our listeners.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:15:46 — 52.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #451 of the NLSC Podcast!

Revisiting NBA 2K8 produced a very satisfying co-op win, and also brought back memories of two Bens on the  Chicago Bulls. We also had a session with NBA Live 2000 in order to compare it to NBA Live 99, and the verdict is that they’re both pretty exceptional releases! We’re also going extremely old school this week, as we played the PC version of Jordan vs Bird via floppy disk; after entering the correct value from the copy protection wheel, of course. We also reflect on former Boston Celtic point guard Marcus Banks, discuss recent retro pickups and modding projects, and open up the mailbag to discuss favourite cover players and some interesting cover player trivia.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:27:49 — 60.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!