NBA Live 16

To mark the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live, we’re taking a look back at every game in the series with retrospectives and other fun content! This also includes re-running some features from our 20th Anniversary celebrations, with a few revisions. Whether you’re a long-time basketball gamer who grew up with NBA Live and are keen on taking a trip down memory lane, or you’re new to the series and want to learn about its history, we hope that you enjoy celebrating the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live here at the NLSC! Next up is a retrospective of NBA Live 16.

I have mixed feelings when I look back at NBA Live 16. On one hand, it’s a very solid game that was an improvement on NBA Live 15. I also had the opportunity to play it early, and to date, that was the last community event that I attended. On the other hand, the game also introduced concepts that while fun, have since taken the series in the wrong direction upon becoming the main focus. That makes it a pivotal title in the series, and in hindsight, there were some red flags about what was to come. At the same time, the good things that it did were cause for optimism, and deserve credit. With that in mind, NBA Live 16 is a rather interesting release to reflect upon.

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Episode #335 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this week’s show.

The NBA 2K21 Current Gen trailer has given us something to really sink our teeth into this week. We share our thoughts on what we saw, and touch on some of the community reactions. A glimpse of the new Shot Meter and recent comments by Beluba also inspire us to once again discuss shooting mechanics. Meanwhile, remarks by 2K’s CEO have continued to stir up controversy regarding the Next Gen price increase. We have a few things to say on the matter, along with our subsequent expectations for Next Gen. With the NBA Live 16 servers shutting down, we also encourage everyone to wrap up their business ASAP, and take some time to reflect on the game.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:47:16 — 73.7MB)

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What’s your take on this week’s conversation? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

The NBA Live 16 servers will be shutting down on October 19th 2020 at 11 AM EST, as per a new in-game notification. Upon the shutdown, all online content such as Ultimate Team, Head 2 Head, and LIVE Pro-Am will no longer be available.

As usual, my advice would be to wrap up any unfinished business between now and the shutdown. This includes acquiring Trophies/Achievements that require online connectivity, LUT challenges, and if you’re a content creator, getting video and screenshots of features that will soon be unavailable.

EA Sports has been shutting down the servers for older NBA Live games over the past twelve months, as the number of gamers still playing them has continued to dwindle. As it stands, NBA Live 14, NBA Live 15, and now NBA Live 16 will have all had online support for over five years by the time their servers are shutdown. This is far longer than usual, and it remains to be seen if NBA Live 18 and NBA Live 19 will receive similar service. The cancellation of NBA Live 20 and NBA Live 21 may indeed result in the extension of their online support.

Thanks to Pavel for the heads up on the impending shutdown of the NBA Live 16 servers! Once again, be sure to complete any unfinished business ASAP, as October is only a couple of months away.

The week is in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, which means it’s time for the Sunday Substitute! It’s the article where I get some valuable minutes while the star is resting on the bench. I might not have the time to do this every week, but I like to think I’m still making a contribution to the team. Since it looks like NBA Live 18 will be released this year, I figured it would be a fantastic opportunity to look back at NBA Live 16 and determine what features are worth salvaging. For this article, I’m going to focus on the player upgrade system.

I really love the player creation and upgrade system in NBA Live 16. It began for me with the most seamless face scan I have ever done in any video game. I’m not sure how everyone else went with it, but I know that my player in NBA Live 16 looks much more like me than any player I’ve created in the NBA 2K series. But my appreciation for player customisation in NBA Live 16 has gone far beyond that since I bought a full copy of the game.

Not only is the player upgrade system an excellent feature in NBA Live 16, but I believe it is superior to that of NBA 2K16, and even NBA 2K17. I know it’s a big call – since the NBA 2K games have the advantage in most areas – but I think NBA Live 16 had some intuitive features when it comes to upgrading created players. So, here are the player upgrade features that I not only love in NBA Live 16, but I think should be considered for NBA Live 18.

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Episode #196 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! We’re back on the air after skipping last week, as we wanted to wait until the NBA trade deadline had passed so that we could discuss any deals that went down. There’s quite a few other things to talk about as we catch up this week, including suggestions to improve 2K Pro-Am, a busy week in basketball gaming, and the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend.

On this week’s show…

• A solid, well-thought out list of suggestions for improving 2K Pro-Am was posted over at Operation Sports. It’s certainly a topic that interests us, so we take a look at the ideas, and throw out a few suggestions of our own.
• Visual Concepts recently did something very cool with Make-A-Wish, though some unfortunate wording was used to promote it on Twitter.
• In Our Week in Basketball Gaming: We played a little bit of everything this week! Thoughts on Park After Dark #3, Kenny’s impressions of NBA Live 16, comparisons between LIVE Pro-Am and 2K Pro-Am, and updates on what we’ve been doing in MyCAREER and MyTEAM.
• The 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend came, disappointed, and went. You might think we’re turning into grumpy (grumpier?) old men, but a lot of people seem to share our sentiments.
• As it turned out, the biggest trade happened during the All-Star Game, and not at the trade deadline.
• We wrap up Episode #196 of the NLSC Podcast with a quick discussion of recent NBA news and results, including injuries and the Playoff push.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:01:00 — 83.2MB)

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Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

Episode #175 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! We’re in the final countdown to NBA 2K17, so it’s been another busy week with several previews. Join us as we react to the latest news, share our recent basketball gaming experiences, and talk about a couple of other topics that caught our attention.

On this week’s show…

• We now know a lot more about what to expect from MyCAREER in NBA 2K17, by way of a developer blog and a trailer. What do we think of this year’s approach?
• The MyNBA2K17 app is out now, but as of recording, it isn’t much use yet.
• A couple of new tidbits about MyLEAGUE and MyCAREER have given us some ideas for league expansion. We’re also really glad that there’ll be no four point line.
• The Arena Authenticity trailer spotlighted some cool presentation elements, but are we particularly hyped about them?
• We discuss what certainly appears to be a hoax about a PC version of NBA Live 17, and recap what we know so far about the next game from EA Sports.
• In another social media gaffe, Ronnie 2K continues to alienate basketball gamers who dare to express legitimate complaints about NBA 2K.
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming includes some of our final sessions of 2K Pro-Am – though there might be a couple more – and a return to NBA 2K11 for the Jordan Challenge. Also, a bit of talk about NBA Live 16 (yes, it’s been a while).
• We wrap up Episode #175 of the NLSC Podcast with another game of Trivia Time!

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:36:27 — 46.2MB)

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Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

Episode #167 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! We’re coming up to the really slow part of the offseason, but we do have some news to discuss this week in the form of a new NBA Live 16 roster update, as well as some more 2K Pro-Am games to recap. Also, a significant rule change, and the retirement of a future Hall of Famer.

On this week’s show…

• A new NBA Live 16 roster has been pushed through, featuring pre-Draft transactions such as Derrick Rose to New York. Unfortunately, it seems that no further offseason updates are planned at this time.
• Development of NBA Live 17 is still underway, as EA reps have been posting photos of rookie face scans that are being conducted during Summer League play.
• Our latest 2K Pro-Am sessions have yielded more fun and frustration, including an impressive win with a very undersized centre, and a somewhat angry dunk. A couple more community members have also recently joined in the fun.
• The NBA has announced further changes to the Hack-a-Shaq rules. A lot of fans are criticising the decision, but we’ve got a very different take on the matter.
• Tim Duncan announced his retirement with little fanfare, walking away from the NBA in the most Tim Duncan way possible. We reflect on the career of the player most now consider to be the greatest power forward of all-time.
• Episode #167 of the NLSC Podcast ends with our new favourite game, Trivia Time! Play along at home and answer this week’s questions about NBA Live, NBA 2K, and NBA Jam.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:20 — 38.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

While EA Sports have previously mentioned that they have no concrete plans to release any further roster updates for NBA Live 16, it seems that we may be in luck after all. A very minor offseason roster has been pushed through featuring a few of the pre-Draft moves, such as the trade that sent Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks.

The roster is dated July 7th, so it was obviously finalised before any free agent signings were made official. As such, Kevin Durant is still on the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dwyane Wade is still on the Miami Heat, Dwight Howard is still on the Houston Rockets, and so on. With many players now signing the contracts they agreed to at the beginning of free agency, those moves should be included in any future roster updates.

There aren’t any rookies in the new roster either, but if the offseason roster updates do continue, it seems possible that they might be added. As demonstrated in this Tweet from Ty Stover, Manager/Marketer at EA Sports, the team is using the Summer League to get the rookies in to have their faces scanned. That would obviously provide them with assets they can not only use with the console version of NBA Live 17, but also roster updates for NBA Live 16.

With NBA Live 17 being delayed until early 2017, pushing through offseason roster updates for NBA Live 16 is a great way to maintain brand awareness, and promote goodwill with basketball gamers. It’s something that we’ve discussed at length on the NLSC Podcast, and I’m glad to see it happening. Hopefully, EA will continue to update the rosters through the offseason, from free agent signings to this year’s rookie crop. We’ll be sure to keep you posted of any further developments. In the meantime, see below for a couple of screenshots of Derrick Rose and Robin Lopez on their new teams.

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Episode #162 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! It’s been a quiet week for basketball video game news, but Arcane, Kenny, and I do have a couple of tidbits to talk about, as well as our latest experiences in 2K Pro-Am, and the 2016 NBA Finals. Also, a new segment makes its debut!

On this week’s show…

• We tip off the show with another discussion on the lack of updates for NBA Live 16 through the end of the regular season and Playoffs, and what we’d like to see EA do during the offseason in the lead up to NBA Live 17.
• 2K Sports are unveiling Team 2K, their talent lineup for NBA 2K17 which includes cover player Paul George. We speculate on the silhouettes in the teaser image.
• In Our Week in Basketball Gaming, we reflect on last week’s 2K Pro-Am session, where we discovered that contrary to what Homer Simpson once said, there are actually sweeter and more satisfying things than winning by default.
• Turning our attention to the 2016 NBA Finals, we reflect on the first two games, and make our predictions for the rest of the series. Sorry, Cleveland Cavaliers fans.
• As it stands right now, who is the Finals MVP? What does it mean for Stephen Curry’s legacy – and the Michael Jordan comparisons – if he doesn’t have a big series?
• With the season winding down, we tally our final scores for Bold Predictions. We’re hoping to do better next year.
• Episode #162 of the NLSC Podcast wraps up with a brand new segment: Trivia Time! Andrew is the quizmaster, as Arcane and Kenny square off in answering three trivia questions. This week, the questions cover NBA Live and NBA Jam.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:09:53 — 33.8MB)

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Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

Episode #160 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join, Arcane, Kenny, and I as we recap some recent NBA Live and NBA 2K news, answer a handful of mailbag questions, and react to the latest results from the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

On this week’s show…

• NBA Live 16 has been added to The Vault for EA Access members. Xbox One users will also be able to play NBA 2K16 for free this weekend.
• Patch V6 has been released for the PC version of NBA 2K16, and not everyone is happy about it. We personally have no complaints.
• A couple of tidbits about NBA 2K17 were revealed over the past week, specifically some of the talent who are mo-capping dunks for this year’s game from Visual Concepts.
• Do we think footplanting is too exaggerated in NBA 2K16? What are our thoughts on “body blocks/steals”?
• Will NBA 2K17 expand upon the features in MyLEAGUE Online?
• We discuss some features that have gone missing from basketball games over the years, and out of a list of three, we pick which one we’d like to see return.
• Similarly, we’re presented with a choice of three old basketball games to remake: NBA Fastbreak ’98, NBA In the Zone 2, and ESPN NBA 2K5. Which would we each choose?
• How do we choose a team for franchise modes when we want a change from controlling our favourite NBA team?
• In Our Week in Basketball Gaming: Dusting off an old favourite, reviewing a very old game, and more 2K Pro-Am action.
• Moving on to the 2016 NBA Playoffs, we talk about the Conference Finals, and share a few thoughts on Draymond Green’s controversial kick.
• We wrap up Episode #160 of the NLSC Podcast with this week’s round of Bold Predictions.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:34:37 — 45.7MB)

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Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

NBA Live 16 is now available in The Vault, a library of games that is available to Xbox One users who have an EA Access subscription. If you’re on Xbox One and you have an active EA Access subscription, now is your chance to check out NBA Live 16 if you haven’t already.

Tip off is NOW, members! @EASPORTSNBA LIVE 16 is available in The Vault: https://t.co/bAe9CbaLDZ pic.twitter.com/DklcuVFLQG

— EA Access (@EAAccess) May 25, 2016

For those who are unaware, EA Access is a subscription service that costs $4.99 US per month, and includes early access to games, an instant game collection as new titles are added to its library (“The Vault”), and a 10% discount on digital purchases from EA, including full games, pre-orders, and downloadable content.

There is no equivalent program for PlayStation 4 users, as EA Access is a partnership between EA and Microsoft, but the NBA Live 16 demo is still available to download from the PlayStation Store. It includes access to LIVE Pro-Am, and allows you to level your player up to an 80 Overall, which carries over to the full game if you decide to pick it up.

If you do use EA Access to give NBA Live 16 a try, we of course invite you to share your impressions and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum! We’d also welcome your contributions to the NBA Live 17 Wishlist, which you can find in this thread.

Join Arcane, Kenny, and I for Episode #159 of the NLSC Podcast! Tune in for this week’s discussion on future content and title updates for NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16, tales of our latest exploits on the virtual hardwood, thoughts on the 2016 NBA Playoffs, and a mailbag question that really made us think outside the box.

On this week’s show…

• We tip things off with an update on the latest NBA Live 16 roster patches, and Patch #6 for the PC version of NBA 2K16.
• With NBA Live 17 being delayed until early 2017, do we expect post-release support and content updates to be extended for NBA Live 16?
• In response to one of the most creative topic suggestions we’ve received, we compare the Golden State Warriors in NBA Live 16/NBA 2K16 to the Chicago Bulls in NBA Live 96. Yes, really!
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming includes triumph and tragedy in 2K Pro-Am, Dynasty and MyLEAGUE plans, and some further reflections on the future of the NBA Live series.
• Moving on to our NBA discussion, we ponder the futures of Chris Bosh and Tim Duncan.
• The 2016 Conference Finals are upon us. Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals hasn’t made us fans of a certain Warriors player.
• It’s time for another NBA Fashion Critique, as the Philadelphia 76ers get a jersey sponsor for the 2018 season, and the Utah Jazz unveil their new branding.
• We give a couple of thoughts on some recent coaching changes, including one that really seemed to come out of left field.
• As is the norm, Episode #159 of the NLSC Podcast ends with another round of Bold Predictions.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:45 — 39.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games.

There are a lot of ways that you can see just how much basketball video games have improved over the years. You can compare screenshots, and gameplay footage. You can read retrospectives and reviews, comparing and contrasting their critique. Best of all, you can get some firsthand impressions by playing an old favourite from many years ago; it won’t be long before you notice some outdated tech that’s come a long way since then. Not every basketball video game is better in every single way than all of the titles that came before it, but the further back you look, the more progress you will see.

Another method of seeing just how far basketball video games have come is to glance back at our old Wishlists. We have Wishlists dating back to 1997, when the community was awaiting the release of NBA Live 98. Take a look back at those articles in our content portals, and you’ll see that a lot of the things that we were asking for have since become a reality. Multi-season franchise modes, online leagues, historical teams, single player career modes, full TV-style presentation…a lot of our wishes have made their way into NBA Live and NBA 2K over the years.

When it comes to in-depth broadcast presentation, however, you may have to be careful what you wish for. Sometimes, awesome presentation isn’t so great.

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Despite a couple of connection issues this week, Arcane, Kenny and I are coming at you with Episode #158 of the NLSC Podcast! In this week’s show, we give our thoughts on EA’s major announcement regarding NBA Live 17, recap our recent efforts on the virtual hardwood, discuss the 2016 NBA Playoffs, and more.

On this week’s show…

• As the 2016 season draws nearer to its end, NBA Live 16’s rosters are finally close to being 100% accurate. We quickly recap the May 5th update.
• Speaking of rosters, NBA 2K16 will be receiving a special update in which Stephen Curry will be rated 99 overall.
• The big news this week is the announcement that NBA Live 17 won’t be out until 2017, while a new NBA Live Mobile game will be released later this year. We give our in-depth thoughts on the situation, and the future of the NBA Live series.
• In Our Week in Basketball Gaming, we all team-up for some games of 2K Pro-Am, representing the NLSC in the Joel Anthony Arena. Also, we discuss some possible plans for Dynasty Mode and/or MyLEAGUE.
• Moving from the virtual hardwood to the real NBA, we recap the latest action from the 2016 NBA Playoffs, and revisit a few of our previous predictions.
• Stephen Curry has repeated as MVP, in a unanimous decision. Elsewhere, R.C. Buford has won his second Executive of the Year award. We also discuss some recent comments by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
• We wrap up Episode #158 of the NLSC Podcast with this week’s Bold Predictions, and a noteworthy accomplishment by Udonis Haslem.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:29:15 — 43.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Sound off in the comments below, or here in the Forum. Also, if there’s a topic you’d like us to discuss on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, feel free to hit us up in this thread.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games.

In last week’s Monday Tip-Off, I talked about why basketball video games need to have robust game modes. As I explained in the article, having a variety of deep, engaging modes goes a long way in making a basketball video game feel complete, and fully featured. Combined with satisfying gameplay, appealing bonus content, and a bevy of customisation options, the end result is a well-rounded, quality release. In other words, the kind of basketball video game that we all want to see and play.

One of the customisation options that every basketball game absolutely must have is roster editing. When NBA Live and NBA 2K launched on the current generation of consoles, both games were missing the comprehensive roster editing tools that were available in previous releases. NBA 2K14 had some basic roster editing functionality, while the ability to customise rosters was completely absent in NBA Live 14. NBA 2K has since brought back roster editing, but unfortunately, it’s yet to return in NBA Live.

Moving forward, it’s absolutely essential that both games offer roster editing and that the functionality continues to expand and improve. Let’s take a look at why this is such a vital feature in basketball video games.

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