The Friday Five: 5 Limitations With A Sensible Explanation

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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Outdated Details in Basketball Games (Part 2)

Postby [Q] on Fri Jul 03, 2020 4:20 pm

In NBA Hangtime SNES version, they had updated color schemes for Seattle, Houston, Detroit, Vancouver, and Toronto. For arcade and N64/PS1 versions they did not and they had Vancouver/Toronto colors swapped
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Outdated Details in Basketball Games (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 03, 2020 5:02 pm

Really? That might be up there with Kevin Edwards using Blue Edwards' portrait as far as things I've managed to overlook for more than 20 years if that's the case!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Outdated Details in Basketball Games (Part 2)

Postby [Q] on Fri Jul 03, 2020 5:38 pm

Yeah it was definitely something I noticed back then as a kid as I had the Prima guide for the game that showed the rosters and team colors for the "next gen" versions

It was also how I knew Kobe was in the game but not in my SNES version which was always disappointing
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Outdated Details in Basketball Games (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:18 pm

Sounds like I've got another Wayback Wednesday to write, then.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Best NBA CAPs in NBA 2K20's Neighborhood

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:45 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Best NBA CAPs in NBA 2K20's Neighborhood

Since the introduction of Park, 2K Pro-Am, and ultimately The Neighborhood, it's been interesting to see what kind of players people create. I don't mean their build or Archetype, though that's obviously an interesting discussion as well. I'm talking about the appearance gamers choose for their MyPLAYERs. Whether it's through the face scanning capabilities or expanded face creation tools, we're invited to insert ourselves into the game. While a number of gamers do indeed choose to do this, it seems that many prefer to create an original avatar, or in some cases, run with an NBA lookalike.

I would suggest that most gamers choose custom faces and NBA CAPs for the same reason that I gave up on face scans: the functionality is cumbersome, buggy, and takes too long to inform you that a scan has failed. Even when a scan has been successful according to the app, the game will often inform you that there's a problem, with the condescending error message "try again and play close attention to the instructions"; instructions, mind you, that along with any troubleshooting info, do not exist. It's no wonder people prefer to role play as a goofy avatar, or as an NBA player. Some of the NBA CAPs are quite good, with these five ranking among the best I've seen so far.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Mods That Might Make a Comeback

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:40 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Mods That Might Make a Comeback

It's funny how modding trends have changed over the years. I remember the days when we were very limited in what we could do with the early NBA Live games, but still made the most of the tools at our disposal. By the end of NBA Live's run on PC, we'd created a wide variety of impressive projects as a community. When we took up NBA 2K modding after the series arrived on PC, we found ourselves back at square one for a time. Fortunately, new tools were made, new techniques were discovered, and great works have followed, spanning two generations of PC ports.

There are some mods that we don't see as much of anymore, for various reasons. Times change, tastes change, and certain things are either no longer possible, or not as easy as they used to be. With that said, as times change, some things end up coming back into style. What's old is new again, as the saying goes, and I believe there are some mods that might end up making a comeback in the near future. Perhaps I'm wide of the mark on these predictions; I may be putting too much stock into some recent releases, or I may be projecting because I find these ideas intriguing. All the same, I'd like to put the ideas out there. If these mods do make a comeback, so much the better!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Odd Aspects of 2K's Early Career Modes

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 24, 2020 3:44 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Odd Aspects of 2K's Early Career Modes

TV Tropes enthusiasts will no doubt be familiar with the term "Early Installment Weirdness". To quote the laconic definition, it refers the phenomenon of "first releases of franchises that include very surprising differences in specific tropes or even the absence of a trope that later became predominant in that work". To put it another way, the first season of a TV show or the early titles in a video game series may have elements that were changed or phased out, retroactively making them look very strange and out of place compared to what came afterwards.

Being a genre that has evolved over a number of years and generations of hardware, basketball games are no exception. Certain controls and gameplay mechanics, and even features of the staple game modes, have drastically changed as concepts have evolved and technology has improved. Of course, less pleasing developments such as the introduction of microtransactions have also fuelled changes that leave us wishing we could go back to the old days, and the old ways. The single player career mode in NBA 2K - originally called My Player, now branded MyCAREER - features some prime examples of aspects that now seem quite odd. Let's take a look at five of them!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things Developers Got In Trouble For

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:25 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Things Developers Got In Trouble For

Something that a lot of basketball gamers don't seem to understand is that when it comes to licensed titles, developers are under certain restrictions that are imposed by the licenser. Most people understand that certain former players can't be included because they haven't granted the use of their likeness, though you'll get the occasional person who'll angrily claim that EA Sports or Visual Concepts have "forgotten" about those historical players. The NBA also isn't really big on modding because of the way it skirts such licensing, which is why we don't have any official modding tools.

There are plenty of other examples of these restrictions, such as an inability to include unsportsmanlike technical fouls, or fights beyond a bit of post-whistle shoving that's out of our control. Bottom line, if it's in NBA Live or NBA 2K, then the NBA itself has given it the green light. There have been a few occasions where developers have tried to sneak something into the games, and subsequently upset the NBA or another license holder in the process. These incidents have usually resulted in a reprimand, but on a couple of occasions, lawsuits have been involved. Here are five things that basketball game developers did that landed them in trouble, if only temporarily.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Cancelled Games (Other Than NBA Elite 11)

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 07, 2020 2:11 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Cancelled Games (Other Than NBA Elite 11)

If we're talking about cancelled basketball games, then NBA Elite 11 is obviously one that springs immediately to mind. I'm sure that everyone knows that story, but the short version is that the demo was poorly received and widely mocked due to both gameplay issues and the infamous "Jesus Bynum" T-pose bug. This led to the full version being pulled five days before release so that it could receive further polish, with the delay eventually becoming cancellation. It's a disaster that's set the NBA Live series back years, and while it's a significant event, it's also a very familiar tale.

To that end, I thought it'd be more interesting to talk about some cancelled games in a list that doesn't include the obvious example of NBA Elite 11. That's not to say that these games are obscure and their stories unknown, but at least a couple of them aren't talked about all that much. Please note that I'm also excluding the recent examples of NBA Live 17/The Drive to NBA Live, NBA Live 20, and NBA Live 21, as they were either never really officially announced, or there isn't much to say except EA decided that they weren't fit to launch. I'd like to think that there are some interesting stories with these other cancelled games though, so let's take a look!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ways NBA 2K Online Is A Mess

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 14, 2020 2:22 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Ways NBA 2K Online Is A Mess

This isn't the first time that I've discussed problems with the online experience in NBA 2K, and while I'd prefer not to harp on issues or be repetitive in my content, it's also important to point out problems. This is particularly important when certain issues remain unresolved for several years running, leading to increased frustration for everyone, and an aspect of basketball gaming that isn't nearly as good as it could and should be. Having spent more time playing NBA 2K online recent years, I've grown dismayed and disenchanted with the experience due to several recurring problems.

Frankly, NBA 2K online is a mess. It's kind of bewildering, actually. With the launch of the NBA 2K League, the online scene is obviously being pushed as a big part of the game, and yet it's never been weaker or less inviting. That's not to say that it can't be any fun at all. I won't pretend that I haven't had enjoyable sessions here and there, or that NBA 2K online doesn't have anything to offer; at least on paper. The good news is that there are solutions that would clean up the mess that is online play in NBA 2K. The bad news is that many of the problems are persistent legacy issues, so it remains to be seen if they'll ever be properly addressed in future games.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Times Games Received Surprising Updates

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:11 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Times Games Received Surprising Updates

These days, basketball games receive more updates than ever before. Official patches are more frequent and numerous. Content updates, from current rosters and new player faces, to MyPLAYER clothing and MyTEAM challenges and cards, are also pushed through all season long. At some point however, these updates will cease. Developers have to move on to next year's title after all, and there's only so much that can be addressed in patches. New content beyond the NBA Finals, and certainly for a game that's over a year old, is quite rare.

It's not unprecedented, however. There are extenuating circumstances, such as when the cancellation of NBA Elite 11 resulted in NBA Live 10 being updated for the 2011 season. On top of that, there are times when video games receive content that we simply wouldn't expect because it doesn't seem feasible due to technical or licensing limitations. It's a nice surprise when a title does receive new content or a fix that seemed unlikely, though at the same time, it's difficult not to approach some of these unexpected updates with a certain amount of cynicism. Nevertheless, here are five times that games received updates that were surprising for one reason or another.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Unexpected Jerseys Included in Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:25 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Unexpected Jerseys Included in Games

We've grown accustomed to a wide selection of alternate and retro jerseys to choose from in basketball video games. This wasn't always the case, however. It wasn't until NBA Live 2003 that EA Sports' long-running series added both the ability to select jerseys in-game, and a single retro uniform for every team. Over the years, more and more jerseys were added, though they were briefly removed when the series made the jump to seventh generation. NBA 2K has also come to feature a wide selection of jerseys, with NBA 2K20 including just about every major jersey each team has worn.

However, not only have there been some noteworthy omissions over the years, we've also seen some unexpected uniforms make the cut. The context that makes a uniform an unexpected inclusion varies from example to example, but suffice to say, we've sometimes been left surprised upon scrolling through all of the options on the jersey selection screen. In some cases, rare and even fictional jerseys have found their way into the game, increasing our choices and letting us hold our own theme nights in the various franchise modes. Looking back, I would suggest that these five rank amongst the most unexpected jerseys to have been featured on the virtual hardwood.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Nifty Features That Weren't Advertised

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:05 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Nifty Features That Weren't Advertised

Over the years, the preview season has grown shorter and less exciting. I'll admit that for my part, there's a certain amount of cynicism that's inevitable after covering hoops games for so many years. Features and entire games that didn't live up to the hype do leave one jaded, or at the very least, taking every preview with a grain of salt. On top of that, with only one game guaranteed to come out every year, we've lost that back and forth, those attempts at one-upmanship coming out of EA Sports and 2K Sports. Indeed, the preview season has been reduced to a handful of blogs close to launch.

Hopefully, the previews for the Next Gen version of NBA 2K21 will shake things up. It's the version that's received the most attention after all, whereas the Current Gen release was outsourced to another studio. Of course, it doesn't hurt when a few things are left for us to discover. Indeed, even when the preview season felt longer and more exciting, developers wouldn't go into absolutely every detail about the games. There were always a few nifty things that didn't make the previews, or the list of features on the back of the box. It'd be nice to discover a few gems in the newly released Current Gen version of NBA 2K21, though; gems such as these nifty features in past games.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Nifty Features That Weren't Advertised

Postby [Q] on Fri Sep 04, 2020 6:05 pm

I always liked the different hair styles Rodman got in NBA Live 98 as well as the Sunday jerseys. I remember being disappointed the Sunday jerseys didn't come up often enough though

Also, I had no idea about the freestyle taunting. What game was that in and how do you do it
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Nifty Features That Weren't Advertised

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 04, 2020 8:50 pm

That particular screen is from NBA Live 06, but I'm pretty sure it's in 2004 through 08 on PC/PS2. Just flick the right stick up or down, and the player will perform a taunt rather than raising their arms or getting into a defensive crouch, as when holding up or down on the stick.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Keys to a "No Money Spent" Experience

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 11, 2020 4:45 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Keys to a "No Money Spent" Experience

Microtransactions remain a controversial issue in NBA 2K, and Triple-A gaming as a whole. Although they are technically optional, there's no denying that 2K's recurrent revenue mechanics are implemented in a way that does all they can to push gamers towards spending real money on Virtual Currency. Gamers who spend level up quicker and end up with better cards sooner, and in turn, they set the competitive balance in online play. Even if you stick to the offline modes, opting for the No Money Spent approach ensures a lengthy grind, year after year.

Of course, for those of us who don't want to support the recurrent revenue business model and spend additional money on a game that'll be outmoded in a year, finding a way to beat the system is a point of pride. There's great satisfaction to be had in enjoying a game without having to shell out cash in order to level up efficiently, or access some of its best content. Once again though, NBA 2K is subtly (and not-so-subtly) trying to push us towards spending at every turn, so the No Money Spent approach takes a few tricks, discipline, and a willingness to work the system. To that end, here are five keys to getting the most out of a No Money Spent experience.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:25 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Is it fair to say that some of the most talented and creative people are also among the pettiest? As someone who grew up reading Roald Dahl's books, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny, Champion of the World, The Twits, and other classics, I'd have to say yes. Comparing the stories to Dahl's autobiographical works, Boy and Going Solo, it's obvious that he based many of his villains on people that he'd met and didn't care for. In Danny, Champion of the World, he flat out named Danny's abusive teacher after one of his own schoolmasters whom he loathed (I'd say quite rightfully).

With that in mind, it's probably fair to say that spite is a driving influence in a lot of people's creative process. The amount of recording artists who have released songs written about an ex - famous or otherwise - also stands as a good example here. As a creative medium in which there's competition, video games likewise invite some petty potshots and snarky slams. With there once being a heated rivalry between NBA Live and NBA 2K, both EA Sports and Visual Concepts have been guilty of pettiness. On the other hand, pettiness has also resulted in some amusing Easter eggs and design choices. Without further ado, here are five of the pettiest moments in virtual hoops!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby [Q] on Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:44 am

Haha but NBA Live's Chris Paul DID look better than 2k's
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Sat Sep 19, 2020 1:39 pm

Oh, it definitely did.

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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby [Q] on Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:20 pm

Oh man those jerseys were so inaccurate back then. Plus they had physics but we're floating on the players' bodies
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Pettiest Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:43 pm

NBA Live was definitely doing a better job on some of those details, on top of the faces. For some of its faults, it also had the better dribbling controls.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Retro Purchases That Didn't Pan Out

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:06 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Retro Purchases That Didn't Pan Out

When I was a young basketball gamer, my parents didn't quite understand the concept of annual releases. I remember buying NBA Live 97, and my father saying something along the lines of "OK, you don't need any more basketball games." It's funny to look back on now considering how much my collection has grown since then, to the point where acquiring basketball games is as much my hobby as playing them. Given that I'm a content creator, they're also an investment that helps out with that venture, but I also enjoy searching for bargains and adding some obscure or difficult to find titles.

Expanding my collection beyond the games I bought and played when they were new has allowed me to experience some titles that I missed the first time around. As I've said before, some are good, and some are bad. Some I wish I played more of when they were new, and some I can safely say I was right to avoid. Either way, I don't regret my retro purchases because I enjoy collecting, and checking them out not only creates material for Wayback Wednesday but is also a fun adventure. Unfortunately, not all of my retro purchases have panned out. It's the risk you take when you hunt down second hand titles, but fortunately none of these busts have broken the bank.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Community Issues NBA 2K21 Has Spotlighted

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 02, 2020 2:20 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Community Issues NBA 2K21 Has Spotlighted

NBA 2K21 Current Gen has been out for about a month, and following its release, gamers have had a lot to say about it. The game has had a mixed reception to say the least, and some of the new concepts haven't resonated as positively as the developers no doubt hoped they would. A big patch came through on September 14th, which does seem to have allayed some concerns with the game. No release is ever perfect though, and not all issues can be caught before the game is in our hands, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting developers with several obstacles.

Gamers have been noting the issues with NBA 2K21 and sharing feedback with the developers accordingly, but I've noticed something else in the wake of the game being released. It seems as though NBA 2K21 has also spotlighted some issues within the community itself, both in the way we approach the games and how we interact with each other. These community issues aren't necessarily new, and in some cases they're the result of toxicity that's compounded over the years. At the same time, I do feel as though certain aspects of NBA 2K21 have shone a light on some of these community issues, and I honestly feel that we could (and should) be doing better in these areas.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Basketball Gaming Shower Thoughts

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:36 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Basketball Gaming Shower Thoughts

Contrary to what you might believe, I don't think about basketball gaming 24/7. It's obviously a passion of mine - I wouldn't have been running the NLSC for 19 years and counting if it wasn't - but I do have other interests and hobbies. It is something that is on my mind fairly regularly though, either when I'm playing a game, or creating content for the NLSC. A thought will stroll into my head - sometimes related to what I'm doing, sometimes out of the blue - and I'll wonder how it didn't occur to me before then.

For those unfamiliar with the term, "shower thoughts" are ideas or epiphanies that occur to us while doing mundane activities such as taking a shower (which is where the term originates), or carrying out some chore. They're not all profound pearls of wisdom; indeed, if you go looking for shower thoughts on Reddit or elsewhere that they're collected, you'll find a lot of puns and folksy observations. To that end, I can't promise that these basketball gaming shower thoughts - a couple of which did in fact come about in the shower - will be profound and mind-blowing. Hopefully they'll at least be amusing or interesting talking points, though.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ways I've Changed MyCAREER Habits

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:12 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Ways I've Changed MyCAREER Habits

Today's my birthday, and for those who are interested, I've turned 36. Yes, I was just a couple of months shy of turning 17 when I took over the NLSC in August 2001; time sure has flown! In that time, I'd like to think I've grown, matured, and gained a new perspective. Of course, there are some people who might say that running a site dedicated to video games at the age of 36 isn't a sign of maturity, but hey, let's leave the cynicism to Next Gen! I say that as long as you keep things in perspective and take care of your responsibilities, video games are a perfectly acceptable adult hobby.

Of course, as I've grown older and basketball games have evolved, so too have my tastes. As I've mentioned before, I always considered myself a franchise gamer, as I became a huge fan of those modes once they were introduced in the late 90s/early 2000s. Over the past decade however, I've spent more time with career modes and their connected online experiences. Mind you, the way I play MyCAREER has also changed from when I first got hooked on the mode back in NBA 2K13. Some habits have been influenced by the changes in recent titles, while others could probably be attributed to me getting older, grumpier, and less patient. Here are five examples!
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