The Friday Five: 5 Limitations With A Sensible Explanation

Talk about the NLSC Podcast, Monday Tip-Off, Wayback Wednesday, The Friday Five, Top 10 Plays of the Week, and our Parsec Tournaments! This is also a section for NLSC and community announcements, and other site-related topics.

Re: The Friday Five: 5 Players In More Video Games Than NBA Games Played (Part 4)

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 02, 2021 4:36 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Players In More Video Games Than NBA Games Played (Part 4)

It's been a while since the last entry in this series about players whose appearances on the virtual hardwood outnumber the amount of games they officially played in the real NBA. I've covered some interesting examples of such players in the previous three articles, but since then, I've continued to build my basketball video game collection, and have pored over the rosters to find other players who hold this distinction. There are quite few of them, and I compiled a comprehensive list in anticipation of writing future instalments of this series.

However, I've actually whittled the list down to a smaller number that doesn't include every single example. Although there are at least 80 players that I could discuss here (including the ones I've already mentioned in previous articles), not all of them have an interesting story. For the most part, it's the same tale: they made the cut when a game's roster was being finalised, but were released soon after and never played a single game. Noteworthy and kind of cool for them, but it's a repetitive tale to tell. Instead, I'll probably end up covering around half that number in my articles as I'd like to focus on the most interesting stories, beginning with these five players.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Missed Opportunities in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:47 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Missed Opportunities in Basketball Gaming

The phrase "hindsight is 20/20" aptly reminds us that it's easy to suggest alternative strategies and solutions after the event. All of the information is now apparent to us, and we have tangible results to evaluate and critique. However, that doesn't mean that we can't have awareness and foresight in the moment. Furthermore, even with the benefit of hindsight, lessons don't always stick. To that end, we may recall another useful idiom that was coined by George Santayana, but is often misattributed or paraphrased: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

I'm sure that you'll agree that this applies to the many missed opportunities we've witnessed in basketball gaming. The full scope and impact of squandered chances and design choices isn't always realised until years later, but we're usually aware that it's a bad idea at the time. As the years go by, it doesn't get any less bewildering that these opportunities in the basketball gaming space - whether we're talking sim or arcade games - are missed. These missed opportunities range from including appealing and beneficial content to fostering goodwill and creating excitement within the basketball gaming community. Here are five opportunities that developers let slip away.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Cover Players You May Not Recall (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:49 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Cover Players You May Not Recall (Part 2)

In my first Friday Five article on cover players that you may not recall, I focused on international/alternate covers that likely flew under the radar for even the keenest of hoops gamers. For Part 2, I'm focusing on players who were the main/only cover athlete for their respective titles, but due to either their standing in the league at the time, their game being somewhat overlooked and forgotten, or a combination of the two, they're less likely to be remembered for being cover players at one point. That's not to say nobody recalls their appearances on covers, but it's easy enough to forget.

Looking back, there have been some unusual and surprising cover players. There are explanations, of course. As basketball games have become more popular, the choice of cover player has become more significant, if only as an indication of the strength of the brand. Younger players who grew up with video games naturally tend to be more excited about endorsing them, likely viewing them the same way older players looked upon appearing on a Wheaties box or the cover of Sports Illustrated. On top of that, when there were more NBA games on the market, not every title could secure a top star. With that being said, here are five more cover players that may surprise you.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Issues That Keep Sneaking Back into NBA 2K

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:14 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Issues That Keep Sneaking Back into NBA 2K

Look, video game design is more difficult than a lot of gamers believe it to be. I know it sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but it bears repeating because there are people out there who seem to think creating the perfect basketball title is as simple as typing plain English into a word processor. Even more cynically, there's a belief that the developers are capable of creating a much better game, but intentionally holding back on doing so in order to sell next year's release. I can see the thought process behind that, but if creating a near-flawless game were feasible, it would've happened already.

What I'm getting at here is that video game development is challenging. Developers do care about making a great game - the suits may not, but the people actually putting in hard work absolutely do - and they want us to enjoy the fruits of their labour. In all fairness, NBA 2K has maintained a consistently high level of quality throughout the years. Even some of the more problematic and controversial releases over the past decade are still a far cry from being the worst hoops games ever made. There are some legacy issues that manage to keep sneaking back into new NBA 2K titles though, and with a new generation upon us, now is the time to shut them out.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Awesome Things Basketball Games Will Never Do

Postby Andrew on Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:20 am

The Friday Five: 5 Awesome Things Basketball Games Will Never Do

Having compiled several Wishlists and been in many discussions with my fellow basketball gamers over the years, I can say with confidence that as a community, we have some awesome ideas for the games that we're so passionate about. I can also attest to the developers having great ideas of their own, and I would suggest that the times we've been surprised by awesome features is proof of that. Not everything is feasible though, and video game development isn't as easy as many people still seem to think it is. There are technical challenges to overcome, as well as limitations.

This is something that most of us come to understand the more we learn about video game development. We realise that certain ideas - awesome though they may be - will be challenging to implement. Of course, that doesn't make it any less disappointing that they may never come to fruition. Furthermore, there are awesome features and changes that will very likely never happen for conceptual reasons, some of which aren't particularly consumer-friendly. Now, I'll be glad to be proven wrong about any of the ideas I'm discussing here today; that'd be awesome! It's a long shot though, as seeing these things happen in future games would definitely be too good to be true.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Weird Quirks of 90s Basketball Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:01 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Weird Quirks of 90s Basketball Games

As someone who was born in 1984 and thus grew up and became a teenager in the 90s, I have a lot of nostalgia for the decade. It's become a popular decade to hate on, perhaps because it's the one that people were starting to feel nostalgic for as social media really took off. Perhaps if the Internet had been a bigger thing earlier in the 90s, 60s and 70s nostalgia would be the popular subject of scorn instead. Then again, I suppose people have been railing against nostalgia for as long as they've been feeling nostalgic. History suggests that both of these feelings are cyclical, and inevitable.

With that being said, while nostalgia goggles are rose-coloured by design, it doesn't mean that there's no truth or accuracy in holding the past in high regard. No, not everything in the 90s was wonderful, but there were great shows, films, and video games, and it was a tremendous era for basketball. Combining those last two things, there were some very important basketball games released during the 90s that paved the way for even better titles. They were great for their time, and some are still quite playable today. Those 90s basketball games do have some weird quirks though, which we're highly unlikely to see ever again. Of course, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Annoying Officiating Quirks in Video Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 13, 2021 4:06 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Annoying Officiating Quirks in Video Games

Is there a more unpopular figure in professional basketball than the referee? Perhaps the commissioner, but game-to-game, the officiating is what tends to draw the most complaints. We never want to see our favourite team lose thanks in part to a bad call, and there have been incidents over the years that have led us to question how far the officials will go in trying to influence the outcome. Of course, as my old coach always told us, you can't rely on the officiating being perfect if you want to win games. It's true, though it doesn't lessen our frustration with questionable calls.

Poor officiating is something that's difficult to represent on the virtual hardwood, as we're already at the mercy of so many other gameplay mechanics. To that end, bad calls in basketball video games tend to be more the product of undesirable tuning and technical issues, or a deliberate attempt to maintain competitive balance, rather than an intentionally realistic element. It's just the way it goes in most games that represent the rules of basketball realistically, but certain titles do have some annoying quirks in their officiating. Well, they're annoying when they happen to you. When you benefit from them, you'll probably feel like you've got a Scott Foster on your side!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Odd & Unnecessary Old Wishlist Items

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 20, 2021 7:38 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Odd & Unnecessary Old Wishlist Items

If you want to see how far basketball video games have come over the past twenty years or so, one only needs to fire up an old favourite from the turn of the millennium. If you don't have one of those games or the necessary hardware set up, you could also take a glance at our old Wishlists. So many things that we wanted to see added to the virtual hardwood have made it into games at some point, from franchise and career modes to deeper controls and retro content. Between NBA Live and NBA 2K, many of our wishes have come true.

Not all of them have of course, and while that's disappointing in some respects, it's arguably a good thing in other ways. If nothing else, in hindsight some of our wishes and suggestions weren't particularly good or useful ideas. Now, basketball gaming has obviously changed, which means our needs and desires have also evolved. It's very easy to dump on the past because as the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and not everything ages well. Still, it's funny to look back on those Wishlists, not only to see some seemingly lofty suggestions that became a reality, but also a few ideas that NBA Live and NBA 2K simply didn't ever need to seriously consider, let alone implement.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things I've Learned in 20 Years Running The NLSC

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 27, 2021 3:39 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Things I've Learned in 20 Years Running The NLSC

Yes, as of yesterday, I've officially been running the NLSC for twenty years! It was an overwhelming thought when I realised a few years back that I'd been running the site for as long as I hadn't been running it, and now the scales have tipped in the other direction. As I've been saying as I've hit milestone after milestone, I don't know how long I'll end up running the site, except to say that as long as I'm enjoying myself and am able to put in the time and effort, I'll keep doing it. Right now, I have no plans to stop anytime soon, as it's both a passion and an immensely satisfying creative outlet.

Of course, even though the NLSC is about having fun with basketball video games, the task of running the site hasn't always been fun and games! I've connected with some great people over the years thanks to our mutual appreciation of the virtual hardwood, had tremendous opportunities such as attending community events in the USA and Canada, and produced content that I'm quite proud of. At the same time, there has been unpleasantness, difficult people, and stressful times where I've thought about stepping away. Still, the tough times have been learning experiences as much as the good ones, and to that end, running the NLSC has taught me these five things.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Stages of a Basketball Game Release

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:11 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Stages of a Basketball Game Release

We're on the road to a new basketball game release, namely NBA 2K22. Obviously, we're all hoping for the best as far as gameplay improvements, enhancements to game modes, and a fairer approach to recurrent revenue mechanics. Alright, we probably shouldn't hold our breath on that last point! Nevertheless, the preview season always brings a mixture of excitement, intrigue, scepticism, and cynicism. We're hoping for good news and want to be open-minded, but we're also leery of being disappointed, having been burned by previous releases.

Of course, we gamers - and the content creators, influencers, and pundits within gaming communities - are creatures of habit. We don't always learn from the past, though that is admittedly a very human problem. Having covered basketball games for the NLSC for twenty years now, I've noticed the same cycle repeating with every game and preview season. In fact, it's so consistent that I can apply the "five stages of grief" model to the steps we collectively go through whenever a new basketball game release is looming. Do I expect to break the cycle simply by pointing this out? No, but if nothing else, spelling it out may explain why many of us feel so cynical at times.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ideas To Benefit Modding

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:37 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Ideas To Benefit Modding

When it comes to our modding community, there's never been a question of talent, passion, or fantastic releases. There have been changing trends in the community throughout the years and challenges that we've faced, but one thing has remained the same: people are releasing some really cool stuff. Of course, there are ways that we could improve upon what we're doing, and how we go about it. In previous articles, I've discussed the need to be cooperative, collaborative, and generally helpful. I like to think that we collectively do a good job of that, but things could be better.

If you look at the most impressive modding projects in the history of our community, you'll see that they were the work of several people. Likewise, the reason that new faces are able to get involved with the hobby is that the people that came before them were willing to share knowledge and resources in the form of modding tutorials and mod templates. I'm grateful that those individuals have made those contributions in addition to their own releases, but I believe that we can do more. To that end, today I'm suggesting five ideas that could benefit the modding community, particularly in regards to big projects, working with multiple games, and helping others get started.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Games Where Everyone Can Dunk

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:11 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Games Where Everyone Can Dunk

I realise the three-pointer is in vogue these days, but I'm all about a flashy dunk. In fact, I'm old enough to remember when the debate was between dazzling dunks and basketball bloopers! To be fair, it's not as though the dunk has gone completely out of style. Dunks still make the highlight reels, and many gamers who play MyCAREER and its connected modes want a build that can throw it down just as well as stroke a three. Sure, it's only two points like any other shot within the three-point arc, and analytics insists twos are bad, but many of us are still suckers for spectacular slams.

In real life, while it's assumed that everyone who makes it to the NBA can probably dunk - even if it's just a rim grazer - not everybody does. Smaller players who threw it down in college tend to dunk far less in the NBA, where there are bigger and stronger defenders crowding the paint. Sim games usually reflect this, with a combination of ratings and animation packages that ensure specific players will only ever perform layups. Arcade titles naturally take liberties with reality, but even a few sim-oriented games aren't very strict about which players can slam it home. If dunks are your thing, here are five basketball video games where every player is able to throw it down.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Games Where Everyone Can Dunk

Postby RayRay_953 on Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:46 am

In NBA Street Vol. 2 (not sure about the other street games), everybody can technically dunk. Normally, players with a 0 or 1 square in their dunk rating won't try to get up there, you can force them to attempt a dunk by holding two of the turbo buttons. Granted, guys like Biggle Littles are going to miss the 98% of the time, it's actually possible to dunk with the Honey Dip animation. When this happened for the first time, everybody screamed about him dunking the ball lol. Additionally, everybody can naturally dunk in Vol 2 and 3 with the Gamebreaker mechanic.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Games Where Everyone Can Dunk

Postby Andrew on Sat Sep 18, 2021 1:47 pm

Great example! The arcade games are definitely more lenient about it in general, which makes sense.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Fleeting Moments Preserved in Official Rosters

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 24, 2021 6:39 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Fleeting Moments Preserved in Official Rosters

It's a phrase that I'm no doubt overusing in my articles and on the NLSC Podcast, but basketball video games are interactive almanacs, preserving a snapshot of the season they were released in. It's not always a completely accurate picture, of course. Older games didn't receive official roster updates, and were guaranteed to be outdated by the time they were released. It's how we ended up with players who appeared in more video games than real NBA games, or on teams they ultimately never suited up for. Nevertheless, with or without updates, games preserve a moment in NBA history.

However, depending on when the games were released and what kind of updates they received, they can end up preserving some fleeting moments. Again, this is something that could technically be said of all games at launch, but I'm referring to particularly noteworthy or unusual examples such as stints that were only accounted for due to a late release, or specific lineups that represent a very precise time. Also, although I'm technically including it as an honourable mention by noting it here, I'm foregoing the example of Michael Redd on the Mavericks, as I've covered it plenty of times before! With that being said, here are some fleeting moments, and the games they're found in.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Times Basketball Games Weren't Family Friendly

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:11 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Times Basketball Games Weren't Family Friendly

Generally speaking, basketball games don't push the envelope with controversial content. It's not something the NBA is keen to sign off on, and it's not really the genre for content that isn't exactly family friendly. There's no risqué material, or violence beyond hard fouls in sim titles and shoving in arcade games like NBA Jam. It's simply not the right genre for that. If I want a more adult-themed game with combat, I'll play a Fallout title. If it's bawdy humour I'm after, I might dust off a game in the Leisure Suit Larry series. If I'm after something gorier, there's always Mortal Kombat.

We play basketball games for the sport they represent, whether it's a realistic or more cartoonish depiction of hoops. With that being said, there are a handful of times that basketball games have surprised us with content that pushed the boundaries of their family friendly rating. It's seldom been in poor taste, and never anything close to the violence, profanity, and lewdness of some of the aforementioned games. At the same time, it's not something you'd expect to see or hear in a game that's aimed at all ages. I should note that this isn't meant to be a stuffy pearl-clutching article, but rather a light-hearted reflection on unexpected content in otherwise family friendly games.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Times Basketball Games Weren't Family Friendly

Postby RayRay_953 on Sat Oct 02, 2021 2:28 pm

I remember NBA LIVE 18 getting away with some rather adult themes with minimal censorship with the song Trap Paris. In the game, you can hear the song go, "...then I went back for sex; spread that..."

It's shocking alone to hear the word "sex" uncensored in the song when it's clearly referring to adult themes, but then you also hear "spread that..." right after. Goes to show how much Live can fly under the radar compared to 2K.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Times Basketball Games Weren't Family Friendly

Postby Andrew on Sat Oct 02, 2021 5:17 pm

I missed that one! Definitely surprising, since they will usually opt for a radio edit.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Overlooked Drawbacks of Awesome Features

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 08, 2021 2:06 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Overlooked Drawbacks of Awesome Features

Even though I'm an advocate for deep and detailed critique, I would agree that it's possible to veer too far into the realm of nitpicking. That doesn't mean that it's wrong to criticise minor annoyances, but perfection is an unrealistic standard. However, I don't think it's unfair to point out that some of the most awesome features we've seen in basketball video games have had drawbacks that we've overlooked. They may not be immediately apparent or a problem for everybody, but they are issues that we'll end up noticing, and may stand out as weaknesses in aspects that we otherwise really like.

Again, despite the title that I've used for this article, I don't want to come across too negatively here. After all, something we can take away from each of these examples is that the drawbacks in question didn't prevent the features from being awesome! They are drawbacks nevertheless though, and it's important to be able to recognise that even our favourite modes and features aren't perfect. It's how we constructively criticise games, and suggest ways that the experiences we enjoy can become even better. With that being said, here are five drawbacks that ultimately didn't prevent features from being awesome, but still caused some frustration or held them back in some way.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Unlockables That Shouldn't Have Been Locked

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 15, 2021 1:29 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Unlockables That Shouldn't Have Been Locked

I have a love/hate relationship with unlockables, particularly in basketball and pro wrestling games. The concept is fine on paper, and I definitely prefer it to paid DLC and cosmetic items tied to recurrent revenue mechanics. However, certain games do approach their unlockables better than others. Specifically, I'm not a fan of titles that require too much repetition to unlock content, and some of the WWE games back in the PlayStation 2 era were notably bad in that regard. Ideally, you shouldn't be sick of a game by the time you've unlocked everything of interest.

Basketball games have tended to be fair in their approach to unlockables, but there are examples of content that frankly shouldn't have been locked in the first place. It may be because they've now become impossible to unlock due to requiring a connection to servers that are no longer online. Others feel more like gatekeeping than worthwhile rewards. At the very least, they seem more like pointless busywork, and content that should be readily accessible from the first time you fire up the game. Whatever the case may be, I can think of at least five examples of unlockables that should've been handled differently, or not been unlockables to begin with. I'm sure I'm not alone here.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Cover Players You May Not Recall (Part 3)

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 22, 2021 2:12 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Cover Players You May Not Recall (Part 3)

Yes, we've made it to Part 3 in this series! There have been a lot of NBA video games over the years, which has resulted in a number of different cover players. Obviously, some of the greats have appeared on the covers of multiple series, or multiple games within a series. Over the years, publishers have been able to sign the NBA's biggest names to promote their brand of virtual basketball, especially with gaming increasing in popularity, and players who grew up playing video games subsequently entering the league. Regardless, not all cover players have been superstars.

While these names may not be obscure or forgotten - again, some of them were very prominent names in their day - one may not recall that they were cover players at one point. Video game series come and go, with some games being far more popular and successful than others. In some cases, you might remember the game, but - contrary to Fort Minor's famous song - you might not remember the name. And of course, there are regional covers that aren't as well-known, some of which have become appealing collectibles for anyone into that sort of thing (not mentioning any names here). With that being said, let's refresh our memories about these five former cover players.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Creepy Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 29, 2021 6:07 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Creepy Moments in Basketball Gaming

Halloween is looming, so just for fun, I'm reflecting on some of the creepy moments we've seen in various basketball video games. Generally speaking, there aren't a lot of moments in basketball gaming that are downright horrifying. Like most sports games, they're intended to be family friendly, and the genre doesn't invite jump scares, gore, or other things that are inclined to scare us. I mean, the Skeleton Crew is there in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, but they're cartoonish Halloween decorations at the end of the day. Unless you're very young, they're not especially creepy.

Besides, if you're looking for creepy stuff connected with the virtual hardwood, you really have to consider things that weren't intentional, or aren't immediately noticeable during gameplay. One could also consider humour and imagery that just came across as weird or uncomfortable instead. To that end, there are a few examples that we can name here, and since I've been mulling ideas for Halloween-themed features for at least a couple of years now, I'm going to run with five that come to mind for me. So, in the spirit of the holiday - pun fully intended - here are five moments in basketball gaming that make for creepy stories, or at least left us feeling rather weirded out.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Creepy Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby RayRay_953 on Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:46 am

I'd like to nominate some Cyberfaces/Player models as (dis)honorable mentions.

Renaldo Balkman's missing face

Some players with black arms in NBA 2K10 Pre-Patch

Dennis Rodman's facial expressions in NBA 2K20 (just take a look at these)
https://old.reddit.com/r/NBA2k/comments/g8c33b/rodman_u_good/
https://old.reddit.com/r/NBA2k/comments/em1ow3/i_hope_dennis_rodman_is_ok/
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Creepy Moments in Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Sat Oct 30, 2021 10:57 am

Good call!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ways Parsec Is Changing Basketball Gaming

Postby Andrew on Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:22 pm

The Friday Five: 5 Ways Parsec Is Changing Basketball Gaming

As recently as early 2021, Dee4Three and I were struggling to remember the name of Parsec when referring to it on the NLSC Podcast. We were interested in trying out "that program" which would allow us to connect with each other and play basketball games - or indeed, any games - without official or third party servers. At long last we installed it, and from that point on, we've been hooked. In the months that followed, we've tried a multitude of games with varying degrees of success, and discovered an array of titles that will work well enough with our connections (particularly mine).

It's incredible how fun and reliable Parsec has been. Obviously, connecting with someone on the opposite site of the world isn't as mind-blowing as it was some 25 years ago. Still, the possibilities of Parsec are exciting, especially when it comes to basketball gaming. Dee has strongly advocated for Parsec on the NLSC Podcast, and I echo that enthusiasm as it facilitates some fantastic virtual hardwood experiences, with minimal difficulty setting up. It's fair to say that Parsec could usher in several changes to basketball gaming. This isn't a paid promotion, as Parsec is free. It's full of potential for our community though, and these are five ways that we can explore that.
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