Wayback Wednesday: Timberwolves Franchise in NBA Live 2003

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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K10 PC Disc Woes

Postby Andrew on Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:09 pm

Good looking out on Shaq's tattoo! That'd definitely be a fun subject for Wayback Wednesday. I'll do some research!

The PC version of NBA 2K10 is becoming absurdly difficult and expensive to get a hold of, considering that it wasn't a rare release. As I said, the price is definitely being jacked up given Kobe's tragic death. Steam keys seem impossible to find these days; I think I missed the boat on that one. Interesting to hear that there were some issues with other versions/copies. Like I said, this has been pretty unique to NBA 2K10 PC.
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Go-To Moves in NBA Live 08

Postby Andrew on Wed Apr 27, 2022 2:37 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Go-To Moves in NBA Live 08

These days, unique signature animations and a variety of animation packages are staple features of sim basketball games. We're a long way from the days of every player having the same shooting form, the same dribbling style, and in some rare games, a handful of signature moves for star players. That's not to say that every player in the game has unique mo-capped animations, but the most distinctive styles are usually accounted for. Of course, there were some intermediate steps between everyone using the same animations, and the signature styles of today.

NBA Live began taking steps towards player differentiation by including a second jumpshot animation intended for big men, as well as slower and simpler dribbling moves for weaker ballhandlers. The next step was Freestyle Superstars. Both of these forms of player differentiation were based on qualifying ratings, which sometimes made it difficult to assign players appropriate attributes and still have the desired movesets and animations. After signature jumpshot styles were added in NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 and expanded upon in NBA Live 07, NBA Live 08 introduced Go-To Moves. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Single Season Players Who Were Starters

Postby Andrew on Wed May 04, 2022 6:55 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Single Season Players Who Were Starters

On top of the players that have just one appearance in the NBA - "cups of coffee", as Basketball Reference labels them - there are many players who spent just a single season in the league. While this is still a tremendous accomplishment, it may be surprising, not to mention disappointing for seemingly promising prospects. Usually, these players only appeared in a handful of games, playing sparingly. You generally wouldn't expect them to be starters, at least outside of a game or two when injuries opened up a rare opportunity.

Surprisingly, several single season players were starters for a respectable chunk of their only NBA campaigns. For the purposes of compiling the most interesting and relevant list - i.e. not just including anyone who played one season and started a few games - I've set the cut-off at starting in at least 20% of their appearances. That might still seem generous, but considering that most single season players have ridden the bench, it represents some regular forays into the starting five. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14

Postby Andrew on Wed May 11, 2022 2:11 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14

Is there a more important and impactful trailer in the history of basketball gaming than the OMG Trailer, promoting NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? While there have been other fantastic trailers and promotional spots for basketball video games, you'd be hard-pressed to find one that turned as many heads, and that gamers still know by name. It boldly announced the arrival of a new generation, and made a statement that Visual Concepts were eager to make full use of the technology they now had at their disposal.

The OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14 is something you can still appreciate today. It still looks amazing almost a decade and entire console generation later. In a way, it's even more impressive now that we know the game lived up to the hype; even if a few of us discovered that later than others! There's more to the OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14 than just reflecting on how awesome it was, though. It's had a lasting impact on the series and basketball gaming as a whole, but has also proven to be a hard act to follow. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The Lasting Impact of NBA Live 13

Postby Andrew on Wed May 18, 2022 2:55 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The Lasting Impact of NBA Live 13

When I covered NBA Elite 11 and NBA Live 13 for our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content, it wasn't the easiest article to write. Not only was it delving into major low points for the series in the midst of celebrating a milestone, but it's talking about games that didn't come out and most of us have never played, apart from the NBA Elite 11 demo. Of course, the full version of NBA Elite 11 has since leaked online, which has given gamers the opportunity to play it via emulation. There are some mixed opinions, but the general consensus is that it's on par with the demo.

To that end, there's a reasonably clear picture of NBA Elite 11: a full preview season, a widely-panned demo, leaked copies in the wild that people got their hands on, and a ripped version that finally gave more gamers a hands-on look. Conversely, NBA Live 13 remains more of a mystery. The previews were mostly vague about details before they stopped, and not much else has been revealed about the cancelled game except that it wasn't close to being good enough. Still, despite being canned, NBA Live 13 had a lasting impact on the series and community. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns After Extended Absences (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Wed May 25, 2022 4:09 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns After Extended Absences (Part 2)

The time has come to profile another group of players that made returns to the NBA after several years, and the video games that reflected those comebacks. Well, for the most part. Some of these NBA returns occurred after the rosters were finalised, and thus the players appeared in the following year's games, usually after their comeback run had concluded. And, while it's probably giving away one of the examples, at least one of them occurred long before video games, thus it has no official representation on the virtual hardwood.

Because my aim is to revisit these moments in NBA history through the lens of video games, I was originally on the fence about including such examples. However, there are good stories and interesting trivia to share, and for the most part, I'm adhering to the original aim. Once again, credit to The BBall Pundit on Twitter for suggesting this topic! Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Signature Skills in NBA 2K

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 01, 2022 12:24 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Signature Skills in NBA 2K

A key improvement as basketball video games have evolved is the way in which different player abilities are represented. Indeed, the difference between an old basketball video game that shows its age and a title that holds up extremely well is that in the former, every player tends to play the same. Whether it's their speed, shooting ability, or another part of their game, they might as well be generic. Of course, in games like Double Dribble, they were! It worked there, but NBA games that utilised real players needed to accurately represent their skills and athleticism.

This led to the implementation of player ratings, many of which became standard across basketball video games. As games became more sophisticated, ratings alone weren't enough. Player-specific moves and animations, as well as tendencies, helped games take the next step. There needed to be a mechanic that went beyond ratings, though; something that represented an uncanny knack or specialised skill. These days, NBA 2K achieves this through the use of Badges. Before Badges however, we had Signature Skills. In some ways, they were better than their successors. If nothing else, they paved the way for them. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 6)

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 08, 2022 9:49 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 6)

ASince there are a number of players who became familiar faces back in familiar places at some point in their career, its time for the sixth instalment of this series! For those who are unfamiliar with the topic, I'm taking a look back at players who returned to teams that they're usually most closely associated with, after stints elsewhere. While many big names never had a proper reunion with their former clubs until after they retired, others did don the same jersey once again (or an updated version of it). The same goes for players who weren't stars, but still noteworthy names that we recall.

Of course, sometimes we forget about their return stints, especially if they were brief and towards the end of their career, and there was no hoopla of an "official" farewell tour. As I've said before, one way to recall these familiar faces being back in familiar places is to fire up an old video game, and see them there in the rosters. It's why I'm looking at these examples through the lens of basketball video games, on top of them being what we're all about here at the NLSC. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 2003 vs NBA Live 2004

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:27 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 2003 vs NBA Live 2004

Once again, I've gone a while between posting a new "Versus" feature for Wayback Wednesday. There is a reason for that, though. With so many retro basketball games and retro basketball gaming topics to cover, it can take a while to circle back to titles I've already talked about. I'd also prefer not to profile games for the first time with a direct comparison to another game, as that would get in the way of a comprehensive retrospective. However, it is fun and interesting to rank and rate old favourites, having had plenty of time to enjoy and reflect on them.

That brings us to NBA Live 2003 and NBA Live 2004, back-to-back releases in the Golden Age of NBA Live; or possibly the series' second Golden Age, depending on how you rate NBA Live 2001 and NBA Live 2002. Among older basketball gamers, there's a ton of nostalgia for both games. If you're my age, you'll remember them as fun games from early adulthood. If you're slightly younger, they may have been your entry into basketball gaming! The question is: which game is better? I've broken up my arguments into five categories, so let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces in Strange Places (Part 7)

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 22, 2022 10:56 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces in Strange Places (Part 7)

Yes, we're reached the seventh instalment of this series! For the record, while this may not be the last time I cover this topic in Wayback Wednesday, it's the final list that I've had planned. I'm sure there are other examples that I'll find when I revisit classic games, and of course over time, new games will grow old and more players will end up becoming familiar faces in strange places. If there are any noteworthy examples that I haven't covered in these seven articles, feel free to let me know. A Part 8 may be in order at some point!

For those who may be unfamiliar with this topic, I'm taking a look back at the unusual stints of players who are generally associated with a specific team. They're the stints that are often forgotten, or in some cases, ones that we tried to forget because of how lacklustre they were, or how wrong it felt to see a player in a different jersey. I'm looking at them through the lens of basketball video games, as we'll often see these familiar faces in strange places when we fire up older titles and browse the rosters. To that end, I've mostly tried to focus on stints that have been officially represented in games, at launch or in official roster updates. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns Over Before They Began (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:24 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns Over Before They Began (Part 2)

As I've said so many times before, as an avid fan of basketball and basketball video games, I love trivia concerning both. It's even better when that trivia intersects, which is why I write articles covering familiar faces in strange and familiar places, players with more video game appearances than NBA games played, phantom stints that were captured in games, and NBA returns following extended absences. That last idea was a suggestion that was spun off of another article, which looked at NBA returns that were over before they even began.

In this case, I'm talking about situations where players almost became familiar faces back in familiar places, but didn't end up donning an old jersey once more. This is in contrast to comeback attempts that fell short, as there have been some big names that mulled NBA returns, only to remain in retirement. Today however, I'm looking at the players whose returns to their former NBA teams did actually happen on paper, but ended before a reunion could truly begin. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Why Being On Fire Was So Cool in NBA Jam

Postby Andrew on Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:41 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Why Being On Fire Was So Cool in NBA Jam

"He's On Fire!" The iconic call from the legendary Tim Kitzrow echoes in the minds of all basketball gamers who've played NBA Jam. In fact, thanks to the game having such an impact on basketball and pop culture, people who have never played a single NBA Jam title are undoubtedly still aware of it! Being On Fire in an NBA Jam game is to arcade basketball gaming what Mario's super mushrooms are to platformers. It's not just a core aspect of the series' identity, but something that its imitators have tried to replicate and put their own spin on, to varying degrees of success.

I've discussed the NBA Jam series several times in Wayback Wednesday features. This includes retrospectives of the original game, Tournament Edition (twice, in fact), and the overlooked 2003 release from Acclaim. I've investigated its unusual ratings, and reflected on other notable facts about various games in the NBA Jam lineage. However, apart from obligatory mentions when covering gameplay mechanics in my retrospectives, I've yet to dedicate an entire feature to being On Fire in NBA Jam. If I can talk about Kevin Edwards having the wrong portrait, I should definitely cover the game's iconic powerup in-depth! To that end, let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Why Being On Fire Was So Cool in NBA Jam

Postby RayRay_953 on Thu Jul 07, 2022 7:36 am

The best part is that once NBA Jam exploded on popularity, being "On fire" became such a cultural phenomenon. It's commonly used as a phrase to describe a player during a hot streak, and has even been implemented in a form through NBA 2K's Takeover system. Speaking of the On-Fire ability, the 2003 Acclaim version has arguably one of the more versatile uses of the mechanic. While it doesn't affect your team like Team Fire, it basically turns you into a cheat code (as if the original powerup didn't do that already :lol:) Upon entering the On-Fire mode, your player would have maxed out attributes during the entire duration of the powerup. In addition, your injury count would reset back to 0, rendering your player fully healthy again. What makes the mode even more insane is an overlooked ability (in an already-overlooked game may I add) to block hotspot dunks. Under normal circumstances, the hotspot dunks are unstoppable, 100% guaranteed baskets. However, if a player is On-Fire and times their block well enough, they can actually block the once-unstoppable hotspot dunk.
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Why Being On Fire Was So Cool in NBA Jam

Postby Andrew on Thu Jul 07, 2022 12:51 pm

That 2003 release definitely is overlooked, and easily the best Jam that Acclaim made. Pretty creative use of the On Fire powerup, too!
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns After Extended Absences (Part 3)

Postby Andrew on Wed Jul 13, 2022 2:36 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns After Extended Absences (Part 3)

Look, when it comes to NBA trivia and its representation in video games, I can't get enough! When The BBall Pundit suggested this topic, it required a bit of research, which is always fun. We remember the big names that made returns to the NBA after extended absences - at least two years or more - but there have been other key role players and memorable journeymen that surprised us when they inked new contracts. Perhaps it's a reminder to never underestimate the intrigue of a young player who still has potential to fulfil, or a capable veteran who can slot right back into a lineup.

In case it isn't clear, I should note that by returns after extended absences, I'm talking about players who were out of the league entirely. Someone like Klay Thompson, who missed two consecutive seasons due to injury, doesn't count as he was still on the Warriors' roster. Comebacks after missing multiple years due to injury is another topic altogether - and there are certainly some interesting examples I could cover - but this is about players who were retired or out of the league and not expected to return. With that being said, let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 7)

Postby Andrew on Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:18 am

Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 7)

We've reached the seventh and (for the moment) final instalment of the Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places series! As a spinoff of the Familiar Faces in Strange Places series of articles, I wanted to match its seven instalments and 70 examples of players with interesting stints. One of the reasons I love compiling these lists is that these stints - both the ones in strange places and back in familiar places - are often forgotten. Of course, sometimes we'd prefer that, as the players were shells of their former selves by that point!

Once again, I'll note that I'm looking at these examples through the lens of basketball video games. As I've explained before, I do this because it fits in with our content as a site about basketball gaming, and because revisiting old games is one way that we're reminded of the stints that we've forgotten. It also makes things more challenging as I'm trying to seek out the most interesting stories, and limit examples to ones that can be found in official rosters. To that point, there are fewer stars in this instalment, but certainly some noteworthy NBA player trivia. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Playing An Older Game Second

Postby Andrew on Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:11 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Playing An Older Game Second

Basketball video games have been around for decades now, with NBA Basketball - the very first NBA-licensed title - coming out in 1980. Furthermore, there's been at least one annual release every year for at least a quarter of a century and counting. Every single game, good or bad, has been somebody's first title and introduction to basketball gaming. In short, most people who are playing basketball games in 2022 haven't been doing so since the beginning. That goes for me, too. Many gamers have hit the virtual hardwood long before I ever did in the mid 90s.

When you get into an established series, there's a curiosity about what came before. This doesn't just apply to video games, of course. If you catch an episode of a TV show that's a few seasons in, or perhaps see a movie that's part of a series or cinematic universe, you may be inclined to go back to the beginning. In basketball itself, there's a desire to learn the history of the sport, the NBA, and other leagues...or at least, there used to be. The nature of video games makes going back to an older title after playing a newer game rather interesting, and it's a phenomenon that I've experienced as both a younger and older basketball gamer. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Basketball Gaming Urban Legends

Postby Andrew on Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:05 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Basketball Gaming Urban Legends

Given the amount of secret content that's been packed into video games over the years, it's no surprise that there are more than a couple of urban legends across all genres. TV Tropes creatively titles the phenomenon "Urban Legend of Zelda", which is extremely apt considering how many examples the Legend of Zelda series itself provides. Basketball games have had their fair share of urban legends, perpetuated through a combination of schoolyard (and later, internet) chatter, misunderstandings, and the occasional trolling hoax.

There have been some interesting urban legends associated with the virtual hardwood, concerning both sim and arcade games. In some cases, you can see how gamers came to believe them, especially before the ins and outs of player likenesses were widely known. I'm sure you've heard some of these before, but it never hurts to debunk urban legends, and tell the real story if there is one. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: 20 Years of Right Stick Dribbling

Postby Andrew on Wed Aug 10, 2022 2:48 pm

Wayback Wednesday: 20 Years of Right Stick Dribbling

There's no doubt that the implementing dribbling controls on the right stick is one of the most important innovations in the history of the virtual hardwood. It's not the only idea that has pushed the genre forward, but it has a case for being one of the best. Right stick dribbling is easy to take for granted now, as it's become a mainstay of sim titles over the past twenty years. If you were playing basketball games when it made its debut however, you'll remember what a big deal it was. And yes, as I am someone who remembers when it was a bold new idea, saying that does make me feel old!

Existential crises, bad knees, and yelling at clouds aside, the fact that we can now celebrate the twentieth anniversary of right stick dribbling mechanics speaks to what a great concept they've been. After all, we've seen a lot of gameplay ideas come and go, and control schemes that didn't pan out. Right stick dribbling is a concept that was built to last, and basketball games are better for it. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The Quest For Long-Lost Updates

Postby Andrew on Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:16 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The Quest For Long-Lost Updates

With the internet's ability to connect the world and make information and content readily accessible, there's a particular interest in using it for preservation. It's why there's debate over dumping ROMs of games, particularly those that were never released and could otherwise easily become lost media. We've felt the sting of lost content in our modding community. So many great mods from the early days are long-lost now, and even more recent releases have disappeared because they were uploaded to file hosts that won't guarantee availability in perpetuity.

And then, there are the long-lost official updates for various games. We actually have some old official patches in our Downloads section, as well as official roster updates, but it's not a complete archive. Files that can be downloaded disappear from personal archives as well as the web, and in-game content updates likewise vanish and become long-lost when servers are shut down. This leaves us on a quest to find those long-lost updates, but all too often, it's unfortunately been a fruitless search. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Linsanity & The Virtual Hardwood

Postby Andrew on Wed Aug 24, 2022 2:16 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Linsanity & The Virtual Hardwood

The NBA has produced some captivating stories in its 75 years, including inspiring underdog tales. When I was growing up as a young NBA fan in the 90s, the story of how John Starks went from undrafted prospect to a key member of the best Knicks teams since the 70s was one of the most popular. Some twenty years after Starks' breakout season in New York, another Knicks guard would become a fan favourite after making his mark. Of course, while there are some fun coincidences in the careers of John Starks and Jeremy Lin, there are some noteworthy differences as well.

Both originally made their NBA debut for the Golden State Warriors, seeing limited minutes while playing less than half of the season. Both had gone undrafted, though Lin had arguably been a much longer shot to make the league, having not received any athletic scholarship offers and being just one of four players from Harvard to go pro (and the first in over fifty years). Again, both were fan favourites in New York, whose big break came in part thanks to injuries. However, while Starks' career was memorable, Linsanity was something special, brief as it may have been. It also had a noticeable impact on the virtual hardwood. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Looking Back At The GameSpy Years

Postby Andrew on Wed Aug 31, 2022 4:14 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Looking Back At The GameSpy Years

Having run the NLSC for over twenty years now, I can't help reflecting on my long history in the online basketball gaming community. While it's ultimately about the games we've played - and I obviously love revisiting them - our community does have an interesting history. There have been plenty of ups and downs, and some incidents that I'd rather forget. I'm not a fan of drama, so there are probably some stories I won't ever tell, at least beyond some vague allusions. Many of us were young when we first joined the community, and several incidents stemmed from immaturity.

In other words, I'm not going to drop too many juicy tales about people who have made running the NLSC - normally a fun and fulfilling creative outlet - unpleasant from time to time. However, I'll never pass up the opportunity to take a few shots at one of our former hosts: GameSpy. If you're old enough, you may remember them for both their coverage of video games, and powering the online functionality in over 300 PC and console titles. They also provided hosting for sites like us, and while it kept us running, we were definitely hurt by it. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: 10 Years of Embracing NBA 2K

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 07, 2022 10:40 pm

Wayback Wednesday: 10 Years of Embracing NBA 2K

Just in case there's any confusion, no, this isn't a tenth anniversary for NBA 2K. As the special edition of NBA 2K19 reminds us, the series is already twice as old as that! However, 2022 marks ten years that I've personally been embracing NBA 2K as a key part of my basketball gaming experience. If you've grown up with NBA 2K and never played NBA Live when it was the brand leader, this undoubtedly sounds strange. Why would I need to warm up to NBA 2K, and come around on embracing it? As a keen basketball gamer, shouldn't I want to play the game that's been on top for years?

Of course, but for an older gamer like me who grew up with NBA Live, embracing NBA 2K and its approach to sim basketball took some time. There was bias and a comfort zone to push past, not to mention availability and preferred platform. While I have my criticisms - and it's important that we do constructively criticise any game we play, basketball or otherwise - I have grown to truly appreciate and enjoy the NBA 2K series. It's been ten years since I've fully committed to embracing NBA 2K, so it feels as though some reflections are in order. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Basketball Gaming At Twelve

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 14, 2022 1:28 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Basketball Gaming At Twelve

I was watching Yahtzee's video on "Boomer Shooters"; a term describing old school first person shooters, and new FPS titles made in the same style. Astute observations are par for the course with Yahtzee, and in that particular video, he aptly outlined a key factor in nostalgia for video games and other forms of entertainment. Yahtzee described being around the age of twelve as "that wonderful nostalgic period in most people's lives when they're just old enough to properly appreciate their entertainment, but not yet old enough to be cynical about it".

That immediately resonated with me, because it's spot on! This isn't to say that I didn't appreciate video games and other forms of entertainment before or after that. Around that age however, there's undoubtedly a sense of pure enjoyment, yet also an ability to discern what you like and dislike, and articulate why. This apt summary of nostalgia led me to reflect on my basketball gaming around the age of twelve, which I could flexibly define as eleven to fourteen. In hindsight, my favourites from that era shaped my preferences and expectations of hoops games. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The Lost Mods of NBA Inside Drive 2000

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:53 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The Lost Mods of NBA Inside Drive 2000

While I was brainstorming ideas for The Friday Five, I came up with the topic of five games that could've benefited from mods. As I always do when I'm planning a Friday Five topic, I didn't commit to it until I could devise five viable examples. One of the games that I had marked down on a preliminary list was NBA Inside Drive 2000, the only game in the Inside Drive series to be released on PC. Before I committed to that list however, I needed to do some research. Had there actually been a modding scene for NBA Inside Drive 2000 that our community here at the NLSC hadn't partaken in?

As it turns out, there was! A quick Google search brought up a thread in the Operation Sports forums, reflecting on editing the game and downloading mods for it. I removed NBA Inside Drive 2000 from that Friday Five list, and instead decided to dedicate a Wayback Wednesday to looking into its apparently long-lost mods. Let's take a look back...way back...
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