Wayback Wednesday: Timberwolves Franchise in NBA Live 2003

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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 2)

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 16, 2020 3:59 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 2)

Just as there are have been several familiar faces that ended up in strange places, there are more familiar faces who made it back to familiar places than I can possibly fit into just one list of ten! To that end, I'm also making this spinoff topic an ongoing series for Wayback Wednesday. As I previously noted, these homecomings can be just as interesting as the strange stints of well-known players, as they can also end up flying under the radar and being forgotten due to being unremarkable returns. In other cases, it's the original stint with a team that is overlooked.

Either way, they're fun to look back on. We can obviously do that by going back and watching old games, but it's also possible to revisit these tenures through the virtual hardwood. I've grown quite fond of referring to basketball video games as interactive almanacs and time capsules to the point where I'm probably overusing the expression. It is quite apt though, and with that in mind, I'm using video games to demonstrate these examples of familiar faces back in familiar places. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:23 pm

Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Nothing turns us basketball fans into fashion critics quite like a new NBA jersey design. It's rare to get a uniform that we universally agree is good or bad, especially when it comes to some of the colourful designs of the mid to late 90s. There are a handful of jerseys that draw close to a unanimous reaction however, be it positive or negative. The uniforms that are reviled by almost everyone - even the most ardent fans of the teams that sport them - become infamous, especially if they somehow stick around beyond a single season.

On the other hand, negative reception can derail plans for a uniform design to become a staple of the team's branding. Indeed, the jersey I'm talking about today - the Dallas Mavericks' infamous "trash bag" uniform - was scrapped after being worn in just one game. It's a jersey that's been talked about at length, given that it's a mainstay on most "all-time worst jerseys" lists, but it does have an interesting history with NBA Live 2004. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Postby [Q] on Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:09 am

Man I loved those jerseys. I believe I had converted them over to 2005 and made them shiny for my own game
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Postby Andrew on Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:12 am

I think the concept was good. If the real jerseys had been more like the ones in NBA Live 2004 and didn't start to look brown after players began to sweat in them, they probably would've worked out.
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Postby [Q] on Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:54 am

I think the Kings and Wizards had shiny ones a few years later that wasn't bad. Perhaps they just needed a different material
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: A Trashed Mavs Jersey in NBA Live 2004

Postby Andrew on Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:38 am

They both had gold jerseys that were...divisive. I'd probably take them over some of the designs we've seen since the Nike takeover in 2017.
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Discovering an NBA Live 08 Roster

Postby Andrew on Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:13 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Discovering an NBA Live 08 Roster

Through looking back at old basketball video games for Wayback Wednesday, I've been able to make a few discoveries. Whether it's changing my opinion on a game one way or another, recalling a forgotten feature, or even noticing an error that I've been able to some overlook for more than two decades, covering old games on a regular basis has resulted in some interesting experiences. There's something very satisfying in gaining a new perspective, filling in a gap in your knowledge, and for that matter, simply discovering something cool. It's like finding buried treasure.

Today, I'd like to talk about a different kind of discovery: a custom roster for the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 08. Now, I've been able to go back and find a few roster mods and the like in my archives over the years, but they've generally been for the PC version of various NBA Live titles. Finding some original content for the console releases is much rarer, at least when it comes to my archives. As soon as I found it, I knew it was something I'd have to revisit and talk about here in Wayback Wednesday. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K11 Retrospective

Postby Andrew on Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:11 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K11 Retrospective

Monday marked the tenth anniversary of NBA 2K11, so I feel a retrospective is only appropriate. Before we get to that though, the fact that ten years have passed since the release of NBA 2K11 is, for me at least, mind-blowing. It doesn't feel like a whole decade has gone by since basketball gamers were sinking their teeth into a title that many still consider to be one of the best (if not the best) hoops games ever made. Like NBA Live 2000 before it, it's managed to hold a special place in our hearts long past its release, because it was such a great game for its time.

Of course, being a great game for its time doesn't necessarily mean that it's still the benchmark, which raises a few questions: just how good is NBA 2K11, and how well does it hold up? What makes it so special that a vocal contingent of basketball gamers opine that no game since has been able to top it? They're pertinent questions for an NBA 2K11 retrospective to explore, so let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The Pressbook in NBA 2K

Postby Andrew on Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:14 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The Pressbook in NBA 2K

As much as I enjoy looking back at games and their major features in my Wayback Wednesday articles, it's also nice to appreciate the little things. While the appeal of basketball video games lies in enjoyable gameplay and engaging modes, the little things can be that extra touch that really makes the experience. Sometimes they add convenience, or simply enhance the overall atmosphere of a game. They may be something that a lot of people overlook or never really use, but if it's a feature that you do enjoy or find useful, you'll miss it if it's removed.

Case in point: the Pressbook in NBA 2K. It's a very small feature in the grand scheme of things, and it probably isn't something that most of us would use after every single game we played. Nevertheless, it was a good idea, yet one that only appeared in a few NBA 2K releases. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: The Instant Replay "Cheat" in Old Games

Postby Andrew on Wed Oct 21, 2020 1:13 pm

Wayback Wednesday: The Instant Replay "Cheat" in Old Games

I've said it so often in these Wayback Wednesday features that I'm sure it's starting to sound trite, but basketball video games have come a long way since I first got into them. There are older titles that still hold up quite well and are fun to revisit, but even then, technology has allowed their successors to implement graphics and features that definitely weren't possible all those years ago. To that end, old hoops titles have a few quirks that tend not to be found in modern games. Some of those quirks can be quite amusing to look back on.

That's not to say that we didn't recognise them as being quirky at the time, of course. They were the things that we noted in both amusement and frustration, and talked about when we compiled our Wishlists. Over the years they've become somewhat nostalgic, although we're not exactly clamouring to see them return. One of those quirks was an instant replay glitch that was often listed in the Cheats sections of gaming magazines and websites alike. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 09 & Fallout 3

Postby Andrew on Wed Oct 28, 2020 2:10 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 09 & Fallout 3

I'm sure that some of you are thinking this is quite an unusual topic for a Wayback Wednesday feature. Of course, if you're a long-time listener of the NLSC Podcast or a member of our Forum, you may well be aware that I'm also an enthusiastic fan of the Fallout series. Along with Bart vs. The Space Mutants, mentioning it on the podcast is something of a running gag. At the same time, my love of Fallout 3 in particular has a connection to basketball gaming. More specifically, when I reflect on Fallout 3, I'll often associate it with NBA Live 09.

That may seem quite esoteric, but there's a reason why the two games are linked for me. No, NBA Live 09 doesn't exactly have any post-apocalyptic themes, and apart from basketballs being present as a junk/miscellaneous item in Fallout 3, it doesn't have much to do with the hardwood, virtual or otherwise. Nevertheless, the two games are linked in my memory, and today I'm reflecting upon that connection. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 3)

Postby Andrew on Wed Nov 11, 2020 3:22 pm

(Somehow missed posting this last week. This week's feature will follow in the next post.)

Wayback Wednesday: Familiar Faces Back in Familiar Places (Part 3)

Yes, there are even more examples of familiar faces in familiar places, and video games that represent those tenures! Many well-known players who leave the team they're most closely associated with ultimately end their careers in strange (or at the very least, different) places, but quite a few of them do end up donning a familiar jersey once again. As I've said before, while one might think that the familiarity of the situation would make those stints stand out, sometimes we end up forgetting that stars and key rotation players returned to their former team.

On the other hand, there are also players whose returns were quite successful, and thus tend to be remembered. Of course, whether it's a low-key homecoming, a high profile farewell tour, a brief reunion, or the welcome return of a player that still has a lot left in the tank, they lead to some interesting situations in the real NBA, and on the virtual hardwood. Once again, I've compiled ten more examples to reminisce about through the lens of basketball video games, so let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K14 PS4 & X1 Retrospective

Postby Andrew on Wed Nov 11, 2020 3:24 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K14 PS4 & X1 Retrospective

The age of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is upon us! Although many of us will miss out on getting the consoles at launch - and I'm in that group - many other gamers will be hitting the virtual hardwood and blacktop in NBA 2K21 Next Gen over the coming days, weeks, and months. The rest of us will have to make do with NBA 2K21 Current Gen, or the hoops game of our choice that's available on PS4, X1, or PC. That doesn't mean we can't get our virtual basketball fix of course, but it does mean that we miss out on the excitement and hoopla of a Next Gen release.

Honestly, it doesn't feel like it was seven years ago that we were experiencing that with NBA 2K14 on PS4 and X1. After the OMG Trailer more than lived up to its name and blew us all away, we were eager to see if the game played as good as it looked. It seems as though many basketball gamers do have a lot of nostalgia for NBA 2K14 on PS4 and X1, but looking back, did it live up to the hype, and how well does it hold up now? As a new generation launches and Current Gen becomes Last Gen, let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Stints Spanning Two Generations

Postby Andrew on Wed Nov 18, 2020 1:06 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Stints Spanning Two Generations

It seems almost inevitable that the stars of the NBA will play for more than one team these days. While player movement is nothing new, and some of the biggest names in NBA history had stints with more than one team, we're seeing more and more future Hall of Famers jump ship in their prime. With the retirement of Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and the late Kobe Bryant, we may have seen the last players to spend their entire career with one franchise, or at least retire where they had their most success. It's certainly becoming more of a rarity, as the culture of the league continues to shift.

At the same time, there are a few players who are in the midst of lengthy tenures with their current teams. With the launch of a new generation of consoles, there's a group of players who are still with the same teams they played for at the beginning of the previous generation. How many do they number, and how does that compare to older eras and console generations? Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 08 Practice Arena

Postby Andrew on Wed Nov 25, 2020 1:55 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 08 Practice Arena

For artists working on sim basketball games, there isn't always a lot of room for creativity. Since the aim of the genre is to depict the NBA, its teams, and its players as realistically as possible, there aren't as many opportunities to take liberties and utilise creative license. However, there are a few areas of the game that invite an artistic flourish, including settings such as The Neighborhood and The City, special effects in MyTEAM, fictional street courts, certain clothing items, and the frontend in general. Oh, and the practice arena.

Over the years, a lot of creativity has gone into creating an appealing practice arena for us to shoot around in, particularly in NBA Live. We've had The Temple in NBA Live 06 and 07, The Hangar in NBA Live 10, and the adidas-branded gym in NBA Live 15. NBA Live 09 introduced us to the NBA Live Academy. In NBA Live 19, we were even invited to design our own court where we could shoot around. A setting that is often overlooked, however, is the humble practice arena in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 08. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Former NBA Teams & Video Games

Postby Andrew on Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:12 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Former NBA Teams & Video Games

Something that I've explored in several of my Wayback Wednesday features this year is the way that old video games act as interactive almanacs. Yes, it's fun to revisit old hoops titles simply to remember what the gameplay was like. Certain games hold up quite well, and for some gamers, their simplicity can even make them more appealing than the newer releases. However, as I've said on many occasions, there's something really enjoyable about looking back at a snapshot of the NBA by scrolling through the rosters and seeing now-retired players, as well as familiar faces in strange places.

To that point, I've mostly been focusing on the players, but there's a lot of nostalgia with the teams as well. Not only is it a fun trip down memory lane to see lineups that we've forgotten - some of them full of "What Ifs" - but it's great to see all of the old branding as well. From logos that teams used for years, to short-lived uniforms and the classic jerseys that still rank as our favourites, we can see it all when we dust off old games. With a handful of franchises relocating and/or changing their names over the past couple of decades, we can also see those former NBA teams live on through the virtual hardwood. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K14 on PlayStation 5

Postby Andrew on Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:29 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K14 on PlayStation 5

Ahead of the new generation of consoles launching and the release of NBA 2K21 Next Gen, I posted a retrospective of NBA 2K14; the launch title for the previous generation. Normally I wouldn't revisit a game so soon - especially after writing what was intended to be an in-depth retrospective - but the idea of testing out the PS5's backwards compatibility with a PS4 launch title is too tempting to pass up. There's something poetic about it, on top of the usual appeal of firing up old releases on new tech; a certain novelty in addition to the curiosity.

Obviously, the PlayStation 5 isn't going to enhance the gameplay of NBA 2K14. It won't address bugs or AI quirks, and it's not going to add the depth and features that were sorely missed. Nevertheless, I'm interested to see how the game performs on the new console, as well as run a general compatibility test for the PS5. I've got the console, I've got the game, so let's combine them to take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Kidz Sports Basketball

Postby Andrew on Wed Dec 16, 2020 1:18 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Kidz Sports Basketball

There have been a lot of basketball games released over the years, with many of them flying under the radar. We all know NBA Live and NBA 2K, and older basketball gamers may recall other NBA licensed series such as Inside Drive, ShootOut, and In the Zone. Arcade games such as NBA Jam and NBA Street are familiar classics, and in recent years, NBA Playgrounds has gained traction. We remember the College Hoops and March Madness/NCAA Basketball games, EA's NBA Playoffs series, Double Dribble, and a variety of other hoops titles of varying age and quality.

And then, there's a title like Kidz Sports Basketball. Released in 2004, it's not a game that would attract much attention in our community, as we're not in the demographic. It's meant for a much younger audience that isn't quite ready for other hoops games, especially the sim titles. It's one of those games that you might discover on Wikipedia - or indeed, in our Wiki - and wonder just what it was all about. I snagged a copy of the PS2 version cheap on eBay, so let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Europe Live Jerseys in NBA Live 07

Postby Andrew on Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:47 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Europe Live Jerseys in NBA Live 07

A new season is now underway! Two games opened the 2021 NBA season, with the Nets defeating the Warriors, and the Clippers besting the defending champion Lakers. We're obviously in for a lot of basketball, even with ten games being taken off the schedule to accommodate the later than usual tip-off. With the unveiling of this year's City Edition jerseys, we'll be seeing some creative (and divisive) uniform designs all season long. While alternate jerseys are far from a new concept, they're definitely more prominent - and commonly worn - since Nike took over the NBA uniform deal.

Over a decade ago, alternate and special occasion jerseys were becoming far more common, but they weren't worn as frequently. Indeed, some jerseys were only worn once a year, while a select few were only worn once. Some of these rare jerseys show up in video games, while many others have to be modded in. And then, there are the uniforms that are exclusive; not just to a single year, but a single title. Such is the case with the Europe Live jerseys that can be found in NBA Live 07. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: Overall Ratings in NBA 2K9

Postby Andrew on Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:21 pm

Wayback Wednesday: Overall Ratings in NBA 2K9

In the mailbag segment of Episode #354 of the NLSC Podcast, Dee4Three and I talked about bad ratings in basketball video games throughout the years. There are plenty of examples, from odd ratings in NBA Jam Tournament Edition, to the new ratings scale in NBA Live 2004 producing some weird results. Derek brought up the Overall Ratings in NBA 2K9, which is an example I wasn't too familiar with. NBA 2K9 isn't a game that I've spent too much time with over the years, and when I have fired it up, I haven't paid too much attention to the Overall Ratings.

Once it was brought up, however, I figured I had to check it out and perhaps discuss it further in Wayback Wednesday. Now that I've gone through the rosters, I would agree that there are some weirdly overrated players, considering their performance during the 2009 season, and the way that Overall Ratings above 90 are usually treated (or at least were, several years ago). With so many questionably inflated Overall Ratings in NBA 2K9, it's worth taking a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live Street 2003 Retrospective

Postby Andrew on Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:25 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live Street 2003 Retrospective

Yes, you read that correctly: NBA Live Street 2003. No, this isn't some spin-off game of both the NBA Live and NBA Street series that you've forgotten all about! NBA Live Street 2003 was a mod for NBA Live 2003 PC, inspired by the NBA Street series. It was one of the first major total conversion mods in the community, one that went on to inspire several other street mods and big projects. It demonstrated what a team of modders could accomplish when they worked together, as well as many of the possibilities with player-specific custom textures.

NBA Live Street 2003 is still available to download. With a little bit of work, you can run NBA Live 2003 on a modern PC, and check it out for yourself. Before you jump into that though, how about a preview of what you can expect to find in this classic mod? Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam vs NBA Street

Postby Andrew on Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:18 pm

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam vs NBA Street

It's been over a year since I posted my first "Versus" feature, which compared The Jordan Challenge and NBA's Greatest. My intention was for it to become a recurring feature, similar to my Familiar Faces in Strange Places/Familiar Places series. To that end, I've been sitting on a few ideas for other comparisons. Since I compared two modes in back-to-back releases in the same series for the first instalment, it only makes sense to go bigger for the second article. As such, today I'm comparing the two heavyweights of the arcade basketball scene: NBA Jam, and NBA Street.

There are many factors to consider here. There have been more NBA Jam games than NBA Street games, as well as a number of releases that were spiritual successors to NBA Jam under different titles, after Acclaim acquired the name from Midway. To that point, three different developers have released games under the NBA Jam brand, while every NBA Street game has come from EA Sports BIG. Nevertheless, I believe that all of the evidence must be considered, as we compare, contrast, and ultimately pick the winner out of these classic arcade hoops series. Let's take a look back...way back...
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam vs NBA Street

Postby [Q] on Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:40 pm

that's a tough call, because they're both good for different reasons but for me I'd pick Street in a slight edge
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam vs NBA Street

Postby Andrew on Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:01 pm

I don't think you can go wrong either way, and a lot of it does come down to personal preference. Ironically, I think the EA games did a lot to restore NBA Jam's legacy.
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Re: Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam vs NBA Street

Postby [Q] on Thu Jan 14, 2021 4:23 am

I feel like Jam could get a bit repetitive if you play too many games in a row while Street gave you a bit more variety in gameplay as far as story, or building a team
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