NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the matter of what actually ruins basketball video games, and what are really more minor gripes.

Having been a part of the online basketball gaming community for over twenty years and admin of the NLSC for going on eighteen, I’ve both seen and taken part in some spirited discussions about the hobby. Our conversations about basketball video games have run the gamut from excitedly positive to furiously negative, depending on the issue and the quality of any given title. Given that we all have different tastes and expectations of basketball video games, our opinions will differ when it comes what will ruin our experience on the virtual hardwood. That’s fine, and to be encouraged!

Of course, it’s easy to exaggerate, especially when a pet peeve is involved. I recall one Forum member fuming over the use of the word “City” on the team statistics menu in NBA Live 2001. As they correctly pointed out, teams such as the Warriors, Jazz, and Pacers all take their names from their state rather than their city, making that label inaccurate. It’s a valid point, but a minor detail that was correct for most of the teams, and a criticism that paled in comparison with other issues in NBA Live 2001. Such issues are worth pointing out, but as we compile our Wishlists, it’s important that we prioritise problems that can ruin basketball video games, ahead of minor annoyances.

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Episode #271 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join Arcane and myself as we discuss the new deal between Take Two and the NBA, the importance of Franchise and Ultimate Team in NBA Live, an unfortunate turn of events following the NBA 2K17 server shutdown, and 2019 All-Star voting.

On this week’s show…

• Take Two has renewed their licensing agreement with the NBA for $1.1 billion over seven years. What impact might the new figure have on the future of basketball gaming?
• A recent survey regarding favourite modes over on the official NBA Live Reddit omitted Franchise and Ultimate Team. It isn’t encouraging, but it strengthens our resolve to have an impact with our Wishlists.
• The NBA 2K17 server shutdown has had an unexpected result: MyLEAGUE games that used community-made assets for expansion teams have now been locked. We discuss the problems with online content in offline modes, especially when it comes to dusting off old favourites.
• Turning our attention to some NBA news, there are some interesting results in the latest All-Star voting returns. Are sentimental votes a bad thing, and are we looking forward to this year’s midseason classic?

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:17:35 — 53.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Got a mailbag question or topic suggestion for the next show? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

Tip off a weekend of basketball gaming with the latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC! Today’s new and updated releases for NBA 2K19 include player faces, a referee pack, studio branding, and All-Star jerseys. Download them all at the links below!

Torogi
Khris Middleton Face
Andre Iguodala Face

Shuajota
Real Referees Package
Official Roster Update (Updated)

TwisT
TNT Studio Show
ESPN Studio Show
NBC Studio Show
Fox Studio Show

Aysze/Aston2K
All-Star Game 2019 Jerseys
All-Star Rising Stars Challenge Jerseys

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five discusses five ideas that NBA Live should borrow from NBA 2K.

Since we’re in the process of compiling feedback for our NBA Live 20 Wishlist, I feel like discussing some of the improvements that I believe would take the game to the next level. In particular, I’d like to discuss some ideas and concepts from NBA 2K which NBA Live should be looking to borrow. After all, when it comes to good ideas and features that an NBA video game should have, it doesn’t matter who did it first. The important thing is that games find a way of implementing those ideas and making them work. It never hurts to look at what the brand leader is doing, either.

Glancing at Twitter as of late – a foolhardy thing to do, some might say – I have seen some divided opinions when it comes to the matter of NBA Live’s approach, identity, and the notion of borrowing ideas from NBA 2K. A lot of younger and admittedly passionate fans are downplaying the concerns and suggestions of “old heads”, their point being that it’s a new day and we’re hung up on the past. Respectfully, I must disagree. While it is easy to get caught up in nostalgia, we long-time virtual hoops enthusiasts do know a thing or two, including what the game was like it in its heyday. To that end, NBA Live would benefit from borrowing these NBA 2K concepts.

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EA Sports has provided a detailed breakdown of the January 17th content update for NBA Live 19. For those who are unaware of the difference, unlike official patches, content updates are pushed through in-game and downloaded after you advance past the title screen, assuming of course that you have an active Internet connection. At a glance, here’s what’s included in the latest content update for NBA Live 19:

• Bug fixes – Fixes various Live Event data issues with certain player likenesses not appearing properly.
• Updated/added Live Events Data
• Updated transactions
• Updated lineups
• Updated player gear

Specifically, the starting lineups for the Hawks, Hornets, Warriors, Clippers, Timberwolves, Thunder, Wizards, and Mavericks have been updated. Players with updated gear include Bradley Beal, Trae Young, Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Marc Gasol, Russell Westbrook, Aaron Gordon, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Jaren Jackson Jr, Eric Bledsoe, Donte DiVincenzo, and Thon Maker. The latest injuries have also been accounted for, and Patrick McCaw’s jersey number has been fixed.

While the developers are obviously still taking suggestions and corrections for the rosters in NBA Live 19, don’t forget that we’re collecting feedback to send along for NBA Live 20. Check out our Work-in-Progress Wishlist here in the NLSC Forum!

V63 of the U R Basketball mod by skoadam and slimm44 is now available! The latest version includes over 100 new faces for retro players, including Jerome Kersey, Sam Perkins, Jason Williams, Isaiah Rider, Darrell Griffith, Sean Elliott, Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and many more.

All you need to do to get your installation up to date is to re-download the Retro CF#6 part. You can find V63 of U R Basketball here in our Downloads section. Be sure to check out the release topic here for support, previews, and more information about future releases. The 1962 season roster is currently being worked on, with new artwork and shoes being among the enhancements.

Today’s file additions for NBA 2K14 PC include an assortment of current, retro, and future NBA player faces, a throwback arena for the Milwaukee Bucks, and a 2019 Draft Class. Check them all out at the links below!

IceCr
Richard Hamilton Face
Spencer Dinwiddie Face (Updated to v3.0)
Xavier McDaniel Face (Updated to v2.0)
Shaquille O’Neal Face (Updated to v2.0)
Karl Malone Face (Updated to v2.0)

BBTxJoKer
Karl-Anthony Towns Face

Blang
Nico Mannion Face

nbatak
1974 MECCA Arena

Mackubex
Mackubex Ultimate 2019 NBA Draft Class [80 Real Draft Prospects] (Updated)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at the history of our NLSC Wishlists.

Wishlist season is upon us again! We’re compiling our Wishlists for NBA Live 20 and NBA 2K20, so even though Wayback Wednesday is about looking back at the past, I would like to take the opportunity to encourage everyone to look to the future and help us compile comprehensive feedback for EA and 2K to put to use in developing this year’s games. As we discussed in Episode #270 of the NLSC Podcast, it doesn’t do us any good if we keep our feedback and suggestions to ourselves. Our Wishlists can’t guarantee the additions and changes we want, but they at least have a chance.

Of course, I understand the scepticism that my fellow basketball gamers often express when it comes time to compile our Wishlists. If you’re not seeing the improvements that you desire, it can feel like a pointless exercise; especially if you find yourself repeating the same points year after year. I do believe that our Wishlists have had a positive impact on the games though, and we only need to look back at some of them to see that they’ve been worthwhile. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Here are the most recent file additions for NBA 2K19 PC! Releases include player faces, a court update, and a shoe pack. Check them all out at the links below!

Torogi
George Hill Face
Montrezl Harrell Face
DeMar DeRozan Face & Model (Updated to v2.0)

MonkeymanJSV
Keldon Johnson Face
Bol Bol Face
Darius Garland Face
Darius Bazley Face
DeAndre Hunter Face

seanbarkley
KICKSOLOGY [seanbarkley]

Manni Live
Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center 4K

Shuajota
Matthew Dellavedova Face

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the current state and future of our modding community.

2019 could be a great year for our modding community. Late last year, Vlad delivered a wonderful gift in the form of new versions of RED MC and REDitor II that are fully functional and completely free. The availability of these modding tools should allow for some great new releases for old favourites that are still being tinkered with. The community is also very active as far as updating NBA 2K19, with our most intuitive modders developing new techniques and resources. As far as the site is concerned, we anticipate being around for some time yet.

However, there are some disappointing trends and growing concerns. I’ve discussed a few of them before, but unfortunately, they persist (and in some cases, are just getting worse). In some respects, we’re at the mercy of current trends and culture, and some issues are difficult to curb without setting inflexible rules that ultimately run the risk of driving people away from the hobby. Nevertheless, I’d like to take the opportunity to weigh in on those matters once again, and try to steer our modding community onto a better path. To be as productive and friendly as possible, we must avoid the pitfalls and toxicity that have sunk other modding websites and communities.

Read More »

Episode #270 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join Arcane and myself as we catch up on a couple of news items from the past week, and discuss our top wishes for NBA Live 20 and NBA 2K20 as Wishlist season officially gets underway.

On this week’s show…

• NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 continue to receive content updates, including new rosters, player items, and challenges. We discuss the games’ efforts to remain fresh and evergreen.
• We’ve officially tipped off Wishlist season for NBA Live 20 and NBA 2K20! Once again, we stress the importance of constructive feedback, and having our say.
• What are our top wishes for NBA Live 20? What are the most important areas to focus on if the game is to take the next step?
• Likewise, what are our top wishes for NBA 2K20? NBA 2K is the brand leader, but how can it continue to get better?
• If you could ask the executive producers of NBA Live and NBA 2K any three questions, what would they be? We’ll list ours on next week’s NLSC Podcast, but first we want to hear from our listeners!

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:36:27 — 66.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Got a mailbag question or topic suggestion for the next show? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

It’s that time again! The NBA Live and NBA 2K development teams are hard at work on the next titles, which means we need to get our feedback in as soon as possible. I’ve created our official Wishlist topics for NBA Live 20 and NBA 2K20, so that we can compile our suggestions and send them along to EA Sports and Visual Concepts respectively.

As always, we’re looking to compile a comprehensive but concise snapshot of what the basketball gaming community wants to see in the upcoming games. Whether it’s new features, fixes and improvements, or bug reports, it’s all useful feedback for the Wishlist. Bullet points are best and far preferable to long-winded essays and videos, though at the same time, don’t just say things like “make the gameplay better”. We need to explain how we want the gameplay to change, and what would make it better. The same goes for modes, and all other aspects of the two games.

Just a reminder that we are focused on constructive feedback here, so please leave out the snark and insults. Venting about the games is perfectly acceptable in other Forum topics, but these topics are about compiling useful suggestions, not yelling at the developers. By all means constructively criticise and point out problems, but please be aware that we’re not going to pass along profane suggestions!

Once again, we want to get our Wishlists in as soon as possible – ideally before the end of January – in order for them to have the most impact possible. To that end, sign up for a Forum account (if you don’t have one already), and start posting your ideas! We’ll be organising a Top Wishes section to concisely explain what we most want to see, so feel free to prioritise your lists. The first post in the Wishlist topics provides further information about the best format for your feedback, in case you’re looking for a guide. With all that being said, start posting those wishes!

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five lists the five stages of playing through a season in any basketball video game mode.

As I write this, I’m approaching the end of the regular season in my MyCAREER game in NBA 2K19. Once again, not a bad effort for someone who was supposedly burned out on career modes! Having sufficiently levelled up my player for the online experiences, I am in a position where I can take a break from MyCAREER, but I also feel compelled to at least play through to the end of the first season. After all, I’m potentially less than thirty games away from cleaning up in the regular season awards, and leading the Chicago Bulls to another (virtual) championship.

I’ve played through at least one full season in multiple basketball games, including NBA Live 2004, NBA Live 06, NBA 2K13, and NBA 2K17. There’s definitely a sense of accomplishment in doing so, and if you’re really into the game, then the season does go by much quicker. It still takes some time though – especially if you’re playing twelve minute quarters – and there are undoubtedly moments where you must push yourself to complete the journey, particularly if you aren’t simulating any games. You’ll probably end up experiencing the five stages of playing through a season: a list that I’m making up, but one that I believe will resonate with many basketball gamers.

Read More »

Here are the latest file additions for NBA 2K19 PC! The newest mod releases include player faces, courts, and a classic scoreboard. Check them all out at the links below!

ShobexKid
Kenyon Martin NBA Finals 2002 Face

MJ23LB
Toronto Raptors Courts Pack

Manni Live
Washington Wizards Capital One Arena 4K

sticky-fingers
NBA on NBA Classic Scoreboard (Watermark)

Torogi
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Face
Jordan Clarkson Face with Tattoos (Updated to v2.0)
Cory Joseph Face & Model< (Updated to v2.0)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at the introduction videos that were featured in old school basketball video games.

I’ve been producing Wayback Wednesday as a weekly feature since November 2015, and yet somehow, I’ve never discussed the introduction videos that were featured in old basketball games. I’ve talked about music, and I even posted a breakdown of NBA 2K12’s introduction video with comparisons to the real highlight clips, but I’ve yet to profile the intros that greeted us upon firing up some of our old favourites, despite the fact it’s a very obvious choice of topic for a Wayback Wednesday feature. Well, better late than never, right?

Lengthy introduction videos are seemingly being phased out, but you certainly don’t have to be a grizzled basketball gamer in your 30s to remember them. However, there was something special about the intros in old school basketball games. If you watch them today, you might just feel pumped up to play those old titles again, just as you were all those years ago. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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