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 my take on the future of MyCAREER stories, which is basically that it’s time for them to end.

I know, I know. I’ve talked about MyCAREER stories a lot. I’ve made my position on them very clear since they made their debut in NBA 2K14. However, we’re now five years into the story-driven approach in MyCAREER. Not only can we rank the stories in a Top 5, at this point we’ve also had ample time to evaluate the approach so far, and consider how it should be handled moving forward. It’s fair to ask whether or not a story is necessary or wanted in MyCAREER, and if it is, what can be done to continue to innovate in future iterations of NBA 2K.

As you might expect, my suggestion is that a new approach is needed, but I’d like to explain my reasons beyond a simple distaste for the narratives we’ve experienced so far. This is intended to be a constructive piece that offers ideas and solutions, rather than just bashing an aspect of NBA 2K that I don’t particularly like. My dislike of the stories themselves is a factor, but if the goal is to innovate and offer new experiences, then MyCAREER stories could actually be getting in the way of that. While it would be possible to steer them in a new and more innovative direction, I do believe that it’s time to close the book on MyCAREER stories.

Read More »

Episode #248 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join Kenny and I as we discuss the new gameplay trailer for NBA Playgrounds 2, catch up on a week of basketball gaming, and offer up some predictions for the 2018 NBA Conference Finals and award winners.

On this week’s show…

• NBA Playgrounds 2 is coming out May 22nd, as revealed by the new gameplay trailer. We’re feeling optimistic about the game, but we do have some specific hopes and expectations.
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming included an unlikely return to 2K Pro-Am; it didn’t go so well. A seven game series of 2v2 on MyCOURT was a lot more fun, though. We also talk Ultimate Team in NBA Live 18, and Basketball Classics on Steam.
• We wrap up Episode #248 of the NLSC Podcast with a preview of the 2018 NBA Conference Finals, and predictions for this year’s award winners.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:03:02 — 43.4MB)

Subscribe: Android | RSS

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.

Time to get caught up on the latest file additions for NBA 2K18 PC! Today’s new and updated releases include fictional jerseys, player faces, and an ESPN scoreboard. Check them all out at the links below!

PickmansModel
Team USA Fictional Home/Away Jerseys
Miami Heat Vice City Inspired Jersey (Updated to v2.0)
Milwaukee Bucks Fictional Purple Jersey (Updated to v2.0)
New York Knicks Fictional Orange Jersey (Updated to v2.0)

Torogi
Kyle Korver Face
Jeff Green Face (Updated to v2.0)
Derrick Favors Face (Updated to v3.0)
George Hill Face (Updated to v2.0)
Stephen Curry Face & Body Model (Updated to v3.0)
Chris Paul Body & Face (Updated to v2.0)

dirtydraw & bongo88
ESPN Scoreboard (Updated to v2.5)

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 is a list of five ways that The Neighborhood could be improved in NBA 2K19 and beyond.

Through articles, episodes of the NLSC Podcast, and posts in the Forum, I’ve made my opinion of The Neighborhood quite clear. In short, I like it about as much as I do MyCAREER stories, which is to say, not very much at all. To me, it’s amounted to a lot of wasted time running around the same mini suburb, going back and forth and enduring long loading screens. Whether it’s changing my animations, joining my friends in 2K Pro-Am or The Playground, or picking up my endorsement money, it’s basically impossible to have a streamlined experience.

However, while I certainly have my criticisms of The Neighborhood, I’d prefer them to be constructive. Even though I’m not a fan of the concept, there are ways that The Neighborhood could be more appealing and user-friendly, not to mention fairer in terms of grinding and potential microtransactions. My guess is that the developers aren’t going to give up on the concept after just one game, and if certain changes were made, I for one would probably find it at least a little more tolerable. With that said, here are five ways that the 2K team could improve on the whole experience of The Neighborhood in future games.

Read More »

The release date for NBA Playgrounds 2 has been confirmed as May 22nd on all platforms, and the game is now available to preorder. As we noted a couple of weeks ago in Episode #246 of the NLSC Podcast, this is earlier than expected given the initial release window of Summer 2018. Instead, it’s in line with the release of the first game in May of last year.

A new trailer has also been released, showing off some gameplay highlights. The trailer also spotlights a few of the game’s key features, including the new player models and animation system, competitive online play, offline season mode, new power-ups, redesigned AI, dedicated servers, four player online co-op, and new venues. Check it out below!

Will you be picking up NBA Playgrounds 2? Have your say in the comments section below, and join in the discussion in this topic in the Other Basketball Games section of the NLSC Forum!

We’ve got some more file additions for an old favourite today, as DaCrispy has released two new mods for NBA 2K11 PC: updated 2017 season rosters, and an NBA Live 18 logo mod. Download them both at the links below!

DaCrispy
NBA Live 18 Logo Update
Updated 2016-17 Roster

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 NBA Live on PC.

It’s been over ten years since a PC version of NBA Live was released. For a long time, the series was the only NBA game that was consistently released on PC as well as the consoles, but beginning with NBA Live 09, it’s been a console exclusive. In hindsight, the writing was on the wall as the last couple of PC releases were problematic, not to mention ports of the previous console generation. Although the NBA 2K series would make its way to PC – the very year NBA Live left it, in fact – there is still interest in seeing EA’s game return to the platform. Unfortunately, so far our Wishlist requests and petitions have not yet yielded the desired outcome.

Hopefully, as the NBA Live series continues to rebuild and re-establish itself, we’ll see a PC release again one day. After all, through to around 2006, the PC version of NBA Live was arguably the definitive version of the game. It certainly helped put us on the map, and carve out a niche in the basketball gaming community with all of the work we put into modding the games. This week, I thought I’d reflect on the history of NBA Live on PC, in the hopes that its legacy will continue with a new release some day. Let’s take a look back…way back…

Read More »

While you’re waiting for this week’s Wayback Wednesday, we have a new file addition for another old favourite. Murat has been doing some excellent work with NBA Live 2004, and recently released a pack that includes updated 2018 season rosters, complete with player faces. Check it out at the link below, and be sure to browse the NBA Live 2004 section of our Downloads database for more 2018 season updates!

Murat
2017-18 NBA Rosters & Faces

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.

It’s been a little while, but S_Brat is back with some new face updates, which make up today’s NBA Live 08 file additions! The faces – which can also be used with NBA Live 2005, 06, and 07 – include three prominent Class of 2017 rookies, and a couple of All-Stars. Please see below for all the download links.

S_Brat
Donovan Mitchell Face
Jayson Tatum Face
Ben Simmons Face
Giannis Antetokounmpo Face
Paul George 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 how getting back to basics with NBA 2K19 would be a great move after the controversy and dissatisfaction that surrounded NBA 2K18.

For years, NBA 2K has been the dominant brand in basketball gaming. It started with EA Sports’ misfire when NBA Live 06 was released on Xbox 360, devoid of Dynasty Mode and generally being a rough transition to the next generation. As NBA Live continued to struggle, NBA 2K stayed the course and went from strength to strength, garnering higher ratings from reviewers and eventually becoming the top-selling NBA game when NBA 2K9 outsold NBA Live 09. The series has continued to innovate and receive praise from gamers and gaming publications alike, setting sales records and expanding its brand with its own weekly TV show, and now an eSports league.

And yet, despite all its success, the brand doesn’t feel as untouchable as it once did. NBA 2K18 received an unprecedented amount of backlash over its greedy and anti-consumer approach to microtransactions, which greatly affected some of its most popular modes. Beyond that controversy, a lot of gamers felt that the game had simply taken a few steps backwards with a new motion system that didn’t seem quite ready, AI that didn’t feel as smart or realistic, and rosters that were riddled with problems. While 2K’s strategies for “recurrent revenue” obviously won’t be going anywhere, I’d suggest that NBA 2K19 could otherwise really benefit from going back to basics.

Read More »

The Monday Tip-Off will be coming out as usual later today, but let’s get the week started with the latest new and updated mods for NBA 2K18 PC! Today’s file additions include faces, custom body models, 2018 season rosters, jerseys, and more. Please see below for all the download links.

Torogi
Ben Simmons Face & Body Model
No Injuries Rosters (with new Retro Teams) 5/3/18 (Updated to v1.5)
LeBron James Face (Updated to v4.0)
2009-2010 Kobe Bryant Face (Updated to v2.0)

endnotedeath
Thomas Robinson Portrait

PickmansModel
Detroit Pistons Fictional Jersey (Updated to v2.0)
Houston Rockets Texans Inspired Jersey (Updated to v2.0)
Brooklyn Nets Fictional Jersey (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.

Episode #247 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Join Arcane and I as we discuss DLC ideas for future NBA Live games, the tip-off of the NBA 2K League, NBA Street Vol. 2, and other news and events from the past week in both basketball gaming and the real NBA.

On this week’s show…

• FIFA 18 will be receiving free downloadable content for the World Cup, which gives us ideas for future NBA Live games. In fact, there’s quite a few things NBA Live could borrow from its EA Sports brethren.
• Play has begun in the NBA 2K League, with the inaugural tip-off tournament now complete. We offer up a few impressions of what we’ve seen so far.
• In order to make the Wall of Fame in NBA 2K19, you’ll need to reach 99 Overall by May 31st. For some of us, that’s simply going to be too much grinding.
• A recent GQ article took a look back at NBA Street Vol. 2, calling it the last truly great basketball game. Do we agree with that assessment?
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming included more games of Ultimate Team, and a foray into MyTEAM.
• We wrap up Episode #247 of the NLSC Podcast with a few NBA topics, including the latest action from the 2018 NBA Playoffs, and a head coaching opportunity for Becky Hammon.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:41:27 — 69.7MB)

Subscribe: Android | RSS

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.

I’m a little late in posting this, but we recently received a new file addition for NBA 2K17 PC. Rdaws has released a 2018 season dorna update for the Detroit Pistons, which you can pick up at the link below.

Rdaws
Detroit Pistons 2018 Dornas

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.

Our NBA 2K14 modding community continues to thrive and produce great content, as you can see in today’s batch of file additions. The latest releases include player faces, coach faces, and a jersey pack. Check them all out at the links below!

IceCr
Kevin Willis Face
Robert Parish Face
Rick Mahorn Face
Arvydas Sabonis Face
Gary Payton Face
Orlando Woolridge Face
Robert Pack Face

Blang
Omari Spellman Face
Rex Kalamian Face
David Vanterpool Face

ALDUB_livmore
Alab Pilipinas Jerseys Pack (Updated to v1.0)

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.

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 is a list of five more retro teams that I’d like to see added in future NBA 2K games.

With a large roster of retro teams already in NBA 2K, you’d think it might be tough to suggest new squads to include. A lot of the obvious teams are already in the game, as Visual Concepts has managed to license a lot of the great championship teams, their opponents, and other prominent and successful squads. It’s getting to the point where they are adding some more unorthodox but still interesting teams to the game, which opens up the door for some potentially unusual suggestions. With that in mind, there are quite a few NBA Legends who could be celebrated with squads that would make fun and intriguing additions to the selection of retro teams in NBA 2K.

Please note that as per the title of this column, this is Part 3 in an ingoing series where I list the retro teams that I’d like to see in NBA 2K. While not all of the teams that I mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 have been added to the game, I’ve already discussed them, and my desire to see them in NBA 2K still stands. I’m looking to discuss a new list of retro teams each time, so in no way do my latest picks cancel out the ones that I’ve previously mentioned. I’m also making these suggestions under the assumption that Visual Concepts will be able to license most (if not all) of the key players, though in many cases, they’re already in the game. With that being said, let’s get to the list!

Read More »