NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #541 of the NLSC Podcast!

The latest NBA 2K25 Courtside Report has delivered the details on MyCAREER and MyPLAYER in this year’s game. While some of the news is definitely promising on paper, we still have our doubts. Indeed, the lengthy grind and pushy recurrent revenue mechanics remain an elephant in the room that far too many content creators and influencers don’t want to acknowledge, and sometimes even actively downplay. Nevertheless, we join the community in reacting to the latest NBA 2K25 previews. We also asked the community what they’d pay for a home port of NBA Superstars, and recap some of the excellent retro pickups that a couple of our fellow gamers have recently scored.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:05:01 — 45.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how NBA 2K25 New Gen coming to PC provides an opportunity to revive an old school approach to modding.

The announcement that NBA 2K25 PC will be New Gen – i.e. a PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X port – was naturally greeted with enthusiasm in our community. It’s taken longer than we were hoping, but the PC will finally be receiving the flagship version of NBA 2K once again, with all of its enhancements and content. That of course includes MyNBA Eras and its associated rosters, which should provide a massive head start for retro season modding projects. It’s exciting, especially as it could well herald a new golden age in our modding community.

However, to ensure this new era of modding is as successful as it could and should be, we need to adopt the right attitude. To be frank, this new gen of modding requires an old school approach. That doesn’t mean we should get bogged down by old ideas and thus fail to innovate, but I believe that in some respects, our modding community has lost its way. We’ve drifted from the philosophies and values that allowed us to create fantastic works that everyone could enjoy. We’ve also grown so accustomed to being able to do anything and everything that we allow imperfections to be a roadblock. To that end, an old school approach will greatly benefit NBA 2K25 New Gen modding.

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The basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games may be in the books, but you can still get your fill of international competition on the virtual hardwood! Following on from the previous release, PatTheHead has added a 1964 Olympic mod to his comprehensive retro roster project for NBA 2K13.

As previously mentioned, the project not only includes Olympic rosters such as the new 1964 mod, but also a variety of retro rosters for the NBA, ABA, BAA, NBL, and ABL. There’s also a current 2024 season roster, for gamers who’d like to update NBA 2K13 for the modern day. The game continues to hold superbly over a decade later, so I’d definitely recommend giving it a look!

Head over to the release topic in the Forum for the download links and further previews of this fantastic project. Additionally, Pat makes a point of sharing interesting trivia along with previews of the rosters, which basketball history buffs will definitely enjoy! As always, shout out to PatTheHead and everyone else keeping old favourites alive with fantastic mods that are available free of charge. With a new generation of modding set to tip off on PC with NBA 2K25, it serves as a great example for the community.

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

Like the great Wilt Chamberlain, the NLSC Top 10 Plays will wow you as it breaks regulation numbers! What do I mean by that? Well, thanks to a couple of similarly spectacular highlights sharing the number one spot, this week’s countdown actually features eleven different basketball video games! Indeed, a couple of them are making their Top 10 debut, namely Space Jam and NBA Superstars, which we discussed in Episode #540 of the NLSC Podcast. From wild shots to rim-rattling dunks, the community has come through with the goods as always. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five things that should never cost VC to equip or use.

When we talk about what basketball video games should and shouldn’t do, it does pay to think about the business side of things. Granted, that shouldn’t be our concern as consumers, but as far as feasibility or the likelihood of certain ideas, it’s something we have to keep in mind. After all, “get rid of all microtransactions” would be a fantastic suggestion in my book, but it’s just not going to happen! Sadly, including freemium mechanics in Triple-A games has proven to be too profitable for companies to not do so if they can get away with it, so it’s not a realistic request or expectation.

With that being said, I’m ultimately always going to advocate for value for money, fairness to consumers, and a quality experience when it comes to basketball video games. Again, I’m going to tailor any suggestions based on what we know is highly unlikely or unrealistic, but I’m on the side of gamers, not the suits and billion dollar corporations. Unfortunately, there are too many people who excuse or even outright shill for recurrent revenue mechanics, which has emboldened NBA 2K to place more and more content behind VC paywalls. It’s done nothing to enhance the experience for us, so to that end, here are five things that we should never have to spend VC on.

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As promised when the roadmap for the NBA 2K25 preview season was revealed, the latest Courtside Report is all about MyCAREER and MyPLAYER. Much of the blog discusses the MyPLAYER Builder system, Takeovers, Badges, and so forth, but there are also some interesting insights into this year’s story and other aspects of MyCAREER.

One of the key points about the NBA side of MyCAREER in NBA 2K25 is that it’s centred around the concept of building an all-time great dynasty. MP’s backstory is told in flashback, which means that the story portion of MyCAREER is optional and can also be played at any time. However, completing it unlocks rewards and a boost to progression, so it’s at least worth considering.

MyCOURT is also returning, and Season XP can be earned in NBA games, meaning that you don’t have to play online to earn rewards. Takeovers and Badges have been revamped, and more information will be made available in the MyPLAYER Builder.

It’s a lengthy read compared to the gameplay blog, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a keen MyCAREER gamer. With that being said, I have summarised the key information from the MyCAREER Courtside Report, which you can check out below. Feel free to share your impressions in the comments, and join in the discussion here in the Forum.

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It’s great to see people still updating NBA Live 2005, and to that point, we have some more mod releases today! Modders27 has uploaded four great face updates, accurate as of the 2024 season. Pick them up at the links below!

Modders27
Anthony Edwards Face
LeBron James Face
Ja Morant Face
Anthony Davis 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 Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at some 90s stars who retired (or at least, left the NBA) in 2005, yet are still playable in NBA Live 06.

It’s wise not to jump to conclusions when we see coincidences that are in fact likely occurrences. Apophenia – the tendency to perceive patterns where none exist, also called patternicity – leads us to ascribe connections and deeper meaning to unrelated events. To that point, it’s hardly unusual for a player to retire (or perhaps bow out of the NBA to play overseas) around the same time as their generational peers. Sure, a few players in every generation will stick around much longer while others will have shorter careers, but most of them will retire concurrently or within a brief span.

With that in mind, there’s nothing particularly strange or suspicious about a group of players who entered the league in the late 80s to early 90s all hanging it up in the mid 2000s. Nevertheless, it’s still interesting that 2005 was the final season for a number of stars that I grew up watching in the 90s, and that they’re all available in NBA Live 06, either still on their final team or in the Free Agents Pool. If nothing else, it was a sign that their era and generation was now definitely drawing to a close, adding some wistful nostalgia to one of my favourite games. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #540 of the NLSC Podcast!

August tipped off with the first gameplay trailer for NBA 2K25, as well as a courtside report outlining the key improvements that we can expect to see. This week, we join the community in sharing our thoughts on what we saw in the trailer, as well as our reactions to the changes, additions, and promises that were described in the developer blog. To that end, we also note some familiar claims and talking points from previous preview seasons. We also discuss the new arcade-exclusive title NBA Superstars – a release heavily inspired by NBA Jam, and featuring the legendary Tim Kitzrow on commentary – and provide detailed hands-on impressions following a lengthy session with the game.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:29:01 — 61.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off by sharing some of my hopes and expectations for NBA 2K25.

The NBA 2K25 preview season tipped off with some great news for our community, namely the reveal that the New Gen version is coming to PC. Given that my new PC should be able to handle it on relatively high settings at least, it’s something that I’m personally able to look forward to. Of course, since I do own a PlayStation 5, I’ve already been able to experience the ninth generation version of NBA 2K. To that point though, as I’ve previously discussed, I haven’t been particularly thrilled with what is now the flagship version of the game.

Of course, as I’ve also recently stated, it’s important to keep an open mind. I don’t go into new releases hoping to be disappointed, or looking to be negative. I’d rather enjoy the game every year, even if I am keeping some old favourites in the rotation. Recent releases have left me feeling cynical and less optimistic about the future of the series though, and that’s difficult to shake. Indeed, during the past two preview seasons, I discussed how NBA 2K23 and NBA 2K24 might win me over, and re-reading what I wrote, not a whole lot has changed. So, with that being said, what are my hopes and expectations for NBA 2K25 as we await more previews, and its September release?

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In case this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays wasn’t enough exciting virtual hardwood action for you, Dee and I have uploaded another couple of videos! Dee has posted footage of a full game in NBA Superstars, while I’ve uploaded an NBA 2K6 Xbox 360 highlight reel featuring the 1992 Dream Team.

For those who are unaware, NBA Superstars is a new arcade basketball video game by Play Mechanix. It’s inspired by NBA Jam, right down to featuring the legendary Tim Kitzrow on commentary. Dee found the game at a local arcade, and took on the Los Angeles Clippers with his Boston Celtics. We’ll be talking about it on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, so stay tuned!

Since I began my retro kick with NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360, I’ve been tinkering with some minimalist roster projects. I have a work-in-progress roster featuring 20 new Legends – that’s as many as you can create in the game – and that facilitated a re-creation of the 1992 Dream Team’s famous scrimmage. It’s another example of how minimalist modding can still set up fun new scenarios in a variety of basketball video games.

Check out our NBA Superstars and NBA 2K6 videos below! As always, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

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Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

This week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays features a couple of highlights from the original NBA Street and NBA Street Vol. 2, both of which demonstrate the kind of fun gameplay that any spiritual successor would need to replicate. The countdown also spotlights various retro roster mods for NBA 2K12, NBA 2K13, NBA 2K14, and NBA 2K19, and a 90s squad in NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team. Killer crossovers, crafty passes, big defensive plays, and jaw-dropping poster dunks from eight different games will get you primed for another weekend on the virtual hardwood. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five things that really should carry over year-to-year in NBA 2K.

Many years ago, I reflected on what I described as the New Game Blues. In short, when you’ve come to really enjoy a particular release in an annual basketball video game series, it can be tough to move on. The new game doesn’t feel as familiar and welcoming as the one you’ve been playing religiously for the past year. On top of that, all your progress is effectively gone, since it doesn’t carry over. Whether it’s a career mode game with a maxed-out avatar, an awesome squad in a card collecting mode, or a franchise mode game that’s five years in, it’s in the past now. Starting over is a pain!

Naturally, this has only gotten worse as the games have become greedier and pushier about microtransactions. That annual loss of progress is even harsher now that we’re confronted with the pressure to spend above and beyond the cost of purchasing the games in order to really enjoy them to the fullest. Also, as the online scene in NBA 2K has becoming increasingly toxic and elitist, being mistaken for a newcomer is just as miserable as actually being one. It’s a long shot given the greed that permeates the Triple-A gaming scene nowadays, but if these five things carried over year-to-year in NBA 2K, it would generate a ton of goodwill, and greatly improve the experience.

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After revealing the cover players and opening up pre-orders in mid July, 2K are tipping off August with the gameplay trailer and blog for NBA 2K25. In addition to giving us our first look at the game, it’s also been revealed that Early Tip-Off is back, as gamers who pre-order will be able to play from September 4th, rather than the September 6th launch date.

In addition to giving us our first glimpse of on-court action from cinematic angles – as usual – the first NBA 2K25 trailer also spotlights some of the key features of gameplay this year. They include over 9000 new animations, an all-new dribble engine, signature go-to shots, shot timing profiles, a brand new defensive movement system, and an updated shot contest system.

The courtside report on gameplay in NBA 2K25 goes into more detail about these features. I’ve posted a summary of the key points below, which you can check out along with the trailer. The roadmap for the NBA 2K25 preview season has also been revealed. The next set of previews will be dropping on August 5th, and will cover MyCAREER and MyPLAYER. News on MyNBA and The W will be coming on August 12th, MyTEAM details on August 19th, previews of The City on August 26th, and then a look at Season 1 and 2K Beats will be posted on September 2nd.

Once again, see below for more details. Got any thoughts about the NBA 2K25 gameplay trailer and developer blog? Share them in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion our NBA 2K25 Forum.

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As we tip off August, it’s an excellent opportunity to get caught up on some of the latest uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel! As always, Dee and I have been playing a variety of basketball video games both separately and co-operatively, and sharing highlights from those sessions. Here are a few of our highlight reels that went up in late July.

Following on from our session with NBA 2K10 using 1997 season rosters, we rolled back the clock to 1992 with another fantastic roster mod. This time, we took on the New Jersey Nets with the Portland Trail Blazers, which turned into a spectacular dunking exhibition by Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey! Once again, we were reminded of how NBA 2K10 is an overlooked gem.

Our next Parsec session saw us connect to play NBA Live 2000, taking on the Indiana Pacers with the New York Knicks. As we discussed in Episode #538 of the NLSC Podcast, it was a game that reminded us of just how amazing NBA Live 2000 PC was (and still is), and led to some interesting comparisons to the original NBA 2K, which we played right afterwards.

Year 6 of my NBA 2K14 PS4 MyCAREER continues, as I’m past the All-Star break and heading towards the 2019 Playoffs. To that end, I compiled the highlights from Games 51-60. As always, I’m not just spotlighting highlights that I produced with my MyPLAYER, but also some of the CPU’s best moments as well.

Dee shared an action-packed highlight reel from NBA 2K13 PC, using 2001 rosters to stage a showdown between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. As you’ll see, Dee produced some extremely authentic highlights using that young Kings team, led by Chris Webber and Jason Williams.

Finally, we connected for a long session with NBA Street Vol. 2, ahead of discussing The Run: Got Next on this week’s podcast. It was a reminder of why it’s one of the most popular basketball video games of all time, and indeed, many gamers’ pick for the best hoops title we’ve ever seen.

Check out all of the latest uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel below! If you haven’t already subscribed to the NLSC on YouTube, then we certainly invite you to do so! We’re always uploading highlights in addition to the podcast, the weekly countdown of Top 10 Plays, retrospectives, video essays, and more. As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, and we’ll try to get them into the rotation!

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