NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

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 items that were often included in or suggested for our old Wishlists, which now seem odd and unnecessary.

If you want to see how far basketball video games have come over the past twenty years or so, one only needs to fire up an old favourite from the turn of the millennium. If you don’t have one of those games or the necessary hardware set up, you could also take a glance at our old Wishlists. So many things that we wanted to see added to the virtual hardwood have made it into games at some point, from franchise and career modes to deeper controls and retro content. Between NBA Live and NBA 2K, many of our wishes have come true.

Not all of them have of course, and while that’s disappointing in some respects, it’s arguably a good thing in other ways. If nothing else, in hindsight some of our wishes and suggestions weren’t particularly good or useful ideas. Now, basketball gaming has obviously changed, which means our needs and desires have also evolved. It’s very easy to dump on the past because as the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and not everything ages well. Still, it’s funny to look back on those Wishlists, not only to see some seemingly lofty suggestions that became a reality, but also a few ideas that NBA Live and NBA 2K simply didn’t ever need to seriously consider, let alone implement.

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Although NBA 2K22 news is still at a trickle, ratings reveals have begun via the official NBA 2K Twitter. The ratings accompany the First Look screenshots of various NBA and WNBA players.

It appears as though the maximum Overall Rating for active NBA players at launch will be 96 Overall. Four players will hold that distinction, namely Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry. Additionally, Curry will boast the highest three-point rating among active players at 99, while Zion Williamson is the top dunker with a rating of 97 in that category.

Please see below for a full list of NBA 2K22 ratings reveals so far, along with the new screenshots. Presumably, detailed previews of modes and gameplay are not far away, though it has certainly been an abbreviated preview season. In any case, feel free to add your thoughts in the comments, as well as take the discussion to our NBA 2K22 Forum!

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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, it’s an NBA Live 10 mix that’s an ode to the 90s.

Revisiting NBA Live 10 and making it my retro kick has been a blast! While putting together retro squads to play with in Fantasy Teams mode, I’ve noticed the number of players from the 90s in the rosters. Some were still active as of 2009-10, while others were left over in the Free Agents Pool. Reflecting on my nostalgia for NBA Live 10 over a decade later, it occurred to me that when the game was released, the end of the 90s was ten years prior, and already quite nostalgic. I’ve combined those two nostalgic ideas to create a highlight mix that celebrates the last vestiges of the 90s, using the last great NBA Live game. In more ways than one, let’s take a look back…way back…

With the 45 or so players that I’ve featured in the mix, I’ve mostly focused on the big names, and players that had appropriate retro jerseys available to them. However, a further 35 players from the 90s can be found in the rosters. In order to include a few stars that were too important to omit, I did make substitutions here and there with jerseys from the early 2000s, or from earlier in the 90s. Hopefully, it hasn’t spoiled the intended vibe! My retro kick has resulted in a ton of NBA Live 10-related content this year, and it seemed only right to cap it off with something special. I hope you enjoyed it, and encourage you to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more videos.

Although news is running slightly behind schedule, the official NBA 2K Twitter account has been posting some NBA 2K22 screenshots. The latest screens spotlight some of the recent offseason moves.

Specifically, you’ll find Russell Westbrook wearing his new Los Angeles Lakers jersey. DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball can be seen wearing Chicago Bulls garb, while Kemba Walker is sporting the New York Knicks’ uniform. A screenshot of Kyle Lowry in his new Miami Heat jersey has also been shared.

Additionally, 2K has posted another screenshot of cover player Luka Doncic, which also shows off the new Wilson basketball. Check out all of the screenshots below, and feel free to add your thoughts in the comments! You can also join in the conversation taking place in our NBA 2K22 Forum.

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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 some candid thoughts about the preview season these days: it sucks, and nothing will change in that regard.

Yeah, I said it. I suppose I could’ve said it more eloquently. I could have said that the preview season has become a monumental annual disappointment. It would be more poetic to say that the preview season was once more like a succulent banquet that we couldn’t wait to feast upon, but is now an unappetising meal that leaves us wanting so much more. There’s a multitude of flowery adjectives and colourful similes that I could use to make my point here, but sometimes, blunter is better. And to be blunt, the preview season for basketball games now sucks.

It’s been that way for a while, but it feels as though it’s plumbing new depths. We’re less than a month away from the release of NBA 2K22, and there’s been barely any news, and seemingly even less excitement and hype. Granted, there are things in the world that are more important than a basketball video game, but that’s always been the case, and escapism is a prized commodity right now. Unfortunately, a combination of relative silence and growing frustration within the basketball gaming community has turned what was once an exciting part of the year into a dull march to the release date. I hate that many of us have become so cynical and unenthused, but it’s not our fault.

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Episode #388 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

It’s the second and final part of the triumphant return of Leftos to the show! In Part 2, we discuss the impact and importance of the community wishlists. On that note, we’ve got some suggestions for further customisation in MyNBA. Leftos reveals some interesting insights into a few of the programming challenges he’s faced so far, the reasons behind certain design choices, and some of the technical roadblocks that stand in the way of adding new features. He also talks about what it’s been like to develop video games during the pandemic, and names his favourite NBA 2K game that he’s worked on so far.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:25:37 — 59.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

It’s time to enjoy some virtual hardwood highlights in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week! This is a weekly feature curated by Derek (aka Dee4Three) spotlighting the best plays from the basketball gaming community, which includes a few of our own memorable clips from time to time. Submit your clips in the Forum, or hit up Derek on Twitter!

We’ve reached another first with this week’s countdown of the NLSC Top 10 Plays, namely ten great highlights from ten different games! It’s great to see the community enjoying a variety of different hoops titles, both classic and recent. Remember, it’s not just modern animations that make a great play on the virtual hardwood. The moment, the meaning, the rarity, and the difficulty all matter, so don’t be shy about sharing those retro highlights as well as your best moments from the latest game.

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 spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood or blacktop. All basketball games are welcome, new and old! Also, be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

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 recalls five annoying quirks with officiating in various basketball video games.

Is there a more unpopular figure in professional basketball than the referee? Perhaps the commissioner, but game-to-game, the officiating is what tends to draw the most complaints. We never want to see our favourite team lose thanks in part to a bad call, and there have been incidents over the years that have led us to question how far the officials will go in trying to influence the outcome. Of course, as my old coach always told us, you can’t rely on the officiating being perfect if you want to win games. It’s true, though it doesn’t lessen our frustration with questionable calls.

Poor officiating is something that’s difficult to represent on the virtual hardwood, as we’re already at the mercy of so many other gameplay mechanics. To that end, bad calls in basketball video games tend to be more the product of undesirable tuning and technical issues, or a deliberate attempt to maintain competitive balance, rather than an intentionally realistic element. It’s just the way it goes in most games that represent the rules of basketball realistically, but certain titles do have some annoying quirks in their officiating. Well, they’re annoying when they happen to you. When you benefit from them, you’ll probably feel like you’ve got a Scott Foster on your side!

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It’s great to see NBA 2K14 still receiving updates all these years later, and to that end, we have new file additions from our community today, including player faces, a new global, a demo of the EYBL 2K21 project, and an animation mod. Download them all at the links below.!

Taco2k
P.J. Tucker Face

REAL2K
REALGEN V6 Global

nick15
EYBL 2K21 Demo

retro2k
1962 Wilt Chamberlain

RENZY
REALGEN Animation

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 1990s Dallas Mavericks, and their presence in video games of the era.

This might seem like another very esoteric idea for a Wayback Wednesday feature. After all, I don’t usually profile historical NBA teams, and when I do discuss the history of the real NBA, it’s still through the lens of video games. That’s what I’ll be doing again today, but even so, you may be wondering why I’m covering the Dallas Mavericks of the 1990s and not the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls obviously enjoyed far more success during that decade, and given that they’re my favourite team, there’s a lot of nostalgia for me there.

However, those Mavs teams from the 90s stand out in my memory, particularly when I think back to video games of the era. They’re not entirely unique in that regard, as I can remember a lot of players from the decade and am nostalgic for it general, with video games playing a significant role in that nostalgia. There were many noteworthy teams that I recall playing with and against on the virtual hardwood back in the 1990s, with several of them being far better squads than those Dallas Mavericks. Those Mavs are memorable for a reason though, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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Swishnet has released a new 2021 season roster and a player skin texture update for NBA Live 08, both of which you can pick up in today’s file additions! Please note that I had nothing to do with these updates, so please direct any and all feedback to Swishnet.

Swishnet
Swishnet 2020-2021 Roster & Faces
Swishnet Player Skin Update

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 some thoughts on how enjoyable it can be to play exhibition games on the virtual hardwood.

If you’re familiar with my stance on the importance of deep modes in basketball games, then this week’s topic might be understandably confusing. After all, I’m on record saying that a game cannot sustain interest if it doesn’t have at least one mode that can keep its audience hooked. I do stand by that, and one only needs to look at how NBA Live’s shallow modes over the past generation have failed to maintain the same engagement and enthusiasm as the experiences on offer in NBA 2K. In 2021, a basketball game needs to have both variety and depth in its modes.

However, there’s obviously still a use for exhibition play, or Play Now as it’s usually called in NBA Live and NBA 2K alike. More than that though, there’s a lot of fun to be had in exhibition games. The irony here is that while I advocate for deep modes because of their longevity, goals, and consequences, it’s the lack of stakes and long-term ramifications that I find so appealing about jumping into Play Now. As much as I enjoy progressing through a mode and achieving some sense of completion, I can also find great satisfaction in playing a game that doesn’t count towards anything. In fact, it could be argued that exhibition games are where we can be the most creative.

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Episode #387 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

It’s the Return of Leftos! The former NLSC Team member and original host of the show joins us to talk about his eight years working at Visual Concepts, where he is now the Lead Software Engineer Backend on the NBA 2K series. We talk about his work on the game’s various franchise modes, and the dedication to the franchise experience even as modes such as MyCAREER and MyTEAM have become more popular. The concept of realism in franchise modes is also brought up, along with Leftos’ background in basketball. Oh, and the importance of adding some unruly geese in The City.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:31:13 — 63.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

It’s time to enjoy some virtual hardwood highlights in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week! This is a weekly feature curated by Derek (aka Dee4Three) spotlighting the best plays from the basketball gaming community, which includes a few of our own memorable clips from time to time. Submit your clips in the Forum, or hit up Derek on Twitter!

I’m sure it won’t be the last time I say this, but this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays has to be one of our best countdowns yet! I don’t envy the task of ranking such an amazing assortment of highlights, but personally, I think Derek did a fantastic job of it. As always, a big thank you to everyone who sent in videos this week! It looks like a lot of fun is being had with basketball games, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

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 spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood or blacktop. All basketball games are welcome, new and old! Also, be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

Today’s file additions come courtesy of SiC2KK, who has released a pack of 2021 Nike Classic jerseys as part of the ongoing efforts to keep NBA 2K17 up to date. Pick it up at the link below!

SiC2KK
NBA 2K17 NIKE CLASSIC JERSEY TEAM PACK I (2K21) CONVERT

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.