Menu

NLSC Podcast #362: Putting the Ball in the Basket

NLSC Podcast Logo

Episode #362 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.

A bevy of retro season roster mods are being produced at the moment, which we’re excited to see. The fact that there are a couple of 2005 season mods out or in the works reminds us that time is marching on, and our nostalgia is getting old! We also have some advice for getting big projects done and released. Meanwhile, NBA 2K21 Current Gen and Next Gen have both received new patches, so we briefly discuss some of the changes. This week’s main discussion is a deep dive into shooting mechanics: the history and evolution, the best and worst concepts, and everything in between. In the latest mailbag, we discuss the forthcoming Space Jam sequel, and consider another What If scenario.

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.

NBA2K5 for NBA 2K20 by RMJH4 Now Available

NBA2K5 for NBA 2K20 by RMJH4

A new retro roster mod is now available for NBA 2K20 PC! With the help of several contributors, RMJH4 has released a 2005 season roster, with the project being aptly titled NBA2K5. Further work is still being done on the rosters, but they are now ready to play with.

You can find NBA2K5 in 2K Share under the name “2004-05 In Progress”, shared by RMJH4. You can also find compatible MyLEAGUE settings, shared under the name “2004-05 Settings”. To download all of the required art files, as well as optional add-ons, visit this topic in the Forum. If you run into any issues or have any feedback on the mod, feel free to post in that topic.

If you’d like to continue beyond the 2005 season in MyLEAGUE, RMJH4 has advised using Thunder Shaq’s Draft Classes, as they are fully compatible with the project. Be sure to check it out, and congratulations to RMJH4 and everyone involved for making the project happen! These retro roster mods are a huge undertaking, and it’s always great to see them come together. RMJH4 has also previously released 2001 and 2002 season rosters for NBA 2K20 PC, so be sure to check them out as well for more retro goodness!

NBA 2K21 Next Gen Patch 1.05 Now Available

NBA 2K21 Next Gen Patch 1.05

In addition to the update for Current Gen, the Next Gen version of NBA 2K21 has received Patch 1.05. It should download automatically as long as your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console, or check for updates manually.

The patch includes 24 player likeness updates, court and home jersey updates for the Los Angeles Lakers, and a City jersey update for the New York Knicks. The effectiveness of fading three-pointers off the dribble has also been reduced, per community feedback. Various fixes have also been made in MyNBA, MyTEAM, and MyCAREER/The City. More songs have also been added to the soundtrack.

For a full breakdown of Patch 1.05 for NBA 2K21 Next Gen, please see below for the patch notes. You can also find a complete update history here in our Wiki. Feel free to share any thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the NBA 2K21 section of our Forum.

Read More »

NBA 2K21 Patch 1.08 Released; Fixes & Cosmetic Updates

NBA 2K21 Patch 1.08

Patch 1.08 is now available for NBA 2K21 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. As always, it should come through automatically as long as your PC or console is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console or Steam client, or check for updates manually.

The patch adds Lunar New Year decorations to 2K Beach in MyCAREER, and includes the latest player likeness updates. It also adds new songs in 2K Beats, fixes a couple of technical issues, and disables rumble feedback in online play. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions have also been prepared for the MyTEAM Unlimited Tournament taking place on February 20th.

You can find the full notes for Patch 1.08 below, and an update history for NBA 2K21 here in our Wiki. Feel free to share any impressions in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in our NBA 2K21 Forum.

Read More »

The Friday Five: 5 Crazy Roster Mod Ideas (Part 2)

The Friday Five

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 another list of crazy roster mod ideas that I’m throwing out to the community.

March Modness is fast approaching, and I’m once again hoping to be a more active participant this year. Having finished the bulk of the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content and built up a significant buffer for my weekly articles, I’ve been able to clear some space on the workbench for a bit of modding. There’s only so much that I’ll be able to get done though, which is a shame because I can’t help thinking of fun – and sometimes crazy – roster mod ideas. I’d love to be able to give them a try, but I want to finish up the projects I’ve already started before I move on to something new.

That shouldn’t stop someone else from considering these roster mod ideas though, if the crazy concepts appeal to them. Obviously, there’s more interest in comprehensive retro season mods, current rosters for old games, enhanced current rosters for the latest game, NCAA mods, Euroleague rosters, and so on. I don’t want to discourage the creation of those roster mods at all, because they’re fantastic projects and it’s always great to see them. However, if you’re in the mood to create and play with something that’s a bit different and quirky, then you may want to consider one of the crazy roster mod ideas that I suggested before, or one that I’m putting forth today!

Read More »

File Additions for NBA 2K11

NBA 2K11 Cover Art

It’s always great to see new file additions for a classic like NBA 2K11, and we’ve got one today in the form of a 2021 season court pack by Jere2K. Check it out at the link below!

Jere2K
2021 Season Court Pack

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.

Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting the NBA Live 2002 Rosters

Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting the NBA Live 2002 Rosters

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 rosters in NBA Live 2002.

As I’ve previously discussed, NBA Live 2002 is a game that I’m oddly nostalgic for. To echo the assessment I made in my 25th Anniversary of NBA Live retrospective, it’s a mixed bag. It has some problems and it wasn’t everything we hoped it would be, but it also featured some welcome improvements. It’s arguably slightly underrated, and I’ve come to look upon it more favourably over the years. Still, if you do go back and spend some time with it, the same issues that were an annoyance when the game was new will soon become apparent. I do enjoy revisiting it, though.

One of the reasons I’m nostalgic for NBA Live 2002 is that it came along at a very memorable time for me. I was entering my final year of high school, I’d just taken over as webmaster of the NLSC, and the NBA landscape was continuing to change. To that last point, Michael Jordan returned to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards, and while I wasn’t overly thrilled with it at the time – I am a diehard Bulls fan, after all – it was obviously an interesting development. Whenever I look back through the rosters of NBA Live 2002, I’m reminded of that time in my life, and in the NBA. I’m feeling that nostalgia today, so let’s take a look back…way back…

Read More »

File Additions for NBA 2K20

NBA 2K20 Cover Art

If you’re still playing NBA 2K20 PC and you’d like to keep things updated for the current season, today’s File Additions are for you! allebanehtammendoza has released a new 2021 season roster update, while jaychung3013 has uploaded some new converted player faces. You can pick up all of today’s NBA 2K20 file additions at the links below.

jaychung3013
Bradley Beal Face
Collin Sexton Face
Jalen Smith Face
Paul George Face
Stanley Johnson Face

allebanehtammendoza
2020-2021 Roster Update (Updated to v2.2)

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.

Monday Tip-Off: Who Wants NBA Live To Return?

Monday Tip-Off: Who Wants NBA Live To Return?

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 thoughts on the interest in the return of NBA Live, and the brazenly dismissive attitude that some people have towards the idea.

The announcement that EA Sports will be reviving its college football franchise at some point in the future drew a lot of interest last week. There was scepticism too, of course. Madden doesn’t have the best reputation these days, and so the prospect of getting a virtually identical game, except with college teams, is one that many gamers are leery of. Nevertheless, there’s also excitement and optimism, and those feelings have spread to the basketball gaming community. If EA’s college football series can return, then maybe we can look forward to NBA Live making a comeback, too.

Not everyone is excited by or supportive of that prospect, though. The idea that gamers want to see NBA Live return was met by some with mocking scorn and derision. Prominent voices in the community, and their followers alike, ridiculed the idea that anyone is interested in – or should be interested in – a return for NBA Live. Now, I understand being sceptical about the NBA Live series, and feeling burned by it. I understand being satisfied enough with NBA 2K to not be personally interested in an alternative. However, anyone sneeringly denying there being any interest in NBA Live returning is being profoundly myopic at best and a blatant shill at worst.

Read More »

NLSC Podcast #361: Taking Them To School

NLSC Podcast Logo

Episode #361 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.

Recent experiences in MyLEAGUE lead us to reflect on the meaning of “sim” and how it can be fun to bend reality, especially in fantasy scenarios. Some new additions have also been made to the collection. However, the big news this week is the return of EA Sports’ college football series, and what that might mean for both NBA Live and the March Madness/NCAA Basketball series. We discuss our history with college basketball titles and interest in future releases, as well as the pushback on interest in (and the need for) NBA Live’s return. In this week’s mailbag, we talk about the possibility of a standalone G League mode, and what it would take to instigate real change with NBA 2K.

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.

File Additions for NBA 2K14

NBA 2K14 Cover Art

Renowned face modder Taco2k has released a few new updates for NBA 2K14, available in today’s batch of File Additions! Pick them up at the links below.

Taco2k
Marvin Bagley Face
Jahmi’us Ramsey Face
Richaun Holmes Face
Jabari Parker 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.

The Friday Five: 5 Side Characters That Should’ve Been MyPLAYERs

The Friday Five

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 suggests five side characters in MyCAREER stories that arguably should’ve been the player character instead.

So, I’ve looked at the best antagonists and protagonists in MyCAREER stories, but those tales have also featured a number of interesting side characters (and B-Fresh). It may be an overused idea at times, but whenever you have a cast of good supporting characters that have interesting stories of their own, you can’t help but wonder about spinoff ideas. Alternatively, you may feel that they should’ve been the main character all along. There are certainly some examples in the various MyCAREER stories, and so I’ll be exploring those possibilities today.

Of course, it should be noted that oftentimes side characters are in those roles for a reason, and promoting them to the lead or one of the main characters exposes why they weren’t in the spotlight in the first place. The same traits that made them such enjoyable side characters can make them unsuitable protagonists. It may be that they work better in small doses, or aspects that made them funny as a side character are grating when they’re the lead. Conversely, a lack of flaws may make them too boring in the role of protagonist. With that being said, I do believe there’s merit in these side characters being cast in the role of MyPLAYER avatar, albeit with a few changes.

Read More »

File Additions for NBA 2K21

NBA 2K21 Cover Art (Current Gen)

The latest file additions for NBA 2K21 PC include scoreboard updates and player faces. Download them all at the links below!

Karinge
Current Fox Basketball Scoreboard
ESPN & FOX 2020 Scoreboards (Updated to v9.1)

mjk2000
1989 Orlando Woolridge Face
1983 Orlando Woolridge Face
1975 Ron Boone Face
1977 Wes Unseld Face
1979 Kevin Porter Face

RKJ
JaVale McGee Face [RKJ]

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.

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K15 & The Forgotten Generation

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K15 & The Forgotten Generation

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 NBA 2K15 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, part of a forgotten generation of NBA 2K titles.

Way back in the mid 2000s, the launch of the Xbox 360 (and then the PlayStation 3) forced us to change our approach to our content and coverage. At the time we were still more or less exclusively about NBA Live PC, but we now had two generations to cover: the PlayStation 2/Xbox version, which we covered because it was the one that was ported to PC, and the Next Gen version on the new consoles, as it was the release receiving the most attention from EA Sports. When NBA Live was discontinued on PC, and then PS2 a year later, we only had the 360 and PS3 version to cover.

It’s been different with NBA 2K. When it landed on PC, it was the same version that the 360 and PS3 received (give or take an online feature). We covered both the last gen PC port and Next Gen version of NBA 2K14 following the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and then when the PC received a PS4/X1 port from NBA 2K15 onwards, we simply left the prior gen behind. Simply put, there wasn’t much reason to cover it, and I personally stopped buying NBA 2K on that generation. I’ve wondered what it was like though, and to that end, I picked up a copy of NBA 2K15 for PS3 to check out. Let’s take a look back…way back…

Read More »

NBA Street Vol. 2 Current & Legendary Edition Mod V2.6

NBA Street Vol. 2 Legendary Edition Mod

The Current & Legendary Edition mod for the GameCube version of NBA Street Vol. 2 has received another update! After adding the James Harden trade in the last release, agent_michael_scarn has made some further fixes and enhances in V2.6:

  • Updated Oladipo’s Jersey Number (4 to 7)
  • Updated Legendary Player Attributes based off 2K stats

You can pick up NBA Street Vol. 2 Current & Legendary Edition here in our Downloads database! For more information on how to install it, as well as previews, further support, or if you just want to say thanks, check out this topic in the Forum