Tag Archives: Cancellation

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 bad omens in basketball gaming.

I don’t believe in omens as a mystical force in the universe. However, I do believe that there are warning signs that we should take notice of, which I’ll colloquially refer to as bad omens. As far as basketball gaming is concerned, there are definitely some bad omens when it comes to an upcoming release, or the future of a series. They’re not exactly mysterious and hard to spot, but it obviously gets easier with experience. We can recognise patterns, acknowledge precedent, and employ some common sense. At the same time, it’s easy to ignore bad omens.

After all, many of us try to remain optimistic about our hobby. We don’t want to jump the gun and assume the worst, especially if our predictions and pessimism have been proven wrong in the past. Things that have seemed like bad omens have turned out to be meaningless, or in rare cases, good news. Still, it pays to err on the side of caution, and there are warning signs that we should probably brace ourselves for bad news; or at the very least, temper our expectations. Once again, experience can usually guide us, as the red flags are much easier to spot after you’ve been through a few preview seasons. To that end, when one of these five events occurs, it tends to be a bad omen.

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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 the NBA Elite 11 demo and its impact on the NBA Live series with an in-depth video retrospective.

Fifteen years ago on Sunday, NBA Elite 11 was supposed to be released. However, following a disastrous hands-on preview that made it very clear that the game wasn’t anywhere close to being ready, it was delayed right before it was set to hit shelves. While much of its infamy comes from the video of Andrew Bynum getting stuck in the t-pose at halfcourt, there were so many other problems with the NBA Elite 11 demo, and the retail version. It’s no surprise that the game was ultimately cancelled, but just how badly did EA Sports mess up? Let’s take a look back…way back…

I hope you enjoyed this look back at EA Sports’ biggest basketball blunder! It’s been on my list of Wayback Wednesday ideas for a while now, and since we’ve reached the 15th anniversary of the whole debacle, the timing seemed right. Incidentally, if you have an Xbox 360 and would like to give the demo a try, it’s still available here in our Downloads section. If you’re after a legitimate copy of the full version…well, that can be an expensive endeavour! In any case, feel free to share your thoughts on the NBA Elite 11 demo, as well as the retail version if you’ve played it. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and stay tuned for more retrospectives!

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 events that will shake your confidence in a forthcoming basketball game.

Although we can sometimes seem like a cynical bunch, I believe that a majority of basketball gamers do want to see a great new game every year. Sure, there’s a certain catharsis in a smug “I told you so”, but when it comes down to it, I expect most of us want to at least be satisfied with, if not blown away by, the latest release. It’s wise to keep our expectations realistic, and not get our hearts set on something that hasn’t been promised. At the same time, we can still be optimistic without getting carried away, or ignoring troubling signs.

To that point though, there are warning signs that we must pay attention to. These are the events that shake our confidence in a game, and for good reason. While it’s easy to jump to conclusions, there are recognisable patterns and red flags when it comes to the development of basketball video games. The longer you play them, and the more preview seasons that you experience, the better you get at recognising those signs. Also, while social media giving us access to the devs has been great for feedback, it can also leave us concerned about the people responsible for our favourite games. One way or another, these events will shake our confidence, and dampen our enthusiasm.

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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 the fall of NBA Live 13, and its lasting impact on the NBA Live series.

When I covered NBA Elite 11 and NBA Live 13 for our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content, it wasn’t the easiest article to write. Not only was it delving into major low points for the series in the midst of celebrating a milestone, but it’s talking about games that didn’t come out and most of us have never played, apart from the NBA Elite 11 demo. Of course, the full version of NBA Elite 11 has since leaked online, which has given gamers the opportunity to play it via emulation. There are some mixed opinions, but the general consensus is that it’s on par with the demo.

To that end, there’s a reasonably clear picture of NBA Elite 11: a full preview season, a widely-panned demo, leaked copies in the wild that people got their hands on, and a ripped version that finally gave more gamers a hands-on look. Conversely, NBA Live 13 remains more of a mystery. The previews were mostly vague about details before they stopped, and not much else has been revealed about the cancelled game except that it wasn’t close to being good enough. Still, despite being canned, NBA Live 13 had a lasting impact on the series and community. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 on the downfall of the NBA Live series, and how it – and basketball gamers – really deserved better.

Maybe it’s too early to be eulogising the NBA Live series, though others might argue that it’s too late. It’s been almost two years since the official Twitter posted an update on the future of the series, announcing that EA Sports would be skipping NBA Live 20. Since then, the account has only Re-Tweeted a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. While the silence is deafening and does little to convince fans that the door hasn’t been slammed shut on the NBA Live series, the lack of an official announcement and the occasional interesting leak or rumour has maintained a glimmer of hope.

However, after another EA Play without any word on the future of the series, many of the fans who have continued to fly the flag for NBA Live are beginning to give up on it ever returning. If nothing else, supporters of the brand are resigning themselves to the fact that until they actually hear concrete news, there’s no point in speculation and getting their hopes up. I’d count myself in the second group, though I’ve never been less optimistic about NBA Live. You may ask why we wanted NBA Live to return, and why we care about its current state. To be blunt, the NBA Live series deserved much better than it received over the past fifteen years, and so did hoops gamers.

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To mark the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live, we’re taking a look back at every game in the series with retrospectives and other fun content! This also includes re-running some features from our 20th Anniversary celebrations, with a few revisions. Whether you’re a long-time basketball gamer who grew up with NBA Live and are keen on taking a trip down memory lane, or you’re new to the series and want to learn about its history, we hope that you enjoy celebrating the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live here at the NLSC! Next up is a look back at NBA Elite 11 and NBA Live 13.

I was originally going to write separate articles for NBA Elite 11 and NBA Live 13, but they’re obviously closely connected, being back-to-back cancellations. Since I haven’t played the full version of NBA Elite 11, and have no hands-on experience with NBA Live 13 at all, it occurred to me that there isn’t really enough I can say about both games to fill two articles. Nevertheless, when we look back at the history of the NBA Live series, it’s important to cover these two titles. Needless to say, they played a significant role in the series being in the position that it’s in today. As such, there are cautionary tales to reflect upon, as well as a couple of “What Ifs”.

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Episode #298 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! We’re back on the air after a longer than expected hiatus, and man, do we have some news to catch up on! Join guest co-host Dee4Three and I as we chat about NBA Live 20 being cancelled, the future of NBA Live, and the latest updates for NBA 2K20 and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.

NBA 2K20 has been out for around nine weeks now, and has already received several patches. Although the updates have been controversial due to their size, quantity, and lack of detailed patch notes, we are pleased with some of the changes. This leads to a discussion about transparency, toxicity, and overall, our current impressions of the game. We also talk about the latest update for NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, and how the game has turned out. After that, we turn our attention to this week’s main topic: NBA Live 20’s cancellation. Was it the right call? How does it affect the brand’s image? What needs to happen with NBA Live 21? Is it time for another Wishlist? And finally, what happens to basketball gaming as we enter a new generation?

Tune in below!

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What are your thoughts on NBA Live 20’s cancellation? How do you feel about the latest updates for NBA 2K20 and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

After months of speculation and radio silence, EA Sports has officially announced that NBA Live 20 has been cancelled. Instead, the series will be returning on next gen consoles. The following statement was posted on the game’s official social media accounts:

For some time, we’ve been putting in reps on our console basketball games.

We’re excited by our progress but remain hyper ambitious – so we’re not going to release NBA LIVE 20 this season. Alongside the NBA and NBPA, we have our sights set on creating something fresh for the next generation of players and platforms. We know we need to earn our future every step of the way, so we’re taking time to get it right for our players. We promise to check back regularly with updates.

Until then, we’ll be on the grind…

Although the game was never officially announced, it was listed (and subsequently pushed back) in EA’s financial reports as an upcoming release. The situation is reminiscent of the cancellation of NBA Live 17/The Drive to NBA Live, which was originally intended as a later release but ultimately got pushed back and was finally released as NBA Live 18. Hopefully this decision will be for the best, and the game can cater to the needs of sim gamers; especially given EA’s previous comments about a new direction and demographic.

We’ll have more to say on the NLSC Podcast, but in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on NBA Live 20 being cancelled in the comments below, as well as here in the Forum. We’ll also be continuing our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live celebrations, as it’s still marking a milestone and we’ve got some fun stuff planned. Stay tuned for that, and more updates on the future of NBA Live as they’re made available.

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 gets hypothetical, as I consider five “What If” scenarios in basketball gaming.

Even though we shouldn’t tie ourselves up in knots dwelling on the past, it’s hard to resist the allure of a fascinating “What If” scenario. What if Michael Jordan didn’t retire in 1993? What if he never returned in 1995, or in 2001? What if the Boston Celtics had won the Draft lottery in 1997? What if the Oklahoma City Thunder had never traded James Harden, or remained the Seattle SuperSonics? What if LeBron James had never taken his talents to South Beach? For each of these scenarios, we can debate and speculate as to how history would differ in both outcomes and perspective.

The real NBA provides us with plenty of “What If” scenarios, as there are so many events that have the potential to be pivotal: trades, free agent signings, lottery results, injuries, clutch shots, and fateful decisions in crunch time of the biggest games. For the most part, the history of the virtual hardwood goes hand in hand with the general improvements and progression of video games as a whole, but a few big moments – as well as a few things that didn’t happen – have shaped the hobby as we know it. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the twists and turns that basketball gaming may possibly have taken, but they are five “What If” scenarios that I find interesting.

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