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NLSC Podcast #633: The Ups & Downs of Online Gaming

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #633 of the NLSC Podcast!

No matter the genre, online gaming undoubtedly has its ups and downs, depending on what you’re playing and who you’re playing with! To that point, this week we reflect on two very different online basketball gaming experiences. The first is the recent open beta for NBA The Run, while the second is our latest four and five-player Parsec sessions with NBA Live 96 for Super Nintendo and NBA Live 10 for PlayStation 3. We also have some further impressions of NBA The Run to share ahead of its release next week. We’ve still got our concerns about the game, but we’re keeping our minds open and fingers crossed for a successful launch, and are hoping for some fun times on the virtual blacktop.

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!

NLSC Podcast #622: Our Toughest Human Opponents On The Virtual Hardwood

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #622 of the NLSC Podcast!

There’s a lot of fun to be had taking on the CPU solo or co-operatively in basketball video games, especially with the range of modes at our disposal. However, head-to-head play is also a blast, and we have countless memories of epic battles with friends, family, and online opponents. This week, we join the community in recalling the best players that we’ve ever faced on the virtual hardwood, and some of the lessons that we took from those showdowns. We also recap a fun game of NBA Live 2000 PC that demonstrated just how superbly it holds up more than 25 years later, and touch on some of the downsides of skill-based mechanics when it comes to realism and lucky plays.

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!

NLSC Podcast #575: NBA 2K9 vs. NBA Live 09

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #575 of the NLSC Podcast!

We recently played NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09 over Parsec, with a view to starting a co-op season in one or both of them. In addition to recapping the fun we had during those sessions, this week we’re comparing and contrasting the 2009 season releases from EA Sports and Visual Concepts. We reflect on how they were both notable improvements over their immediate predecessors, discuss a couple of the teams that we’d potentially like to use in our season, and reminisce about the NBA of that era. The community also weighs in with their views on the comparison, and recalls some of the teams that they liked to use in NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09.

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!

NBA 2K25 Gameplay Highlights

NBA 2K25 Gameplay Highlights

As mentioned in Episode #545 of the NLSC Podcast, Dee has been showcasing the gameplay in NBA 2K25 with several uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel. A variety of teams and players are on display, along with different experiences; namely, solo, head-to-head, and co-op play. The NBA and WNBA are also both represented.

The very first NBA 2K25 gameplay video that Dee uploaded saw him taking on the CPU-controlled Knicks with the Celtics. He followed this up with a showdown between the Pelicans and Warriors, controlled by Dee and his brother respectively. The game that we recapped in the latest pod, in which we defeated the Kings with the Nuggets, shows off some co-op play over Parsec. As noted, you’ll also find a couple of WNBA reels, including a solo game in which Dee faced the Mercury with the Fever, and a head-to-head game where Dee played with the Mercury and his brother used the Dream.

His latest NBA2K25 gameplay highlights feature another solo game pitting the Bucks against the Trail Blazers. Dee also demonstrates the depth of instant replay in this year’s game with ten different angles on an alley-oop from Jason Williams to Stromile Swift. Please note that all of these reels are from the PC version of NBA 2K25, which is of course a New Gen port.

Check out all of those videos below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content – from the classics right through to NBA 2K25 – and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of teams that you’d like to see us use, and games that you’d like to see us play. Also be sure to tune in to Episode #545 of the NLSC Podcast to hear our first impressions of NBA 2K25!

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Monday Tip-Off: Two Hoop Heads Are Better Than One

Monday Tip-Off: Two Hoop Heads Are Better Than One

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 reflections on the joys of co-op play, which demonstrate that two hoop heads (or even more) can indeed be better than one.

So, I’ve previously spoken out in defense of single player experiences, and I do stand by that. As someone who essentially grew up as an only child – my half-brother is sixteen years older than me – I’ve often treated video games as a solo activity. Many of my all-time favourite games are single player, or can be enjoyed just as much alone as when playing with other people. Thanks to season, franchise, and career modes, to say nothing of fun ideas for exhibition games, I’ve made many fond memories balling out alone against the CPU, rather than with or against anyone else.

My immediate circle of friends not being passionate hoop heads like me was also a factor here. Of course, basketball became very popular back in the 90s, so there were times that I hit the virtual hardwood with friends growing up, particularly in arcade titles. As such, I wasn’t always playing NBA Live or NBA Jam solo. On top of that, my cousin Clinton and I were (and still are) very close and share a love of basketball, and would play a variety of hoops games religiously when he came to visit every school holidays. We always played co-op, and so when Dee and I started teaming up in our Parsec sessions, it was a familiar experience that I’m glad to partake in again.

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NLSC Podcast #401: A Double-Edged Sword

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Episode #401 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.

We have our likes and dislikes when it comes to NBA 2K22, but what would someone who hasn’t played the series in over ten years think of it? We have an answer from the community, leading us to discuss bad first impressions. Of course, first impressions don’t always last, thanks to the abundance of patches and tuning fixes. In that regard, post-release support these days is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. It’s also a factor in the ongoing conversation about alleged skill gaps. Meanwhile, a MyTEAM poll has revealed some interesting statistics regarding NBA 2K’s demographics that suggest we’re not that old after all. We also discuss playing NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 co-op over Parsec, the addictiveness of grinding, and some of the community’s Virtual Hardwood Legends.

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.

The Friday Five: 5 Ways Parsec Is Changing Basketball Gaming

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 a list of five ways that Parsec is changing basketball gaming within our community.

As recently as early 2021, Dee4Three and I were struggling to remember the name of Parsec when referring to it on the NLSC Podcast. We were interested in trying out “that program” which would allow us to connect with each other and play basketball games – or indeed, any games – without official or third party servers. At long last we installed it, and from that point on, we’ve been hooked. In the months that followed, we’ve tried a multitude of games with varying degrees of success, and discovered an array of titles that will work well enough with our connections (particularly mine).

It’s incredible how fun and reliable Parsec has been. Obviously, connecting with someone on the opposite site of the world isn’t as mind-blowing as it was some 25 years ago. Still, the possibilities of Parsec are exciting, especially when it comes to basketball gaming. Dee has strongly advocated for Parsec on the NLSC Podcast, and I echo that enthusiasm as it facilitates some fantastic virtual hardwood experiences, with minimal difficulty setting up. It’s fair to say that Parsec could usher in several changes to basketball gaming. This isn’t a paid promotion, as Parsec is free. It’s full of potential for our community though, and these are five ways that we can explore that.

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