Tag Archives: Dunk Meter

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #642 of the NLSC Podcast!

The NBA 2K27 Gameplay Trailer dropped last week, giving us our first glimpse of this year’s game in action. Unsurprisingly, that glimpse consisted of carefully curated highlights from cinematic angles! We also received a roadmap for the rest of the preview season – which is set to be rather different from previous years – along with a handful of early details about modes and gameplay. The news that’s caught everyone’s attention is the confirmation of a controversial change to dunking, namely that all dunks will require timing. As such, this week we’re joining the community in reacting to the trailer, the expanded use of a Dunk Meter, and everything else that we know about NBA 2K27 so far.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:02:50 — 43.5MB)

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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!

In the wake of last week’s cover reveal, the NBA 2K27 gameplay trailer has dropped! As expected, it features this year’s cover players and other prominent names – including LeBron James in his new Philadelphia 76ers jersey – strutting their stuff with a series of cinematic highlights. We’ll likely have to wait a few weeks to see any raw gameplay.

To that point, the roadmap for the NBA 2K27 preview season has also been revealed. Unlike previous years where we had weekly developer insights and other previews, this year there’s going to be one big reveal of all the key information on August 18th. Notably, this reveal will come a day after the pre-order discount and limited-time bonus are no longer available.

However, in addition to the gameplay trailer and preview season roadmap, we do have some early information about NBA 2K27. There have been changes to the contest logic from AI players, and the implementation of the dunk meter. Rucker Park is part of The City, which will use a familiar map with new aesthetics. Cap Breakers return, and there are new Badges for MyPLAYERs. There are also a couple of user-friendly changes to the Auction House.

Check out a summary of those snippets below, along with the NBA 2K27 gameplay trailer and a screenshot of LeBron James! Share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion in the NBA 2K27 section of the Forum. Obviously this year’s preview season is going to be a little different, but nevertheless we’ll be covering any news as it comes in, and providing commentary on those details. To that end, be sure to tune into Episode #641 of the NLSC Podcast for our reactions to the cover reveals, pre-order bonuses, and first-look screenshots.

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In the wake of the First Look Trailer, the first developer blog for NBA 2K23 is a deep dive into gameplay enhancements. According to the blog, the primary aim with gameplay this year was authenticity. Another key goal was achieving as much parity as possible between the Current Gen and Next Gen versions.

As you might expect, it’s a rather lengthy read! To that end, I’ve summarised the key information from the blog in point form below. As always however, I encourage you to read the blog in its entirety to get the full scoop on gameplay enhancements in NBA 2K23, including some of the specific changes to Badges. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #433 of the NLSC Podcast!

The official Electronic Arts and WWE Games Twitter accounts made bewildering gaffes this past week, and like many of our fellow gamers, we’re unimpressed. Obsidian, meanwhile, displayed an attitude that we’d like to see more often. Elsewhere, NBA insider Shams Charania apparently leaked the NBA 2K23 cover player, and we have some thoughts on 2K’s choice. Since the NBA 2K23 preview season is almost upon us, we also reflect on NBA 2K22, summing up our final thoughts on the game, and giving it a rating out of ten. After reminiscing about a satisfying session of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, we open up the mailbag to discuss who should be the five best-rated players in NBA 2K23.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:30:06 — 62.2MB)

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! 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 there’s a certain amount of myopia that comes with mastering mechanics on the virtual hardwood.

I think we can all agree that there should be some degree of challenge in basketball video games. A game that is easily mastered and beaten tends to be boring, though hoops titles – even sim-oriented ones – should nevertheless be accessible, and feature easier difficulty levels. When it comes to the virtual hardwood, there needn’t be a challenge on the level of the Souls series, or games like Returnal, the roguelike that was released earlier this year. Arcade or sim, they’re about representing the sport of basketball, not being exceedingly challenging and for the hardest of the hardcore.

At the same time, a certain amount of challenge and skill is expected of the online competitive scene. The best competitors are the ones mastering the mechanics and strategies that allow them to dominate and defeat their fellow gamers, not just the AI. Even offline, mastery on the sticks will allow gamers to rise to the sometimes unfair challenges of the Hall of Fame difficulty setting. This is obviously achieved through practice and dedication, which is a fair demand for the most challenging experiences in basketball gaming to make. However, in evaluating design principles and overall appeal and accessibility, mastering mechanics does unfortunately lead to myopia.

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Episode #400 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.

Welcome to the 400th Episode of the NLSC Podcast! To mark the occasion, we’re reflecting on significant milestones in basketball gaming: the developments, good and bad, that shaped the genre. We also profile the infamous NBA Live 07 for Xbox 360. Was it as bad as most of us remember it being? Yes, but it’s still interesting to discuss! In this week’s mailbag, we provide further thoughts on the dunk meter in NBA 2K22 Next Gen. We also pick up where we left off in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition’s Road Trip, nominate games that we’d like to see re-made, and list our favourite teams to play with over the years.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:04:45 — 86.0MB)

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.