Tag Archives: Dynamic Season

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 things that NBA Live 10 needed to have.

Although a couple of the eighth generation NBA Live releases garnered a moderately positive reception, or at least inspired a dedicated following, it’s generally agreed that NBA Live 10 was the last very good game in the series. There are several long-time basketball gamers who have gone so far as to deem it to be the best NBA Live. While I’ve developed a much greater appreciation for NBA Live 10 after revisiting it back in 2021, I wouldn’t go that far. It ranks up there for me, but I believe NBA Live 06 PC is better in terms of depth, polish, and overall quality relative to the time it was released.

Nevertheless, NBA Live 10 was a high point during a rough period for NBA Live, and not just because it cleared a low bar. It was outsold by NBA 2K10 and wasn’t as highly-regarded, but it was still well-received and seemingly a sign that the series was on the right track. That momentum regrettably went to waste, but at least we got one undeniably good NBA Live release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360! Looking back though, it’s clear that NBA Live 10 lacked some things that it absolutely needed to have. Here are five that not only could’ve made it the best NBA Live, but may have also avoided all the disasters that led to the series’ downfall and dormancy as of 2026.

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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 underrated game modes.

I feel as though I say this whenever I cover a topic where the words “underrated” or “overrated” are used, but it bears repeating that they are relative and subjective terms. Many things can be both underrated and overrated depending on one’s point of view, and one person’s opinion needn’t necessarily represent the consensus. Even if there is a consensus, you could argue that once something is widely seen as underrated or overrated, it ceases to be either since opinion has levelled out (or indeed flipped). It’s fair to say that “underappreciated” and “overhyped” may be more suitable terms.

That’s certainly how I’m using the term “underrated” when I talk about game modes. I see them as underrated because they often aren’t recalled with the same fondness or nostalgia despite their quality. As such, I believe they’re worthy of more appreciation for how fun they were, as well as their creativity and technological achievements. The fact that these games modes were either exclusive to one title or otherwise short-lived definitely contributes to them being underrated; or underappreciated, or overlooked, or whatever synonym you prefer. Bottom line, they deserve more praise, and in that spirit, let’s talk about five underrated game modes in both sim and arcade hoops titles.

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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 Magic Johnson’s BIG Moment in NBA Live 14.

The eighth generation was a rough and ultimately unsuccessful attempted comeback for the NBA Live series. At the same time, those releases also demonstrated flashes of brilliance and meritorious ideas that were worthy of far better games. Appropriately, NBA Live 14 exemplifies the duality of the generation of games it tipped off, being notably flawed while also featuring some excellent concepts. That includes a couple of modes that were powered by live service content and EA Sports’ partnership with Synergy Sports, namely NBA Rewind and BIG Moments.

I ended up quite enjoying BIG Moments in NBA Live 14. Granted, that was in large part due to their brevity which allowed me to avoid becoming too bothered by all of the gameplay flaws, but I genuinely had fun with them, too! I was also pleasantly surprised to see a couple of historical BIG Moments come through, including games for Dominique Wilkins and Magic Johnson. However, Magic Johnson’s BIG Moment – which was added eleven years ago today – also showed that NBA Live 14 definitely wasn’t the best game for such a cool idea. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #567 of the NLSC Podcast!

At the suggestion of one of our listeners, this week we’re breaking out the proverbial crystal ball to gaze into the future, and discuss what we think NBA 2K – and video games in general, for that matter – will be like in five years. This includes our expectations for innovations in gameplay, graphics, and modes, as well as fairness to gamers and the possibility that NBA 2K will finally have competition again at some point, be it NBA Live or another title. We also touch on the idea that consoles will be replaced by a Netflix-like streaming service for games, VR, and some other predictions regarding the future of gaming.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 36:46 — 25.6MB)

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! 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 wishing that I could play certain modes in older titles, now that it’s impossible.

The notion that we want what we can’t have, and that we don’t appreciate what we do have until it’s gone, are very old proverbs indeed. It’s a concept that’s been discussed at length, and portrayed in various works. In a rather infamous episode of Scrubs, J.D. discovers that he doesn’t want to be with Elliot after pining for her all season. Glam metal band Cinderella even had a power ballad literally titled “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)“, which was used rather superbly – even movingly – in an episode of South Park. It’s a sentiment that we can all relate to.

As far as basketball video games are concerned, this is an inevitable part of server shutdowns. There was a time when that only applied to online multiplayer, but thanks to server-side content and connected experiences, single player modes are now also affected. Of course, there’s still plenty to enjoy in older basketball games, especially when you go back to before online content was ubiquitous. Over the past generation though, and even going back to the generation before that, there are modes that I wish I could still play. On top of that, there are modes that I wish I could play for the first time – or at least finally explore in-depth – now that that’s no longer possible.

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Episode #397 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 birthday prompts us to once again reflect on long tenures in the basketball gaming community, and the stigma against gaming as an adult. This leads to us getting a little deep with some handy life advice for our listeners, young and old! After catching up on some modding developments and discussing the end of a retro kick with NBA 2K14, we start to ask each other the big questions; well, the big questions about basketball gaming, anyway. Our conversation covers games we’d give a second chance to, underutilised features, alternate choices for franchise teams, and modding projects we’d undertake given the time and resources. With the FIFA series possibly rebranding, we also consider new titles for NBA Live, and read some suggestions from the community.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:25:54 — 59.3MB)

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.

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 retrospective of NBA Live 10.

After NBA Live 09, EA Sports pulled the plug on further PlayStation 2 releases for the series. Given the state of NBA Live 09 on PS2, it was the right call. It allowed EA Sports to focus on the current generation, though there was a PlayStation Portable and iOS version. Did the decision pay off? Well, NBA Live 10 is often considered to be the last great (or at least, really good) NBA Live release, so their efforts weren’t for nothing. At the same time, it didn’t recapture the lead in sales from NBA 2K, leading to a disastrous decision the following year with NBA Elite 11. Before we get to that though, let’s take a look back at NBA Live 10, and how well it holds up.

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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, I’m taking a look back at some trivia for NBA Live 2000 and NBA Live 10.

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s strange to tip off a year with a retro feature, but it is Wednesday, and on Wednesdays we go way back. Speaking of which, as part of the lead up to the release of NBA Live 18 and NBA Live 19, I posted a couple of articles containing trivia facts about NBA Live 98 and NBA Live 08, and NBA Live 99 and NBA Live 09. I’d intended to do the same thing this year with NBA Live 2000 and NBA Live 10, ahead of the release of NBA Live 20. Of course, NBA Live 20 was ultimately cancelled, so I didn’t get an opportunity to do so back in September.

Looking back, I’m certainly glad I didn’t run it pre-emptively while we waited for that announcement! However, it seems like a waste of a good Wayback Wednesday idea to let it go, and of course, it all ties in to the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content that we’re doing despite the series going on hiatus once again. With that in mind, here are the trivia facts I would’ve originally shared to celebrate the release of the third NBA Live game with a year ending in zero. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 gimmicky features that turned out to be great additions to basketball video games.

If you’ve been playing basketball video games for some time and experienced more than a couple of preview seasons, it’s tough not to get cynical. Chances are you’ve bought into the hype and been disappointed at least once over the years, and have likely learned to take previews with a grain of salt. Many of us have a knee-jerk reaction to features that sound gimmicky, particularly if they’re given a name that makes for a good blurb on the back of the box, but doesn’t sound like it will address our concerns regarding the experience on the virtual hardwood.

Of course, names can be deceiving. Some of the best features don’t have fancy names, while other times it’s the features with gimmicky labels that have a positive impact. A feature needs a marketable name if it’s going to be a selling point, and as long as it’s something that enhances the game, it’s all for the best. Thankfully, there have been several such features throughout the years, some being very pleasant surprises after a gimmicky name initially led us to be dismissive of them. Most of us will undoubtedly remain somewhat sceptical whenever we encounter fancy names during the preview season, but here are five features that turned out great despite sounding gimmicky.

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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, I’m taking a look back at Dynamic Season in NBA Live 10.

While I still consider the PC version of NBA Live 06 to be the last truly well-rounded instalment in the NBA Live series, NBA Live 10 has to be given its due. It holds up quite well, and EA Sports definitely should’ve continued to build on it rather than changing directions with NBA Elite 11. Had EA not elected to take that risk, the series might be in much better shape, and the landscape of basketball gaming would likely have been very different these past seven years. In addition to its mechanics and overall gameplay being very solid, NBA Live 10 also featured some innovative modes and concepts, including the one we’re looking at today: Dynamic Season.

Dynamic Season was an effective way of implementing an idea that basketball gamers had wanted to see for some time, and it’s something that EA Sports should definitely consider bringing back in future NBA Live games. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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, I’m taking a look back at Dynamic DNA in NBA Live 09.

Generally speaking, most of us want five-on-five basketball games to be realistic; “sim”, as we usually put it. One of the key elements of delivering realism in NBA Live and NBA 2K is to ensure that the players resemble their real life counterparts, not just in appearance, but in the way that they play and perform. As the years have gone by, both games have introduced new ratings, tendencies, and other attributes that are intended to make the action on the virtual hardwood more closely resemble what we see during an NBA broadcast. While there’s still room for improvement, basketball video games have also come a long way in that regard.

EA Sports took a big step towards making NBA Live more realistic with the implementation of Dynamic DNA in NBA Live 09. Not only was it an improvement in player AI and differentiation, it was also a step forward in terms of the official roster updates. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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.

I originally planned for last week’s Five to be the final instalment in my current series of articles discussing what I’d like to see in future NBA Live games, beginning with NBA Live 18 later this year. However, there are a few more ideas that I wanted to put out there, as they didn’t quite fit into any of the previous areas that I was focusing upon. While it’s crucial that core elements of the gameplay and existing game modes are fixed and enhanced, and that features such as roster editing return, there are a couple of other ideas that I believe would help make future NBA Live games even better.

These are the ideas that cater to specific needs and preferences, and contribute towards making NBA Live a deep and well-rounded game. Again, getting the gameplay right, enhancing the existing game modes, and implementing roster editing are all improvements that are absolutely vital, but once progress has been made on those fronts, it’s important that NBA Live innovates and expands upon its content, as the series once did so well. There are certainly more than five things that can be suggested here, but these are the ideas that either appeal the most to me, or I believe will have the biggest impact.

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