Tag Archives: Early Access

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #641 of the NLSC Podcast!

The NBA 2K27 preview season is now officially underway following the reveal of the cover players for the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultra Editions of the game, as well as their pre-order bonuses and a handful of first-look screenshots. To that end, this week we join the community in reacting to our first glimpse of NBA 2K27, as well as the prices and pre-order bonuses for all three editions. We also draw some comparisons to the pre-order bonuses for NBA 2K17 ten years ago, discuss the drawbacks of digital-only premium editions, and touch on the controversy surrounding the cover art for the Standard Edition of NBA 2K27, which was seemingly taken from a proposed design on social media.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 49:30 — 34.4MB)

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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!

Following the release of a demo back in August, Hoop Land by Koality Game is now available on Steam through Early Access! The game was first released for Android and iOS back in 2023, which naturally piqued interest in a PC version. That’s now a reality, and you can pick it up with a 10% discount through October 28th.

For those who aren’t familiar with Hoop Land, it’s a retro-inspired sandbox basketball game featuring 2D gameplay. It can be played solo and multiplayer, or watched in spectator mode. Although it’s a throwback to classic games, there are modern mechanics that allow you to perform ankle breakers, alley-oops, step backs, chase down blocks, and so on. It also includes fully customisable leagues, which can be used in Career, Franchise, and Commissioner season modes. Each season file features integrated college and pro leagues, with a rookie draft. Additionally, the default team branding in Hoop Land affectionately parodies the real NBA, in the vein of Super Dunk Shot.

Check out a launch trailer for Hoop Land and a breakdown of its key features below! It’s great to see more indie developers in the basketball gaming space, and I’d definitely recommend giving Hoop Land a look. Dee and I also discussed our early impressions of the mobile version back in Episode #502 of the NLSC Podcast. Obviously the demo is still available if you’d like to try before you buy, and once again, you can get 10% off if you buy it before October 28th. Congratulations to Koality Game on the release, and the continued efforts to improve and expand upon the game!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #586 of the NLSC Podcast!

Although we generally focus on the Triple-A scene, there’s definitely untapped potential for the virtual hardwood and blacktop in the indie gaming space. To that end, this week we discuss The Dunkers, a 2D indie basketball title that’s currently available in Early Access on Steam. Following a competitive session with the game, we’re hoping that it will continue to be updated and ultimately fulfil its potential! We also once again touch on the possibility of EA Sports returning to basketball gaming with NBA Live or a college basketball game. Little did we know that a big announcement was on the horizon, so we’ll undoubtedly be coming back to this topic in the very near future!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 47:37 — 33.1MB)

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!

Episode #339 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this week’s show.

NBA 2K21 Current Gen is here! After getting a taste of the game with the demo, we’ve got further impressions to share after getting our hands on the full version. We’re going in-depth on shooting, dribbling, player movement, and other mechanics with comparisons to both NBA 2K20 and the demo, while touching on changes to modes. In our early appraisal of NBA 2K21, we also describe some of the changes and fixes we’d like to see, and note some of the community’s reactions. In other news, Scott O’Gallagher and Rob Jones joining EA Sports has us feeling optimistic about NBA Live. We talk about what it could mean for the series, and the importance of listening to the right voices moving forward. Finally, we catch up on some other hoops games we’ve been playing, including Dunk Lords, PBA Basketball Slam, and the original NBA Playgrounds.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:28:24 — 102.0MB)

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What’s your take on this week’s conversation? 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. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.