Tag Archives: ESPN

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 another list of potential comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games.

As I’ve taken a few more trips around the sun, I’ve developed stronger opinions about veterans seemingly being shooed out of the NBA. It just doesn’t feel right when long-tenured players – especially former All-Stars – end their careers so unceremoniously. Of course, as Jackie MacMullan discussed in a column some ten years ago, veteran NBA players don’t always know when their time has come, and when to let go. She cited R.C. Buford, who recalled an embarrassing 15-minute workout by an unnamed former Spurs player after they expressed an interest in returning midseason.

Mind you, some players do retire too soon, while others have shown that they can still be productive in their late 30s and even into their 40s. There have also been successful comebacks, even if those players weren’t quite as good as they were in their prime. As much as “Wizards Michael Jordan” is a meme, that stint is slightly underrated, as MJ was finding his groove prior to his knee injury. With that in mind, I’m in favour of players making or even just considering comebacks. There are some fascinating What Ifs with the ones that almost happened, and they could’ve been a blast in video games, too. And so, here are five more comebacks that would’ve been fun for hoops gamers!

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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 another list of potential comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games.

Seeing as how this is the fifth Friday Five article looking at comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games, I’ve already covered some of the most notable examples. From prominent players whose attempts to make it back to the league came up short, to Legends who were close to donning another uniform before opting to stay retired, to vague interest that ultimately didn’t amount to anything, there have been some fascinating stories of comebacks that could’ve been fun to see in real life, and a blast to play with on the virtual hardwood as well.

For Part 5, I’m doing something a little different. These are still comebacks that were at the very least rumoured or hinted at – I’m not just making up fictional examples – and they’d make for fun scenarios in video games. However, they’re not as serious as the previous stories. When it comes to these potential comebacks, it’s more a case of them being fanciful thoughts by the players in question, or there’s not much evidence that a return was ever truly close to being a reality. Indeed, in one case, it’s extremely clear that it wasn’t actually happening! Nevertheless, it’s still entertaining to look back and wonder What If, and perhaps even customise rosters to set up these scenarios.

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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 ESPN NBA 2Night 2002 by Konami.

In my retrospective of ESPN NBA 2Night, I described it as one of the absolute worst basketball video games from a Triple-A developer that I’ve ever played. That’s a bold declaration that I don’t make lightly, and I stand by it. From poorly-designed controls to underwhelming AI to unpolished animations and collisions, gameplay was a mess. It could produce a rare fun moment, but on the whole, it was a lacklustre sim-arcade hybrid. As such, some of its impressive features like the ESPN presentation and face editing deserved to be in a much better game.

To that end, there was really nowhere to go but up for its sequel, ESPN NBA 2Night 2002. Released for the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox midway through the 2002 season, ESPN NBA 2Night 2002 definitely made an effort to be an improvement on its predecessor. Right out of the gate, I will say that it was respectably successful in that regard. That may sound like a backhanded compliment, but the game did make a commendable leap from the first ESPN NBA 2Night in some key areas. Does that make it a good or even a great game, though? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 ESPN NBA 2Night.

Although Konami has produced some classic releases that earned them a reputation as one of the most iconic video game developers, the virtual hardwood was never their best genre. That’s not to say that their basketball games have all been terrible. Indeed, their sim-arcade hybrid titles that include Run and Gun, NBA Give ‘n Go, NBA in the Zone, and NBA in the Zone 2 are nostalgic favourites for many long-time basketball gamers. They provided an experience that found a good middle ground between the more serious approach of NBA Live, and the over-the-top style of NBA Jam.

However, as sim-oriented basketball games were improving and becoming deeper and more realistic in the late 90s and early 2000s, Konami’s releases were soon outclassed. From gameplay and graphics to modes and features, they fell short of NBA Live, as well as new contenders in the space such as the emerging NBA 2K series. At the same time, Konami’s NBA games did find an audience, and some of them had their good points; or at the very least, a few interesting ideas! For better or worse, ESPN NBA 2Night is a great example of that. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 gimmicks in basketball gaming that didn’t last very long.

A common complaint about features, mechanics, or modes in basketball games is that they’re “gimmicky”. Of course, it’s possible to describe the more positive attributes of basketball games as “gimmicks”, in the sense that they’re selling points. However, we usually reserve the terms “gimmicks” and “gimmicky” for features and mechanics that we feel deserve the negative connotation. They’re the aspects of basketball games that add little value, and perhaps even detract from the overall experience. It’s why we say we want to see real improvements and great additions, and not just gimmicks.

Unfortunately, basketball games have experimented with ideas that turned out to be more gimmicky than beneficial. They’re not alone in that regard, though. Other genres of video games, television shows, films, social media platforms…not every idea will be a winner, particularly if the concept wasn’t necessarily intended to be beneficial to the audience. Some ideas are certainly creative and merited a try, but didn’t pan out as well as hoped. The good news is that although we’ve seen a number of questionable gimmicks in basketball games, many of them didn’t last too long. They either evolved into a better concept, or were dropped very soon afterwards, as in these five examples.

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I’m always glad to see new mod releases for NBA Live 2005 all these years later, and we have a great one today as mrjea99 has uploaded a 2023 ESPN scoreboard for the game. Check it out at the link below!

mrjea99
2023 ESPN Scoreboard

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Today’s assortment of NBA 2K23 mod releases include ESPN and TNT wipes, an AT&T scoreboard, a new face for Magic Johnson, updated 2023 All-Star jerseys, and a new version of the Hook tool. Pick up all of the latest NBA 2K23 mod and tool releases at the links below!

ZX96
Magic Johnson Face

bongo88
ESPN Wipes and Notes
TNT Wipe V3 – Black and White
AT&T Scoreboard v5 (Shot Clock Glow Moved Down) (Updated to v5.0)

EMTECHY
All-Star 2023 Jersey (EMTECHY)

looyh
NBA2K_Hook For 2K23 (Updated to V0.0.20)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

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 lists five features that didn’t originate in NBA Live or NBA 2K.

From the mid 90s through to today, NBA Live and NBA 2K are the two biggest names as far as sim basketball games are concerned. Obviously NBA Jam and NBA Street were the top dogs in the arcade space, and there have been other series of sim titles that have produced quality releases. However, when we’re talking about the brand leader in NBA licensed sim titles, it’s been NBA Live and NBA 2K for more than a quarter of a century, with the latter taking the crown from the former during the 2000s. Of course, it hasn’t been a competition for quite some time.

Nevertheless, being the two biggest names/brand leaders in sim basketball games has meant that many of the innovations in the genre did originate with either NBA Live or NBA 2K. To that end, they’ve ended up borrowing ideas from each other, which as I’ve long maintained is actually a good thing when it comes to features that should be staples of a sim game. Of course, there are also some great features that we take for granted that didn’t originate in NBA Live or NBA 2K. Some of them are older than we think, appearing in one of their predecessors, while other times it was one of their contemporaries that beat them to the punch. Either way, another game did it first.

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The latest file additions for NBA 2K14 PC include an ESPN scoreboard, presentation fix, RED MC scripts, and an updated custom soundtrack mod. Check them all out at the links below!

bongo88
ESPN 75th Scoreboard (Association Automatic Weekday)
2K Presentation Enhancements (Annoyances Removed)

Mackubex
Set Default Scoreboard Logos SCRIPT by Mackubex
Apply 2021-22 NBA Season Injuries SCRIPT by Mackubex

collectedechoes
Collectedechoes’s NBA Jams (Updated to v3.0)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Today’s file additions for NBA 2K21 PC include retro player faces, throwback jerseys for the New York Knicks, and ESPN and FOX scoreboards. Download them all at the links below!

NoXeMo
2013-2017 New York Knicks Jerseys
J.R. Smith Retro Face
LeBron James Heat Face
Tyson Chandler Retro Face
Tony Parker 2 Faces Pack
Derek Fisher 2 Faces Pack
Jason Kidd Old Face

mjk2000
1977 George McGinnis Face
1978 Henry Bibby Face
1977 Artis Gilmore Face
1978 Rich Kelley Face
1977 Otto Moore Face

Karinge
ESPN & FOX 2021 Scoreboard (Updated to Final version)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

A few dedicated modders are still making updates for NBA 2K11 PC, as you can see from today’s file additions. Download an ESPN Presentation update by Jere2K at the link below!

Jere2K
ESPN Presentation for 2K11

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

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 NCAA Basketball 10.

As I mentioned when I took a look back at NCAA March Madness 08 and NCAA Basketball 09, it wasn’t until I was gifted a PlayStation 3 that I’ve been able to import college basketball games. I’ve therefore taken the opportunity to seek out and pick up those North American exclusives that I couldn’t play on my PAL consoles. Although they do show their age somewhat, I’ve still really enjoyed finally being able to play them and make up for some lost time. I’ve also picked up College Hoops 2K7 and 2K8, and I’ll be getting to them in due course.

I have an unusual history with NCAA Basketball 10. Like the other college games, I wasn’t able to play it until I got a PlayStation 3. However, the difference with NCAA Basketball 10 is that I actually covered it on the NLSC during its preview season! Even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to play it or produce any post-release content, we were expanding beyond just being an NBA Live website, and posting news related to NCAA Basketball 10 was part of my efforts to branch out. Over a decade later, I finally have the game and a console to play it on, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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The latest file additions for NBA 2K21 PC include scoreboard updates and player faces. Download them all at the links below!

Karinge
Current Fox Basketball Scoreboard
ESPN & FOX 2020 Scoreboards (Updated to v9.1)

mjk2000
1989 Orlando Woolridge Face
1983 Orlando Woolridge Face
1975 Ron Boone Face
1977 Wes Unseld Face
1979 Kevin Porter Face

RKJ
JaVale McGee Face [RKJ]

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

The latest file additions for NBA 2K21 PC include custom t-shirts for Blacktop, a new Reshade, player faces, and updated scoreboards. Check them all out at the links below!

sevin0seven
Blacktop T-Shirts Collection

Manni Live
2K21 Next Gen Reshade

Shuajota
Payton Pritchard Face
Jordan Nwora Face

Karinge
ESPN & FOX 2020 Scoreboards (Updated to v8.1)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

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! At long last, it’s a retrospective of NBA Live 19.

And so, we’ve come to the final game in the NBA Live series to date, and thus the final retrospective in our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content! I have to say that it’s been a wild ride to experience the ups and downs again, revisiting every title in the series one by one. I hope that you’ve enjoyed it too, even as we’ve revisited some of the weaker games. On that note, unfortunately the most recent NBA Live game isn’t one of the better releases, at least in my book. Those of us who would prefer that NBA Live focus on the NBA experience were hoping against hope that NBA Live 19 would be a return to form, but sadly, it picked up where NBA Live 18 left off.

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