Tag Archives: Monday Tip-Off

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 thoughts on how 2K has been swinging the ban hammer with NBA 2K27.

Back on September 24th, 2K announced that they were following up on a pledge they made to NBA 2K27 gamers back in August to curb cheating. In an effort to protect the online scene from gamers using cheats and scripts to gain an unfair advantage, 2K issued what they described as the “first wave of permanent bans”. To that end, while some cheaters may have escaped action being taken against their account this time, 2K isn’t done swinging the ban hammer. Their announcement warns that they’ll stay on top of the situation, and that their detection methods are constantly improving.

For the most part, this news has been welcomed by the community, and rightfully so. Cheaters and hackers ruin the fun for everyone that desires fair competition, which I’d suggest is most people who play NBA 2K. Even the online elitists who favour a style that doesn’t resemble real basketball generally still want to perform those moves and strategies legitimately. With that being said, there have been issues. While the bans have clearly been effective in shutting down cheaters, it appears that at least some innocent gamers have been caught in the crossfire. There’s also the potential for 2K to swing the ban hammer maliciously, undermining a normally justified course of action.

Read More »

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 thoughts on the shallowness of the now all-too-popular phrase “it’s not that deep”.

Even without mentioning my age or nostalgically reminiscing about the sound of a dial-up modem or Yahoo! GeoCities, it’s clear that I’m a veteran of pre-social media internet. I mean, the fact that I’m writing an article as opposed to producing short form video content is an indication of that! However, there’s also the fact that I have fond memories of reading and making lengthy posts as part of back and forth discussions in our Forum and other message boards. After all, the ability to discuss and debate like that was a hallmark of being a keen and knowledgeable fan.

Nowadays of course, brevity is the trend. Sure, deep dives remain popular content, and you will see lengthy posts being made. However, it only takes a paragraph for a post to be derisively called an “essay”. Caring enough to write more than a single sentence – indeed, caring enough to comment at all – is likely to draw a response of “it’s not that deep”. Like so many online comebacks and catchphrases, it’s become incredibly cliché. More often than not, rather than believing that the person on the receiving end has been put in their place and made to look foolish, it leaves me thinking that the person who trotted it out is incapable of any kind of deep thought.

Read More »

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 a few thoughts about how we’re no longer encouraged to “just be yourself” when it comes to our virtual hardwood avatars.

“Just be yourself” is advice that I’m sure we’ve all heard at one time or another. It’s a cliché, but there’s also wisdom to it. I don’t want to get too deeply into that since it’s far beyond our scope as a site dedicated to basketball gaming, but generally speaking, pretending to be something that you’re not isn’t the path to happiness. As far as the virtual hardwood and career mode avatars are concerned, “just be yourself” is advice that shouldn’t be taken too literally. For most of us, it wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun if our video game counterparts weren’t considerably better at basketball!

That increase in skill and athleticism, and perhaps even being a bit taller, are all part of the fantasy of career modes and their connected online experiences. It’s where we take liberties with the concept of “just be yourself” on the virtual hardwood. With that being said, many of us have traditionally given our avatars our name, our face – or a close enough likeness – and even animations that resemble our real life form. While I’m sure there are gamers who still do that, it’s definitely not fashionable; especially among the online crowd. It’s not just a case of being uncool, either. These days, if you want to enjoy those modes and succeed in them, “just be yourself” isn’t good advice.

Read More »

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 thoughts about whether playing games from the past and enjoying historical rosters is the future of my basketball gaming.

More than a week after NBA 2K27’s release, I still don’t have the game. Thinking back, the last time that I didn’t get a new game at launch would’ve been NBA Live 2002 back in 2001, and that’s only because it was a Christmas present along with my PlayStation 2. To that end, it’s been 25 years since I’ve waited this long post-launch to pick up the latest basketball video game. Even when I had to wait longer for a game to come out here in Australia, I was still getting it on what was Day 1 for us, or within a week or so at the very least.

Funnily enough, I’ve rather enjoyed connecting with Dee to play NBA 2K27 over Parsec. In fact, I’m optimistic that I might like it more than its recent predecessors based on my experiences so far. It’s possible that by taking a break from playing the latest NBA 2K, it finally feels fresh enough to dive back in. At the same time, leaning into my predisposition for retro gaming has also made me extremely comfortable with playing old favourites and developing an appreciation for classics that I overlooked. Indeed, the longer that I delay picking up NBA 2K27, the more that I wonder if I’ve reached a point where the future of my basketball gaming actually lies in the past.

Read More »

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 thoughts on seeking fun in flawed games.

Given the choice, I’d much rather play basketball video games that are great across the board. Obviously, no game is absolutely perfect or bug-free, but the strongest releases provide us with far more joy than frustration. Thankfully, there have been a number of such basketball games over the years. Even when the latest release hasn’t resonated with me, a library of favourites – and a predisposition for retro gaming – has allowed me to find some way of hitting the virtual hardwood. I’m not stuck labouring to make the best of flawed games whenever I want to indulge my love of basketball.

And yet, there’s something fascinating about seeking fun in flawed games! When you consider that Bart vs. the Space Mutants is a nostalgic favourite despite how flawed it is, I’m sure it’s no surprise to hear that I’m oddly drawn to bad basketball games as well. Granted, it’s harder to appreciate flawed basketball games compared to terrible platformers and other genres, particularly sim titles given the inevitable comparisons to real life and the expectations that come with that. Nevertheless, as I’m revisiting various titles as part of my retro basketball gaming, I can’t help but be intrigued by some of the most flawed releases, and the challenge of squeezing fun out of them.

Read More »

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 thoughts on the oddity of basketball gamers being anti-consumer consumers.

Look, I realise the folly of hitting back against the shills in basketball gaming. If nothing else, it’s amplifying the voices of an already loud contingent of gamers who make their hobby and favourite titles too much of their personality. It’s how you get baited into frustrating arguments by that one person with the terrible take. Mind you, when it comes to anti-consumer consumers, it’s not just a lone contrarian troll. Even if you want to argue that it’s a vocal minority, they’re not only driving the discourse, but emboldening studios to engage in anti-consumer practices.

The release of a new game is always a peak period of anti-consumer consumers. It’s the annual honeymoon phase; that roughly two-week period where there’ll be the most gushing praise and determined pushback on any criticism. When a title is new, it’s easier to blame gamers for any issues they have with it, since they can potentially be chalked up to the need to adjust to any changes to the mechanics and other aspects of the gameplay. Once we’re past the honeymoon phase and there’s more honesty about a game’s flaws, it becomes harder to dismiss criticisms out of hand. Of course, while it takes some of the wind out of their sails, it doesn’t stop the anti-consumer consumers.

Read More »

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 (and a few untold stories) as I mark 25 years of running the NLSC.

On August 25th 2001, Tim officially announced that I’d be succeeding him as the NLSC’s webmaster. It was already August 26th here in Australia, so that’s the date of my first post on the site. Whichever date you want to use, this time of year marks my anniversary of taking the reins here at the NLSC. It’s mind-blowing to think that at this point, I’ve been running the site for more than half of my life! To that point, it’s truly surreal to be able to say that as of this week, I’ve been doing this for a quarter of a century now.

As the years have gone by, I’ve made it a point to mark my anniversary in some way, whether via a social media post or a feature here on the site. Just to be clear right out of the gate: this isn’t a retirement announcement! As I’ve said before, it’s tough to say how long I’ll do this, or to even consider the end of my involvement with the site and what will happen thereafter. It’s very much a “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” situation, because as long as I’m willing and able to channel my enthusiasm for basketball gaming into content creation, I’m going to keep having fun doing so. That’s why as I celebrate 25 years at the helm of the NLSC, I believe I still have work to do.

Read More »

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 what inspired me to mod NBA 2K10, and continue to explore ways to update that roster.

When NBA 2K10 was released, it didn’t become an instant favourite. A couple of the other members of the NLSC Team at the time encouraged me to pick it up, since we were making inroads into covering the NBA 2K series following its arrival on PC the previous year. While I understood the benefits of expanding our content and wanted to facilitate that, I hadn’t been able to get into NBA 2K9 myself, and honestly wasn’t optimistic that NBA 2K10 would win me over either. Sure enough, I didn’t like NBA 2K10 much more than its predecessor, owing to controls that just didn’t click with me.

I was also still flying the flag for NBA Live; perhaps less enthusiastically than before, but it remained “my brand”. Mind you, between it being a console-only release and a couple of quibbles with the gameplay following the official patches, I wasn’t entirely keen on NBA Live 10 either. Since then of course, I’ve developed a new appreciation for NBA Live 10, and it became a major retro gaming kick for me. Likewise, NBA 2K10 is now a game that I greatly enjoy. I was even motivated to mod NBA 2K10, creating a fixed roster that added missing Legends and a few other enhancements to the game’s final official update. You may fairly ask though: why, after all these years?

Read More »

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 thoughts on how in 2026, offline play still matters in basketball video games.

Look, I don’t want to fall into the same trap that many of my fellow Elder Millennials appear to be; that is to say, focusing too heavily on the “elder” part! With that being said, at this point we’re not in the core demographic for pop culture. I’ll readily admit that some of my hobbies and interests have changed in ways that I don’t like. Once again, I’m reminded of that Grampa Simpson quote that tried to warn me as a kid: “I used to be ‘with it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m ‘with’ isn’t ‘it’, and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you!”

At the same time, other things haven’t changed as much as some people like to claim. When it comes to basketball video games, offline play is a great example. A very loud minority of gamers – and the occasional gaming industry pundit or executive – will try to tell us that single player games and offline play in general are a thing of the past. It’s all about online play, and claiming otherwise is to be behind the times. Except, that clearly isn’t true! There’s plenty of evidence that single player campaigns and local co-op and head-to-head play are still extremely popular. To that end, basketball video games can’t ignore offline play, and they’re destined to be weaker if they do.

Read More »

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 how the changes to 2K Pro-Am still sting all these years later.

I had a blast playing 2K Pro-Am with our squad, NLSC THRILLHO, in NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17. Our Friday evening sessions were always something to look forward to, and indeed with NBA 2K17, we’d sometimes jump on a few times a week. Sadly, NBA 2K18 wasn’t really to our liking, which put an early end to those 2K Pro-Am sessions. However, while NBA 2K19 was an improvement on the sticks, it delivered a much bigger blow with the changes it made to 2K Pro-Am. One change in particular made it far less viable for us to jump into games.

As I’ve said before, I’m really enjoying my basketball gaming these days. Breaking the habit of grinding up a MyPLAYER to play online, repeating the same journey as an NBA rookie along the way, was absolutely for the best. It’s been great to get back to some franchise gaming, dust off old favourites, discover new retro kicks, and play whatever I like since I don’t have to dedicate countless hours to levelling up a brand new avatar every year. With that being said, there are times that I miss those 2K Pro-Am sessions, and what the mode used to be like. Even though I’m happy with what I’m doing on the virtual hardwood nowadays, the changes to 2K Pro-Am still sting.

Read More »

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 thoughts on how every basketball video game is someone’s first, and how that’s connected to issues with repetition.

The longer that you’re a fan of something, the more difficult it is to not become at least a little cynical and jaded. It’s incredibly difficult to top the excitement we felt when everything about our hobbies and interests was fresh and new. Indeed, it’s why when we experience something delightful after being a fan or enthusiast for a long time, we’re inclined to describe that joy as “feeling like a kid again”. Whether it’s getting hooked on a video game, seeing your favourite team win a championship, or watching a successful reboot of a nostalgic TV show, it’s a wonderful feeling!

Of course, there are reasons that we become jaded and cynical, and it’s not just a case of aging into a grumpy older person. I mean, I can’t deny that that happens, but it’s not just the years, but the experiences within them. As far as NBA 2K is concerned, take modes like MyCAREER and MyTEAM for example. The journey to superstardom or a stacked fantasy squad can be an absolute blast the first few times that you travel that path. After a while though, it begins to feel repetitive. Starting over from square one quickly becomes more of a chore. It’s an issue that many long-time gamers would like to see future titles address, but there’s a catch here: it’s always someone’s first game.

Read More »

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 thoughts on what we stand to lose – like tears in rain, to quote Roy Batty – with the continued push to end physical media.

As Dee and I discussed in Episode #638 of the NLSC Podcast, Sony has recently announced that the production of PlayStation game discs will end in January 2028, marking a shift to digital-only releases. To say that there’s been significant backlash to the announcement is to put it mildly! Also, despite what executives and shills may try to claim, the pushback isn’t just coming from grumpy old heads nostalgically clinging to an outdated medium. Gamers have brought the receipts, demonstrating that with many popular titles, physical and digital sales are still quite close in number.

There’s a reason for that, and it has nothing to do with being unable to grasp or adapt to modern trends and technology, as so many sneering shills will suggest. There are advantages and disadvantages to both physical media and digital releases, and thus reasons why we may prefer one over the other, or pick and choose the distribution method on a case-by-case basis. However, with moves like Sony’s decision to end disc releases for PlayStation games, and the decline in physical media in favour of streaming services, it’s building towards a troublingly anti-consumer future. And so, like tears in rain, some wonderful benefits of physical media are going to be lost.

Read More »

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 how maintaining roster updates used to help keep me engaged with the NBA.

Although I still consider myself a hardcore basketball fan, I’m not as engaged with the NBA as I once was. There are reasons for this, of course. First and foremost, I’m not enamoured with the style of play that’s taken over the league. I believe that analytics have been extremely damaging to basketball as a spectator sport, to say nothing of the discourse surrounding it. To that point, the coverage has become obnoxious, and very disrespectful to NBA history. And of course, as I’ve gotten older, the players have gone from adults that I admire to generational peers to kids I struggle to relate to.

On top of all that, I’m no longer making current season roster updates for any NBA Live or NBA 2K titles. There are reasons for that, too. My lack of enthusiasm for the current NBA doesn’t inspire the necessary motivation to work on those mods. Also, whenever I start toying with the possibility of updating a game for the current season, lingering burnout from my final years of maintaining roster updates for NBA Live quickly puts an end to that idea. In that respect, my passion for the NBA and roster updates for video games were symbiotic. Keenly following the NBA inspired me to create roster updates, but creating roster updates also kept me hooked on the NBA.

Read More »

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 thoughts on how I’m not too excited by the fact that NBA 2K27 previews are coming very soon.

July is right around the corner, which means another NBA 2K preview season is looming on the horizon. Naturally, we’ll be covering all of the NBA 2K27 news and previews as they’re posted, both with bulletins summarising the key information and by discussing the latest details on the NLSC Podcast. As always, it’ll be interesting to see what the developers have cooked up this year, and to join Dee in providing some trustworthy analysis and commentary before and after release. To be perfectly honest however, I wish that I were more excited about seeing those NBA 2K27 previews.

That’s not to say that I’m completely disinterested, or that I won’t be locked in as we cover the preview season. Yes, I’ll be getting NBA 2K27 for content and collection purposes, and ideally I’ll end up enjoying it as well. Unfortunately, after the last three NBA 2K games, I’m not entirely optimistic that I will. That dulls my enthusiasm for the forthcoming NBA 2K27 previews, as I’m not expecting to see any of the changes and additions that would get me excited about this year’s release. Of course, my lack of excitement could actually work in my favour. By tempering my expectations I’ll either avoid disappointment, or in the best case scenario, be surprisingly delighted.

Read More »

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 and acknowledgement of a few of the little things that used to make basketball gaming special.

For many years, NBA 2K games included the code “payrespect“. By punching this code into the Cheats menu, it unlocked the iconic red, white, and blue ABA ball. It was a toggle option, so once the cheat was entered and unlocked, you could switch between the regular NBA and ABA basketballs as desired. Obviously, it paired well with the ABA throwback jerseys, as well as ABA alumni such as Julius Erving and George Gervin. Making it an unlockable option was the right approach too, as the code was neither permanent nor had to be entered every time you played.

I realise that this probably doesn’t sound like a very exciting feature these days. If we’re talking about historical content and deep modes and features, modern games have plenty of that! Not many NBA 2K gamers are clamouring for the return of those old school cheat codes or an unlockable ABA ball. However, it’s not just about being able to change up the basketball that’s being used on the virtual hardwood or blacktop. It’s about all the little things that we’ve had and lost in basketball video games, be it NBA 2K or NBA Live. The fact that they weren’t necessarily popular features that everyone misses is part of what made those little things so special in the first place.

Read More »