Menu
Home | Tag: Monday Tip-Off

Tag Archives: Monday Tip-Off

Monday Tip-Off: Enjoying Bad Basketball Games

Monday Tip-Off: Enjoying Bad Basketball Games

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 whether it’s possible to enjoy bad basketball games.

On the surface, the idea of enjoying bad video games of any kind seems like an oxymoron. Of course, “bad” may be a matter of personal preference, and it’s not as though we don’t enjoy other media that’s judged to be subpar. We may like a “bad” song because it’s still catchy, even if it’s lacking in artistic merit. The same goes for TV shows and films. No one’s claiming that they’re great art, but they’re fun despite their flaws (or sometimes because of them). They’re the proverbial guilty pleasures: entertainment products that we know aren’t good, but we enjoy them all the same.

As many people have observed throughout the years, it’s harder to accomplish this with video games, given that they’re an interactive medium. Hammy acting is one thing, because it’s either intentionally or ironically humorous. Conversely, broken controls and poor game design are more difficult to enjoy than terrible scripts, or laughably amateur or outdated special effects. And yet, it is possible to enjoy bad video games…sometimes. There’s a limit on how flawed they can be, and you won’t want to have paid full price for them after anticipating their release, but there are ways to enjoy both “bad” and truly bad basketball video games. I know that I have.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Making The Journey Worth It

Monday Tip-Off: Making The Journey Worth It

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 my thoughts on ensuring that the journey is worth the time and effort in basketball video games.

In recent years, there’s been a puzzling acceptance of the notion that we should have to work to have fun with the basketball video games we play. I’m not talking about the time and effort it takes to master strategies and stick skills, complete challenges, and level up accordingly. A game that’s over too quickly is generally unsatisfying, unless you’re attempting a speedrun. The best rewards and whatever counts as being 100% completion in a game shouldn’t be quick and easy to attain. For most people, it isn’t fun to be handed absolutely everything.

These are uncontroversial statements that I’m sure we can all agree upon. However, the sentiment has mutated into a bad faith argument about gamers wanting everything right away. That may be true of a scant minority of less patient basketball gamers, but most of us just want a rate of progression that’s fair and enjoyable, with rewards that make the journey feel worthwhile. Again, the key to that bad faith argument is in the wording: “you don’t want to put in the work“. A video game should not have to be treated like an occupation in order to be enjoyed, or feel like a rewarding journey. It’s therefore vital that any rewards system makes us feel like it was time well spent.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Anti-Cheat & The Modding Scene

Monday Tip-Off: Anti-Cheat & The Modding Scene

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 my thoughts on anti-cheat measures in NBA 2K23 PC, and their effect on the modding scene.

The Season 6 patch for NBA 2K23 introduced some unexpected complications for the PC version. Specifically, it includes anti-cheat measures that interfere with looyh’s Hook tool, which as modders and mod users are all too aware, is an essential utility for modding. Naturally, this led to some understandable frustration. To state the obvious, modding is a big part of what we do in this community, and these anti-cheat measures resulted in a new barrier to creating and enjoying mods. Considering that the PC version is already a lower priority release, it’s a disappointing development.

Of course, ever since the PC began receiving ports of the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version of NBA 2K, official patches have presented a challenge to modding. The changes to the executable require utilities and Cheat Engine tables to be updated accordingly; something that wasn’t necessary when we were editing the roster files directly. It’s something that other modding communities have had to deal with for a long time, and we have ultimately been able to adapt. The addition of anti-cheat measures makes things tricky, which is obviously unfortunate. It also spotlights the needs of the online scene being at odds with the needs of the modding community.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Why NBA Jam & NBA Street Should Return

Monday Tip-Off: Why NBA Jam & NBA Street Should Return

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 why NBA Jam and NBA Street need to return.

2023 marks the anniversary of two iconic basketball games. NBA Jam set arcades on fire in 1993, meaning we’ve reached its 30th Anniversary. Meanwhile, though it was the second game in the series, NBA Street Vol. 2 is often considered to be the best release from EA Sports BIG, and it’s now turning twenty years old. For those of us who played those games as kids, teenagers, or even young adults, this might come as an overwhelming milestone; particularly NBA Jam hitting the big three-oh. Not to sound like the Grumpy Elder Millennial that I am, but man, time sure flies!

However, let’s put aside any existential crises that may come with the realisation that there are now adults who weren’t even alive when these classics came out. After all, anniversaries provide an opportunity to celebrate and fondly reminisce. The numbers that bring me down here aren’t how long ago the original NBA Jam and NBA Street Vol. 2 were released, but how long it’s been since either series has seen a brand new game. For NBA Jam, that was On Fire Edition back in 2011. Putting aside the Korean exclusive NBA Street Online, there hasn’t been a new Street release since 2007. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that a return for both series would be extremely welcome.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Finishing The Drive for Five

Monday Tip-Off: Finishing The Drive for Five

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 recap of my Drive for Five in Year 5 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

At this point, my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER is well beyond being just a kick. It’s become one of my all-time favourite basketball gaming experiences, and a staple of my rotation on the virtual hardwood. Even though I enjoyed NBA 2K23 far more than NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22, it couldn’t replace NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 as the star of my lineup. And honestly, why should it? While I do consider NBA 2K23 to be the strongest release in the last few years, if I’m enjoying an older title even more, there’s no reason to put it aside just because it isn’t the latest game.

Year 5 proved to be another captivating journey. As I’ve said before, I’ve greatly enjoyed how each season in this NBA 2K14 MyCAREER has ended up telling its own story, even if they’ve ultimately culminated with a similar ending. To that point, though every season has ended with my player celebrating a championship, the road to that destination veered off into different routes that were all fun to travel. While the numbers may suggest otherwise, the Drive for Five actually stands as one of the most challenging seasons so far in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. It demonstrates the value of playing through multiple seasons, and experiencing an ongoing alternate reality.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Is It Me, Or The Games?

Monday Tip-Off: Is It Me, Or The Games?

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 whether some of my complaints about basketball video games are on me, or the games themselves.

I’ve been playing basketball video games since the 90s, becoming a part of the online community – then largely centred on NBA Live – towards the end of the decade. As you may or may not know, I started out with my own NBA Live fansite – the NBA Live Domain – not long after I discovered the NLSC and modding, and decided to get involved with the scene. I took over the NLSC in August of 2001, a couple of months before turning 17. At times it’s somewhat overwhelming to reflect on the passage of time, but it has indeed been more than two decades since I started this journey!

What does this mean? Well, I’m sure that some people would have unflattering things to say about me still being a content creator for basketball video games in my thirties, but we needn’t concern ourselves with mean-spirited remarks from small minds with an axe to grind. With that being said, it is true that after all these years and all the different games I’ve played, I am now in the upper end of the demographic. As an Elder Millennial, I’m in a weird place where I’m simultaneously a terrible young person and a bitter old head, depending on your generation relative to mine. I may be a little of both, and so sometimes I wonder where the problem lies when I have gripes.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Wish I Could Play It, Now That I Can’t

Monday Tip-Off: Wish I Could Play It, Now That I Can't

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.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Credit & The Modding Community

Monday Tip-Off: Credit & The Modding Community

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 we approach credit in our modding community, as well as the importance of doing right by each other.

When the NLSC was founded in 1996 and our modding community was established, we adopted several rules that are still in place as of today. Two of the most important rules are the prohibition of charging for mods, and the requirement of giving credit whenever you’re using someone else’s work (as well as asking for permission first, whenever possible). Most of the biggest blow-ups in our modding community have come about due to an incident involving one of those rules, in particular the latter. It’s the reason why it’s gone from being an unwritten rule to a clearly specified policy.

To newcomers, the notion of giving credit and asking for permission may seem odd. After all, anything we make and release is for the benefit of our fellow gamers, and we do walk a fine line with what we do when it comes to modding in the first place. It is part of our established culture and etiquette however, and as long as we’re civil with each other and not draconian in enforcing those rules, it does work for us. At the same time, I do wonder if we can be too precious about our work, not to mention take credit when it isn’t due. There’s something to be said for being flexible, and I say that as someone who has been very particular about credit and permission in the past.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: The Point of No Return for MyCAREER

Monday Tip-Off: The Point of No Return for MyCAREER

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 my thoughts on how MyCAREER has reached a point of no return as far as its current approach and design is concerned.

Although I’ll readily defend the past against notions that everything new is better, and point out that many old ideas can be repurposed as modern solutions, it’s absolutely possible to regress. We shouldn’t want to see that in anything, including the basketball video games that we enjoy. One of the biggest knocks on NBA Live during the eighth generation was that it felt behind the times. Even if you enjoyed the experience on the sticks, barebones modes and a lack of additional content made it feel as though the series had regressed to a point that it should’ve been well past.

It’s an issue that contributed to NBA Live’s inability to win back the crowd, and thus a further descent into dormancy and irrelevance. With that being said, while this is a pitfall that NBA 2K has avoided, Visual Concepts’ series has arguably suffered the opposite problem. There are certain ideas and approaches in NBA 2K that have now evolved so far beyond their more humble beginnings that going back to a simpler time is seemingly impossible. You might argue that this isn’t actually a problem; that a new standard or baseline has been established. Not everyone is satisfied with the current approach to MyCAREER however, and unfortunately, it’s at the point of no return.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: The Truth About Reactivating Servers

Monday Tip-Off: The Truth About Reactivating Servers

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 by discussing the prospect of reactivating servers for older NBA 2K games.

Whenever the official NBA 2K Twitter sends out a Tweet, you’ll see some familiar replies. Some gamers will bring up technical issues that they’re having, prompting a form response from the 2K Support account. Others will be asking for Locker Codes or VC giveaways. There’s bound to be a few disgruntled gamers making that eternal request of “fix your servers!” And speaking of online support, you might see a couple of people raising the issue of reactivating servers for games such as NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17. In turn, those people will be accused of being blinded by nostalgia.

While I disagree that it’s merely myopic nostalgia that has created an appreciation for NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17, and a desire to see 2K reactivating the servers for those titles, it is fair to note the unlikelihood of it ever happening. That isn’t to say that I’d be against 2K reactivating servers for those games, or some other old favourites. Even if it were for a week or two every year to celebrate the history of the series, it would be a fantastic opportunity to revisit classic releases and re-download lost updates. I have my doubts that 2K would go to the trouble of doing so however, and while I’ll always support my fellow gamers over a company, I do understand their position.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Nothing But Net

Monday Tip-Off: Nothing But Net

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 on the importance of the net in basketball video games.

Yes, that’s right. An entire article about virtual basketball equipment: the net. Of course, the net is a vital part of basketball. Practically speaking, it serves two main purposes. It indicates that the ball has indeed passed through the hoop, and also slows its descent so that it’s easier to catch. As anyone who’s ever played on an outdoor rim without a net can attest, you’ll certainly notice a difference when it’s not around to fulfil these functions! And of course, there’s the swish – the act and sound of hitting nothing but net – representing supreme accuracy when shooting.

Whether nylon, polyester, or the steel chains often used on the blacktop, this is what the net brings to basketball. As such, any virtual representation of basketball needs to do its nets justice. In the grand scheme of things, there are more important aspects that determine whether or not a basketball video game is fun and overall well-made. Still, like inaccuracies on a jersey or a quirky transitional animation, it’s something that knowledgeable hoops gamers will recognise. If there are issues with the nets, such as shape, length, physics, and so on, you can be sure that they’ll be noticed! It may seem nitpicky, but not when you consider their importance and the satisfaction they bring.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: My Aversion to Mobile Basketball Gaming

Monday Tip-Off: My Aversion to Mobile Basketball Gaming

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 my thoughts on mobile basketball gaming, and why I’m not a fan of it myself.

NBA Live is not dead. I don’t say that because I believe that the series is poised to make a big comeback – though every so often, there are hints that it might be a slim possibility – but rather because the name does technically live on through NBA Live Mobile. I do actually have NBA Live Mobile installed on my phone, but it’s not part of my basketball gaming rotation. Although I’ve seen fit to continue installing it as I’ve upgraded to a couple of new phones over the years, I’ve barely touched it except to get screenshots.

The same goes for the mobile version of NBA Jam. I posted a brief but positive review of the Android release over a decade ago, but it hasn’t been a regular in my rotation either. As for the mobile versions of NBA 2K, I haven’t ever bothered to buy and play them. Indeed, since I gave up on getting the face scan to work, I no longer even install the companion app for the console/PC releases! I’m not here to bash mobile gaming, basketball or otherwise. I’m all for developers exploring different platforms, and if you enjoy those releases, more power to you! However, I do have an aversion to mobile basketball gaming, and frankly, I don’t think it’ll ever win me over.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: Mods For Free? No, Money Down!

Monday Tip-Off: Mods For Free? No, Money Down!

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 frank thoughts on how we’ve gone from a community that champions free mods to too many people charging money for them.

This is an extremely ticklish subject to put it mildly. It’s not my intention to step on any toes, yet that seems inevitable by broaching this matter. However, it’s an issue that has been building within the community for years. From the time that the NLSC was founded, we were dedicated to providing mods – or patches, as they used to be called – 100% free of charge. As we expanded into other content, none of that was put behind a paywall either. The general philosophy is that we were a site for basketball gamers, by basketball gamers, and non-profit.

Of course, times have changed as far as online content creation is concerned. What was once a hobby or creative outlet can now be monetised, and even turned into a career. Although more traditional media still looks down on YouTube, Twitch, and other online platforms – as evidenced by the Saturday Night Live sketch that was a swing-and-a-miss swipe at the Try Guys – hardworking and creative people have been very successful with online content. With that in mind, it’s understandable that video game modders would also look to cash in. It’s anti-community at best and dangerous at worst though, with some highly undesirable possibilities looming on the horizon.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Nicknames

Monday Tip-Off: NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Nicknames

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 breakdown of the nicknames that I’ve given to generated players in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

As I’ve previously discussed, I greatly enjoy generated rookies in franchise and career modes. Obviously it’s vital that we have the option of inserting real Draft Classes into our game if we so choose, but fictional prospects have always been more appealing to me. That may sound strange given that I prefer to play with real rosters, but I enjoy how generated rookies encourage us to use our imagination as a fictional NBA takes shape. Even if I could use custom Draft Classes with real prospects in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, I’d have to pass on that, as it would mean no Terry Hanson!

Although Terry Hanson is my favourite generated player – naturally, since he’s my teammate on the Philadelphia 76ers – there are some other fictional players who are adding personality to the league. Some of them are already shaping up to be star players, which makes the matchups fresh and interesting five years in. There are also some fun name combinations, and unique generated appearances. This has led me to give nicknames to some of those fictional players in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER as I’ve encountered them in gameplay, or in the roster listings. It’s a fun exercise that’s added to the immersion, and set some of them up to be Virtual Hardwood Legends.

Read More »

Monday Tip-Off: The Haunting Atmosphere of Empty Servers

Monday Tip-Off: The Haunting Atmosphere of Empty Servers

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 haunting it feels to traverse empty servers in The City and The Neighborhood.

Last year, I bid vale to the NBA 2K20 servers and its online features. In that article, I mostly focused on the increasing amount of content that we lose when servers are shut down. That’s an important topic, and obviously it’s happened again in the wake of the NBA 2K21 servers being switched off. Although 27 months amounts to supporting an annual title through two and a half seasons, it always seems to go by so quickly. If you do have any unfinished business in MyCAREER or MyTEAM, you may spend the last days of December scrambling to complete it before it’s too late.

I’ve absolutely been in that boat myself. Furthermore, as a content creator, I’ve made it a point to get as many screenshots and clips as possible for potential future articles and video features. This means having at least one more session where I go through as much of the online content and connected modes as I can, adding to my media library. Indeed, after my New Year’s Eve plans fell through at the last minute, I spent the evening of December 31st 2022 taking one last look at MyTEAM and MyCAREER in NBA 2K21. With The City and The Neighborhood in MyCAREER in particular, it was impossible not to notice the haunting atmosphere that comes with empty servers.

Read More »