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Monday Tip-Off: In Defense of Single Player Experiences

Monday Tip-Off: In Defense of Single Player Experiences

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 defense of single player experiences.

There are many different ways of playing basketball video games. There’s exhibition play, which I believe has become underappreciated. You can play a single season in the NBA, or guide a team through multiple seasons in a franchise mode. The card collecting/team building modes are great for gamers who like to build fantasy squads. The career modes allow us to step into the shoes of an NBA player, or take an avatar online for competitive team play. Single player, local and online multiplayer…the best games facilitate all ways to play, and make them a lot of fun.

To that point, there’s no wrong way, or for that matter right way, to play basketball video games. You are no less of a basketball gamer for preferring one mode or style of play over another. I realise that tribalistic factions exist within almost all fanbases, and hey, if people are going to judge each other over their choice in preferred camera setting, there’ll be gatekeeping over modes as well! Over the years however, I’ve noticed more and more disdain for offline and single player experiences. I don’t expect to put an end to that chatter or change everyone’s mind, but I’m compelled to advocate for single player experiences, and explain why many enjoy and prefer them.

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NBA 2K24 Patch 3.0 Released; Season 3 Update

NBA 2K24 Patch 3.0 Released; Season 3 Update

With Season 3 tipping off this Friday, Patch 3.0 has come through for NBA 2K24! As of writing, the patch is available on all consoles, with the PC update likely dropping in time for the new Season. As always, it should come through automatically, as long as your PC or console is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

In addition to preparing NBA 2K24 for Season 3 in MyCAREER and MyTEAM, Patch 3.0 includes new player likenesses, bug and stability fixes, and jersey sponsor updates. It also brings back the traditional East-West All-Star Game format to reflect the change to this year’s event, and improves the representation of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Season 3 celebrates OG NBA 2K cover player Allen Iverson and 25 Years of NBA 2K; more information on the rewards and events can be found here.

You can find the full release notes for Patch 3.0 below, as well as in the NBA 2K24 Current Gen and Next Gen update histories in our Wiki. I’ve also updated those resources to reflect the proper version numbers for the Season 2 patches, and added missing information for the 2.1 hotfix on Next Gen. As always, feel free to share your impressions of and experiences with the latest update in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion in our NBA 2K24 Forum!

UPDATE: The PC patch is now available.

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Monday Tip-Off: End of the Road for PS4 & X1

Monday Tip-Off: End of the Road for PS4 & X1

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 might be reaching the end of the road as far as NBA 2K coming out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Although I don’t support Next Gen Elitism any more than other forms of gatekeeping, there is a valid point when you sift through the snobbery. At some point, support does have to end for older hardware and software alike. It’s the same reason that, as much I dislike the timeframe and impact of NBA 2K’s server shutdowns, I do understand the practice. I can even relate it back to my time creating roster updates for NBA Live. As more and more gamers moved on to playing NBA 2K on PC, it was increasingly hard to justify the time and effort needed to mod games that were no longer as popular.

That’s just for mods that cost nothing to produce, and are freely available. Once the majority of gamers have moved on to the latest generation of consoles, it makes sense – technically and financially – for developers to leave the previous one behind. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of the situation. With an annual release like NBA 2K, there’s always the question of how long the previous generation will still be supported. While I don’t have any official word about this – this is absolutely just me speculating – the series’ history and the handling of NBA 2K24’s preview season and post-release support subtly hint at this being the end of the road for PS4 and X1.

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NBA 2K24 Patch 1.4 Out Now For New Gen

NBA 2K24 Patch 1.4 Out Now For New Gen

Patch 1.4 (aka the big Season 2 Patch that has been promised) is out now for the New Gen version of NBA 2K24. It should come through automatically as long as your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console, or checking for updates manually.

In addition to preparing NBA 2K24 for Season 2 in MyCAREER and MyTEAM, Patch 1.4 includes a variety of fixes based on gamer feedback since launch. This includes adjusting progression, addressing latency issues (allegedly), and resolving a number of bugs throughout modes and gameplay. Several player likenesses have also been updated, along with jerseys and courts.

Full notes for Patch 1.4 can be found below, as well as in the NBA 2K24 New Gen update history over in our Wiki. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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NLSC Podcast #497: Where Are All The Basketball Games?

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #497 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA 2K24 has been out for almost a month now, and honestly, we’re not exactly having a blast with it. To that end, we join our listeners in giving the game a score out of ten, at least as it stands right now. Our disappointment with NBA 2K24 leads us to reflect on the lack of choices in the basketball gaming space, compared to the array of titles that we once enjoyed. We speculate on the reasons why no one is stepping up to offer an alternative – from design challenges to intimidation and gatekeeping – and the community also weighs in with their takes on the matter. We also note some similarities in the attitudes towards basketball gaming and real hoops nowadays.

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!

LeBron in NBA Live 2001, MyTEAM, NBA 2K17, NBA Live 06 Highlights

LeBron in NBA Live 2001, MyTEAM, NBA 2K17, NBA Live 06 Highlights

If you’re not subscribed to our YouTube channel, you’re missing out on all the fun that Dee and I are having on the virtual hardwood! As I mentioned in Episode #496 of the NLSC Podcast, I recently dusted off NBA Live 2001 PC and added LeBron James to the rosters, using a face that Barnsey made way back in 2001. I took on Kobe Bryant in 1-on-1 mode, and put together a highlight reel from the game. I also threw together a mod so that you can add LeBron to NBA Live 2001 PC yourself, which you can find here.

Meanwhile, Dee continued his journey through Domination in NBA 2K24 MyTEAM, taking on the Knicks Challenges. Dee discussed some of the bargain cards that he picked up in the latest podcast, including Ben Gordon and Kevin Durant, and you can see them getting the job done in spectacular fashion. All three difficulty levels are accounted for in the highlight reel.

We also connected to play a couple of games over Parsec. The first was a clash between the 2007 Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards in NBA 2K17, using Dee’s Ultimate Classic Teams Roster. That “We Believe” Warriors team is a blast to play with, and Dee’s roster is a must-have if you’re still playing NBA 2K17 PC. We also took control of the Celtics and had an epic overtime showdown with the Lakers in NBA Live 06, using my 2010 season roster. Fortunately, a couple of blunders on my part late in regulation didn’t stop us from pulling out a satisfying victory!

Check out all of those highlight reels below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more great basketball gaming content, and as always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

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NBA 2K24 Patch 1.3 for New Gen & 1.2 for Current Gen

NBA 2K24 Patch 1.3 for New Gen & 1.2 for Current Gen

New updates have come through for NBA 2K24, specifically Patch 1.3 for New Gen, and Patch 1.2 for Current Gen (which includes PC). As always, the patches should be downloaded automatically as long as you’re online. If the latest update doesn’t come through, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

Patch 1.3 for NBA 2K24 New Gen addresses “ghost contests”, fixes stability in The City, resolves a few bugs, and makes some adjustments to progression in MyCAREER. The new patch for Current Gen also addresses some technical issues, adjusts Season XP rewards to correlate with Teammate Grade in MyCAREER games, and enhances player appearances in The Neighborhood. A larger update based on gamer feedback is still scheduled for early to mid October.

Full notes for both updates can be found below. You can also find update histories for the New Gen and Current Gen versions of NBA 2K24 over in our Wiki. Feel free to share any thoughts in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion in our NBA 2K24 Forum!

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NLSC Podcast #496: NBA 2K17, NBA Live 06, & Community Favourites

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #496 of the NLSC Podcast!

Many of our all-time favourite basketball video games are still in the rotation, and this week we connected on Parsec to revisit two of them: NBA 2K17 and NBA Live 06 PC! We reflect on the strong points of each game and why they hold up so well years later, as well as the satisfying feeling of playing them with mods that we created! We’re also interested in the community’s all-time favourite hoops titles, so in this week’s mailbag, our listeners tell us which ones they still hold close to their hearts. We’ve also got some tips regarding affordable cards in NBA 2K24 MyTEAM – while advocating for No Money Spent, of course – and a couple of customary cheap plugs.

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!

NLSC Podcast #495: A Second Look at NBA 2K24

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #495 of the NLSC Podcast!

Now that NBA 2K24 has been out for over a week, how do our second impressions compare to our first look at the game? This week we join the community in discussing how we feel about the gameplay after more time on the sticks, and it’s fair to say that we’ve noticed a few more issues! Having dived into MyTEAM and MyCAREER, we’ve also got some thoughts on the disappointingly greedy approach in both modes, as well as the difference between fair challenge and artificial difficulty. In addition to our ongoing NBA 2K24 coverage, we also take some time to catch up on what we’ve been doing in NBA 2K14, NBA 2K19, and NBA Live 06, while getting far too excited reminiscing about former NBA big man Chuck Nevitt.

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!

NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team & NBA 2K24 MyTEAM Reel

NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team & NBA 2K24 MyTEAM Highlights

As Dee and I have discussed on the NLSC Podcast, we both enjoy dabbling with the card collecting modes in NBA Live and NBA 2K. To that end, we’ve both recently uploaded highlight reels from NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team and NBA 2K24 MyTEAM.

In my NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team reel, the 90s All-Stars are back in action! The Glove connects with The Reignman, The Dream shakes and bakes in the post, Clyde glides before finishing with force, Shaq attacks the rim without mercy, Tim Bug breaks ankles with the UTEP Two-Step, Penny shines and drops dimes, Nique is a Human Highlight Film, and Pip does a little bit of everything! My aim was to capture the spirit of the NBA in the 90s, which had us all saying “I love this game”!

Dee’s NBA 2K24 MyTEAM reel also showcases some memorable historical players, as well as current stars. Darryl Dawkins is dominating in the paint, while Robert Pack reminds us that you don’t need to be seven feet tall to leave the basket shaking! Rick Barry and Jack Sikma also get buckets, while Steph Curry is dialled in from long distance. Cover player Kobe Bryant also dazzles and shows off the Mamba Mentality as Dee completes all three 76ers Challenges in Domination.

Check out both highlight reels below! We’ll be sharing further impressions of NBA 2K24, including thoughts on MyTEAM, in the next NLSC Podcast. Stay tuned for that, and be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content!

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Monday Tip-Off: Sim Heads Are Not Casuals

Monday Tip-Off: Sim Heads Are Not Casuals

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 rebuttal to the idea that basketball gamers who are sim heads are somehow casuals.

Since we’re all on the internet here, I’m going to assume that we’re all familiar with Harvey Dent’s line in The Dark Knight about either dying a hero, or living long enough to become the villain. It’s up there with Alfred musing that some men just want to watch the world burn; another line that the internet loves, especially wannabe nihilist edgelords. In any case, Dent’s observation can be applied to the real world as well. From people who tarnished their reputation, to simply finding yourself on the wrong side of the argument as time goes by, it’s possible to end up as the bad guy.

Of course, when it’s a matter of fandom infighting, “bad guy” is a relative term. We’re more likely to throw around a word like “casuals” to dismiss the opinions of people we disagree with, ostensibly because they just don’t get it. For a long time, gamers who played basketball games, but didn’t know or care much about the real sport, were the ones who were branded with the “casuals” label. While I don’t agree with the gatekeeping nature of that, it made sense in so much as sim games in particular were designed with hardcore hoop heads in mind. These days, sim heads are being called “casuals” by those who advocate for cheese and “stick skills” over realistic gameplay.

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NBA 2K24 Patch 1.2 For New Gen

NBA 2K24 Patch 1.2 For New Gen

Last week, Patch 1.2 came through for NBA 2K24 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X version. As always, it should download automatically as long as your console is online. If it doesn’t, try restarting, or checking for updates manually.

As per the patch notes, the developers are concentrating on the most user-impacting issues that are being reported. A larger update with more comprehensive fixes will be released prior to Season 2, but in the meantime, Patch 1.2 for NBA 2K24 addresses the rim physics bugs on controllable rim hangs, adjusts difficulty in Triple Threat Online: Co-Op and requirements for the Minimizer quest in MyCAREER, and makes some other tweaks and technical fixes.

You can check out the full notes below. I’ve also added them to the NBA 2K24 update history for Next Gen/New Gen in our Wiki, along with some notes that were provided for the previous patch. Got any thoughts or feedback? Feel free to post them in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in our NBA 2K24 Forum!

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Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting NBA Live 18

Wayback Wednesday: Revisiting NBA Live 18

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 giving NBA Live 18 a second look.

It’s fair to say that NBA Live didn’t live up to expectations on the eighth generation. We were hoping for a fresh start after NBA Elite 11 torpedoed the series during the seventh generation, but instead there were numerous unsuccessful attempts to rebuild. However, there were some flashes of brilliance and genuinely good ideas, which only makes the shortcomings of those eighth gen NBA Live titles more frustrating. Now that several years have passed and the weight of new game expectations has been lifted, those positive aspects do stand out, and can be appreciated.

As such, when I revisit an eighth generation NBA Live, I’m sometimes left surprised by how much I enjoyed dusting it off. While these second looks haven’t changed my mind to the same extent as NBA Live 10 or the Next Gen version of NBA 2K14, I do come away thinking that some of them hold up better than I remembered. This was true after Dee and I revisited NBA Live 18 using Parsec and the Xbox App, and had a really fun game. Indeed, I ended up picking up where I left off in Ultimate Team, and it inspired me to reconsider my previous critique. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NLSC Podcast #494: First Impressions of NBA 2K24

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #494 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA 2K24 is out now on all platforms! We’ve spent some time with both the PC and PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X versions of the game – including a head-to-head game on PC that ended in dramatic fashion – and have some initial impressions to share. While we’re mostly focusing on gameplay this week, we also discuss our thoughts on the modes, features, and content that we’ve had a chance to check out, as well as react to some of the issues with MyTEAM and MyCAREER that several gamers are reporting. We also open up the mailbag to see what the community thinks of NBA 2K24 so far, and offer our early recommendations as to whether the game is worth picking up at this stage, or if it would be best to hold off for now or even skip it altogether.

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!

Monday Tip-Off: Next Gen Elitism Goes Back Generations

Monday Tip-Off: Next Gen Elitism Goes Back Generations

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 candid thoughts on elitist attitudes regarding the Next Gen consoles, and how they’ve been frequently disproven.

So, look. Getting older has its drawbacks. Creaky knees, more responsibilities, and existential dread all come to mind. At the same time, it has its perks! One of them is that you care a lot less about trends than you used to. When high school is rapidly becoming a smaller and smaller speck in the rear view mirror, you don’t really care if you’re not on the cutting edge of fashion, or not completely au fait with the latest slang. Youthful status symbols become increasingly meaningless when you’ve been out of school longer than you were ever in it.

Well…to a point. Not everyone enjoys being completely out of touch, even if you’re still generally comfortable in your own skin. More to the point, if you’re a content creator, then you have to care about trends, algorithms, and current events, at least to some extent. Unless you’re exclusively covering retro gaming, you’re going to need hardware that plays the latest titles. To that end, I do have a gaming PC capable of running new NBA 2K releases, as well as a PlayStation 5. I also have an interest in other genres of games, so it makes sense to invest in those platforms. What doesn’t make sense is the elitism that I see regarding ownership of Next Gen consoles.

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