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NBA Jam: On Fire Edition 2023 Mod Released

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition 2023 Mod Released

Last month, johnz1 unveiled the NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition mod for the PlayStation 3 version of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. More than a couple of gamers expressed interest in seeing a current season update for the game, and johnz1 has delivered just that with NBA Jam: On Fire Edition 2023!

The mod updates 21 teams for the 2023 season, complete with new player heads, team uniforms, courts, crowd signs, and more. All players and teams are unlocked, with the exception of the final “boss team” in Road Trip, which is exclusive to the mode. The nine teams that haven’t been added/updated for 2023 are still present in Road Trip, but are utilising replacement heads in lieu of new faces.

Download NBA Jam: On Fire Edition 2023 here! Please note that the mod is playable on both the RPCS3 emulator, and a jailbroken PlayStation 3; full installation instructions can be found in the release and support topic in the Forum. johnz1 will also be releasing documentation and tools to aid in modding NBA Jam: On Fire Edition in the future, so stay tuned for those resources! He also joined Dee and I for a chat in Episode #471 of the NLSC Podcast, so if you haven’t already, give it a listen to get the inside story on modding NBA Jam: OFE, and johnz1’s background in tinkering with various video games.

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: April 22nd, 2023

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

It’s always special when a lesser-known/seldom seen title makes it into the NLSC Top 10 Plays! In this week’s countdown, that’s Sony’s NBA 07, featuring a devastating dunk delivered by LeBron James. The other six featured games are likewise serving up a slew of slams, from backboard-shattering jams to emphatic finishes on two-way plays. Custom rosters are also on display, including NCAA teams in NBA 2K23, fantasy draft rosters in NBA 2K19, and updated 2023 season rosters in NBA Live 19. Once again, it’s clear that the community has been enjoying some fun times on the virtual hardwood this past week. Let’s get to the action!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam Tournament Edition for PS1

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam Tournament Edition for PS1

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 the PS1 version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition.

Although it’s been surpassed by NBA Jam: On Fire Edition as both my personal favourite and my pick for the best game in the NBA Jam series, I still hold NBA Jam Tournament Edition in extremely high regard. It’s a title that I’ve covered several times here on the NLSC, from reflections while watching a game I’d recorded and an in-depth retrospective, to discussing weird ratings and an error that I somehow overlooked for more than twenty years. In short, NBA Jam TE is a release that I’ll eagerly revisit for both content creation purposes, and my own enjoyment.

As I’ve mentioned in previous features, I grew up playing the PC and Super Nintendo versions of NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Since I’ve been expanding my collection of basketball video games in recent years, I’ve sought out the PlayStation version of NBA Jam TE as well. It was the only version that I didn’t own for the platforms at my disposal, but late last year, I finally managed to snag a copy at a reasonable price. I noted that since I now had it as part of my collection, I’d be comparing NBA Jam Tournament Edition PS1 to the releases I grew up with, in a future Wayback Wednesday feature. The time has come, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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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.

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NLSC Podcast #472: A Deep Dive Into NBA Action ’95

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #472 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA Action ’95 for the Sega Genesis was a game ahead of its time, yet it’s often overlooked compared to other 90s hoops titles. As such, we’re making it the subject of a deep dive this week, from its gameplay to its historical content to the interesting history of the NBA Action series. A listener question also prompts us to compare the NBA Playgrounds games to NBA Jam: On Fire Edition; do Saber’s games hold a candle to EA Sports’ second (and to date, final) NBA Jam release? We also catch up on the latest from Year 5 in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, and some other fun happenings around the community, including the 100th edition of the Top 10.

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!

Wayback Wednesday: Somersault Dunks in NBA Jam TE

Wayback Wednesday: Somersault Dunks in NBA Jam TE

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 the somersault dunks in NBA Jam Tournament Edition.

One of the joys of hitting the virtual hardwood is discovering all the moves that you can pull off, and the variety of animations on offer. It’s something that we can take for granted now that hoops titles boast thousands of animations and an array of signature styles. Back when games were far more limited in what they could feasibly include, it was a thrill to discover new moves that we didn’t expect to see. Dunks were of course the premiere highlight, and we all have slams that we’re partial to in our favourite basketball video games.

There are many spectacular slams that I enjoy seeing thrown down by the players I’m controlling, but when it comes to NBA Jam Tournament Edition, I’m particularly fond of the somersault dunks. As a 90s kid who loved basketball and video games, they represented the pinnacle of highlights in a title that was all about over-the-top high-flying dunks. Even when I go back and play NBA Jam TE today, I’m excited whenever I see a player going into a somersault as they leap into the air. I’m sure I’m not alone in appreciating the soaring somersault dunks of NBA Jam TE, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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NLSC Podcast #471: Talking NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition With johnz1

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #471 of the NLSC Podcast!

This week, we’re joined by johnz1, creator of the NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition mod for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition PS3! John provides insights into the creation of this fantastic mod, and also shares stories of his history with modding, including projects for NBA Street Vol. 2 and Tecmo Super Bowl. We also chat about the philosophy behind ratings in the NBA Jam series, his discovery of hidden assets for Michael Jordan in the 2010 reboot of NBA Jam, and his origins as a basketball gamer. John also teases a future modding project for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition that should be out soon, and answers some rapid fire questions about legendary NBA players.

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 #470: Quality Time on the Virtual Hardwood

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #470 of the NLSC Podcast!

Which basketball video games rank among our most-played all-time? This week, we join the community in reminiscing about the various titles that we’ve racked up the most hours in over the years. We’re also able to talk about the NBA Jam: Legends On Fire Edition mod at last, and it’s no surprise that the community shares our enthusiasm for it! johnz1 will also be joining us to talk about the mod next week, so stay tuned. The Elite 8 of our NCAA Basketball 10 Tournament is in the books, so we reflect on the action thus far, and look ahead to the Final Four. We also pay tribute to the late, great Willis Reed.

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 #466: Puzzling Ratings in NBA Jam TE

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #466 of the NLSC Podcast!

Despite undoubtedly being a classic release, NBA Jam Tournament Edition features some weird ratings. We’re spotlighting some of the most egregious examples, and speculating on how they might’ve come about. Needless to say, Yinka Dare gets a mention! We’ve also got plans for March Modness, which will be tipping off in a couple of days. As we always like to do, we recap our recent sessions on the virtual hardwood, including updates on our progress in MyCAREER and MyLEAGUE. This also leads to a potentially controversial comparison of NBA Live 06 and NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360! In this week’s mailbag, we join the community in sharing our ideal gaming experiences, from preferred modes to how we get set up to play.

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 #464: We Want A New NBA Jam

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #464 of the NLSC Podcast!

After some messing around, we were able to connect to play a co-op session of NBA Full Court Press. Although it isn’t one of the all-time classics, it’s nevertheless an intriguing game to revisit today. We’ve also got some further progress reports on modding projects, including the revival of the All-Time Teams roster for NBA Live 96. With the 30th Anniversary of NBA Jam upon us this year, we’re itching for a new release, and we’re not alone in that regard! We discuss our ideas for a hypothetical new NBA Jam, as well as the community’s responses of what they’d like to see. Finally, we make some plans for our basketball gaming rotations through the rest of February.

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: 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.

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The Friday Five: 5 90s Classics That Needed Today’s Official Updates

The Friday Five: 5 90s Classics That Needed Today's Official Updates

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 90s classics that needed the official updates that today’s basketball games receive.

Official updates for basketball video games are something we’re both wary of, and take for granted. After all, they can break aspects of a game while trying to fix others, and leave a title in a worse state than it was before. On the bright side, over the years we’ve seen official updates make fixes that would’ve once had to wait until the next game came out. For all the controversy that comes with day one patches, they have had their benefits. This wasn’t possible before consoles had hard drives, and even PC patches were rare and small back in the day. Many 90s classics stand as proof of this.

The fact that I’m referring to these basketball games as 90s classics should indicate that I still think very highly of them. Even without official updates, these were some of the best hoops titles of the decade, and still have replay value today. However, whether it’s a quality-of-life fix, a gameplay tweak, or updated rosters, these games definitely would’ve benefited from the official updates that are now commonplace. Obviously, the modding community was able to step up in some cases, but there are some fixes that only the developers can make. Again, it’s not my intention to dump on these 90s classics, but as far as receiving useful fixes, they sadly came along too early.

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NBA Jam: On Fire Edition Highlights: Dr. J & Dawkins

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition Highlights: Dr. J & Dawkins

As Dee and I noted in Episode #461 of the NLSC Podcast, we’re back on our Road Trip in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, producing highlights along the way. In our most recent session, we finished up with the New Jersey Nets’ Bronze challenge, using two of our favourite players: Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins.

When the game was done, Dee whipped up a highlight reel of our best plays, and uploaded it to the NLSC YouTube channel. Although we weren’t successful in breaking the backboard with Dawkins on this occasion, we were still able to use the Philadelphia 76ers legends to put on a show! With two such prolific and spectacular dunkers, there wasn’t much call to bomb away from downtown; though, as you’ll see, Dr. J did dial long distance in impressive fashion. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition remains a blast to this day, as I’m sure these highlights will demonstrate.

Once again, I invite everyone to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel, where you’ll find many more highlight reels, and other original basketball gaming content. It’s an effort that Dee has been spearheading over the past couple of years, and I can promise that the fun will continue in 2023!

Monday Tip-Off: Getting Into Basketball Game Collecting

Monday Tip-Off: Getting Into Basketball Game Collecting

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 tips on how to get into basketball game collecting.

So, you say you want to get into collecting basketball video games? I’ve seen some people express interest in the hobby, especially with how often that Dee and I have talked about our collections on the NLSC Podcast! We’re admittedly at the crazier end of the hobby, doubling up on different platforms, picking up spare copies if we see them for ridiculously low prices, and seeking out some more expensive titles. One doesn’t have to be a completionist to collect though, especially when it comes to video games. It’s fine to just amass a collection of favourites that you want to have on hand.

We’ve received a couple of strange YouTube comments in regards to our collections, which seem to imply that we’re somehow doing something nefarious, or that we’re in some exclusive hobby that requires great wealth. To put it bluntly, neither is true! I believe the former comment mistook our discussion of shared experiences using Parsec as somehow hoarding games, while the latter is assuming that collecting needs to be an expensive hobby. We did respond to those comments and provided some tips on basketball game collecting way back in Episode #436 of the Podcast, but I’d like to offer some further advice, including a summary of key tips at the end of this article.

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NLSC Podcast #459: What Basketball Gamers Played in 2022

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #459 of the NLSC Podcast!

As we tip off a new year of basketball gaming, we’re taking a look back at the titles that we and our fellow hoops gamers played and enjoyed the most throughout 2022. We discover that we’re definitely not alone in keeping the classics in our rotations, and from the sounds of things, a number of people will continue to enjoy a variety of games all year long in 2023! However, while we’ll support revisiting classics and enjoying all kinds of basketball games both new and old, there is one management title that we’d advise you to stay away from. If its greedy microtransactions aren’t enough, the way it treated someone with valid criticism certainly will be!

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!