Tag Archives: NBA Showdown

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #627 of the NLSC Podcast!

We’re back on the air after an unfortunate technical mishap last week, and we’re ready and eager to take a deep dive into the somewhat overlooked PlayStation version of NBA Live 96! After recapping a couple of our sessions with the game and reflecting on the nostalgic 1996 lineups for the four featured teams, we take an in-depth look at the features and on-court experience, break down the detailed results of a simulated season, and draw comparisons to the 16-bit and PC versions along the way. We also join the community in discussing which version (or versions) of NBA Live 96 we owned and played the most back in the day, and nominate which one we’d currently say is our favourite.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 57:04 — 39.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!

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 “press steal to foul” is a lazy approach to designing defensive mechanics in basketball video games.

There’s a clear interest in and emphasis on skill-based mechanics in NBA 2K these days. From sweats in the online scene sneering “get good” to developer blogs touting a focus on representing the “skill gap”, there’s a belief that NBA 2K’s gameplay must be a worthy test of one’s reflexes and abilities on the sticks. Accessibility? Realism? Fun? Go play a mobile puzzle game if that’s what you want, you filthy casual! That’s the attitude that NBA 2K has been increasingly catering to, and gameplay has taken a dip in quality because of it. At least one game developer saw that coming.

The irony of course is that thanks to canned and animation-heavy sequences, to say nothing of artificial boosts, imbalance, and paying to skip the grind, it’s laughable to suggest that NBA 2K is a pure test of stick skills! Moreover, when the mechanics are broken or poorly designed, it becomes a test of a gamer’s patience and willingness to compensate for a flawed system, rather than their ability to be strategic and skilful. Like a carpenter with a dull saw and a headless hammer, we’re impeded by the tools we have at our disposal. In short, we need a game’s mechanics to work and be useful in order to expertly employ them. To that end, “press steal to foul” is lazy design.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #619 of the NLSC Podcast!

It’s Michael Jordan’s 63rd Birthday, so we’re taking the opportunity to have an in-depth discussion about His Airness! This includes listing some of his biggest accomplishments, and recalling our favourite memories of watching him with both the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. We also discuss MJ’s interesting history in video games, as despite a common reputation of never appearing on the virtual hardwood, he was in fact a fixture of early releases. Of course, we also have to touch on modding him into so many later titles! We also read out some of the community’s favourite real life and video game memories of Michael Jordan, and unsurprisingly, there are some familiar stories!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:02:48 — 43.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!

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 Michael Jordan in NBA Live 2004.

These days, we think of Visual Concepts as the company to bring Michael Jordan to the virtual hardwood. After all, he’s been available as a Legend since NBA 2K11, we’ve had two iterations of the Jordan Challenge, and he’s graced the cover of four editions of the game. However, long before NBA 2K was celebrating His Airness, he was closely associated with EA Sports. From licensing him for the NBA Playoffs series as he disappeared from other early 90s titles, to games such as Jordan vs. Bird, Michael Jordan in Flight and Chaos in the Windy City, it was EA who brought us MJ.

Of course, the last time that Michael Jordan made an official appearance in an EA Sports game was in NBA Live 2004. Indeed, until NBA 2K11, it marked the last time that he was officially featured in any video games. Needless to say, adding him to the Legends Pool and 90s All-Stars was an annual task for our modding community from NBA Live 2005 through NBA Live 08, so we were still able to play with him on PC. There was something special about official appearances though, especially given MJ’s absence from the virtual hardwood in the late 90s. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Tecmo Super NBA Basketball, primarily focusing on the Super Nintendo version.

Despite being old enough to have played it when it was new – or at the very least, recent – Tecmo Super NBA Basketball is another classic hoops title that I didn’t play until years later. As you may know from our podcast and my previous articles, I didn’t become a hardcore basketball fan and gamer until the mid 90s. This means that my introduction to the virtual hardwood was through games such as NBA Live 95, NBA Live 96, and NBA Jam Tournament Edition, rather than the likes of Double Dribble, Lakers vs. Celtics, Bulls vs. Blazers, and of course, Tecmo Super NBA Basketball.

I’ll admit that this made it difficult to truly appreciate those games the first time I played them. After all, they felt like inferior versions of games that I was actually nostalgic for! I respected their place in the history of the genre, but it was tough to get into them. They were intriguing though, and over the years, I’ve given those classics another chance. This has led to some fun retro gaming sessions where I’ve come to see why they’re so beloved, and discover aspects that were ahead of their time. That includes Tecmo Super NBA Basketball, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at NBA ShootOut, also known as Total NBA ’96.

With NBA 2K’s dominance over the virtual hardwood going back to the seventh generation consoles, it’s easy to forget that NBA Live was once the name in sim basketball video games. Its predecessor, the NBA Playoff series, had some strong competition in the form of Tecmo Super NBA Basketball, but the revamp with NBA Live 95 firmly established EA Sports as the top brand in the genre. NBA Live 96 was a strong follow-up, particularly on PC. Of course, other companies were still willingly throwing their hat into the ring with alternatives to compete with NBA Live.

I’ve enjoyed finally getting my hands on several of those alternatives in recent years. That includes Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s NBA ShootOut, titled Total NBA ’96 in PAL regions. Although it was never the top dog in the genre, it did tip off a series of games that competed with NBA Live, and later NBA 2K, right through to the 2004 season. As with many of the alternatives to the two biggest brands, the NBA ShootOut series ultimately fell short of truly challenging them, but it had a handful of interesting ideas from the very first release. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at my 2002 rosters for NBA Live 99.

If you weren’t around during the heyday of NBA Live modding, you might not be aware that I used to be a prolific roster modder. Inspired by the awesome work that our founders had done for the early NBA Live games on PC, I began making my own current roster updates, in particular focusing on NBA Live 96. I eventually moved on to newer games, and ended up taking over the NLSC-branded current rosters when Lutz retired. Beginning with NBA Live 2003, I spent many years creating current season updates for the latest release in the series.

However, given that I got my start in modding by updating a superseded title, and also have a predisposition for retro gaming, it’s no surprise that I was inspired to work on another older game after leaving NBA Live 96 behind. To that end, come the 2002 season, I began updating the rosters for NBA Live 99 PC, a mod you can still find in our Downloads database today. In some ways it was an unusual choice of game for me to work on, especially since it was a few years old at that point. I had my reasons though, and really enjoyed making those rosters! Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 habit of tossing out confidently incorrect gotchas in online discourse.

Through message boards, chat rooms, social media platforms, and Discord servers, the internet provides us with various ways to connect and discuss the hobbies and interests that are important to us. To that point, we have numerous avenues to tell each other that we’re wrong! This is of course a very old observation about online discourse. Cunningham’s Law posits that posting an incorrect answer is the best way to get the correct information about a topic. The iconic xkcd strip “Duty Calls” sums up our need to argue with each other: “Someone is wrong on the internet!”

You don’t have to be a troll or a toxic member of an online community to have felt the catharsis of telling someone they’re wrong and setting the record straight. As much as we rightfully call out the obnoxiousness of an “um, actually“, there’s no denying its appeal. Besides, it is possible to offer up a correction and useful information without being a pompous know-it-all. Unfortunately, the appeal of being the one to catch a mistake or misinformation leads some people to be very quick on the draw. In short, some of us are way too eager to shout “wrong” in an effort to embarrass someone else and sound smart. This is how we end up with so many confidently incorrect gotchas.

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Dennis Rodman and his changing hair colour on the virtual hardwood.

For decades now, it’s been common to see NBA players with prominent tattoos. Other players have made fashion statements through their hairstyles, sometimes bleaching or colouring their locks in some way. Jeremy Sochan is an example of both, sporting ink and adopting some very colourful looks during his three year NBA career. To that point though, Sochan brings to mind another power forward that once played for the Spurs, wore #10, and was infamous for his numerous tattoos and ever-changing hair colour. I am of course referring to Dennis Rodman!

The Worm’s unique style and unapologetic self-expression at times overshadowed his brilliance on the court, but there was no denying his popularity in the 90s; especially after he was traded to the Chicago Bulls and became an integral part of their second threepeat. Naturally, Rodman’s counterpart on the virtual hardwood was expected to capture this look, which was indeed achieved through unique textures and models. Quite impressively however, several old games also went so far as to give Dennis Rodman changing hair colour as well. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is another list of five times that basketball video games messed up player appearances.

Considering that there have been several topics that I’ve turned into a multi-part series in The Friday Five in recent years, it’s surprising that I haven’t covered this one since 2018! However, a new batch of examples have presented themselves, so it’s time to talk about five more times that basketball games messed up player appearances. As I noted in the previous article, there are times when we’re a bit harsh in our criticism of video game aesthetics. Modders aren’t under the same restrictions as the developers, from deadlines to properly-licensed assets.

At the same time, there have been some surprisingly sloppy errors and efforts in basketball video games throughout the years, resulting in player appearances being messed up. Whether it’s a poor likeness, mismatched textures, or players having the wrong appearance entirely, they stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, some of these mistakes can fly under the radar if you’re not familiar with the players, or you never played the games in question. To that point, thanks to an expanded collection, an open-minded approach to retro gaming, and a tip on X, these five examples include some that I definitely wouldn’t have thought of in 2018. Let’s tip things off with…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m sharing 30 fun facts about NBA Live 95, in honour of the PC version’s 30th Anniversary.

Can you believe that it’s been some 30 years since NBA Live 95 came to PC? The calendar says so and the maths checks out, but it’s still tough to get my head around! In any case, three decades have passed since EA Sports’ basketball games made a triumphant return to PC, and in doing so, ultimately inspired the creation of the NLSC and our modding community. With that in mind – and since we didn’t end up running any “official” 30th Anniversary of NBA Live content last year – it’s only appropriate that we mark the milestone with another look back at this iconic game.

Obviously, between Wayback Wednesday, our previous anniversary content, and other features, I’ve covered NBA Live 95 rather extensively at this point. A game of its quality and importance deserves its due though, especially on an anniversary. And so, I’ve decided to compile 30 fun facts about NBA Live 95 to celebrate the occasion. As you can imagine, it’s difficult to find 30 things about the game that haven’t been said before, but there are a few points of interest that aren’t talked about all that often. Hopefully, some will be news to you! Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m pondering another historical What If; that being, what if Michael Jordan didn’t retire in 1993?

Yesterday marks thirty years since Michael Jordan announced his return to the NBA following his retirement to play baseball in 1993. If you know your NBA history, you’re well aware of what happened next. After falling to the Orlando Magic in the second round, the Chicago Bulls bolstered their roster with Dennis Rodman, and His Airness led the team to a second threepeat before retiring for the second (but as it turned out, not final) time. Even with the interruption – even with the controversial Wizards stint – Michael Jordan had a tremendous career to put it mildly.

Of course, even with all of his accomplishments that still lead many pundits and fans alike to declare him the Greatest of All-Time – and I’m among them – MJ’s career does invite a couple of What Ifs. The most obvious one that would’ve changed the course of the mid 90s, and further added to his legacy, is if Michael Jordan didn’t retire in 1993. Now, as I acknowledged when I discussed the What If regarding Karl Malone becoming the all-time leading scorer, hypothetical scenarios don’t prove anything. They’re fun to consider though, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs.

As I’ve mentioned in previous Wayback Wednesday retrospectives and other articles, my introduction to basketball gaming was through NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NBA Live 95, and NBA Live 96. To that end, I don’t have the same nostalgia for the NBA Playoffs series – EA’s forerunner to NBA Live – as people who got into hoops and the virtual hardwood earlier than I did. The massive jump that took place with NBA Live 95 made it difficult to truly appreciate its predecessors at first, but as I’ve collected them and given them a proper chance, they’ve definitely grown on me.

I’ve jumped around a little as I’ve covered these classics for Wayback Wednesday. I tipped things off with the Olympic spinoff Team USA Basketball, went back to the beginning with Lakers vs. Celtics, and then most recently profiled NBA Showdown. Since chronological order is already out the window and a retrospective is overdue anyway, I figured I wouldn’t waste any more time getting to Bulls vs. Blazers! The final game to bear the “NBA Playoffs” branding may have been surpassed by its successors, but it’s still a classic release. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m paying tribute to the iconic T-Meter.

While a solid basketball video game may be able to get away with advanced controls that are complex and even contrived, the basics must be well-designed and easy to use. If shooting is clunky, or jumping on defense is useless, or trying to pass to a teammate standing next to you is somehow a chore, then the game is not mechanically sound! To that point, while free throws aren’t something that will (or at least, should) happen on every possession, they are a part of the sport as the result of infractions, and thus a basic skill that needs to be properly represented in video games.

Of course, just as certain titles have botched other fundamental aspects of basketball, developers have devised some bewilderingly terrible ways of shooting free throws on the virtual hardwood. All too often, they were needlessly complicating what should be a straightforward mechanic in the name of creativity, challenge, or trying to represent a shooting motion. What those games should’ve done – and indeed, some did – was to copy what EA Sports were doing with the T-Meter. Dated as it may seem, it remains one of my favourite mechanics for free throws. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at NBA Showdown, with a particular focus on the Super Nintendo version.

As someone whose basketball fandom was solidified in the mid 90s, my introduction to the virtual hardwood came slightly later than other hoops gamers my age. My first basketball video games were NBA Live 95 for Super Nintendo and the PC version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition, with NBA Live 96 PC also being an early favourite. To that point, I didn’t grow up playing any games in the NBA Playoffs series; the forerunner to NBA Live. As such, while I’ve always respected their contributions to the genre, I don’t have the same nostalgia for them as I do the early NBA Live titles.

Indeed, I’ve found the NBA Playoffs games quite difficult to get into, as they lacked many of the innovations that began with NBA Live 95. They are intriguing of course, and as I’ve added some of them to my collection, it has been fun and illuminating to spend some more time with them. Although they have their quirks, I’ve come to better appreciate them, and it’s been fun noticing early versions of features that later became staples of NBA Live. NBA Showdown was the final release before the re-brand and revamp, and the Super Nintendo version has captured my interest lately. In a way, it bridged the NBA Playoffs and NBA Live series. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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