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Highlights from NBA Live 95, NBA 2K25, & More

Highlights from NBA Live 95, NBA 2K25, & More

It should be clear from all of our content that we love basketball video games past and present here at the NLSC, and that of course includes uploads to our YouTube channel. Over the past month or so, Dee and I have been uploading highlights from a variety of games, literally spanning thirty years of the virtual hardwood as that includes reels from NBA Live 95 and NBA 2K25!

As we discussed in Episode #561 of the NLSC Podcast, we had a blast dusting off NBA Live 95 PC for a co-op session, with Dee uploading the highlights from our game between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. Dee also revisited NBA Live 96 PC for a game featuring the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors, in which Blue Edwards put on a show.

Meanwhile, I’m still on a kick with NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360. In addition to releasing a 2005 roster and working on a few other projects, I played some pick-up games using players from the 1987 and 1988 All-Star Games, including a few that I had to create. Dee and I also connected to play NBA Live 2004 for PS2, taking on the Rockets with the Suns. Finally, we flashed back to the Kobe Era in NBA 2K25 with a matchup between a fun Golden State Warriors squad and the new look Seattle Supersonics.

Catch up on all of the latest uploads below, and if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content! As always, Dee and I are open to suggestions for games that you’d like to see us play, so feel free to hit us up in the comments, the Forum, or via our socials.

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NLSC Podcast #557: Go-To Moves & The Myth About Sim

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #557 of the NLSC Podcast!

What does “sim” really entail when it comes to basketball video games? There are definitely some myths and misunderstandings, which we’re certainly eager to clear up! This includes how realism affects the virtual hardwood, and how recent games have performed in their approach to the sim style. Talking real hoops leads into us joining the community in recalling the go-to moves that we like to use when we play basketball, whether it’s in an organised league or pick-up. We also recap a co-op session of NBA 2K17 featuring the Ultimate Classic Teams Roster and a couple of quintessential video game teams, and provide a PSA regarding NBA 2K23 and its impending server shutdown.

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 #556: Terrible Takes & Devastating Losses

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #556 of the NLSC Podcast!

What are some of the worst basketball and basketball video game takes that we’ve encountered over the years? This week, we join our fellow gamers and hoop heads in recalling an assortment of truly terrible opinions that definitely made us scoff! We also played a couple of co-op games of NBA Live 18 using Parsec and the Xbox App. As we discuss, these sessions not only reminded us of the promising potential that NBA Live 18 had, but also saw us gain some satisfying revenge following a tough defeat. On that note, we also join the community in reflecting on the most devastating losses that we’ve endured on the virtual hardwood.

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!

Highlights from NBA 2K25, NBA Live 2000, & More

Highlights from NBA 2K25, NBA Live 2000, & More

It’s time for another NLSC YouTube roundup! As you may have seen, for Halloween I put together a new Tales from the Virtual Hardwood video, diving into an urban legend involving Jason Collier and NBA Live 06. On top of that, Dee and I have also been uploading highlights from our co-op and individual gaming sessions, featuring NBA 2K25, NBA Live 2000, and other titles.

First of all, there’s a spectacular reel of highlights from Dee and his brother’s ongoing Legends MyNBA in NBA 2K25. The latest reel covers Games 11 through 20, with the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and Clyde Drexler all doing what they do best.

Dee also put together a reel of the best moments from our game of NBA Live 2000, in which we took on the Indiana Pacers with the Detroit Pistons. It was an unusual game that wasn’t as successful as a majority of our other co-op sessions, but it reminded us of the teams’ interesting lineups, and the brilliance of NBA Live 2000 PC. In case you missed it, we discussed the game in Episode #550 of the NLSC Podcast.

I usually post bulletins whenever I upload a new entry in the NBA 2K14 Retro Series, but I neglected to do so for the latest one. That is of course a 1986 showdown between the rival Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, which ended in dramatic fashion. I’ve already played a few other retro matchups that will be uploaded in the near future.

Finally, Dee and I connected this past week to play NBA 2K13 using the 1996 URB roster. We opted to take on the Atlanta Hawks with the Orlando Magic, and it was a blast playing with young Shaq and Penny! Stay tuned for our discussion of that session in the next NLSC Podcast.

Check out all of those highlights from NBA 2K25, NBA Live 2000, NBA 2K14, and NBA 2K13 below! As always, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

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NBA 2K25 Gameplay Highlights

NBA 2K25 Gameplay Highlights

As mentioned in Episode #545 of the NLSC Podcast, Dee has been showcasing the gameplay in NBA 2K25 with several uploads to the NLSC YouTube channel. A variety of teams and players are on display, along with different experiences; namely, solo, head-to-head, and co-op play. The NBA and WNBA are also both represented.

The very first NBA 2K25 gameplay video that Dee uploaded saw him taking on the CPU-controlled Knicks with the Celtics. He followed this up with a showdown between the Pelicans and Warriors, controlled by Dee and his brother respectively. The game that we recapped in the latest pod, in which we defeated the Kings with the Nuggets, shows off some co-op play over Parsec. As noted, you’ll also find a couple of WNBA reels, including a solo game in which Dee faced the Mercury with the Fever, and a head-to-head game where Dee played with the Mercury and his brother used the Dream.

His latest NBA2K25 gameplay highlights feature another solo game pitting the Bucks against the Trail Blazers. Dee also demonstrates the depth of instant replay in this year’s game with ten different angles on an alley-oop from Jason Williams to Stromile Swift. Please note that all of these reels are from the PC version of NBA 2K25, which is of course a New Gen port.

Check out all of those videos below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content – from the classics right through to NBA 2K25 – and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of teams that you’d like to see us use, and games that you’d like to see us play. Also be sure to tune in to Episode #545 of the NLSC Podcast to hear our first impressions of NBA 2K25!

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2003 Highlights in NBA Live 2003 & NBA 2K17

2003 Highlights in NBA Live 2003 & NBA 2K17

In our most recent Parsec sessions, Dee and I turned back the clock to 2003 in a couple of different ways! As you’ll see from the latest highlights uploaded to the NLSC YouTube channel, we connected to play the GameCube version of NBA Live 2003, and NBA 2K17 PC using Dee’s Ultimate Classic Teams Roster.

The NBA Live 2003 game – which we’ll be discussing in this week’s NLSC Podcast – saw us take on the San Antonio Spurs with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whenever you flash back to that era, it’s difficult to pass up the opportunity to play out an epic battle of big men, namely Tim Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett. It wasn’t just KG and TD putting on a show though, as David Robinson, Steve Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Anthony Peeler, and other notable names all contributed highlights.

Dee put together a fantastic project in the Ultimate Classic Teams Roster, and it allowed us to play an extremely authentic 2003 season showdown in NBA 2K17, jam-packed with highlights. We took on Steve Francis, rookie Yao Ming, and the Houston Rockets with an Orlando Magic squad featuring Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, and an aging Shawn Kemp. The game opened with a jaw-dropping poster from T-Mac, and the great plays just kept on coming after that!

Check out the highlights of these 2003 season matchups in two different games – one from the season in question, one more recent and modded to include those teams – below! As always, be sure to subscribe to our channel for more basketball gaming content, and feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games you’d like to see us play.

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NBA Live 10 & NBA 2K10 Highlights

NBA Live 10 & NBA 2K10 Highlights

Although Dee and I enjoy connecting to play a variety of basketball video games over Parsec, we’ve established some reliable favourites that we’ll always go back to. Two of those titles are NBA 2K10 and NBA Live 10, and to that end, Dee has uploaded highlights from our recent sessions with both games!

In our NBA 2K10 session, we played another game with the incredible 1997 season mod. Once again we were took control of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and the Chicago Bulls to face Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, and the Utah Jazz. It was an exciting game that went back and forth and right down to the wire, with back-to-back clutch plays leading to an epic victory. NBA 2K10 is a more a recent favourite of ours, but I know that we’ll connect on it again, especially with that awesome 1997 roster at our disposal.

Meanwhile, thanks to Parsec and RPCS3, NBA Live 10 has long been one of our favourite games to play together. With the 2024 Olympics looming, we were inspired to play with the FIBA teams, specifically taking on Argentina with Team USA. It was yet another reminder that NBA Live 10 was doing some great things, and could’ve set up a bright future for the series. Wistful What Ifs aside, it was a blast to play NBA Live 10 as always, and it produced some entertaining highlights.

We’ll be discussing those games on the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, coming out this Tuesday. In the meantime, check out both highlight reels below! As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, and be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content!

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NLSC Podcast #529: Classic Seasons, Legendary Challenges, & Struggling Stars

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #529 of the NLSC Podcast!

Which stars, past or present, have been harder to use in basketball video games than they should’ve been? This week, we join the community in recalling our most memorable examples of struggling stars on the virtual hardwood, and what made them so difficult to dominate with. We also recap a fun Parsec session of NBA 2K19, in which we used the 1986 roster from the Classic Seasons project. On a less positive note, there’s the dismaying news that NBA 2K24 has been extremely profitable for Take-Two despite the game receiving significant backlash and criticism from the community. Along with some damning remarks from someone who has been involved with the NextMaker program, it doesn’t fill us with hope for future releases.

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 2K8 Highlights: Class of 2004 vs. Class of 2005

NBA 2K8 Highlights: Class of 2004 vs. Class of 2005

For anyone who hasn’t seen them yet, Dee has uploaded the highlights from our Parsec session of NBA 2K8 to the NLSC YouTube channel. In this co-op game, we assumed control of the Class of 2004 squad and took on the Class of 2005, essentially staging our own version of the Rookie Challenge from the 2005 All-Star Weekend.

As we discussed in our recap in Episode #521 of the NLSC Podcast, unfortunately a power outage ended the game prematurely as the fourth quarter was drawing to a close. We were in the lead at the time – so I for one am going to call it a victory for us – but it was certainly shaping up to be a dramatic conclusion. As you can see from the highlights however, it was an exciting game up until that point with Ben Gordon lighting it up from range, Josh Smith skying for some thunderous finishes on alley-oops, and cover player Chris Paul giving us everything we could handle on defense. See for yourself!

NBA 2K8 is a game that I still need to cover for Wayback Wednesday, so stay tuned for that retrospective and further highlights! As always, we encourage you to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already, as well as hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

The Friday Five: 5 Unexpected Retro Kicks

The Friday Five: 5 Unexpected Retro Kicks

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 unexpected retro kicks.

As I said in my first Friday Five for February 2024, I’m not going to stop retro gaming anytime soon! It’s a habit that I’ve picked up again with the help of Dee, and I’m quite grateful for that, as grinding up a new MyPLAYER year after year had become an absolute chore. We’ve connected to play a number of different titles over Parsec these past few years, with some of them becoming staples of our co-op rotation. In many cases, I’ve also been inspired to revisit these games solo, leading to some fun sessions and more than a few Wayback Wednesday articles.

Of course, not every game that I revisit turns into a retro kick. I’ll have some fun with it, and then it’s back on the bench, so to speak. However, other games do capture my interest and become regulars in my basketball gaming rotation. These unexpected retro kicks take me by surprise, but I’m always delighted when they happen. Quite often, it leads to me spending time with a game that I didn’t play much when it was new, if at all. As someone with a predisposition to enjoy retro gaming, it’s never too late to give games a second chance and make up for lost time. I have been surprised by some of the titles that ended up hooking me years later though, such as these five.

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Monday Tip-Off: Original Hardware or Emulation?

Monday Tip-Off: Original Hardware or Emulation?

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 better to play retro basketball games on original hardware, or via emulation.

My first foray into emulation actually happened around 1994, though I wasn’t too familiar with the term or concept back then. I was trying to get Commander Keen – a legendary platformer and true classic of vintage PC gaming – to run on an Archimedes Acorn desktop, using an official DOS emulator. I wasn’t nearly as computer savvy as I’d later become, so I failed in the attempt. I had more success a few years later when I was checking out one of the early Super Nintendo emulators for PC, which was also DOS-based. I recall feeling underwhelmed though, especially with the lack of audio.

These days, emulation has come a long way, to the point where the emulators for many consoles can mimic original hardware near-perfectly. Not only that, but they also have other enhancements including save states, media capture, visual filters, and so on. That’s led to some debate among retro gamers as to whether it’s preferable to play on original hardware or simply rely on emulation. Needless to say, the latter does raise some ethical and indeed legal questions, but assuming that you can play a game you own on the original hardware or an emulator, which method is superior? As far as the virtual hardwood is concerned, for me, it depends on my needs at any given time.

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NLSC 2023 Year-in-Review

NLSC 2023 Year-in-Review

And so, we’ve come to the end of another year here at the NLSC! I’d like to thank everyone for supporting the NLSC throughout 2023, from the modders and frequent Forum users to everyone who checks out our original content, and of course our Patrons on Patreon for helping us to keep the lights on. We’ve been around since 1996 when our founders tipped everything off with their tools and mods for NBA Live 95 and NBA Live 96 PC, and as we’re still passionate about basketball video games, we intend to be around for some time yet! Obviously the internet has changed a lot since we were founded, but we’re grateful that so many people still see us as a destination for basketball gaming.

To that end, it was our pleasure to provide extensive coverage of the virtual hardwood here on the NLSC throughout 2023. In addition to covering any news and previews regarding the latest and upcoming iterations of NBA 2K, Dee and I produced a plethora of original content about basketball gaming. If I do say so myself, we make a great duo in that regard! We obviously co-hosted the NLSC Podcast, I continued to write multiple articles a week and try my hand at some more videos, and Dee produced a huge amount of videos for the NLSC YouTube channel, from highlight reels to the weekly Top 10 Plays. I can speak for both of us when I say that we had a blast creating that content!

Thus, as we get ready to enter 2024, we’re presenting our Year-in-Review here at the NLSC. Dee and I have made our editors’ picks of my weekly features, our podcast, our videos, and the Top 10 Plays, choosing our favourite ten of each to spotlight. Needless to say, we encourage you to browse the entire NLSC archives, but this is the content from 2023 that we’re most proud of. I’d like to thank Dee for being my co-pilot for another year, and I look forward to what we’ll be doing with basketball games in 2024. I’ll touch on that again at the end of the wrap-up, but before we get to that, here are both of our picks for our favourite articles, videos, Top 10 Plays, and podcasts throughout 2023!

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Monday Tip-Off: Two Hoop Heads Are Better Than One

Monday Tip-Off: Two Hoop Heads Are Better Than One

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 the joys of co-op play, which demonstrate that two hoop heads (or even more) can indeed be better than one.

So, I’ve previously spoken out in defense of single player experiences, and I do stand by that. As someone who essentially grew up as an only child – my half-brother is sixteen years older than me – I’ve often treated video games as a solo activity. Many of my all-time favourite games are single player, or can be enjoyed just as much alone as when playing with other people. Thanks to season, franchise, and career modes, to say nothing of fun ideas for exhibition games, I’ve made many fond memories balling out alone against the CPU, rather than with or against anyone else.

My immediate circle of friends not being passionate hoop heads like me was also a factor here. Of course, basketball became very popular back in the 90s, so there were times that I hit the virtual hardwood with friends growing up, particularly in arcade titles. As such, I wasn’t always playing NBA Live or NBA Jam solo. On top of that, my cousin Clinton and I were (and still are) very close and share a love of basketball, and would play a variety of hoops games religiously when he came to visit every school holidays. We always played co-op, and so when Dee and I started teaming up in our Parsec sessions, it was a familiar experience that I’m glad to partake in again.

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NCAA Basketball 09 Classic Teams & Other Highlights

NCAA Basketball 09 Classic Teams & Other Highlights

As we’ve been doing all year – and will continue to do in 2024! – Dee and I have recently uploaded highlight reels from various basketball games that we’ve been playing. The latest batch of highlights come courtesy of the classic teams in NCAA Basketball 09, Ultimate Team in NBA Live 18, all-time fantasy rosters in NBA 2K19, and a co-op session of NBA Live 10.

I’ve been casually working on a custom roster for NCAA Basketball 09, adding real names to all of the players on the classic teams. I’ve played a couple of games with that work-in-progress roster in the past week or so, beginning with a showdown between Shaquille O’Neal’s 1990 LSU Tigers and Larry Johnson’s 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. I also re-played the 1979 National Championship game between Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans and Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores, which went live today in honour of Bird’s birthday. Happy Birthday Larry Legend!

I also dusted off NBA Live 18 Ultimate Team once again, in order to play with my 90s All-Stars squad. This resulted in a very fun game against the Brooklyn Nets, packed with highlights that I just had to share. Meanwhile, Dee always brings a plethora of spectacular moments with his highlight reels, as you can see in the NBA 2K19 video in which he and his brother are using a squad of 2000s Legends against a Los Angeles Clippers team built using an all-time fantasy draft. In their hands, the new stars of a new millennium really put on a show!

Finally, Dee also connected with NBA Live Dude to play a co-op game of NBA Live 10 over Parsec. As you may know, Dee has been instrumental in getting the community into Parsec, and he and I often use it to connect for co-op action on the virtual hardwood. He and NBA Live Dude showcased why NBA Live 10 is still worth playing in 2023 and beyond, and why it will continue to be in our rotations as well. Don’t forget to check out his guide on how to set up Parsec, and be sure to join us in the NLSC Discord! As always, feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play, and be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content.

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NBA Live 09 Highlights: Jazz vs. Timberwolves

NBA Live 09 Highlights: Jazz vs. Timberwolves

Over the weekend, Dee and I connected on Parsec as we often do. We were keen for a co-op session of NBA Live 09 – which is now working properly on the RPCS3 emulator – and the game produced several highlights, which Dee has uploaded to our YouTube channel.

As you can see, we were using the Utah Jazz, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. We were in control for most of the game, but our pursuit of highlights and excitement to be revisiting NBA Live 09 got the better of us, and the Timberwolves made a run while our guard was down. As a result, it took some clutch play in the final minutes to force overtime, and then a spirited run in the extra period, to pick up the victory. It was an immensely satisfying win though, in a game that holds up quite well. See for yourself!

We’ll have more to say about our session with NBA Live 09 in Episode #488 of the NLSC Podcast. That will be dropping later today, so stay tuned! Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content. As always, we’re open to suggestions for what you’d like to see us play, so feel free to hit us up!