Tag Archives: Play Now Online

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.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:00:18 — 41.8MB)

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 reflections on the server shutdowns that have taken place in 2024 – or will soon take place – as it relates to basketball gaming.

As gamers, we all know too well that server shutdowns are inevitable. While it’s unfortunate, it’s also understandable. There comes a point where there simply aren’t enough people still playing a game to justify the cost, time, and energy required to maintain online support. We’re also given a clear heads up in the documentation for games. For example, following a change in policy in the wake of the backlash to the NBA 2K14 server shutdown in 2015, we’ve been able to bank on 27 months of online support for each game in the NBA 2K series thereafter.

Still, even when we know that they’re coming, and can understand the reasons behind them, server shutdowns remain a bummer. Most of us are going to be left with some unfinished business, or just be disappointed that we can’t revisit and continue playing a memorable save in a connected mode. To that end, as of writing, we’ve lost online support for one Triple-A basketball game in 2024, while a second will see its server shutdowns happen very soon. Meanwhile, the closure of another online service was a blow for anyone still playing their Xbox 360. As such, I’m reflecting on those server shutdowns, and how my basketball gaming has been (or will be) impacted by them.

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The beginning of a new year always sees us bidding farewell to online support for a recent NBA 2K title, and 2024 is no exception. As you will have noticed if you’ve fired up the game since the clock ticked over to January 1st 2024, the NBA 2K22 servers have now been shut down.

2K posted a reminder about the impending server shutdown for the 2021 release back in August last year, and it’s in line with their standard policy of 27 months of online support. As I’ve previously noted, 2K used to only promise 18 months of online support, but controversy in the wake of the NBA 2K14 servers being shut down led to them amending their approach.

Needless to say, with the NBA 2K22 servers being shut down, any modes and features that have online content are no longer available. This includes MyCAREER and its connected modes, MyTEAM, Play Now Online, and roster sharing. Obviously on PC, we’re able to share rosters the old-fashioned way independently of the in-game functionality, but this isn’t possible on console.

While there has been talk of reactivating servers for old games – and it did surprisingly happen for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition in 2022 – it’s generally highly unlikely. Nevertheless, it’s something that we can continue to advocate for as a community, as it never hurts to ask! As for NBA 2K22, while many people have likely already moved on – as is usually the case – we’ll of course continue to support it here at the NLSC as far as discussion, mod hosting, and modding resources.

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #424 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA Live 2000 PC is back in the rotation, delighting with its gameplay. However, its presentation also leads to a surprising revelation, and a tribute to the late Don Poier. Once again, we can’t rule out some retro modding projects for the game! We also circle back to the potential tease of a new college basketball game, and reflect on missed opportunities with EA’s marketing of its hoops titles. As always, we provide updates on what we’ve been playing, including the latest progress in NBA 2K19 MyLEAGUE using the 1995 season mod, and Year 3 of NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. This week’s mailbag is all about how the community likes to spend its time on the virtual hardwood, and we received plenty of interesting answers covering a variety of modes.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:29:24 — 61.7MB)

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! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on how achieving completion in basketball video games is really what you make it.

Achieving completion in most video games is fairly straightforward. Any game with an ultimate win condition such as a final boss or mission/quest can clearly be finished. There may be postscript content in games that can be played after their ending, even if it’s just an opportunity to finish side quests/missions and achieve 100% completion. These objectives are usually listed somewhere in the game, allowing you to keep track of them. To that end, I can tell you which Grand Theft Auto games I’ve finished, what I’ve done in Fallout games, and how successful I’ve been in various other titles I own.

Basketball gaming is different, particularly when we’re talking about the sim titles. There are goals that you can aim for, such as winning an NBA Championship in the various season, franchise, and career modes. Simply playing every game on twelve minute quarters could be considered a form of completion, having experienced the ups and downs of an NBA campaign…then again, games can be simulated. More to the point, the depth of modern basketball games make it extremely difficult to clearly achieve completion compared to other genres. With that in mind, we have to set our own definitions of completion to achieve satisfaction before a release is outdated.

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Episode #367 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

The surprising quality of Garfield Kart (of all things) leads us to consider how to make a good rip-off, and where so many NBA Jam clones have come up short. However, our main topic this week is controversial and unpopular basketball gaming opinions. We share a few of our own potentially divisive takes, and react to the fantastic responses we received on Twitter when we invited our followers to share theirs. As it turns out, some opinions may be more popular than some people think! Additionally, we touch on how people are discouraged from sharing unpopular opinions – or just opinions in general – particularly valid criticism. In this week’s mailbag, we return to the question of when releases should and likely will end for Current Gen.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:46:07 — 72.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

As per the official 2K Support Twitter account, the NBA 2K19 servers will be shut down on December 31st, 2020. After that point, all online content will be unavailable. This includes Play Now Online, MyTEAM, and the entirety of MyCAREER and its connected modes. Any Virtual Currency and MT you have will also be lost, and in-game roster sharing will no longer be possible.

This falls in line with 2K’s policy of providing online support for 27 months, adopted after the NBA 2K14 server shutdown resulted in controversy. Interestingly, the NBA 2K18 servers were kept online for an additional three weeks, before being shut down earlier this year on January 18th.

Since December 31st is only a little over a week away, I’d advise you to wrap up any business before the NBA 2K19 servers are gone. This includes aiming for any Trophies/Achievements in the online modes, completing a season in MyCAREER, and playing with your favourite MyTEAM cards. With roster sharing also disappearing once the servers are gone, I’d also recommend that you download any rosters you want while you still can. This includes projects such as the Classic Seasons rosters by Stildo33 and company.

Thanks to sticky-fingers for the heads up in the Forum!

Patch 1.05 is now available for NBA 2K20. It will come through automatically for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions, as long as you have an active Internet connection. If you run into any issues, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for the update manually.

It’s a considerable update, weighing in at 626.8 MB on PC, 20.6 GB on PS4, and 35.8 GB on XB1. Unfortunately the patch notes aren’t very detailed, filing most of the changes under the heading of “Many, many more fixes included to improve the overall experience of NBA 2K20”. However, Mike Wang has provided some additional insights on Twitter regarding changes to the gameplay. In addition to addressing disconnection issues, Patch 1.05 for NBA 2K20 adjusts “full white” releases, buffs the Pick Dodger Badge, fixes baseline dunks that weren’t triggering properly, and widens the speed gap.

You can check out the official patch notes below, along with Beluba’s Tweets. I’ve also added that information to the update history for NBA 2K20 over in our Wiki. Feel free to share your thoughts on the update in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum.

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