Tag Archives: PlayStation 3

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 technical tips for anyone who’d like to get into retro gaming, in particular through the use of emulation.

There seems to be a growing interest in retro basketball gaming, and I love to see it! Obviously, people have been going back to old favourites or sticking with a treasured game for a long time now, but I’ve been noticing more enthusiasm for it in recent years. Whether it’s a case of NBA 2K fatigue, people reaching an age where they’re feeling more nostalgic, less stigma around retro gaming, or a combination of those factors, there’s a clear desire to revisit the classics. We’re keen advocates for that here at the NLSC, and moving forward, we’ll look to expand our retro gaming resources.

In that spirit, I’d like to share some technical advice for retro gaming, with a focus on emulation. Naturally there’s a certain charm to playing on original hardware – whether it’s a console or an older PC – and in some ways it’s definitely easier! There are many benefits to emulation though, whether we’re talking about retro console emulators or compatibility fixes to get old PC games up and running on a modern system. Thanks to the efforts of some talented people throughout the years, we’re at a point where emulation has greatly improved, and retro gaming is technically viable. You may encounter a few difficulties here and there though, so hopefully these tips will help.

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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 the In the Zone mechanic in the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 07.

As you may know, NBA The Run will feature a mechanic called In the Zone. For more on that, be sure to tune in to the latest episode of the NLSC Podcast, where Dee provides his in-depth impressions of the upcoming game! Unsurprisingly, it’s not the first time that a basketball video game has used that well-travelled term for being locked in and performing at a high level. It was the name of Konami’s sim-arcade hybrid games, and it’s the title of an extremely catchy track from Midway’s NBA Hangtime. And of course, In the Zone was a mechanic in NBA Live 07 for Xbox 360.

Although NBA Live 07’s mechanic sprang to my mind when I first heard that NBA The Run would be using the name for its power-up, at this point, I think it’s safe to lay claim to the moniker. Not only is it a common term, but the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 07 was a terrible release that few gamers would care to revisit, so its take on being In the Zone is largely forgotten. With that being said, Wayback Wednesday is as much about digging into the forgotten history of the virtual hardwood as it is celebrating our most nostalgic memories, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #628 of the NLSC Podcast!

While it’s certainly exciting to be on the cutting edge of gaming technology, we’re not always in a rush to upgrade our hardware and play the (supposedly) most advanced versions of basketball video games. This week, we’re taking a look at why many basketball gamers often opt to stick with last gen hoops titles – ourselves included – and some of the benefits of delaying a jump to the next generation. We also touch on next gen elitism and gatekeeping – in particular, the “you’re broke” crowd – and the community shares their experiences in sticking with last gen basketball video games. Suffice it to say that it’s been a more common practice over the years than some people may think!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:02:02 — 43.0MB)

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!

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 basketball games that I’d love to add to my retro rotation in 2026.

With such a large collection of basketball video games and a predisposition for retro gaming, I’m not too bothered by my disinterest in more recent releases. Moreover, between a MyCAREER and historical matchups in NBA 2K14, a co-op NBA 2K9 Bulls Association with Dee, and a Bulls Dynasty in NBA Live 16, my retro basketball gaming rotation already has some enjoyable fixtures. There are also a handful of other retro favourites that frequently find their way back into my rotation, including NBA 2K17, NBA 2K6, and NBA Live 10.

Of course, there’s always room for other favourites! Furthermore, as fun as it is to have a retro kick begin unexpectedly and on a whim, there are some games that I’d like to make an effort to bring back into my rotation and enjoy anew. There was a time when I felt that certain games were getting too old to enjoy, but suffice it to say that I’ve changed my mind about that! Indeed, between unfinished business, playing different modes, and adding new content with mods, those old favourites can offer many fresh experiences. It remains to be seen how many of these titles re-enter my retro rotation, but they’re at the top of the list of games I’d love to revisit more often.

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In case you thought johnz1 was kidding about updating NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition throughout the 2020s or until he grows weary of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition – unlikely as the latter seems – V5.1 of the mod is now available! As with the previous release, it works with both the RPCS3 emulator and jailbroken PlayStation 3s. Please note that the mod is only available for PS3, and no Xbox 360 version is available or planned.

Although NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition is intended to be a “best of the 2020s” total conversion rather than a current season roster, V5.1 does include some updates for the 2026 season. Specifically, the 2026 Hawks, Celtics, and Raptors have been added, and James Harden has been moved to the Cavaliers. A handful of players have been removed to make way for new additions, the roster order has been changed for a few teams, and new artwork has been added including remastered player faces and other enhancements. Please note that the new release is essentially treated as a brand new game, so save files for previous versions of the mod unfortunately won’t work with V5.1.

Full release notes for NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition V5.1 can be found below. Download the mod here in the release topic, where you’ll also find additional information, previews, and updates. Shout out as always to johnz1 for pioneering NBA Jam: On Fire Edition modding, and keeping this and his other amazing projects going!

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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 09: The Inside for PlayStation 3.

The 2008 season lineup of basketball video games is arguably one of the weakest in the history of the genre. Outside of College Hoops 2K8, its titles aren’t popular picks for all-time favourites, or widely considered to be among the best in their series. NBA Live 08 was significantly better than NBA Live 07, but that was a low bar to clear, with plenty of room left for improvement. NBA 2K8 was a strange misstep following NBA 2K7. NBA 08 was at least on par with NBA 07, but to that point, there was no major leap in quality.

Fortunately, the genre bounced back for the 2009 season, providing basketball gamers with a couple of solid titles, and one fantastic release. Was NBA 09: The Inside one of those games? Well, not to spoil the entire retrospective, but unfortunately it wasn’t. In fact, in the spirit of the season, I’d suggest that anyone who was unlucky enough to receive NBA 09: The Inside for Christmas in 2008 may as well have been gifted a lump of coal in their stocking! So, why the harsh words for San Diego Studio’s final NBA game on PlayStation 3? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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A fantastic mod continues to get even better, as johnz1 has released V4.0 of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition for the PlayStation 3 version of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition! As previously noted, this isn’t a current season update for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, but is instead meant to be a “best of the 2020s” roster.

With that being said, V4.0 of the mod does include some updates for the 2026 season. Specifically, the Orlando Magic have their new logo, court, and uniforms, some of the Class of 2025 rookies have been added including Cooper Flagg and VJ Edgecombe, several headshots have been updated, and a couple of teams’ squads are now based on the mid 2020s.

Full release notes for NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition V4.0 can be found below. The mod works best and is certainly easier to install on the RPCS3 emulator, but it can also be installed on a jailbroken PS3 if you have the knowhow. As with previous releases, V4.0 is essentially treated as a new game, so unfortunately any save files from older versions of the mod can’t be carried over without causing problems.

Download V4.0 of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition here! For more information and previews, check out the release topic here. johnz1 continues to do some amazing work breathing new life into an outstanding game, so hats off to him once again for the latest release, and a big thanks for making it available to everyone free of charge.

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Happy Halloween, everyone! We’re definitely in the spooky spirit this year, with a Friday Five recalling five times that Halloween hit the virtual hardwood, and a special edition of the NLSC Top 10 Plays coming a little later on. In that same spirit, I’m presenting a new Tales of the Virtual Hardwood, all about the monsters in NBA Live 08!

What’s that? You don’t remember any monsters in NBA Live 08? I assure you, this is no mod or cheat code! Hiding in plain sight in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of NBA Live 08 are some ghoulish figures. I’d suggest that most of us who know about their presence probably discovered them completely by accident while messing around in instant replay. This tale isn’t as infamous as the haunted NBA Jam cabinets, but it’s undeniably creepy! Behold…

I hope you enjoyed this spooky tale about the monsters in NBA Live 08! It was definitely a lot of fun to put together. Dee and I are frequently uploading content to the NLSC YouTube channel – usually highlights, retrospectives, video essays, and episodes of the NLSC Podcast rather than spooky stories – so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already. Once again, stay tuned for a special Halloween edition of the NLSC Top 10 Plays later today.

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 NBA Elite 11 demo and its impact on the NBA Live series with an in-depth video retrospective.

Fifteen years ago on Sunday, NBA Elite 11 was supposed to be released. However, following a disastrous hands-on preview that made it very clear that the game wasn’t anywhere close to being ready, it was delayed right before it was set to hit shelves. While much of its infamy comes from the video of Andrew Bynum getting stuck in the t-pose at halfcourt, there were so many other problems with the NBA Elite 11 demo, and the retail version. It’s no surprise that the game was ultimately cancelled, but just how badly did EA Sports mess up? Let’s take a look back…way back…

I hope you enjoyed this look back at EA Sports’ biggest basketball blunder! It’s been on my list of Wayback Wednesday ideas for a while now, and since we’ve reached the 15th anniversary of the whole debacle, the timing seemed right. Incidentally, if you have an Xbox 360 and would like to give the demo a try, it’s still available here in our Downloads section. If you’re after a legitimate copy of the full version…well, that can be an expensive endeavour! In any case, feel free to share your thoughts on the NBA Elite 11 demo, as well as the retail version if you’ve played it. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and stay tuned for more retrospectives!

johnz1 has released V3.0 of the fantastic NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition mod for the PlayStation 3 version of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition! It features some notable changes from V2.0, released back in May.

Roster updates include adding Kevin Durant to the Rockets, DeAndre Ayton to the Lakers, and Desmond Bane to the Magic. A couple of other players have also been removed accordingly. There are some new and fixed headshots and head textures for a couple of players, updated ratings, and other enhancements.

Key features of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition V3.0 can be found below. As previously noted, the mod isn’t intended to be a 2025 or 2026 roster update. It instead adds squads from the recent past with a couple of recent lineups, essentially serving as a “best of the 2020s” roster. It works best with the RPCS3 emulator, but it can also be installed on a jailbroken PS3.

Download V3.0 of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition here! For more information and previews, check out the release topic here. johnz1 continues to do awesome work sprucing up an all-time classic, so shout out to him as always for the latest release, and for making it available to everyone free of charge. Keep it locked to this topic in the Forum for more info on all of his projects for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition!

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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 a list of five of my best retro pick-ups as a basketball video game collector.

Expanding my basketball video game collection in recent years has been immensely satisfying. Sometimes I don’t like to think about the cumulative cost, but as I’ve said in previous articles and on our podcast, it’s always my goal to strive to be as savvy and frugal as possible. I’m not going to overpay just to get a game that I want right away, unless it’s particularly rare and difficult to get hold of. Even then, I’m still going to shop around and balk at any price tag that’s straight-up gouging. My advice to any would-be video game collector is to not overspend on your retro pick-ups.

Although snagging some bargains is definitely a part of what makes some of my retro pick-ups so satisfying, I don’t just collect for the sake of completion, or the thrill of the hunt. I want to play these games and create content about them, so it’s been a joy to finally get my hands on titles that I overlooked, couldn’t access, or simply didn’t know about years ago. Unsurprisingly, some of them are more challenging than others to obtain years and indeed decades later, especially without paying more than they’re worth. These five games are among my best and most satisfying retro pick-ups, as it took some good deals and good fortune for me to snap them up for my collection.

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You may recall that back in February, johnz1 released a new mod for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, bringing the 2020s to the game. V2.0 of the project is now available!

The new version of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition adds three new teams to the lineup: Detroit, Houston, and Toronto. A couple of players have been removed from teams where they’re no longer a good fit, and the final game in Road Trip is now USA vs. France. Player appearances and ratings have also been updated, along with some team uniforms. Please note that V2.0 essentially functions as a new game, so save files from V1.0 unfortunately won’t work with the new release. Check out the readme for more information on installation.

Key features of V2.0 can be found below. As previously noted, this mod isn’t an update for the 2025 season. Rather, it adds squads from on the recent past with a couple of current lineups, making the selection more of a “best teams of 2020” scenario. To that end, some franchises have multiple teams to choose from. Once again, more information can be found in the release notes below.

Download the new version of NBA Jam: 2020s On Fire Edition here! For more information and previews, check out the release topic here. johnz1 has done some amazing work updating an all-time classic, so shout out to him as always for the awesome mod, and for making it available to one and all free of charge. Stay tuned for more of his projects for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition!

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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 the selection of retro jerseys in NBA Live 10.

Some basketball gamers have declared NBA Live 10 to be the best game in the NBA Live series. While I’ve definitely come to enjoy it a lot more over the years and would agree that it’s the last really good release in the series, I still give the nod to NBA Live 06 PC as the best all-around hoops sim from EA Sports. With that being said, NBA Live 10 is very solid and a lot of fun on the sticks, had some great ideas with adidas LIVE Run and Dynamic Season, and even brought back a standalone Playoffs mode. Unfortunately we lost the All-Star Weekend, but Dynasty mode was still there.

And of course, NBA Live 10 brought back retro jerseys! The lack of historical content during the seventh generation NBA Live titles was undoubtedly a knock on the series, especially since Legends and throwback uniforms were still being featured in the sixth generation versions and their PC ports. However, one of the goals for NBA Live 10 was to celebrate basketball culture; an initiative that not only led to the addition of The Hangar, but also the return of retro jerseys. It’s a part of the game that I really enjoy whenever I’m on an NBA Live 10 kick, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #577 of the NLSC Podcast!

While we’ll never get sick of basketball gaming, we’re taking a quick timeout from the virtual hardwood this week as we join the community in listing and discussing some of the other video games that are currently in our rotations. This includes reflecting on the aspects of those games that are keeping us hooked on them, while also noting some of the similarities to our basketball gaming habits. We also discuss finding new ways to play old favourites including self-imposed challenges and choosing different classes or character builds, and fondly recall the fun we had getting a small taste of some classic games thanks to shareware and demo discs back in the day.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:22:30 — 57.0MB)

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 the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 version of NBA 2K9.

I had to double-check that I hadn’t already covered NBA 2K9 in a previous Wayback Wednesday retrospective. It’s not that I won’t revisit games that I’ve already profiled if I have new thoughts to share, but if it is my second opinion, I want to acknowledge my previous take. As it happens, I specifically reflected on NBA 2K9 coming to PC, but it wasn’t a detailed retrospective. My only real commentary on the game itself was to say that it doesn’t hold up as well as its successors. Irrespective of how accurate or inaccurate that critique of NBA 2K9 is, it’s hardly an in-depth retrospective or review!

Since then, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the games that came before NBA 2K13. NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7 have even retroactively become a couple of my all-time favourite basketball games! However, as I’ve previously explained, I wasn’t as impressed with NBA 2K8. It felt like a misstep, a sentiment reflected in many of the contemporary reviews. In any case, I was due to revisit NBA 2K9 next, so it’s been in my rotation in anticipation of this retrospective. With that being said, does it hold up, and has it also become a retroactive favourite? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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