Tag Archives: PlayStation 4

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 examines the five main reasons that NBA Live flopped on the PS4/X1, aka the eighth generation consoles.

Unlike certain content creators and other haters in the basketball gaming community, I don’t delight at NBA Live’s shortcomings, or gleefully dance on its grave. While NBA 2K has provided many of us with hours upon hours of entertainment on the virtual hardwood and blacktop, we’ve also seen the drawbacks that come with a lack of competition in the genre. If you’re a fan of football games – NFL, that is – you’ve known the pain of not having alternatives even longer than basketball gamers. Even if the lone game is satisfactory, the lack of choice still stings.

Of course, it’s not quite the same situation. Madden’s monopoly comes from EA Sports having the clout and money to secure an exclusive contract when the NFL were offering it. NBA 2K’s monopoly, meanwhile, has been solidified by EA’s inability to produce a viable alternative. We’re more than a decade removed from NBA Live being the top-selling basketball game, and longer still from when it was easily the gold standard in the genre. Its attempts to rebuild during the PS4/X1 generation were largely disappointing, and have left the series in a tenuous position. These five factors are the chief reasons that those NBA Live games flopped.

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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 OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14.

Is there a more important and impactful trailer in the history of basketball gaming than the OMG Trailer, promoting NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? While there have been other fantastic trailers and promotional spots for basketball video games, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that turned as many heads, and that gamers still know by name. It boldly announced the arrival of a new generation, and made a statement that Visual Concepts were eager to make full use of the technology they now had at their disposal.

The OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14 is something you can still appreciate today. It still looks amazing almost a decade and entire console generation later. In a way, it’s even more impressive now that we know the game lived up to the hype; even if a few of us discovered that later than others! There’s more to the OMG Trailer for NBA 2K14 than just reflecting on how awesome it was, though. It’s had a lasting impact on the series and basketball gaming as a whole, but has also proven to be a hard act to follow. 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 look at my basketball video game collection, as of 2022.

Back in March, I tweeted out a photo of my entire physical basketball video game collection, with some follow-up screenshots of the digital releases I own. I’m proud of my collection and satisfied in how I’ve been able to amass it, so I was pleased with the reception. While collecting is something that I do for my own enjoyment – and create content for the NLSC, of course – I was naturally hoping that my fellow hoops gamers would be impressed and get a kick out of the photo. I wanted it to inspire nostalgia, intrigue, and yes, a slight touch of good-natured envy. I’d say mission accomplished!

Given the old maxim of a picture being worth a thousand words, I could just leave it at those Tweets. However, I would like to talk a little more about my basketball video game collection, and provide a comprehensive listing as it’s impossible to get every title to be clearly visible in one photo. There are also a few digital releases that I didn’t display in my follow-up screenshots, including a couple I neglected to mention since they’re standalone releases and not on a digital platform such as Steam, Xbox Live, or the PSN Store. Finally, it’s been almost seven years since I wrote about my basketball video game collection, and I’ve been able to make some exciting additions since then.

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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 look at how the adventure of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER continues, and my future goals with the mode.

On the NLSC Podcast, Dee4Three observed that he hasn’t seen anyone warm up to a game as quickly and enthusiastically as I have with NBA 2K14. It’s a fair statement! There are other games that I’ve developed more of an appreciation for, but few of them have gone from “I accept it’s good, but it’s not for me” to “This is one of my all-time favourite games” the same way that NBA 2K14 has. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia for a era in the NBA I liked better, the fact that it’s one of the last games that came out when I was in my 20s, or my lukewarm reaction to NBA 2K22, but that’s how I feel.

Actually, that’s selling the game short. Those are definitely factors, of course, but the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version of NBA 2K14 was simply a tremendous game. I had my reasons for not playing it as much back in the day, but to that point, I’m making up for some lost time now. However, it’s surprising that I’m spending that time playing MyCAREER, given my burnout on the mode. I even titled my recap of getting into it last year as “One MyCAREER For The Road“, figuring that it would close the book on my interest in career mode play. Instead, I’ve found myself picking it up again. The adventure continues, and I honestly don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about that.

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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 discussing an achievement that I’m sure is very nostalgic for many basketball gamers: our first virtual championship.

Achieving closure in basketball video games, and most sports titles for that matter, is different to other genres. After all, they can be played in many ways, not all of which have a predefined completion condition. In contrast, games with a storyline or final level/mission/quest can be played through and clearly beaten. Whether they’re linear or non-linear, there’s an end point where the story is over and the final main objective has been completed. There’s less ambiguity as to whether or not you’ve finished such a game, and to that point, gained a sense of completion and closure with it.

NBA games, especially the sim titles, technically do have an ultimate goal of winning a championship in season, franchise, and career modes. However, they can also be enjoyed without ever completing a campaign. You may just play with and against friends in exhibition games, or tournaments that you organise. There are the online team play modes, with no schedule or structure. You can have countless hours of fun on the virtual hardwood without ever vying for an NBA championship. There is something special about getting a ring in video games though, especially hoisting the virtual Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time. 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 some advice to look beyond what you see when it comes to visuals on the virtual hardwood.

I’ll be honest: I never thought that I’d be quoting Rafiki in an article about basketball video games. The sentiment fits though, so hey, hakuna matata. As in the metaphor that’s repeated a few times during the course of The Lion King 1½, there’s value in looking beyond the superficial aspects of basketball video games. That’s not to say that graphics aren’t in any way important. They form our first impressions of a new title, and when a new generation launches, we do expect to see some sort of leap as far as the graphics are concerned.

As such, I’m not trying to dismiss criticism of – or downplay disappointment in – the graphics of NBA 2K on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (or any other game, for that matter). However, there’s a reason we have a long-running gag on the NLSC Podcast about cancelling pre-orders if a new game doesn’t feature any shoelace physics. It’s easy for me to say because I grew up with games that look extremely primitive now, but we can get too caught up in visual details that are inconsequential in the long run. Whether critiquing a game or simply seeking to enjoy it, I’d suggest that you’ll gain far more valuable insights and satisfaction if you look beyond what you see.

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Patch 1.9 is now available for NBA 2K22 Current Gen, specifically the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. The PC patch should also come through shortly. As always, the latest update will be downloaded automatically as long as you’re online. If you encounter any problems, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

The new patch prepares NBA 2K22 for Season 4 in MyTEAM and MyCAREER, which will be tipping off this Friday. It also includes likeness updates for NBA, WNBA, and historical players, as well as some stability fixes for MyCAREER and The Neighborhood. The patch has also made a notable change to the way that interceptions work. Users are now required to press the Steal button in order to successfully intercept a pass.

You can find the full notes for Patch 1.9 below, as well as in our update history for NBA 2K22 Current Gen. Feel free to share any thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum.

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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 reminder of the importance of default assets in our modding endeavours.

Since the very beginning, one of the primary goals of our modding community has been to add content to games. When we were founded as the NBA Live Series Center, this usually meant adding players such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley to the rosters of NBA Live PC. Once Legends and historical teams became a staple of NBA video games, there were other missing players to add. We’ve also sought to expand the selection of classic teams, as well as create retro season and all-time rosters, NCAA and foreign league total conversions, and many other fantastic projects.

The biggest projects have generally required several new assets to be created, in particular year-specific jerseys and courts, and missing player faces. Needless to say, the workload is much lighter if several assets that we need are in the game by default. At the same time, it’s something that we can take for granted. Not only can the default assets facilitate a range of modding projects – both minimalist and large in scope – but we can use them to quickly assemble fun scenarios on the virtual hardwood. Modding has opened up a world of possibilities with basketball video games, but I can’t stress enough the importance of content being readily available within the default assets.

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Episode #402 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.

NBA Live 19 still has an active online scene, but sadly it displays similar toxicity to NBA 2K’s community. We dissect the issue of poor online sportsmanship, and lack of competitiveness in what is supposedly a competitive environment. While we’re in the mood for callouts, we also respond to some recent comments that were unnecessarily snarky. On a brighter note, our second attempt at a co-op game in NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 over Parsec has us pumped to dive into a Season. Elsewhere, Take Two’s attitude towards Grand Theft Auto modders has us wondering if we should be worried about our own modding community, especially with 2K understandably cracking down on MyCAREER hackers. In this week’s mailbag, we’re reflecting on games that we wish we could’ve personally modded, or downloaded mods for.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:41 — 55.8MB)

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.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at the original MyGM mode that debuted in the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version of NBA 2K14.

Thanks to an extended retro gaming kick, NBA 2K14 is a game that I’ve warmed up to some eight years after its 2013 release. It has its issues for which we can rightfully criticise it, but in many ways, it was a strong beginning to a new generation of NBA 2K titles. However, while it wasn’t nearly as barebones as NBA Live 14, it did err by omitting some staple features, and introducing some new concepts without giving gamers the ability to opt for the familiar. More specifically, NBA 2K14 on PS4/X1 gave us the first MyCAREER story, and a successor to The Association: MyGM.

Despite some conceptual problems with the original MyGM mode, I’ve warmed up to it, much as I have MyCAREER and NBA 2K14 PS4/X1 in general. It introduced some interesting ideas on top of the existing depth, and while not all of the new concepts panned out, they were still innovative and laid the foundation for a better approach in subsequent games. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m reflecting on playing through a full MyCAREER season in NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4, during a recent retro kick.

In newer games, I’m more or less done with MyCAREER; at least as my primary mode of play. I’ve made a lot of fond memories with MyCAREER and the connected experiences, but it has become a grind, with elements that have very little to do with basketball. I’ll still dabble with those modes, but a combination of satisfaction and burnout has made it easier to move on. That’s why it may surprise you, much as it did me, that I was drawn into NBA 2K14’s MyCAREER upon revisiting the game. I was so taken that I ended up playing through an entire rookie season!

The fact of the matter is that once I’d played enough games to write my retrospective on the first MyCAREER story, I felt compelled to keep going. I was enjoying it too much to stop, and as I played deeper and deeper into the season, I knew that I’d have to see it through to the end. While there will be some overlap with the aforementioned article, this time I’m focusing on my personal experiences playing through the mode, and comparing it to my other memorable MyCAREER games. Join me as I reflect on a retro gaming experience that went back…way back…

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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 an explanation of how I play through a retro gaming kick, and ultimately move on.

Retro basketball gaming – or indeed, retro gaming in general – isn’t for everyone. I can appreciate that it may be difficult to relate to the appeal if you’re not really a nostalgic person, though you can likely still understand why others enjoy it. I outlined some of those reasons in a Wayback Wednesday article, for those who may find it genuinely puzzling, and are wondering in good faith. In short, those of us who play old hoops games enjoy partaking in the fun and familiar, giving titles a second chance (or a first look if we originally skipped them), and reminiscing about the NBA of yesteryear.

I’ve discussed the reasons why we go back, but not how a retro gaming kick plays out; or at least, how it does for me. I’ve found myself on a retro gaming kick for three older basketball games this year. Each time, I had to see my fixation through to the end. I’m certain that not everyone who enjoys retro basketball gaming experiences a kick the same way that I do, but at the same time, I’m probably not the only person who has had an old release find its way back into their rotation. If nothing else, this may be an insight into why a few games have made recurring appearances in my Wayback Wednesday features, as well as the NLSC Podcast throughout 2021.

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m revisiting NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

It was only last year that I revisited the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version of NBA 2K14 in Wayback Wednesday. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X had arrived along with NBA 2K21, so it only made sense to glance back at the beginning of the generation that had just been superseded. Since then however, I’ve taken a shine to NBA 2K14 on PS4 (while playing on my PS5), and have enjoyed an extended retro gaming kick with it. Just as I’ve shared my new thoughts on NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 and NBA Live 10 after revisiting them, I’m now doing the same for NBA 2K14.

I’m sure there’ll be some overlap with my previous retrospective, and I’ll also be talking about MyCAREER and MyGM in NBA 2K14 in articles that are coming out over the next couple of weeks. However, on top of a more positive impression of the gameplay, I also have some personal memories to reflect upon, as NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 has retroactively become one of my favourite titles in the series. Let’s take another look back…way back…

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As I’ve been chasing up my pre-order of NBA 2K22 Next Gen since launch, I’ve neglected to post bulletins about the official patch releases. I’ve since caught up on all of the details and added them to our Wiki, as well as posted them in the Forum.

So far, the Current Gen version hasn’t received any detailed patch notes, except to say that there are stability fixes and no gameplay adjustments. However, there are details on the latest official patch for NBA 2K22 Next Gen, which added traditional broadcast cameras to MyNBA, improved loading speeds in The City, and addressed some disconnection issues.

You can find the full notes for Patches 1.4 and 1.5 for NBA 2K22 Next Gen below. Moving forward, I’ll be posting bulletins when new patches are pushed through, as well as adding the details to the update history in our Wiki and Forum resources. You can find the Current Gen/PC update history here, and the discussion topic here in the Forum. The update history for Next Gen can be found here in the Wiki, and you can join in the discussion in this Forum topic.

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Episode #392 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.

NBA 2K22 is out, and many people are calling it the best NBA 2K game ever. We’re not so sure about that, but we do have some initial impressions to share, including lists of pros and cons for Current Gen and Next Gen. An issue with the PC release will also hopefully be sorted out ASAP. The addition of Evan Eschmeyer to the 2003 Mavericks prompts us to share some interesting trivia about his career, and its impact on the virtual hardwood. Elsewhere, the NBA Live 10 Tournament rolls on with some exciting games, and NBA 2K14 continues to be a captivating retro kick. In this week’s mailbag, we’re reflecting on some memorable basketball video game launches, and titles that impressed us from Day One.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:50:48 — 76.4MB)

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.