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Monday Tip-Off: Lacklustre Video Game Retrospectives

Monday Tip-Off: Lacklustre Video Game Retrospectives

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 video game retrospectives that are rather lacklustre.

Presently, I’m covering at least one game per month with an in-depth retrospective for Wayback Wednesday. I’d like to increase that number while also covering other retro-themed topics, but time is a factor when it comes to producing those features. I want to spend ample time with a game that I’m revisiting before I talk about it, especially if it’s one that I didn’t grow up playing and thus have less familiarity with. I also want to be as detailed as possible, not only covering all aspects of the gameplay, modes, and features, but also any relevant history and interesting trivia.

To that end, beyond getting my hands on the sticks, I’ll also do some research. That often leads me to contemporary reviews, and of course, some other retrospectives. I try to avoid reading other people’s opinions before I’ve formed my own, but it’s still fascinating to see what’s been said about a game. It allows me to discuss how it was originally received, and whether my views match the consensus. Sometimes my take is very different, and that’s completely fine! Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, though opinions carry more weight if they’re well-reasoned. With that in mind though, I’ve encountered some incredibly lacklustre basketball video game retrospectives.

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The Friday Five: 5 Best Retro Pick-Ups

The Friday Five: 5 Best Retro Pick-Ups

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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NLSC Podcast #576: Favourite Unlicensed Basketball Games

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #576 of the NLSC Podcast!

Although we mostly play and primarily cover NBA and NCAA licensed basketball video games, there have certainly been some classic releases that lack their high profile branding, as well as real teams and players. This week, we join the community in recalling some of our all-time favourite unlicensed basketball video games. We also name a handful of favourites that only licensed one or two real players, starred fictional characters, or otherwise didn’t have anything to do with the NBA or NCAA. As we discuss, these games inspired us to use our imaginations, created many Virtual Hardwood Legends, and sometimes included impressive features and gameplay mechanics.

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 Top 10 Plays of the Week: March 19th, 2022

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

With March Madness underway, there are some timely virtual college basketball highlights in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! This includes an NCAA mod for NBA 2K22 on PlayStation 5, and some great plays from our College Hoops 2K8 Tournament. As for the virtual NBA highlights in this week’s countdown, we’ve got some retro mods for NBA 2K13 and NBA 2K19 on display, and an encore performance at the number one spot. There’s also a very unique game spotlighted at number ten, and some new community members contributing to the countdown for the first time.

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

NLSC Podcast #364: 10 Games To Last A Year

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Episode #364 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.

After replaying Slam City with Scottie Pippen recently, we vow to dedicate a whole show to it…after we can defeat Fingers, the first opponent. With March Modness 2021 right around the corner, we look ahead to another celebration of modding, and some of our own projects. Seeing as how it’s a slow news week, we’re playing a game: the ten games we’d choose for a year in isolation, specifically five basketball and five non-basketball games. Which titles make our lists, especially once we start changing up the game with some new rules? In the mailbag this week, we’re talking about the Arcade1Up NBA Jam machine, and the current state of NBA 2K’s graphics.

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.

NLSC Podcast #361: Taking Them To School

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Episode #361 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.

Recent experiences in MyLEAGUE lead us to reflect on the meaning of “sim” and how it can be fun to bend reality, especially in fantasy scenarios. Some new additions have also been made to the collection. However, the big news this week is the return of EA Sports’ college football series, and what that might mean for both NBA Live and the March Madness/NCAA Basketball series. We discuss our history with college basketball titles and interest in future releases, as well as the pushback on interest in (and the need for) NBA Live’s return. In this week’s mailbag, we talk about the possibility of a standalone G League mode, and what it would take to instigate real change with NBA 2K.

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.