NLSC Podcast

With rumours that both EA Sports and Visual Concepts are considering bringing back their college basketball games, which series would we prefer to see return? Our answer may surprise you...or perhaps not! We also join the community in naming the players from NBA history and today that we most wish we could play like, and then wrap up with a recap a fun co-op session of NBA Live 2004 in which we to...

Now that 2025 is underway and NBA 2K25 has been out for a few months, what are our ultimate thoughts on the game? This week, we join the community in giving NBA 2K25 a final score, and running down the pros and cons following ample time on the sticks. We also reflect on the unwritten house rules that we employ in our multiplayer basketball gaming sessions, and react to a bewildering story about a...

With the holiday season drawing to a close and a new year almost upon us, this week we join the community in sharing the basketball and basketball gaming gifts that we gave and received for Christmas, as well as listing some of our resolutions for both real hoops and the virtual hardwood in 2025. We also recap a couple of fun co-op sessions with NBA Live 95 and NBA 2K15 that were both enjoyable, t...

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings, basketball fans and gamers! We're in the holiday spirit this week, which means we're joining the community in asking Santa for the gifts that would grant our fondest basketball and basketball gaming wishes. We also join our listeners in reflecting upon some of our all-time favourite gifts related to real hoops and the virtual hardwood alike. The post NLSC Po...

What is the best sim basketball video game to date? This week, we join the community in nominating the title that has achieved the most realism on the virtual hardwood, and also reflect once again on what it means to be sim. Following up on last week's show, we also discuss even more madness with three-pointers in the NBA, as teams continue to brick treys and drive away hardcore hoop heads who are...

Are three-pointers actively ruining the NBA and making it less fun to watch? As much as we enjoy long-range sharpshooters and a timely trey, we believe that the chucking is really getting out of hand, and affecting the quality of play. We're not alone in feeling this way, and to that end, this week we join the community in discussing ideas of how to best combat the three-point problem that the NBA...

What does "sim" really entail in basketball video games? There are definitely some myths and misunderstandings, which we're eager to clear up! That leads into us joining the community in recalling the go-to moves that we liked to use when playing real basketball. We also recap our co-op session of NBA 2K17 featuring the Ultimate Classic Teams Roster and a couple of quintessential video game teams,...

What are some of the worst basketball and basketball video game takes that we've encountered? This week, we join the community in recalling an assortment of truly terrible opinions that definitely made us scoff! We also recap a couple of co-op sessions of NBA Live 18 that saw us gain revenge following a tough defeat, and on a similar note, reflect on the most devastating losses that we've endured...

Player Lock is an underrated feature outside of the career and online team play modes, but picking a suitable role is paramount. To that end, this week we join the community in choosing the players that we'd most prefer to lock on, from a shortlist of notable names from the 2000s and today. We also reflect on the excitement of a new video game purchase - especially when it's physical media - and s...

What is it that keeps us hooked on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join the community in sharing the reasons why we play basketball video games, from a love of the sport to bonding experiences to joyful fantasy and escapism. We also pick the three 2000s stars that we'd bring into the modern NBA in their prime, reflect on the NBA Live 18 server shutdown, and answer a question about bad games in...

Past, present, and future are all topics of discussion this week! First of all, we tip things off with a recap of a session of NBA 2K13, using a 1996 roster to take on the Hawks with Shaq and Penny's Magic. Next, we join the community in naming three all-time greats that we'd want to bring into today's NBA. Finally, we and the community choose from a list of hypothetical features that we'd like to...

As the 2025 season gets underway, how do we feel about the current state of the NBA? This week, we join the community in sharing our opinions of the league these days, from three-point barrages to zero-tolerance technical fouls. We also discuss the evergreen problem of load management in the wake of a comment from Charles Barkley, along with some other recent issues including WNBA blunders, unwelc...

Does Gravity Ball belong in NBA 2K25? This week, we join the community in reacting to the new mode for The City that's not only paid downloadable content, but frankly has very little to do with basketball! We also share our thoughts on the gameplay fixes and other updates in the big Season 2 patch for NBA 2K25, and touch on an important issue that's been affecting the modding community for some ti...

If we could get anyone from NBA history in a mo-cap suit, who are the five players we'd choose to perform motion capture for a video game? This week, we join the community in sharing our All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Fives! We also recap a strange session with NBA Live 2000, talk shoes and getting back on the court, and get a little reflective as digital broadcasting milestones and a milestone birthday...

Despite the ease of sharing highlights and connecting with fellow gamers, we've noticed a reluctance to do so nowadays. After discussing the potential causes, we urge the community to actively share their love of basketball gaming, and take an interest in what others are doing on the virtual hardwood. We also pay tribute to Dikembe Mutombo, and join the community in discussing players who are unde...

Derrick Rose has officially retired, and naturally, we have a few thoughts in the wake of his announcement, including whether or not he should have his jersey retired by the Bulls. This leads us to join the community in reminiscing about some other player retirements that affected us. We also discuss johnz1's upcoming mods for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, and provide an update on what we and the comm...

Although we're still playing NBA 2K25 and have a few updates on what we've been doing in it, we're putting the game on the backburner this week. To that end, we recap a session playing NBA Live 06 PC with a work-in-progress ABA mod, and reflect on the league's legacy and importance in basketball history. We also join the community in reminiscing about fun and weird ideas for fantasy drafts, and me...

NBA 2K25 has been out for about a couple of weeks now, which means the annual honeymoon phase is drawing to a close. To that end, this week we join the community in following up on our first impressions with a rundown of our key likes and dislikes of the game so far. We also recap a co-op session in which we took on Dwight Howard's Magic with Derrick Rose's Bulls using the LeBron Era rosters, and...

NBA 2K25 is out now, so this week, we join the community in sharing our first impressions of the gameplay! Our time on the sticks has revealed a number of pros and cons, though we'll certainly continue to comment on NBA 2K25 in the coming weeks and months. We also reflect on some of the pre-release footage proving to be misleading, and feeling considerably better about the game once we got our han...

You know what really grinds our gears? This week, we take a page out of Peter Griffin's book to discuss a few things that are bugging us, from Anthony Edwards' ridiculous comments to unnecessarily rude and hostile interactions to content creators being scripted super shills. We also join the community in reacting to pre-release NBA 2K25 gameplay footage, share a few thoughts on previews of The Cit...

After celebrating a milestone, we delve into some NBA 2K25 MyTEAM news, including the return of the Auction House. Although we're intrigued and will give the mode a try if we like the gameplay, we're still sceptical, and it would appear that the community shares our view. We also discuss the positives and negatives of community days in light of the NBA 2K25 event, and recap our sessions playing NB...

As the NBA 2K25 preview season rolls on, this week we react to the latest news including the Steph Era coming to MyNBA, the return of MyGM, enhancements to The W, and other details. We also read out some reactions from the community, from their thoughts on the new era to which one they're planning on playing. Additionally, we recap a session with NBA 2K17 that was actually inspired by the Steph Er...

This week, we react to the NBA 2K25 Courtside Report previewing MyCAREER and MyPLAYER. While some of the details are promising on the surface, the grindy nature of the mode and pushy recurrent revenue mechanics remain an elephant in the room that too many influencers refuse to acknowledge. We also asked the community what they'd pay for a home port of NBA Superstars, and recap some excellent retro...

The first gameplay trailer for NBA 2K25 has been released, along with a courtside report outlining the key improvements that we can expect to see. This week, we join the community in sharing our thoughts on the trailer, and our reactions to the changes, additions, and promises described in the developer blog. We also discuss the new arcade-exclusive title NBA Superstars, including detailed hands-o...

Several former EA developers are working on The Run: Got Next; a 3-on-3 basketball game that's being described as a spiritual successor to NBA Street. This week, we join the community in sharing our thoughts on IGN's early preview of the game, and whether it sounds like it's truly carrying on the legacy of the iconic series. We also react to a New York Times article that called out the predactory...