NLSC Podcast

As we wait for the NBA 2K25 preview season to kick into high gear, we have another PC basketball game to keep an eye on: Full Court Heroes. As the demo is currently available on Steam, we have some impressions to share. We also recap a session playing NBA Live 2000 PC and NBA 2K for the Dreamcast back-to-back, leading us to compare the two games and reflect on the history of both series. In this w...

The first details about NBA 2K25 have been revealed, and they've brought exciting news: the New Gen version is coming to PC! This week, we join the community in discussing this much-anticipated announcement, as well as some other details such as the system requirements, lack of crossplay with the console versions, and the cover players. We also speculate on the new era that will be coming to MyNBA...

The NBA 2K League has been put on hiatus until 2025, which came as a surprise to the players and everyone else involved. This week, we join the community in discussing how and why the NBA 2K League failed to meet some incredibly lofty expectations, despite the backing of the NBA. We also recap our recent sessions with NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10, advise gamers to grab a digital game while they still...

No basketball video game is universally liked, and sometimes you just won't vibe with a title that most other gamers seem to enjoy. This week, we join the community in discussing the games that other people liked, but for one reason or another, we just couldn't get into. We also share some more stories of playing real basketball, and react to an article that describes some of the sneaky tactics in...

More and more basketball gamers are revisiting the classics, and also stepping back in time with retro season mods, as we did in a fun session with NBA 2K10 using a 1997 roster. This week, we join the community in discussing our increased interest in retro content - whether it's through mods or what's in the game by default - as well as the importance of appreciating history, and debunking ridicul...

Which NBA players from the past would be even better today? This week, we join the community in picking five players - be they superstars, fringe All-Stars, or role players - that we believe would really thrive in the modern NBA. We also pay tribute to the late, great Jerry West, the inspiration for the NBA logo and one of the league's most successful figures on the court, on the sidelines, and in...

Which basketball video games made you fall in love with the genre? This week, we join the community in reminiscing about the titles that got us hooked on the virtual hardwood, and how that so often coincides with the wonderful time that is our entry into passionate basketball fandom. We also share some thoughts on the 2024 NBA Finals, which leads us to recall some of the underdog Boston Celtics te...

With EA Sports College Football 25 generating some positive buzz, could it lead to EA Sports bringing back its college basketball series as well? Or indeed, could the NBA Live series finally return as EA expands its lineup? This week, we join the community in discussing EA Sports potentially returning to the virtual hardwood, and our expectations for such a comeback. We also name our all-time NBA...

If a basketball video game featuring modern technology but a past setting was ever to be released, which year would you want it to be? This week, we join the community in sharing our choices of legendary seasons to re-live. We also react to the announcement of upcoming arcade hoops game NBA Superstars, discuss interactions with former NBA players on social media, and provide a PSA for our fellow b...

Which stars, past or present, have been harder to use in basketball video games than they should've been? This week, we join the community in recalling our most memorable examples, and discussing why we struggled with them. We also recap a fun session using 1986 rosters in NBA 2K19, and discuss the dismaying news that NBA 2K24 has been extremely profitable for Take-Two despite receiving significan...

Who are the most memorable deadeyes from downtown on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join in the community in reminiscing about the best three-point shooters in the history of basketball video games. We also discuss the possibility of intrusive in-game ads becoming the norm - along with some worrying examples that we've already seen - and recall the players that we preferred to overwrite when...

What is the most overused jargon in basketball discourse? This week, we join the community in listing the terms that annoy us the most. We also cover the latest NBA 2K24 MyTEAM controversy, wherein 2K has abruptly and without explanation pulled a Kobe Bryant reward card that a pre-release developer insight promised was coming in Season 6. Of course, as Top Spin 2K25 aptly demonstrates, the company...

Who are the worst and most annoying commentators in basketball video games? This week, we join the community in picking our least favourite voices of the virtual hardwood. Of course, it probably won't come as a surprise that we're generally not fans of them in real life, either! We also recap a fun session with Basketball Classics, and quiz the community on the top-rated point guards in NBA 2K9. N...

Which basketball games are the easiest and hardest to put up stats in? This week, we join the community in discussing the titles that stick out in our minds, and the statistics that either eluded us or piled up way too easily. We also recap a session with Virtua NBA, provide an update on our journey in the original NBA Jam, pick our ideal games for an annual tournament, and reflect on how it feels...

After feeling inspired to revisit the Super Nintendo version of the original NBA Jam, we were reminded of how fun it still is...and also, just how unfair it can be! A couple of interesting ratings likewise stood out, leading us to dive into some statistics from 1993. We also join the community in discussing which ideas we'd take from other sports games to improve future NBA 2K releases (and potent...

What are some of our favourite NBA jerseys of all-time? This week, we join the community in naming our top three uniforms throughout history, as well as listing other memorable designs as honourable mentions. We also discuss some of the players that made those jerseys so iconic, and reflect on how 90s styles are seemingly making a comeback despite so many people trying to tear down the era. The po...

Obviously we're big fans of and advocates for PC gaming, but are the benefits worth the drawbacks and potential expense? This week, we join the community in discussing the pros and cons of PC gaming - basketball and otherwise - and recommend price ranges for anyone in the market for a new rig. We also share our expectations for NBA 2K25 on PC, discuss Steam sales and other bargains, and preview mi...

Could an unlicensed basketball video game provide a viable alternative to NBA 2K, if it had great gameplay, deep customisation and sharing options, a robust franchise mode, and a price tag of $39.99 USD? This week, we join the community in discussing this very intriguing idea! We also take a look back at NBA 2K8 following a Parsec session that sadly ended far too abruptly, and share an encouraging...

What was the best generation of NBA Live and NBA 2K respectively? This week, we join the community in nominating the golden age for each series. We also recap a couple of exciting co-op Parsec sessions with NBA Live 2000 PC and NBA 2K2 for GameCube, follow up on Troydan's successful MyTEAM pull, discuss digital ownership, and note an unfortunate side effect of declining the new Terms of Service in...

Which modes have kept us hooked on the virtual hardwood over the years? Along with the community, we reminisce about some of our all-time favourite modes, and the games we played them in. We also respond to the latest ridiculous narrative being pushed about Michael Jordan and NBA history, catch up on Troydan's quest to pull a 100 Overall card in NBA 2K24 MyTEAM, and discuss the new mobile game, NB...

With the announcement that EA are laying off 670 people, we share our thoughts on an unfortunate industry trend, and also what it might mean for NBA Live. On the bright side, while the outlook for future games may seem bleak, we're arguably in a golden age for retro gaming! To that end, we recap our recent sessions with ESPN NBA Basketball and NBA 2K18 PS3, and note some good news about emulator a...

The community has really been cooking with their submissions for the NLSC Top 10 Plays, and we're still excited about last week's countdown! To that end, we recap those spectacular virtual hardwood moments, and provide advice for both recording and submitting your highlights. We also note some recent improvements to PS2 emulation, discuss the ongoing saga with MyTEAM greed, and reminisce about Fre...

We've been on a major NBA Live kick recently, so in addition to recapping our Parsec sessions with NBA Live 97, 2004, 06, 09, and 10, we join the community in reflecting upon the NBA Live titles that we've spent the most time with over the years. We also discuss 2K reaching a whole new level of greed with NBA 2K24 MyTEAM, and celebrate Michael Jordan's birthday by sharing our fondest memories of M...

Following up on last week's show, we react to Take-Two's defense of Virtual Currency as "fictions". On a slightly less contentious note, in response to a post on our Discord, we weigh in on the NBA Jam vs. NBA Street debate. We also recap a session with NBA Live 2002, join the community in talking about preferred camera angles, and open up the mailbag to discuss how we'd handle microtransactions i...

NBA 2K24 is prompting gamers to accept new Terms of Service with updated clauses regarding class action lawsuits and digital purchases. We discuss how the move has further eroded goodwill, with language that comes across as threatening in the wake of recent legal action against Take-Two. We also criticise the silence from influencers, as well as the apologist rhetoric that's coming from shills. Th...