The Friday Five: 5 Limitations With A Sensible Explanation

Talk about the NLSC Podcast, Monday Tip-Off, Wayback Wednesday, The Friday Five, Top 10 Plays of the Week, and our Parsec Tournaments! This is also a section for NLSC and community announcements, and other site-related topics.

Re: The Friday Five: 5 Memorable Basketball Game Characters

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:42 pm

September 9th: 5 Memorable Basketball Game Characters

As revealed in the deep-dive developer blog and subsequent trailer, we'll be introduced to a new cast of characters in NBA 2K17's MyCAREER mode. Of course, the presence of fictional characters in basketball video games is nothing new, and goes back a long way before NBA 2K began taking a story-driven approach to MyCAREER. While we obviously remember and are familiar with the real players featured in basketball video games, new and old, those fictional players and other characters we encounter also have a tendency to stick in our minds.

For this week's Friday Five, I'm compiling a list of some of the most memorable characters we've seen in basketball video games. Please note that I don't necessarily mean memorable in a positive sense; just that we do remember them. Please also note that I'm excluding secret players in NBA Jam who are actors, politicians, or developers, as well as NBA mascots (who are obviously characters, but not ones created specifically for basketball video games). These are five fictional basketball video game characters that are all memorable for one reason or another.
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Re: The Friday Five: My 5 Goals for NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:34 pm

September 16th: My 5 Goals for NBA 2K17

As I write this, I've finished pre-loading NBA 2K17 PC, and am waiting for the Day One patch for the PlayStation 4 version to finish downloading. With any luck, it won't be long before I'm playing one or the other (most likely the PS4 version), and getting the ball into the air for the Early Tip-Off Weekend. I spent some time playing through The Prelude last weekend, and I'm feeling very optimistic that I have an enjoyable year of NBA 2K gaming ahead of me.

While I'm preparing to get my hands on the full version of NBA 2K17, I've been thinking about some of the things that I want to do with this year's game. With so many deep and robust game modes, there should be something for every basketball gamer, and perhaps more than any of us can truly sink our teeth into in the space of a year. Of course, with NBA Live 17 not coming out until early 2017, I won't be splitting my time between EA and 2K on the virtual hardwood, at least for a few more months. With that in mind, here are five goals that I have for NBA 2K17.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things Old School Basketball Gamers Did

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:30 pm

September 23rd: 5 Things Old School Basketball Gamers Did

I've been playing basketball video games for a long time now, and I know that I'm far from the only person in our community with a long history on the virtual hardwood. If you go back a long way with basketball video games, chances are you have a healthy appreciation for how far they've come, while also harbouring a certain amount of nostalgia for the more primitive games from yesteryear. You probably remember many of their quirks, some of which you may miss, whereas others will definitely leave you feeling very grateful that they're no longer an issue.

Of course, we gamers have plenty of quirks of our own, whether it's some kind of superstitious ritual with the controls ("Yeah, tapping the button at that time totally works!"), or just something we do because it's kind of fun, such as timing movements with the soundtrack. When it comes to basketball games, there are also certain things that we old school gamers did that probably seem a bit strange and amusing to younger gamers, because technology is so much better now. Just for fun, I thought I'd make a list of some of those quirky rituals and old fashioned activities that it seems many of us old school basketball gamers indulged in at one time or another.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Mods We Rarely See Anymore

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 30, 2016 1:12 pm

September 30th: 5 Mods We Rarely See Anymore

As I mentioned in Episode #178 of the NLSC Podcast, and as you can see in the NBA 2K17 Releases & Previews section of the Forum, our community is already hard at work figuring out how to develop mods (and indeed, already releasing some) for this year's game from Visual Concepts. Modding - or patching, to use the old name for the hobby - is something that our community has been doing a fantastic job of for over twenty years now. I expect that we'll see many more great mods being released over the next year, and beyond.

Although I haven't been extremely active in the NBA 2K modding scene, I do keep tabs on it, and I've been involved with NBA Live modding since before I was running the NLSC. Not only have several modders come and gone, but certain types of mods have also seemingly gone in and out of fashion over the years. For this week's Friday Five, I thought I'd create a list of five types of mods that we don't see as often these days. That's not to say that they don't still get made from time to time, but for one reason or another, they're not as popular as they once were. With that being said, perhaps we can bring a few of these mods back in NBA 2K17.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Basketball Game Features Ahead of Their Time

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 07, 2016 8:37 pm

October 7th: 5 Basketball Game Features Ahead of Their Time

As I've said many times before, when you go back and compare an old basketball video game to more recent releases, it's obvious how far the genre has come. At the same time, you'll often be surprised at some of the features and functionality that can be found in vintage basketball games, especially when they're no longer present in newer titles. Advances in gaming technology have made a lot of our Wishlist items come true, but it's impressive to see what developers were able to accomplish while working with more primitive tech.

On the other hand, it's also interesting to see how some really good ideas fell by the wayside. In some cases, it took many years for those features to make it back into one of the basketball games, whereas other features are still absent in today's releases. For this week's Friday Five, I'm taking a look at five features that may not necessarily be the pinnacle of technology in basketball gaming, but they're nevertheless ideas that were ahead of their time. Let's tip things off with number five.
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Re: The Friday Five: Top 5 Features of MyCAREER in NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 14, 2016 9:35 pm

October 14th: Top 5 Features of MyCAREER in NBA 2K17

One of my resolutions for NBA 2K17 was to finally get stuck into a MyLEAGUE game. I'm still keen to do that, but I'm thinking that I might wait until the opening night rosters are pushed through. In the meantime, I've been playing MyCAREER with an enthusiasm I haven't had for the mode since NBA 2K13. I'm partly playing it so that I can boost my MyPLAYER for 2K Pro-Am, but I am finding myself really enjoying the single player experience as well. It's actually getting to the point where I want to get some closure on MyCAREER before I launch into the MyLEAGUE experience in NBA 2K17.

Over the next few editions of The Friday Five, I'm planning on posting some top five countdowns for various aspects of NBA 2K17. Since I've been hooked on MyCAREER, I've decided that that's where I'll begin. Needless to say, not everything is perfect, and I still have my criticisms, but I feel that NBA 2K17's MyCAREER is the best incarnation of the mode since the game adopted the story-driven approach back in NBA 2K14. Without any further ado, here are my top five features in this year's MyCAREER mode.
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Re: The Friday Five: Top 5 Features of 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 21, 2016 11:08 pm

October 21st: Top 5 Features of 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K17

I'm counting down another Top 5 for NBA 2K17 this week, as I'm taking a look at what I feel are the five best features in 2K Pro-Am in this year's game. Aside from MyCAREER, 2K Pro-Am has been my mode of choice so far. I've enjoyed getting online with the guys to play a few games each week, and although we've had some tough sessions, we've also enjoyed some very satisfying wins as well. To that end, you can expect us to continue sharing stories of what's going on with the NLSC squad over the next several months, both in the Forum and on the Podcast.

I will say that I'm not a fan of some of the changes that have been made to 2K Pro-Am this year. In particular, forcing teams to level up before they can make significant branding changes and import custom logos feels like a big mistake. Information on how the different tiers work is also difficult to come by, and 2K themselves have not been particularly forthcoming with those details. All the same, I am enjoying my time with 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K17 - for the most part - and these five features in particular are going a long way in enhancing the experience.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Tips for Building Your MyPLAYER in NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:06 pm

October 28th: 5 Tips for Building Your MyPLAYER in NBA 2K17

I've really been enjoying MyCAREER and 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K17, as you probably know if you've read my last two Friday Five columns, or regularly tune in to the NLSC Podcast. With the less intrusive story and increased amount of gameplay in the first season compared to last year, I've been able to steadily build up my MyPLAYER and have some memorable games in my rookie campaign. As such, I thought that I'd share a few tips on how to build your MyPLAYER in NBA 2K17, based on my experiences with the game so far.

Now, I must disclose that I did invest in some Virtual Currency on Day 1 (on top of my pre-order bonus), so I have been able to accelerate the process somewhat. I certainly won't encourage anyone to engage in microtransactions, though since you will need to keep the VC flowing in, I would recommend getting the MyNBA2K17 app and playing the daily games for extra VC. Aside from that, strong performances and endorsement deals will help build up your VC reserves. With that being said, here are five tips for building your MyPLAYER in NBA 2K17.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things You Learn Making Roster Updates

Postby Andrew on Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:55 pm

November 4th: 5 Things You Learn Making Roster Updates

It's been a few years since I released my last roster update for NBA Live, and although I've tinkered a bit here and there, I've never really gotten into roster editing for NBA 2K. That being said, I'm certainly no stranger to making roster updates, having gotten into the hobby when I discovered the NLSC back in 1997, eventually taking over the NLSC rosters when I became webmaster and Lutz passed them over to me. Make no mistake: over the years, I've spent a lot of time creating players, moving players around, editing ratings, and updating games for a brand new season.

There are times when I miss making rosters, though remembering the more tedious and time-consuming aspects of their creation makes me realise that I probably made the right decision in moving on. Of course, I've also found that making roster updates can be an interesting and rewarding exercise. There are a few things that you learn when you're making those updates, so I thought that I'd talk a little bit about that in this week's Five. Whether you're looking to make your own roster updates for NBA Live or NBA 2K, or you'd just like a little more insight into their creation, I hope you'll find it informative.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 MyCAREER Story Theories

Postby Andrew on Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:07 pm

November 11th: 5 MyCAREER Story Theories

One of the most common complaints about the current approach to MyCAREER mode is that the story is basically on rails, and the player character's back story is predetermined and not always "one size fits all". Although we can customise our MyPLAYER's appearance and make a few decisions along the way, the impact those choices have on the plot is minimal at best. When it comes down to it, taglines like NBA 2K16's "Be the Story" ring a little hollow, since they suggest a deeper connection to the character than we might have, and more influence over our destiny than the games actually allow.

Of course, while we may not be able to change a lot of what we see in the cutscenes, there's still room for some imagination as we play the games. If fan fiction and ambiguous endings have taught us anything, it's that we can interpret stories in differing and creative ways, and make up our own minds about certain plot points. To that end, I thought I'd have a little fun and throw out five theories - or if you prefer, five alternate interpretations - for the MyCAREER stories we've seen so far. Needless to say, there are some spoilers here (both for the games and other media), so proceed at your own risk.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Players You Find in 2K Pro-Am

Postby Andrew on Fri Nov 18, 2016 9:23 pm

November 18th: 5 Players You Find in 2K Pro-Am

It took a while for the NLSC 2K Pro-Am squad to click last year, but we had so much fun playing the mode that we definitely wanted to create a squad again this year. As we've mentioned on the Podcast, the NLSC THRILLHO - that's an old Simpsons reference, for those of you who are unaware - hasn't been winning quite as many games as we'd like. We're still doing better than last year though, and despite occasionally grumbling about this and that in NBA 2K17 (such as the lack of logo importing before reaching Elite level), we keep jumping on every week to get a few games in. I think it's safe to say that we're still enjoying ourselves.

If you play 2K Pro-Am regularly, chances are you'll encounter the same team more than once. Playing at the times we do, and especially given our location, there are times when we'll face the same squad two or three times in a single session. This leads to some fun rivalries, not to mention becoming very familiar with certain players. Of course, even if you're facing a host of different opponents, you'll certainly run into the same types of players quite often. For your consideration, here is a breakdown of five of the players you're likely to encounter in 2K Pro-Am.
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Re: The Friday Five: The NLSC 2K Pro-Am Squad

Postby Andrew on Fri Nov 25, 2016 6:03 pm

November 25th: The NLSC 2K Pro-Am Squad

Between some of my recent columns and the weekly "Our Week in Basketball Gaming" segment on the NLSC Podcast, I talk about 2K Pro-Am a fair bit. There are other topics that I'll be touching upon in upcoming articles, but The X suggested this topic to me on Twitter, and it was too fun of an idea to put off for another week. Since this is the Friday Five, and there are five regulars in our 2K Pro-Am squad (NLSC THRILLHO), the format lends itself quite nicely to putting together a fun write-up about our crew.

The five of us started playing 2K Pro-Am together about six months ago, ultimately creating a couple of squads in NBA 2K16. Arcane and I were a little late to the party, but once the two of us joined in and we were getting in games with all five regulars, we had a lot of fun, and a few very satisfying victories. We've been doing a little better this year, though we've still got a long road ahead of us if we want to reach the Elite tier, and unlock logo importing (which shouldn't be necessary, but that's a topic for another time). Without any further ado, let me introduce you to the key members of NLSC THRILLHO!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 More Patches I Always Wanted to Make

Postby Andrew on Fri Dec 02, 2016 8:39 pm

December 2nd: 5 More Patches I Always Wanted to Make

A little over two years ago, I wrote a Friday Five column about five patches that I always wanted to make, but never did. Since then, I've given a couple of them a try, releasing beta/demo versions of an Ultimate Jordan Roster, and a fictional league roster inspired by World League Basketball. They're a couple of projects that I'd like to return to when I have the opportunity, as I do like to get back to my roots and make some patches from time to time. It's been a while since my last release, so I must admit that I am getting the itch to work on something beyond my regular columns and other features (although I certainly do enjoy creating that content, too).

Because I don't have as much free time as I used to, these days I prefer to focus on making smaller patches that fill a particular need, or works that are creatively satisfying, rather than the regular roster updates that I used to create. When I'm trying to come up with some fun ideas for patches, I still tend to think back to projects that I've envisioned in the past, but never got around to making. Following on from my previous Five, here are some more patches that I didn't end up creating, some of which I might take a shot at sometime in the future.
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Re: The Friday Five: Best Sim Basketball Game of Each Generation

Postby Andrew on Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:53 pm

December 9th: Best Sim Basketball Game of Each Generation

When we look back to rank and rate basketball video games throughout the years, it's important that we keep a few things in perspective, such as the technology of the time, and a game's improvement over its immediate predecessors. With the way that basketball titles and other sports video games have improved, it's not always a fair comparison once a few years have passed, to say nothing of a generation or two. Even though they've been surpassed, certain basketball games definitely deserve to be recognised as the best sim title of their day. As such, today I'm picking the best sim basketball games in five distinct generations, or eras if you prefer.

I must emphasise that these are my personal picks, and that I'm not presenting this list as infallible, definitive, or above question. There are several worthy candidates that you might prefer, and I obviously reserve the right to change my opinion in the future as well. However, as it stands today, these are my selections for the best sim-oriented basketball video games in each generation, starting from the early days of basketball gaming and going right through until today. Without any further ado, let's tip things off with basketball games from the 16-Bit era and earlier.
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Re: The Friday Five: Best Arcade Basketball Game of Each Generation

Postby Andrew on Sat Dec 17, 2016 1:37 am

December 16th: Best Arcade Basketball Game of Each Generation

Since I offered up my picks for the five best sim basketball games of their generation in last week’s Friday Five, this week I thought I’d focus on the arcade games. While there are sim heads who won’t touch arcade basketball games, and conversely more casual sports gamers who greatly prefer them to the sim titles, there are a lot of people who have a healthy appreciation for both styles. I definitely count myself as someone who has enjoyed both types of basketball games over the years, and as such, I have my own picks for the best arcade hoops title in five distinct generations/eras.

As with last week’s list, I’ll emphasise that these picks are only my opinion, and it’s not my intention to present them as infallible, definitive, or indisputable. I’d like to think that I have an informed and reasonable take on the subject, of course, but lists like this are intended to start the discussion, not end it. I’m certainly interested to see if some of you have a different take, and if so, what your picks are. With that being said, let’s once again tip things off with the basketball video games of the 16-Bit era and earlier, and take it right through until the current generation.
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Re: The Friday Five: 2016 Year in Review

Postby Andrew on Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:34 pm

December 23rd: 2016 Year in Review

We do have one more Friday left in 2016, and I expect that I'll post a column as usual next week, but just in case I do have to skip it, I thought that I'd post my Year in Review edition of The Friday Five this week instead. As the year draws to a close, it's obviously a time to celebrate the holiday season and spend time with loved ones, but we also can't help but reflect upon the past twelve months. For one reason or another, it seems that a lot of people had a rough time in 2016, and if you can say the same, then I hope we were able to lift your spirits at times.

Of course, it was something of an up and down year in our community, too. There was some big news about NBA Live, a new NBA 2K release, and a lot of activity in terms of discussion and modding releases. There was also some stress and uncertainty back in June as we searched for a new home, and ultimately were able to move to a new host. I'll no doubt have some final reflections in my annual New Year's Eve post, but for now, please join me as I take a quick look back at the year that was, and ahead to the year to come.
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Re: The Friday Five: How I Write The Friday Five

Postby Andrew on Sun Jan 01, 2017 6:19 pm

December 30th: How I Write The Friday Five

Well, here we are at the end of 2016! As I said last week, the prevailing thought for many of us seems to be that it’s been a tough year, and in the last seven days alone, we’ve lost some beloved entertainers. Looking ahead to 2017, we can only hope for better times, and resolve to do all that we can to be productive, happy, and healthy, and to look out for one another. I was originally going to look ahead and make plans for next year in this week’s Friday Five, but looking back at the column I wrote last year, I realised that many of my goals are similar. To that end, I’d prefer to simply focus on putting in the work to move closer to achieving those goals in 2017.

Instead, I thought that I’d end 2016 on a somewhat meta note with a Friday Five about how I write The Friday Five. Yes, really! After missing a couple of columns here and there last year, I resolved to make sure that I posted a Five each and every week in 2016, a resolution that I also made with the NLSC Podcast, Monday Tip-Off, and Wayback Wednesday. I hope to continue that trend next year, and look forward to providing you all with more opinions, trivia, retrospectives, and other original content. In the meantime, here’s an “inside look” at how I write my weekly Friday feature!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for Gameplay in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:58 pm

January 6th: 5 Suggestions for Gameplay in NBA Live

2017 is upon us, which means it shouldn't be too much longer before we start receiving news about NBA Live 17. It remains to be seen what EA Sports' plans are for the NBA Live franchise; the next instalment is set to be released in the first quarter of this year, but what will it entail? Will it be a smaller, digital only release, with a fully-featured NBA Live 18 released later in the year? Or can we expect a full game? Only time will tell, but for now, I thought that I'd spend a few editions of The Friday Five discussing what I'd like to see in forthcoming NBA Live titles.

Late last year, I discussed my ideas for crafting NBA Live's comeback in a Monday Tip-Off column. There'll probably be a little bit of overlap with that feature, as I'm obviously still interested in seeing NBA Live make the improvements that I've already outlined. I'll just be going into a few of the things that I previously discussed in more detail, since I'll be spreading the discussion out over multiple columns. With that being said, let's tip things off with what most of us would consider the most important aspect of any video game: the gameplay.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for Dynasty Mode in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:42 pm

January 13th: 5 Suggestions for Dynasty Mode in NBA Live

Last week, I posted five suggestions for enhancing the gameplay in NBA Live 17 and beyond. While it's important that the gameplay delivers a quality experience, basketball video games also need robust modes if they're going to hold our interest for any length of time. After all, no matter how fun and realistic the gameplay, a string of meaningless exhibition games is going to get boring after a while. It's therefore vital that NBA Live's franchise, career, and card collecting modes are all deep and engaging experiences. The addition of a couple of other modes - such as All-Star Weekend - wouldn't go astray, either.

For the moment, however, let's focus on Dynasty Mode. It's traditionally been my mode of choice in NBA Live, and it's the mode with the longest heritage in the series. Right now, Dynasty is functional, but it's also missing a lot of basic functions and features that could be found in its predecessors. Simply bringing back those elements would be a significant improvement for the mode, but I am hoping that future NBA Live games can go even further in fleshing out the franchise experience. Here are five suggestions that I believe would help achieve that goal.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Roster Editing Needs in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:14 am

January 20th: 5 Roster Editing Needs in NBA Live

Great gameplay is paramount, deep game modes keep us hooked, but another essential element of any basketball video game is customisation. It's an area where NBA Live has been lacking since its comeback in 2013, and although NBA Live 16 did see the return of gameplay sliders, roster editing was still missing. It's an issue that many of us have grown impatient about, and to that end, it's vital that roster customisation returns to NBA Live in the next full release. If what's coming in the first quarter of this year is a stripped down release or demo as currently speculated, it would be understandable if there isn't any roster editing in that.

But yes, the next full version of NBA Live absolutely needs to provide us with roster editing functionality. As I've said many times before when discussing this topic, it's nice to have the official roster updates, but there are times when we want (and need) to make our own changes, and we should be able to do that. Roster editing has been a staple of basketball video games for a long time now, and there are a few functions in particular that we need to have. Without any further ado, here are five roster customisation features that I believe NBA Live needs moving forward.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for LIVE Pro-Am in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Jan 27, 2017 9:39 pm

January 27th: 5 Suggestions for LIVE Pro-Am in NBA Live

As you may know from previous articles and the NLSC Podcast, I've become a big fan of 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17. I was originally sceptical of 2K's approach, and after playing LIVE Pro-Am at an NBA Live 16 community event, I figured that its quicker games would be more fun. However, I've come to like the 2K Pro-Am concept a lot more, and find myself wishing that LIVE Pro-Am could find a way to cater to those tastes as well. There are definitely aspects of 2K Pro-Am that NBA Live could stand to borrow, while implementing them in its own style.

Of course, I don't want to see LIVE Pro-Am simply become a clone of 2K Pro-Am. While I think there are features it should look to borrow, it has its own concepts that are worth building upon. It has the potential to cater to fans of the 2K Pro-Am approach, while also offering a different experience with its own appeal. In fact, by combining a few concepts that we've seen in both games so far, NBA Live could potentially end up with the deeper and more varied Pro-Am mode. Here are five suggestions that I believe would help achieve that.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for Rising Star in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Feb 03, 2017 9:07 pm

February 3rd: 5 Suggestions for Rising Star in NBA Live

So, we now know that the next NBA Live game - presumably titled NBA Live 18 - will be released later this year, and is intended to be a fully-featured title. While there is understandably some disappointment and scepticism within the NBA Live community at the moment, there is also an opportunity for the development team to go all out in enhancing game modes, and adding features such as roster customisation. As I've outlined in recent editions of The Friday Five, those are some very important and overdue improvements that are vital to NBA Live getting to where it needs to be.

I've already covered Dynasty and LIVE Pro-Am, but there's much work to be done with Rising Star as well. Career modes are extremely popular these days, therefore it's crucial that Rising Star is brought up to speed, and given the depth that will make it a more engaging and enjoyable experience. From the action on the court to the features that make a career mode more immersive, there are a couple of key enhancements that Rising Star should receive in forthcoming NBA Live titles. This week, I'm discussing five of them.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for Ultimate Team in NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:30 pm

February 10th: 5 Suggestions for Ultimate Team in NBA Live

We're coming to the end of my series of Friday Five articles on the key improvements and additions I'd like to see in NBA Live 18 and beyond. Having covered gameplay, Dynasty, Rising Star, LIVE Pro-Am, and roster editing, it's now time to talk about Ultimate Team. Ultimate Team has been a fairly solid mode since it was introduced to the series in NBA Live 14, and reasonably popular. There's definitely still room for improvement though, and since the card collecting/team building modes are such a big part of sports games these days, I do have a few suggestions on how it can improve.

Before I begin, I want to give an honourable mention to pack odds. Fair odds and value are always an important issue when it comes to the team building modes, and although Ultimate Team's packs aren't too unfair, they could stand to be a little better. Whether it's the packs bought from the store, or reward packs that are earned by completing a challenge, I'd like to see some guaranteed rare cards, especially when Legends are up for grabs. With that being said, here's my list of five suggestions that I believe would enhance Ultimate Team in future NBA Live games.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Miscellaneous Suggestions for NBA Live

Postby Andrew on Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:07 pm

February 17th: 5 Miscellaneous Suggestions for NBA Live

I originally planned for last week's Five to be the final instalment in my current series of articles discussing what I'd like to see in future NBA Live games, beginning with NBA Live 18 later this year. However, there are a few more ideas that I wanted to put out there, as they didn't quite fit into any of the previous areas that I was focusing upon. While it's crucial that core elements of the gameplay and existing game modes are fixed and enhanced, and that features such as roster editing return, there are a couple of other ideas that I believe would help make future NBA Live games even better.

These are the ideas that cater to specific needs and preferences, and contribute towards making NBA Live a deep and well-rounded game. Again, getting the gameplay right, enhancing the existing game modes, and implementing roster editing are all improvements that are absolutely vital, but once progress has been made on those fronts, it's important that NBA Live innovates and expands upon its content, as the series once did so well. There are certainly more than five things that can be suggested here, but these are the ideas that either appeal the most to me, or I believe will have the biggest impact.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ideas for MyCAREER Stories

Postby Andrew on Fri Feb 24, 2017 11:32 pm

February 24th: 5 Ideas for MyCAREER Stories

The story-driven approach to MyCAREER appears to be here to stay. Fortunately, as of NBA 2K17, it's not quite as intrusive as it once was. In the absence of an option to skip the story altogether, keeping the narrative to the background is definitely for the best. It would also be preferable if the gameplay experience drives the story, rather than the other way around. In any event, there are some basketball gamers who do enjoy the story aspect of MyCAREER, and as such, I expect it's something that Visual Concepts will double down on in future NBA 2K titles.

With that in mind, what kind of stories should MyCAREER try to tell? We've seen a rivalry with Jackson Ellis, an undrafted player battling for a place in the league, a Spike Lee joint, and the tale of a dynamic duo. I believe that the next step would be to introduce more than one story, preferably with branching plot points and impactful decisions that underscore the RPG aspect of MyCAREER. To that end, I have five ideas for stories that would provide gamers with a varied career mode experience, and more replay value than what is currently offered.
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