The Friday Five: 5 Things I Should've Done With My Rosters

[Andrew]

The Friday Five: 5 Teammates Who Were Once Traded For Each Other (Part 2)

When I posted my previous Friday Five recalling five teammates who had once been traded for each other, I mentioned that there was an example that I cut after being reminded of a pairing that I definitely couldn't leave out the first time around. Since I hate to waste any writing and research, I kept that example aside, with the intention of revisiting the topic. It actually didn't take too long to find four more examples of players who became teammates after being traded for one another, and as such, the time has come to follow up with a new instalment.

As I've often said, I love roster trivia like this! It's fascinating to trawl through NBA history to find interesting trades, unique lineups, and other unusual events, including phantom stints, and familiar faces in strange places and back in familiar places alike. I look at them through the lens of the virtual hardwood, not only because it's the focus of our content here at the NLSC, but also because as I like to say, basketball video games are interactive almanacs. I had to search beyond the obvious games to find virtual representation of a couple of these pairings, but that's all part of the fun! And so, let's tip things off with the pair of players that were cut from the previous article.

[Andrew]

The Friday Five: 5 Lineups That Didn't Last Long

Just how good is your memory? I like to think that mine is pretty good when it comes to basketball and basketball video games, because those are things that I'm passionate about. However, I definitely don't have infallible recall! Moreover, our perception of time can be a tricky thing. To that end, while I may remember players, teams, lineups, and other such roster trivia many years later, my recollection of their longevity (or lack thereof) can be skewed. After all, what may feel like a long time when we're living it day-by-day can turn out to be a short period in the grand scheme of things!

Case in point: the lineups that I'm talking about today. It's no surprise that they stick in my mind - and I'm sure the minds of many long-time basketball fans and gamers - because they were all memorable in their own way. However, their memorability can ironically make us forget how short-lived those lineups actually were; especially if they did have a significant impact on the league (and video games) while they lasted. Even if they weren't particularly successful, or a Video Game Team, they may still benefit from an oddity, or simply media hype, that grants them more nostalgic fame - or infamy - than you'd expect. Here are five such lineups that come to mind for me.

[Andrew]

The Friday Five: 5 Staples of Bad Basketball Games

What makes a bad basketball video game? Well, in a nutshell, it's neither a fun video game, nor is it a good representation of basketball. Now, there are obviously different ways to represent basketball in video game form, with simulation and arcade being the two main subgenres of hoops titles. Within those subgenres, there are different styles with varying amounts of realism and wackiness according to their concept. To that end, just because a particular approach isn't to your liking, it doesn't objectively mean that it's a bad game. Indeed, this goes for basically anything we care to critique!

However, as is the case with all other genres of video games - not to mention other media - there are bad basketball titles. These bad basketball games tend to have some common traits; some staple drawbacks and design choices, if you will. Not every bad game will have all of these staples, and admittedly they can also show up in mediocre and even good games to a small extent. It's just that bad basketball games err really badly in these areas, to the point where they're practically unplayable outside of some ironic enjoyment. I know it's become popular to call anything you don't like "trash", but if a basketball game ticks some or all of these boxes, then it's earned that label.

[Andrew]

The Friday Five: 5 Reasons to Mod Old Games

I remember a conversation with a long-time member of the community many years ago, when we were reflecting on the earliest NBA Live games fading into obscurity. This was around the turn of the millennium, and modding for titles earlier than NBA Live 99 was definitely slowing down and going out of vogue. With that being said, I did release a 2001 season update for NBA Live 96 PC, which at the time was meant to be a farewell to an old favourite. Little did either of us know that retro gaming would one day see a number of old releases find their way back into people's rotations!

Granted, it's not for everyone, but I'll always advocate for retro gaming, basketball or otherwise. Moreover, I'll also encourage anyone to mod old games if they're inclined to do so. I can understand if some gamers balk at that idea. While there are people that turn their nose up at the suggestion of playing anything other than the latest release, they can at least see the nostalgic appeal of quickly throwing on a classic game. A modding project can take a lot of time and effort though, and mods for an old title may not seem worth all that trouble. I understand that point of view, but I strongly disagree! In that spirit, here are five reasons why it's a great idea to mod old games.

[Andrew]

The Friday Five: 5 Things I Should've Done With My Rosters

Although my modding output has dwindled to sporadic releases over the past decade or so, there was a time when I was extremely active. Current rosters were my bread and butter, and as I've recalled in a couple of Wayback Wednesday features, I also created 1996 season mods for NBA Live 2001 and NBA Live 2004. Burnout put an end to my days as a prolific roster modder around 2013, but I did genuinely enjoy the creative satisfaction of modding for many years before that. As such, the lure has always lingered, and I've never wanted to completely shut the door on a return.

Indeed, I have released a couple of rosters for NBA Live and NBA 2K games since then. However, I've also had a couple of ill-fated attempts at updating NBA 2K11 for the current season, an idea that sadly fell through despite my best intentions. When I reflect upon my burnout, stepping away from roster modding, and my attempts to get back into the hobby, I can identify the mistakes I made, and what I should've done instead. From philosophical and strategic approaches to technical procedures, there are definitely things I should've done differently, and will certainly strive to do so with any roster projects moving forward. Here are five of the most important ones.