Monday Tip-Off: Is A Franchise Game Ever "Failed"?

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: A Tale of Two Camera Angles

As is the case with just about any fandom, the basketball gaming community has had some silly arguments and engaged in ridiculous gatekeeping. Post a fun highlight clip, and someone is bound to sneer that you must be playing on a lower difficulty level. That may or may not be true, but it's needlessly judgemental when the point of a clip was to show off a cool animation, not to brag about stick skills. However, nothing compares to the ridiculous gatekeeping and elitism surrounding the choice in camera angles. It truly is the most absurd thing to judge other basketball gamers on!

I find the idea of there only being one "correct" choice in camera angles particularly silly as there are actually two that I primarily use, and a couple of others that I also like. Don't get me wrong; even if there was only one camera angle for me, I wouldn't consider others to be incorrect, or a sign of ineptitude and source of shame. For that matter, I don't think that my preference for multiple camera angles makes me better than anyone, either! Indeed, given that there's a reason basketball gamers prefer a particular view over other camera angles, my approach is arguably the weird one. However, there's a reason that my basketball gaming is a tale of two camera angles.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: A Ticking Clock on NBA Live 19

When the NBA Live 18 servers were shut down last year, I speculated that it may not be too long before online support for NBA Live 19 ends as well. Although support won't end in 2025 as I guessed that it might, it's been confirmed that NBA Live 19's servers will be shut down on January 30th, 2026. The game has already been removed from digital stores, but physical copies do exist if you want to get your hands on it. Obviously, the offline modes will still be available when online support ends, so as long as you own the game, it will be playable.

Of course, the end of online support is bad news for Ultimate Team; a mode that I've been enjoying as of late. Much like my NBA Live 18 kick last year, I've unfortunately allowed myself to get hooked on an experience that will soon be unavailable! I'd liken it to getting into a great television show after it's already a few seasons in, but on the brink of cancellation or otherwise getting ready to wrap up. I'm enjoying myself and I'm grateful that I gave it a proper chance, but I'm also getting on the ride late, so the impending end of the journey feels unfairly abrupt. Beyond that, the ticking clock on NBA Live 19 underscores the current state of the series, as well as its bleak future.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Tinkering With Rosters

I know I've said it many times before, but it's been an absolute joy to change up my basketball gaming habits in recent years. Because I'm no longer forcing myself to play the newest game even if I don't enjoy it, I've also broken the habit of grinding away in MyCAREER year after year. I'm also not beholden to any MyTEAM Agendas, and I'm avoiding the online scene. Stepping away from those modes and leaning towards retro gaming has created time for other activities on the virtual hardwood, and that's made basketball gaming as fun as it's ever been for me.

Obviously, this includes playing into my seventh year of an NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, and at long last returning to franchise gaming; solo in NBA Live 16, and co-op with Dee in NBA 2K9. I've also played through 24/7 mode in NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7, and hit The Streets in NBA Live 18 and NBA Live 19. Something that I've really had fun with however is just playing an assortment of exhibition games in titles that I've been drawn to. That in turn has led to me tinkering with the rosters of various games. Although that can lead to more in-depth projects that I'll release publicly - such as my minimalist 2005 roster for NBA 2K6 - I've had a blast just casually editing rosters.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: I Miss Original Tracks & Basketball Remixes

When Dee and I were discussing the best and worst music in basketball video games, we noted our fondness for original tracks and remixes with new lyrics referencing hoops and the virtual hardwood. It's a staple of soundtracks that we've unfortunately lost over the years. That's not to say that basketball video games haven't licensed some great tracks and indeed introduced us to new songs and artists. Commercial songs also make basketball titles feel culturally relevant when they're released, and can eventually contribute to their nostalgic appeal as well.

Still, there was something special about the original tracks and remixes that were once more common in basketball video games. Look, you should never want to be that curmudgeon ranting about the music of today, and wondering why hits from twenty years ago aren't being featured in anything that's aiming for a younger demographic. Besides, it isn't as though basketball video games from the past ten years or so haven't included some classic songs! However, between songs that are a poor fit, songs that need to be heavily censored to appear in a family-friendly game, and the creativity we once heard, I do miss those original tracks and remixes in modern basketball games.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Fun When Optional, A Chore When Mandatory

I've made my thoughts on grinding in basketball video games very clear. In short, I'm not a fan of forcing gamers to turn play into work in order to make a game enjoyable. I couldn't disagree more when people defend grinding by suggesting that their fellow gamers are lazy and don't want to put in the effort. Contrary to the apologist rhetoric, not everyone desires to be 99 Overall in MyCAREER, or have a stacked MyTEAM squad, within a week of a new game coming out. They just want to progress at a fair rate, and not be forced to choose between mindless grinding and paying for shortcuts.

Moreover, while there have been a number of methods to assist with the grind and avoid spending money, they're not necessarily fun, or as effective as we'd like. Even if they're useful in speeding up progress, they can still become tiresome to repeat over and over again. Beyond that, there have been other concepts in basketball games - in particular MyCAREER in NBA 2K - that can be fun if they're optional, but quickly become a chore if they're mandatory. In my view, the fastest way to ruin a basketball game is to force us into extracurricular tasks and activities that have nothing to do with playing virtual hoops. It won't be long before they become dreary busywork.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: The Challenges of Historical Screenshots

Between the topics I cover in various articles and my retro gaming habits involving classic teams and matchups, I'm often capturing screenshots of historical scenarios. Needless to say, there are some challenges when it comes to trying to snap the ideal shot. Obviously, many of them apply to virtual hardwood photography in general. From technical limitations to the available content to difficulty in staging everything the way you see it in your mind, the final result may not be exactly what you want. Of course, other times the results can be extremely satisfying.

To that end, I really enjoy firing up a game, tinkering with the rosters as necessary, and finding ways to stage historical scenarios for some great screenshots! Indeed, on top of using historical screenshots to illustrate the facts and trivia that I'm writing about, the theme of a number of my features in recent years has basically revolved around virtual pictures speaking their proverbial thousand words. Not only has this allowed me to indulge my nostalgia and love of NBA history, but it's been fun trying my hand at some more visually creative content. Once again though, these historical screenshots come with several challenges, though tackling them has been rewarding.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: The Dichotomy of Modern Shooting Mechanics

Over the decades, developers of basketball video games have strived to make their controls and gameplay mechanics deeper and more skill-based. This has of course resulted in hits and misses throughout the years, as some ideas have proven to be better - and more fun - than others. The successful ideas have become staples of the genre, persisting even as other elements of the games are revamped. To that end, just as modern basketball games aren't about to eschew right stick dribbling controls, it's difficult to see them shying away from shooting mechanics based on Green Releases.

Once again, there's a reason that both of those concepts have prevailed as staples of NBA 2K, as well as the last two NBA Live games. Modern dribbling controls offer precision that wasn't possible by simply tapping a crossover or spin move button, while today's shooting mechanics avoid the somewhat contrived ambiguity of RNG; well, for the most part, anyway. At the same time, this skill-based approach definitely isn't perfect either. There's undoubtedly merit in rewarding gamers for precise timing with a 100% chance of success, but it can be punishingly challenging, not to mention unbalanced and unrealistic. And so, there's a dichotomy to these shooting mechanics.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Revisiting Games Outside of MyCAREER

When it comes to our impressions of basketball games with an array of modes, what we play is a significant factor. After all, while the underlying gameplay mechanics are obviously the same, their suitability and our tolerance for any issues can vary from mode to mode. There have definitely been games that were more enjoyable in certain modes, depending on the tuning and whether or not we could alter it. As such, if you mostly stick to one mode, you may not be aware of some of a game's strengths and weaknesses. It's why we can remember the same games very differently.

After really getting into MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, it became my mode of choice for the next seven years or so. That's not to say that it was the only mode I played, but when it comes to NBA 2K on PlayStation 4 and PC, many of my fondest memories are of MyCAREER and its connected experiences. I don't regret that, as it represents hours of fun on the virtual hardwood. At the same time, it does mean that there were modes and content I wasn't able to truly enjoy, since levelling up a MyPLAYER and playing through an NBA season is a huge commitment. To that end, revisiting some of those games and playing something other than MyCAREER has been refreshing.

[Andrew]

Dumb Monday Tip-Off: Yes, It's In The Game

It's Christmastime once again - aka the "silly season" - so it's time for some merry, light-hearted fun in this week's features! To that end, I'm combining my Monday Tip-Off "brand" with JaoSming's old feature, Dumb Mondays. I did this last Christmas, in order to make a tongue-in-cheek comparison between the movies of John Hughes and the rise of the Chicago Bulls. It was a fun, silly "theory" that came to mind years ago. I ended up sitting on the rough draft of an article outlining the "connections" for a long time, before finally polishing it up and publishing it last Christmas.

Since the time has come for some more silliness, let's talk about something that I find extremely silly: the sheer number of people who don't know that EA Sports' slogan is "It's in the game"! More specifically, they believe that the slogan is something else that may sound kind of similar to that. Furthermore, they insist that they're absolutely correct in thinking that EA Sports' slogan is anything but "It's in the game". Now, this may not seem like something to get too riled up about, especially given the spirit of the season. With that in mind, I'm definitely not trying to be a Grinch here. This is all in good fun, and revelling in some silliness. At the same time though...come on, now!

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Getting Into Modes Late

As I noted at the beginning of November, there's a ticking clock on NBA Live 19. With 2025 almost over, we're getting inching closer and closer to time running out on the final NBA Live release to date. Once the servers are shut down at the end of January, it'll be a wrap on all modes that require online connectivity. As it is, some of those modes are already inaccessible, or their matchmaking functionality has been disabled. NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team is still playable as of writing - at least on PlayStation 4 - but has lengthy load times as EA Sports gets ready to pull the plug.

For many basketball gamers, the impending shutdown of NBA Live 19's servers and the lethargic menus in Ultimate Team won't be a concern. Indeed, it may be a surprise that the game still has online support, limited and declining as it is. It's something that I'm well aware of though, as I've been playing NBA Live 19 quite regularly in recent months, with a keen interest in Ultimate Team after completing The Streets World Tour. Needless to say, I won't be able to complete everything in the mode before it's gone forever. That likely would've been the case even if I had been playing LUT 19 since launch, but it's another example of me being late to the party with game modes.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Just Keep Scrolling

Nothing is for everyone. I wish I could phrase that more eloquently and profoundly, but when it comes down to it, that's the way it is. This is as true for content on the internet as it is for TV shows, movies, music, video games, or basically anything else you can name. Not every YouTube video will be appealing to you. Not every forum, Reddit, or social media post will concern a topic that you care about. Not every article that I or anyone else writes will be interesting to everyone that happens to stumble across it. Even if you're the intended audience, it still may not be your thing.

That's OK, but somehow, too many people still take great exception to encountering something that they're not interested in. Now, you could say that there are far more important matters in the world, but that's kind of my point here. If the worst thing that happens to you today is that you're suggested a video or a social media post that just doesn't interest you, I'd argue that it's been a pretty good day! And yet, some people still can't help lashing out with snark and outright hostility when either the algorithm or a creator they follow delivers content that's completely inoffensive, but simply not their cup of tea. It's ridiculous because there's an easy solution: just keep scrolling!

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Nostalgia Is Special, Not Sad

Nostalgia has been getting a bad rap for quite a while now. Oh sure, there's plenty of nostalgic communities and content online, as many of us love to reminisce. However, there has undoubtedly been a noticeable backlash to nostalgia as online demographics have shifted over the past decade or so. Beyond tired arguments about what was better - then or now - the discourse has been polluted by smug armchair psychoanalysis. If you're nostalgic, or prefer to stick with something older, you must be hung up on the past, miserably chasing a moment in time that you'll never get back.

Now, I can't say that that doesn't hold true for some people, though I'll say it with far more sympathy and understanding than those who want to dump on the past to prop up the present! For many of us though, continuing to enjoy the classics - or at least looking back on them fondly - is neither depressing, nor preventing us from having new experiences. And so, the idea that nostalgia is a sad, delusional cry for help is infuriatingly condescending. Frankly, if we've made fond memories with our interests and passions that we can enthusiastically recall, then we're extremely fortunate. If those things can still bring us joy, we're even luckier. There's nothing sad about that.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: How To Rate a Fading Star

Since they became a visible part of basketball video games, player ratings have been a contentious issue. We've rarely been completely happy with the ratings in the official rosters, sometimes for very good reasons; particularly when it comes to the historical players! Developers have also shared stories about players arguing about their ratings when they come in for motion capture or face scans. On a lighter note, when Hassan Whiteside returned to the NBA for the 2015 season and began turning in some good performances for the Heat, he joked about doing it to get his NBA 2K ratings up.

As someone who used to maintain current roster updates for NBA Live on PC, there were certainly ratings in the default rosters that I disagreed with. At the same time, I also sympathised with the producers who were responsible for those official rosters, because it's impossible to please everyone. We all have different views on how certain players should be rated - with bias often being a factor - as well as how player ratings should be handled across the board. All roster makers end up settling on a system of some kind, me included. Even so, some players have proved particularly challenging to rate over the years, and a fading star will generally be among the most difficult.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Last Gen NBA 2K Gamers Deserve Better

I'll admit that I'm surprised we're still seeing NBA 2K come out for the Last Gen consoles. Back in 2023, I speculated that we might be reaching the end of the road for NBA 2K on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, based on the minimal previews and lack of substantial post-release support. Obviously that didn't turn out to be the case, with NBA 2K25 and NBA 2K26 both receiving Last Gen releases. While I wouldn't be shocked if the series leaves PS4 and X1 behind in 2026, there's actually a decent chance that NBA 2K27 will still be released on those consoles.

And you know what? I have absolutely no problem with that! Although I can play the New Gen version on my PlayStation 5 or PC, plenty of people don't have that option, either by choice or circumstance. To that end, I truly loathe the elitist attitude that a contingent of Next Gen/New Gen gamers display, from mocking people for financial hardship to believing that Last Gen gamers don't deserve a good product. The fact of the matter is that everyone who is still playing NBA 2K on a Last Gen console for whatever reason has deserved better than what they've received and how they've been treated the last few years. Only a shameless corporate shill would argue otherwise.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: The Door Finally Closes on NBA Live...Maybe

Although NBA Live has remained dormant since 2019, I've still had plenty of reasons to write about it. Older releases have re-entered my rotation, and I've developed more of an appreciation for them. There are some that I'd like to dust off more often, and even mod. I've talked about the opportunities the series has had, and some of the ones that it's squandered. I've lamented how both the series and its long-time fans deserved better. Above all, I've continued to champion the need for alternatives, and noted how despite numerous setbacks, somehow the door has remained open for NBA Live.

However, with the shutdown of NBA Live 19's servers and no new release on the horizon, it feels as though the door has finally closed. I could be wrong here, and it's certainly not the outcome that I wanted. I still believe in the importance of having at least two viable sim options on the market, and I'll continue to advocate for that. Even if a return for NBA Live is as highly unlikely as it seems, there's arguably still a better chance of that happening than another developer stepping up to try to compete with NBA 2K. For now though, with online support for NBA Live 19 ending and NBA Live Mobile being the last vestige of the series, the door has seemingly slammed shut.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Basketball Gaming's Tecmo Super Bowl

Tecmo Super Bowl is undoubtedly an iconic video game. Fully-licensed NFL teams and players, well-designed gameplay, stat tracking, and the dominance of virtual Bo Jackson, all helped cement it as a legendary release. That legend has only grown over time, thanks to emulation facilitating a modding scene that has kept the game dutifully updated and enthusiastically played right through to today. When it comes to a cult following in the retro gaming and modding scene, Tecmo Super Bowl is right up there with the original Doom games.

Basketball is my sport however, so I'm left wondering: is there an equivalent retro hoops title to Tecmo Super Bowl? For that matter, could there be? Obviously, there are a handful of old favourites still being updated, but these days those titles rarely approach the same vintage as Tecmo Super Bowl. It stands to reason. It could be argued that sim basketball games that hold up decades later didn't come along until the mid 90s, or even the mid 2000s. Once they evolved to that point, we ended up with several great releases that remained moddable and playable years later. With that in mind, which titles could potentially be basketball gaming's Tecmo Super Bowl?

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: The Same Old MyCAREER Story

When the Next Gen version of NBA 2K14 launched with the very first MyCAREER story, it was a bold attempt to innovate with the single player career experience. The mode had already been expanding since its debut in NBA 2K10 as My Player, but introducing a narrative with cutscenes and further role-playing elements continued to differentiate it from the franchise modes. Once 2K began working with big name filmmakers and actors, MyCAREER came to feature impressive production values and deeper stories, which I've come to appreciate.

There are some recurring problems with the story-driven approach to MyCAREER, of course. Not everyone is interested in flavour content like that, especially if they just want to build up a player for the online scene. The quality of the stories has varied over the years, with a few of them being very obnoxious in tone. There have been some distracting disconnections between the story and the MyPLAYER protagonist, where a very specific back story doesn't suit the concept of avatar customisation. If nothing else, we're not rated like we're a future star! However, the biggest issue is that even in the best case scenario, we end up being told the same old MyCAREER story.

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off: Is A Franchise Game Ever "Failed"?

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: completion is what we make it in basketball video games. There are also different reasons to play video games in general, with completion being but one of them. For example, our NLSC THRILLHO squad played over 500 games of 2K Pro-Am in NBA 2K17. We didn't win any tournaments, snare any prizes for a top ranking, or reach a definitive end point. However, we were having so much fun that we kept meeting up to play all those games, and in doing so, created many fond memories. Competition and camaraderie were the point, not completion.

Traditional NBA season play, whether in the form of a single season, franchise, or career mode, is obviously a little different. Sure, it's also about competing and having fun along the way, but the format provides a long-term goal: finish at least one season and ideally cap it off with a championship. Franchise modes have also grown deeper over the years, inviting us to customise the experience to our liking and take on more responsibilities. It's all too easy to get impatient and bored during a long season, or find that setting up the board was more fun than playing the game. Completion is what we make it, but even so, is it ever fair to say that a franchise game has "failed"?