The Friday Five: 5 Tips for Being a Good Online Teammate in NBA Live 19

[[Q]]

I have to say with court battles and live event rewards and the new version of ultimate team, legends have been way more accessible this year.

[Andrew]

True, but it is still limiting for gamers who'd like to mess around some historical players, but aren't into those modes.

[Andrew]

January 25th: 5 Ideas NBA 2K Should Borrow from NBA Live

The time has come to compile and finalise our Wishlist for NBA 2K20, and send it off to the development team at Visual Concepts as soon as possible. While NBA 2K is currently a very deep and successful NBA sim, I would suggest that most basketball gamers would agree that there's still room for improvement. This includes polishing up existing features and addressing some gameplay concerns, but as far as changing concepts and approaches, or implementing new features, I do believe that NBA Live has some ideas that NBA 2K could borrow.

A lot of people may scoff at that and dismiss the notion out of hand. After all, when you're the premier product, you lead; you don't follow. However, even though NBA 2K is undisputedly the brand leader and NBA Live continues to rebuild after many rough years, EA Sports' long-running hoops title has featured some really good ideas, even as it's struggled to make a dent in NBA 2K's sales. Great as it is, there are some aspects of NBA 2K that feel dated or problematic, and some of the solutions may lie in NBA Live's approach to those features. 2K has borrowed from NBA Live before - right stick dribbling being a prime example - and it could stand to do so again.

[Andrew]

February 1st: 5 Cool Details in The Neighborhood

Since its introduction in NBA 2K18's MyCAREER, The Neighborhood has proven to be a divisive concept. Some basketball gamers love having a game world to explore, while others find it tedious and a waste of time. Whether or not you like the approach, it appears to be here to stay. As such, if you have any interest in playing MyCAREER or any of its connected experiences, you will be spending time in The Neighborhood. With all the running between shops, the practice facility, Pro-Am arenas, and courts in The Playground, the Marathon Man trophy/achievement can be gained quite easily.

Of course, if you are just running between Point A and Point B all the time, you may end up missing some of the cool details that have been put into The Neighborhood. Even if you're not a huge fan of having a game world as the hub for MyCAREER and its connected modes, it's possible to appreciate the amount of work that has gone into making it visually appealing and interesting. The Neighborhood certainly doesn't offer as many secrets or places to explore compared to open world games such as Grand Theft Auto or Fallout, but there are some details that make it worth looking around. Here are five that have stood out to me in NBA 2K18 and NBA 2K19.

[Andrew]

February 8th: 5 NBA Seasons I'm Oddly Nostalgic For

Way back in 2013, the first year of The Friday Five, I listed my top five favourite NBA seasons. That list is still accurate, putting aside the fact that I tried to restrict the number of Chicago Bulls championship years that I included. If I were to remove that restriction, my top five would be 1996, 1997, 1998, 1993, and 1992, with 1991 being an honourable mention. Back in 2017, I discussed five basketball video games that I'm oddly nostalgic for, given that they're widely considered to be problematic, and don't necessarily rank among my all-time favourites, either.

I mention those previous articles in part to promote the archives of my content, but also because this week, I'm combining the two concepts. Just as there are NBA video games that I'm nostalgic for despite their issues, there are NBA seasons that I feel nostalgic for even though by all accounts, they should be among my least favourite. Video games do play a part in that of course, and since I am mashing together the ideas of two previous articles, I will touch on them in this piece as well. It's not just my experiences on the virtual hardwood that make me nostalgic for these seasons though, as the action in the real NBA was interesting in its own right.

[tacitus kilgore]

Glad to see 2008 make an appeareance. I feel like around that year is when the league started to change. The Bulls-Celtics series the following year is one of the best ever imo.

[Andrew]

I'm biased as a Bulls fan, but I'd go so far as to call it the best first round series ever, at least since the league adopted the 7-7-7-7 format in 2003.

[Andrew]

February 15th: 5 Tips for Being a Good Online Teammate in NBA Live 19

It's a good time to play The One and its connected modes in NBA Live 19. The latest content update has doubled XP in celebration of the 2019 All-Star Weekend, offering an opportunity to make quicker progress on levelling up your One Player. Beyond that, the developers are keeping things fresh with new LIVE Events throughout All-Star Weekend, and the online team play experience of LIVE Run remains a fun way of hooping it up with your fellow virtual basketball enthusiasts. I've been taking part in a few LIVE Events myself this week, both solo and co-op.

I've generally had a good time playing the co-op LIVE Events in NBA Live 19, but the games have been frustrating at times. Some of my frustration can be attributed to inevitable lag or areas where NBA Live still has room for improvement, but on more than one occasion, I was left muttering and wondering what my online teammates were doing. That's not to say that I never made a mistake, but I encountered quite a few of the common pitfalls of playing online with random teammates. Playing with randoms is never going to be quite the same as running with an organised squad, but here are five tips for functioning as a cohesive unit in NBA Live 19's online modes.

[tacitus kilgore]

I find that I can almost control the ball with spacing. Constantly moving, inside and out, to the corners. I almost never try to iso or score in general really. It's rewarding seeing teammates try harder on both ends and trust me to run the offense. You can just feel the relief of those you play with when they see someone willing to share the ball.

[Andrew]

It's definitely a far more enjoyable experience when you're playing with randoms and everyone's on the same page as far as sharing the ball, moving it around, and making the right plays. Squadding up with friends usually avoids that, but it's not always feasible, especially with the current facilities in NBA Live.