Wayback Wednesday: Street Hoops Retrospective

[Andrew]

I'm glad to see the Hornets branding back in Charlotte, but it has resulted in a confusing lineage. Gerald Wallace is on the All-Time Hornets in NBA 2K18 despite never being a Hornet, and Chris Paul is on the All-Time Pelicans despite never being a Pelican.

[[Q]]

Well at least those guys get their due in the revisionist history
Does the Pelicans team consist of mostly current players? Or do th y go back to guys like Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn, Jamaal Magliore etc

[Andrew]

They include anyone who played in New Orleans from 2002 to present.

[Andrew]

July 25th, 2018: The Hidden Rookies in NBA Live 2004

The Draft Class of 2003 is considered one of the best in NBA history. It boasts an impressive list of names, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Plenty of other noteworthy players such as David West, Kirk Hinrich, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, Jason Kapono, James Jones, Luke Walton, Steve Blake, and Kendrick Perkins were also in that class. Four of the top five picks have been All-NBA selections, and nine players have been All-Stars, including two second rounders. It's a strong class with a handful of future Hall of Famers in its ranks.

Obviously, those players made their video game debut in the titles released for the 2004 season, such as NBA Live 2004, and ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4. Interestingly, quite a few of them were hidden by default in NBA Live 2004, and unlockable via codes. I've mentioned them before in articles discussing the game's hidden content, but I thought I'd take a closer look at how their careers turned out, and also provide a few in-game screenshots, especially since not all of them made it to the NBA. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Breems]

Just binged this, Friday Five, and Monday Tipoff. Appreciate the work you're putting into these.

I was a kid and internet noob when a lot of these games were coming out, so I appreciate learning these interesting facts now that I'm old enough to appreciate them.

[Andrew]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for the kind words, always good to know that people are enjoying the features.

[Andrew]

August 1st, 2018: Swapping Files in NBA Live 95 & NBA Live 96 PC

Let's do something a little different for this week's Wayback Wednesday; let's tinker with the PC versions of NBA Live 95 and NBA Live 96! Specifically, we're going to swap some art files between the games, just to see what works. The idea of swapping compatible files between games didn't take off until much later, mostly because we generally didn't create much in the way of custom art mods for the early games in the series. My complete update for NBA Live 96 featured updated logos and jerseys that another member contributed, but generally speaking, rosters didn't include art updates.

With dial-up Internet connections, comprehensive updates simply weren't the done thing. It's a shame we didn't look into it though, because there are assets that can be swapped between NBA Live 95 and NBA Live 96. There's not a wide variety of mods that can benefit from this technique, but if nothing else, it could've enhanced roster updates with some season-specific artwork. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

August 8th, 2018: The Tandy Rec Center in NBA Live 06 PC

In addition to the commendable job that EA Sports has done with the team arenas in NBA Live, the series has boasted some interesting and well-designed venues beyond the NBA hardwood. From the street courts in NBA Live 2003 to The Temple in the Xbox 360 versions of NBA Live 06 and 07, to The Hangar and the global courts we're set to experience in NBA Live 19, NBA Live's art team has done some great things with real and fictional venues alike. One practice venue that doesn't get mentioned very often however is the Tandy Rec Center in the PC version of NBA Live 06.

A little out of the norm for a sim-oriented NBA video game, it nevertheless stands out as one of the more unique venues featured in the NBA Live series. Since I've already taken a look back at several of the old practice and 1-on-1 courts in NBA Live, I felt it would only be fitting to profile this distinctive gym from one of my all-time favourite games. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Breems]

I love that gym. Back in the day, if I wanted something to do while listening to music or podcasts, I'd grab a player and just start shooting around. Still do sometimes. It's very reminiscent of shooting around in my school's old gym.

Interesting about the beams obstructing the view. As you alluded to, I've only ever played with the default camera angle, so I never noticed.

[Andrew]

That's definitely what I like about it. Incidentally, it's been pointed out to me that it's actually the Tandy Rec Center, and was featured in NBA Street V3. As such, I've gone ahead and re-written the retrospective slightly with more accurate information, though the gist is basically the same.

[[Q]]

That's so weird. I spent a ton of time on Live 06 but I don't seem to remember that gym. Perhaps I didn't use the practice mode?

[Andrew]

It's possible you didn't spend a lot of time in there, or playing 1v1. Dynasty mode was pretty addicting that year, after all. When's the last time you played 06 regularly (or fired it up)? If it's been over a decade, it might've slipped your mind. I've been creating content for it recently enough that I remember it...though initially forgot what it was, of course.

[[Q]]

Yeah it has been over a decade, so it could have slipped my mind

[Culture Games]

Gorgeous court/arena

[Andrew]

August 15th, 2018: The EA Sports Bio in NBA Live 2004

In these days of microtransactions for ratings boosts and cosmetic items alike, the notion of receiving rewards for simply playing a game seems rather quaint. Likewise, the idea of having to unlock additional content rather than it being openly promoted as a selling point, either by having it readily available out of the box or perhaps as a pre-order exclusive, seems delightfully retro. That's how it used to be though, with most content either being unlocked by completing some objective, earning points for an in-game shop, or in some cases, punching in a code.

For their range of 2004 season games, EA Sports introduced a new initiative that was intended to reward gamers, as well as provide an incentive to buy more than one title. That initiative was the EA Sports Bio, a feature that was exclusive to consoles. Even though it was intended to drive sales and put the squeeze on the competition, it was an initiative that benefited gamers even if you only purchased one title, as I did with NBA Live 2004. It's an interesting concept that inspired features in later games, so let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

August 22nd, 2018: Playing With The Developers in NBA Live

These days, there is a lot more awareness of who the people behind our favourite basketball video games are. Many of them are visible and active on Twitter, which affords us an opportunity to ask them questions and provide feedback for future releases. That level of interaction wasn't possible in the early days of basketball gaming, but we did have some awareness of the developers behind the games we were playing. Not only were their names prominently displayed on the credits screens, but in some cases, we could actually play with them.

It's something of an antiquated feature these days, with more focus on bonus content such as historical squads and the like. All things considered, that has been the right direction for basketball video games to take, but there is a certain charm in those old cheat codes that allowed us to play with a game's developers. It was a feature in more than one NBA Live title, so let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

August 29th, 2018: The Isometric Camera Angle in NBA Live

Camera angles have a significant impact on the quality of the gameplay experience across a wide variety of genres. As many titles in the early days of 3D would end up demonstrating, poorly designed camera angles and movement resulted in artificial difficulty, either by obscuring the player's view at inopportune moments, or simply by not providing a suitable view of the action at any time. In sports video games, a bad camera angle made it a lot easier to step out of bounds, and it was harder to determine where players were in relation to each other and the field of play.

Most early basketball video games used a similar sideline camera angle, which was fine for the time, but did have a few drawbacks. EA Sports would change things up with the release of NBA Live 95, when they switched to an isometric camera angle. Not only does it remain a distinctive look that gamers found appealing, it also made the gameplay experience far more enjoyable. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

September 5th, 2018: NBA Live 99 & NBA Live 09 Trivia

We're just a couple of days away from the launch of NBA Live 19. It's shaping up to be a good year for NBA Live, as the series continues its comeback after many years of rebuilding. Hopefully NBA Live will continue to go from strength to strength from here on out, as it did during its glory years of the mid 90s to around 2005. Back then, EA Sports were doing some very innovative things with the series, and it felt like every year brought something new to the table. As I said in my retrospective, that was certainly the case with NBA Live 99.

NBA Live 09 was also a good bounce back year for the series, and remains one of its best releases during the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 generation. With the series having been around for over two decades, it's interesting to look back at the game that came out ten years before the current one, and the one that was released ten years before that. With that in mind, I've compiled some NBA Live 99 and NBA Live 09 trivia, similar to what I did last year with NBA Live 98 and NBA Live 08. Let's take a look back...way back...

[[Q]]

I remember Live 10 got updated rosters after the Elite fiasco, so maybe 09 got the same treatment?

[Andrew]

It's possible it was intentional, but if so, it was never announced. With the NBA Live 10/NBA Elite 11 situation, it was something they promoted to try to save face and promote some goodwill. Unfortunately for them, NBA 2K11 was a huge hit, becoming the best-selling NBA 2K game at the time with over 5 million copies sold.

[Andrew]

September 12th, 2018: The Legend of Jackson Ellis

Minor spoiler alert: in NBA 2K19's MyCAREER mode, Jackson Ellis makes a return to the virtual hardwood. One of the most memorable characters in basketball video games, this year he enjoyed his most prominent role since NBA 2K14, when he was introduced as the rival of your MyPLAYER. Not only has Ellis resonated with NBA 2K gamers, he's clearly a favourite of the development team as well. Even though he's only stepped onto the court in a couple of titles, he's appeared or been referenced in every MyCAREER mode on the current generation.

So what's the story behind the infamously brash and outspoken Jackson Ellis? Well, the exact story differs for each of us, but in broad strokes, Visual Concepts has been weaving a subplot with Ellis over the past six years. To appreciate the Legend of Jackson Ellis, we need to return to where it all began in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of NBA 2K14. To that end, let's go back...way back...

[Andrew]

September 19th, 2018: Slow Motion Dunks in NBA Live

It's interesting to look back at the features and mechanics that were featured in old basketball video games. There's a reason that many of them ended up being dropped over the years - especially as the sim titles aimed to be more and more realistic - but there's still a lot of nostalgia in them. When I think back to games like NBA Live 95 and NBA Live 96, one of my fondest memories is of throwing down big dunks and having my player point at his opponent, or pumping his arm in triumph, as he runs back on defense.

In fact, I'd say that a lot of older basketball gamers remember that aspect of dunking in the early NBA Live games. A feature that made those dunks even more exciting - much as they could be with the animations of the time - was the option for slow motion dunks. It's an outdated concept now, particularly in the era of online play, but in its day it was pretty cool. Let's take a look back...way back...

[[Q]]

I remember that it was pretty cool but I wound up turning that off as it seemed like a more intense dunk in real time.

[Andrew]

It's not particularly sim either, which is why I ended up playing with it off. I would like the option though, just to use it once in a while for a bit of nostalgia.

[Andrew]

September 26th, 2018: The NBA Live Academy

I've discussed my desire to see NBA Live's Franchise mode get better and deeper on more than one occasion, and it's something that I still hope will happen in the future. Something that we really need to see with the mode is the return of several useful and innovative features that flesh out the experience and make it more engaging. I've mentioned a few of these features in previous articles, but one that deserves a more in-depth look is the NBA Live Academy. Having recently gone back and taken a few screenshots, it feels like a good time for a retrospective!

Also known simply as the Academy, it was both an aesthetic enhancement, and an improvement in the way that player development was handled. It was only featured in a couple of NBA Live games, but that was enough to make its mark, and establish it as a concept that I for one would love to see reintroduced in Franchise mode in the not too distant future. Let's take a look back...way back...