Wayback Wednesday: NES Basketball Gaming

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: How Free Agents Enhanced Roster Modding

A pool of free agents and the ability to sign and release players is just one of those things that we take for granted in basketball video games. After all, it's a concept that goes back to games released in the 90s, making it a well-established staple of roster customisation that we expect to see. Indeed, if you got into basketball gaming during the 2000s at the earliest, you probably haven't played many sim games that didn't represent free agency in their roster customisation functionality, or at least their season or franchise modes.

However, if you're my age and you recall playing the classics of the 90s, you'll no doubt remember how restricted we used to be when it came to modifying the rosters in-game. Even after the ability to trade players outside of season modes was added, it still took a couple of years to implement the free agents pool. It was longer still before that pool was frequently filled with players to sign! Needless to say, the addition of the free agents pool and subsequent inclusion of a selection of free agents every year significantly enhanced roster modding. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: Tecmo Super NBA Basketball

Despite being old enough to have played it when it was new - or at the very least, recent - Tecmo Super NBA Basketball is another classic hoops title that I didn't play until years later. As you may know from our podcast and my previous articles, I didn't become a hardcore basketball fan and gamer until the mid 90s. This means that my introduction to the virtual hardwood was through games such as NBA Live 95, NBA Live 96, and NBA Jam Tournament Edition, rather than the likes of Double Dribble, Lakers vs. Celtics, Bulls vs. Blazers, and of course, Tecmo Super NBA Basketball.

I'll admit that this made it difficult to truly appreciate those games the first time I played them. After all, they felt like inferior versions of games that I was actually nostalgic for! I respected their place in the history of the genre, but it was tough to get into them. They were intriguing though, and over the years, I've given those classics another chance. This has led to some fun retro gaming sessions where I've come to see why they're so beloved, and discover aspects that were ahead of their time. That includes Tecmo Super NBA Basketball, so let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NBA 2K17 All-Time College DLC Revisited

It's funny what will prompt you to revisit certain games, and then keep playing them. Content creation is undoubtedly a factor. Revisiting NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 on a whim led to a retrospective of MyCAREER, and in turn an ongoing adventure and an overdue appreciation for an amazing game. Hoping to grab a screenshot for an article, I dusted off NBA Live 18 to play through The One. It was a blast, and I once again developed a greater fondness for an older release, while also lamenting its wasted potential. I didn't get the screenshot I wanted, but I ended up with something better.

I don't take that for granted. In an age of disposable games, I appreciate any unique content and modes that remain available years later. That brings me to the All-Time College DLC for NBA 2K17, which inspired me to spend some more time with an old favourite after revisiting it for research. I did cover the DLC back in 2018, but I'm not entirely satisfied with that feature. Also, with EA (and apparently 2K) developing a new college basketball game, it's seems only apt to revisit the last time that collegiate content was available outside of a specific mode. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 09 Fresh Daily Grocery

It's no secret that for many basketball gamers, the preview season just isn't what it once was. With only one game to look forward to every year, increasing fatigue and dissatisfaction with the product, and more than a couple of false claims and broken promises, it's tougher to get excited; at least if you're familiar with the routine. That sadly won't change until such time as we have choices and competition in the space again, and I hope that will happen some day. If and when it does, I anticipate the preview season becoming as fun and interesting as it used to be.

Beyond tantalising previews and promising news, something that I enjoyed about the preview seasons in bygone years were the fun extras that got us hyped for the new games. Official websites provided digital promotional materials, from downloadable freebies to browser games and activities. During the preview season for NBA Live 09, EA Sports launched the Fresh Daily Grocery section on the game's website. It was a creative concept that not only gave us a reason to check in daily, but also emphasised one of NBA Live 09's big new features. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: Manipulating Cutscenes

Cutscenes have been in basketball video games for decades. In early titles such as Double Dribble, the rotoscoped dunks spiced up the action in a game that otherwise had very limited animation. Tecmo Super NBA Basketball also added further detail through the use of cutscenes, though some gamers felt they interrupted the flow of the gameplay. That's certainly a common criticism of Arch Rivals, which displayed a cutaway after every basket. In more recent games, there have been options to cut to a different angle on wide open dunks, or a three-pointer made with a Green Release.

The Courtside Comedy of NBA Live 2003 produced rather infamous cutscenes! And of course, the MyCAREER stories rely heavily on cutscenes to tell their tales. Those types of cutscenes tend to be more divisive compared to starting lineup introductions, instant replays, and championship celebrations, which are considered an essential ingredient in achieving authentic presentation. Over the years, we've found ways of manipulating cutscenes to portray specific scenarios, whether it's for greater accuracy or simply for the sake of humour. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: What If...Kobe Bryant Broke the Scoring Record?

Even before he became a star, many people had correctly predicted that Kobe Bryant would go down as one of the all-time greats. There's a reason that he was tapped to be the cover player and namesake of the NBA Courtside series, and also appeared on the cover of NBA Action 98 - a forerunner of NBA 2K - while still a bench player in his second season. Robert Horry certainly believed in his young teammate back then. I recall a magazine article published during the 1998 season that quoted Big Shot Bob's claim that Kobe Bryant would be the one to finally break the all-time scoring record.

While that prediction didn't come true, it wasn't too far off the mark! Kobe ended up joining the 30,000 point club, finishing his career third on the all-time scoring leaders after surpassing Michael Jordan. Throw in his countless incredible performances and career accomplishments including five rings, and it's no wonder that a lot of fans felt that Bleacher Report ranking him as the 11th best player in history was insulting. That raises an interesting question: would Kobe Bryant have a different legacy if he had in fact broken the all-time scoring record? Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Jam Extreme Retrospective

I remember the excitement I felt when I saw a promotion for NBA Jam Extreme in a magazine. NBA Jam Tournament Edition had already solidified my love of Jam, so I was naturally keen on the prospect of a new game with updated rosters. The promo used the game's cover art: a shot of Shawn Kemp soaring to the rim and throwing it down over Hakeem Olajuwon. The Reignman was actually my cousin's favourite player growing up and thus I'd become a fan of him as well, so making Kemp the face of NBA Jam Extreme gave it some extra coolness right out of the gate.

And then of course, there's the name itself: NBA Jam Extreme. Back in the 90s, the word EXTREME often implied that something was cool with a capital C (or a capital K, because again, it was the 90s!). In short, twelve-year-old me had ample reason to be hyped for a new NBA Jam game. As it turned out though, I never got to play NBA Jam Extreme back in the day, as I instead moved on to NBA Hangtime. Honestly, I'd have to say that that was for the best! Nevertheless, it was interesting to finally get my hands on NBA Jam Extreme all these years later. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: Notable Names in the Free Agents Pool

In a previous article, I mentioned that a number of future Hall of Fame players and other notable names have appeared in the free agents pool in various titles. Needless to say, they stand out among the selection of veteran journeymen and other far less prominent players. It was undoubtedly weird to see those all-time greats, multi-time all-stars, and other notable mainstays in the league languishing in the free agents pool. Once again though, they facilitated countless roster projects. Of course, it also led to some strange sights when CPU teams picked them up in franchise modes!

Obviously, there are reasons that notable names have occasionally turned up in the free agents pool of video games, particularly towards the end of their careers. Also, because older games came out on different platforms at different times, there were differences in their rosters. As such, not all versions of a game featured the same notable names among their array of unsigned free agents. I can't pass up a chance to discuss NBA history when there's a connection to basketball gaming trivia, and there are definitely some interesting stories here. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: ESPN NBA 2Night Retrospective

Although Konami has produced some classic releases that earned them a reputation as one of the most iconic video game developers, the virtual hardwood was never their best genre. That's not to say that their basketball games have all been terrible. Indeed, their sim-arcade hybrid titles that include Run and Gun, NBA Give 'n Go, NBA in the Zone, and NBA in the Zone 2 are nostalgic favourites for many long-time basketball gamers. They provided an experience that found a good middle ground between the more serious approach of NBA Live, and the over-the-top style of NBA Jam.

However, as sim-oriented basketball games were improving and becoming deeper and more realistic in the late 90s and early 2000s, Konami's releases were soon outclassed. From gameplay and graphics to modes and features, they fell short of NBA Live, as well as new contenders in the space such as the emerging NBA 2K series. At the same time, Konami's NBA games did find an audience, and some of them had their good points; or at the very least, a few interesting ideas! For better or worse, ESPN NBA 2Night is a great example of that. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Live 96 on the Road

I don't need many excuses to nostalgically reminisce about 1998! As tumultuous as our teenage years can be, it was an exciting time for my younger self. In the NBA, there was The Last Dance for the Chicago Bulls. It's the year that I became a fan of professional wrestling, with the Attitude Era and Monday Night Wars in full swing. The Simpsons was still in its golden age. I also made new friends that would end up impacting my life more than I could've ever expected. Oh, and I also became an uncle at 13 when my nephew was born in January (my brother is 16 years older than me).

Indeed, it's my nephew that inspired this walk down memory lane. More specifically, he got married earlier this month, and he and his wife are expecting a daughter, so I'll soon be a great uncle. On top of being proud of and happy for him, it's also a reminder of how time flies, as it seems like only yesterday that we were waiting to meet him! Thinking about how those 27 years sometimes seem like they went by in a blink, I've recalled how a trip to attend his christening produced a basketball gaming memory: playing NBA Live 96 PC on the road. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: That Weird Second Bulls Run for Scottie Pippen

While Scottie Pippen is technically still one of my all-time favourite players, I'll admit that I've soured on him since he went off the deep end. Indeed, I stopped following him on social media when he started going after Michael Jordan - who has always given him credit - with some utterly ridiculous takes. As much as I can sympathise with him taking exception to certain parts of The Last Dance documentary, I'd suggest that his unhinged behaviour ironically proved that it wasn't entirely inaccurate in its portrayal of his mercurial temperament.

Nevertheless, he is undoubtedly an all-time great, traditionally a favourite of mine, and a memorable stand-in for His Airness in so many basketball video games back in the 90s. Even though he departed the team in the wake of the second threepeat, Pip's importance to the champion Bulls and prominence in so many highlight packages means that we hoop heads will always associate him with Chicago. However, it's easy to forget that Scottie Pippen actually ended his career with a weird second run with the Bulls. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: Viable Legends Teams in NBA Live 8th Gen

A couple of years ago, I reflected on the misuse of Legends in NBA Live. While the series made a big splash with historical content when Michael Jordan and other all-time greats were added in NBA Live 2000, it's had countless missed opportunities since then. From losing the rights to include certain Legends to leaving them out of the seventh generation releases entirely, NBA Live hasn't done an impressive job with historical content. Legends were thankfully present in the eighth generation NBA Live games, but were exclusive to specific modes.

This is one of the reasons why Ultimate Team has been one of my favourite modes in eighth gen NBA Live: it's where I can actually play with Legends! Of course, I wish that they were more readily available. To that point, some people have argued that that wouldn't be feasible, as it would draw attention to how thin NBA Live's historical content is compared to what's on offer in NBA 2K. However, while NBA 2K does boast a massive array of retro players and classic squads, eighth gen NBA Live games could've viably included some Legends teams. Let's take a look back...way back...

[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NBA Elite 11 Demo Retrospective

Fifteen years ago on Sunday, NBA Elite 11 was supposed to be released. However, following a disastrous hands-on preview that made it very clear that the game wasn't anywhere close to being ready, it was delayed right before it was set to hit shelves. While much of its infamy comes from the video of Andrew Bynum getting stuck in the t-pose at halfcourt, there were so many other problems with the NBA Elite 11 demo, and the retail version. It's no surprise that the game was ultimately cancelled, but just how badly did EA Sports mess up? Let's take a look back...way back...

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[Andrew]

Wayback Wednesday: NES Basketball Gaming

Saturday will mark forty years since Nintendo launched the NES in select test markets in the United States, some two years after the Famicom debuted in Japan. Over the next few years, it launched in Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and other regions, going on to sell 61.9 million units worldwide. Support for the NES was officially discontinued thirty years ago in North America, Europe, and Australia, but actually continued in Japan until 2003. Since then, its library has been re-released digitally and via the NES Classic Edition, and of course, unofficially emulated.

Coming in the wake of the infamous Video Game Crash of 1983, the NES ended up bringing us some iconic games and franchises: Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, just to name the biggest first party properties. There were many other classics from the likes of Capcom, Konami, and other developers that became titans of gaming. However, the NES isn't usually remembered for having a great selection of basketball titles. With that being said, there are some decent ones that, if nothing else, paved the way for better games to come. Let's take a look back...way back...