Tag Archives: Recurrent Revenue

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on toxic positivity regarding basketball and basketball gaming, from the perspective of a Grumpy Elder Millennial.

I’m turning forty this year, which to be honest, is something that I’m still trying to get my head around. It doesn’t seem ten years ago that turning thirty was the milestone heralding an existential crisis! While I’m being honest though, I’ve been leaning into being a Grumpy Old Man for a few years now. Not that seriously of course, but I’ve become extremely comfortable rolling my eyes and grumbling about kids and their opinions on basketball, modern games and their microtransactions, and the state of online discourse. And let me tell you about these TikTok trends and weird haircuts…

Oops, too grumpy! Let’s dial it back a bit. The point is that I’ve recognised that despite constant misuse of the term “Millennial” to describe younger generations than mine, I’m not part of the youth of today. I’m not too old to play video games in my spare time – I’ll leave that opinion to the Baby Boomers, thank you very much – but I’ve definitely aged out of the key demographic that they’re aimed at. Whereas I once greatly anticipated the new, I’m now more inclined to indulge my nostalgia. At the same time, I’d rather not be so out of touch and close-minded that I stay stuck in the past. However, there’s one thing that I’ll stubbornly push back on: toxic positivity.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #515 of the NLSC Podcast!

Following up on last week’s discussion, we react to Take-Two’s shady defense of Virtual Currency as “fictions” that it can legally remove at any time. On a slightly contentious note (for the most part), in response to a post on our Discord, we weigh in on the NBA Jam vs. NBA Street debate. Which arcade hoops game do we believe is king? We also recap a co-op session of NBA Live 2002, and make some potentially controversial comparisons to NBA Live 2001. Joining the community for a discussion of our favourite camera angles leads us to declare our appreciation for broadcast views once again. In this week’s mailbag, we share how we’d handle microtransactions in a Triple-A release if it was our call.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:26:44 — 59.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #514 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA 2K24 is prompting gamers to accept a new Terms of Service that includes updated clauses regarding class action lawsuits and digital purchases. We discuss how the move has further eroded goodwill, especially as the language comes across as threatening in the wake of recent legal action against Take-Two, and opting out is a deliberately challenging process. While noting NBA 2K’s fall from grace as the darling of basketball gaming, we also criticise the silence from influencers and much of the gaming media, as well as the apologist rhetoric that some gamers are spouting. In short, it’s not an issue that basketball gamers should allow to be swept under the rug!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:05:50 — 45.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some reflections on how fun it can be just messing around with basketball video games.

I don’t want to harp on the horrors of grinding in basketball gaming nowadays. It’s a well-known issue, and it would be rather ironic and hypocritical of me to repeatedly grumble about something being repetitive! However, it is worth noting that one of the biggest problems in modern basketball games is the focus on the grind, whether it’s levelling up a MyPLAYER or building a MyTEAM squad. We’ve gone from a fun journey that keeps us hooked for hours on end, to needing to put in hours of work just to have fun. I’m grateful to have changed my habits in that regard!

However, while it’s been refreshing to return to NBA 2K14 PS4 for five full seasons and counting in MyCAREER, and also free up time for a potential return to franchise play, frankly I’m enjoying having less structure to my basketball gaming. Don’t get me wrong; I love the depth that keeps us hooked on franchise and career modes, with the tangible goals of playing through seasons and winning championships. At the same time, when you’re not dedicating yourself to grinding or you feel like a break from a more structured mode, simply messing around in a game can be just as engaging. It’s actually one of the things that I enjoyed the most about my basketball gaming in 2023.

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five issues with NBA 2K that are seemingly evergreen.

Since I’ve taken a look at some evergreen issues with the NBA Live series, it’s time to examine similar problems with NBA 2K. Obviously, NBA 2K is a powerhouse in the basketball gaming space, with a virtual monopoly on sim titles. Even in the years that NBA Live was released during the past generation, the NBA 2K series outsold it by a significant margin to say the least. The competition hasn’t been close in terms of sales and critical reception since 2008, in large part because NBA 2K has maintained a high level of quality, while NBA Live has suffered from its own evergreen issues.

However, there are definitely problems that continue to plague NBA 2K to this day. They’re in too comfortable of a position to fail, which once again is the result of them maintaining a generally pleasing level of quality through the years. At the same time, these evergreen issues do affect the quality of NBA 2K games, as well as the overall image of the series. As NBA Live stumbled, NBA 2K became the darling for hoops gamers and the yardstick for its genre. Without competition though, its flaws have been exposed, and its reputation has been tarnished. The evergreen issues that NBA 2K has failed to address are responsible for that, so let’s take a look at five of them.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #506 of the NLSC Podcast!

A class action lawsuit is accusing Take-Two of theft, specifically in regards to NBA 2K’s predatory practices. In particular, it notes the loss of VC balance when the servers are shut down after 27 months. While we aren’t lawyers, we certainly do have some thoughts on the situation, as does the community! We also discuss the use of Cronus Zen controllers, and other methods of cheating in NBA 2K online. After all, as much as a technical fix is in order, there are other contributing factors that must be addressed. Meanwhile, comments on our YouTube channel have proven that people have some interesting interpretations of EA Sports’ famous slogan.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:19:15 — 54.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #497 of the NLSC Podcast!

NBA 2K24 has been out for almost a month now, and honestly, we’re not exactly having a blast with it. To that end, we join our listeners in giving the game a score out of ten, at least as it stands right now. Our disappointment with NBA 2K24 leads us to reflect on the lack of choices in the basketball gaming space, compared to the array of titles that we once enjoyed. We speculate on the reasons why no one is stepping up to offer an alternative – from design challenges to intimidation and gatekeeping – and the community also weighs in with their takes on the matter. We also note some similarities in the attitudes towards basketball gaming and real hoops nowadays.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:10:41 — 48.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #489 of the NLSC Podcast!

How much should basketball video games cost, from their base price to any microtransactions that we may choose to indulge in? A recent NBA 2K24 rumour regarding season passes in MyTEAM and MyCAREER has raised concerns about the possibility of additional costs moving forward. Naturally, both we and the community have a few thoughts on the matter; as you can probably guess, we’re not big fans! On a brighter note, there’s a new PlayStation 1 emulator that we recommend, along with some other retro gaming resources. We also react to Jeff Teague’s recent comments regarding James Harden and Dwyane Wade, and a shifting NBA narrative that’s about to start tying the talking heads up in knots.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 55:08 — 38.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on whether or not 2K can fix the toxicity of its online scene.

When you produce content or any form of entertainment, I firmly believe that you get the audience that you cultivate. This isn’t to say that periphery demographics aren’t a thing, or that popular works don’t end up attracting toxic people for the same reasons they appeal to more pleasant fans. However, some works establish or openly welcome problematic attitudes within their core audience. This includes elitist gatekeeping, and open disdain and hostility towards differing preferences, as well as other genres and interests. They may champion pseudo-intellectualism, and in extreme cases, bigotry.

I’ve spoken at length on many occasions about the toxicity in NBA 2K’s online scene. One might argue that I’m being melodramatic or overly sensitive, but if so, I’m not alone in my views. Just about everywhere that you’ll find discussion of NBA 2K and its online modes, you’ll see complaints about the toxicity, including assertions that it’s the worst in gaming. Now, that may or may not be hyperbole, as many of the issues with toxicity in NBA 2K’s online scene aren’t exclusive to the series. Nevertheless, the scene in other games has been described more favourably. This leads me to ask just how much of the problem is under 2K’s control, and what they can do at this point.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how accusations of being “broke” are justifying predatory practices in gaming.

It’s time once again for me to attempt the impossible task of shutting down an ad hominem that’s become far too popular in basketball gaming discourse (and gaming discourse in general). Spend enough time talking about microtransactions, pay-to-win (or pay-to-enjoy) mechanics, and tedious grinding, and someone will accuse you of being “broke”. For you see, the only reason not to want to pay above and beyond the cost of a game is – apparently – because you can’t afford it. Conversely, being willing to dump disposable (or not-so-disposable) income into a game is somehow virtuous.

There are so, so many problems with that line of thinking. Sadly, however, shills continue to trot out that argument to shut down any criticism of recurrent revenue mechanics. “Broke” has become a buzzword along the lines of “cartoonish“, only it’s far worse because of how judgmental it is towards your fellow gamers. Obviously, there are hobbies that are expensive, and given the cost of hardware alone, video games do arguably qualify as such a hobby to some extent. There are still reasonable and unreasonable costs though, and focusing on personal wealth overlooks that the problems with recurrent revenue mechanics have nothing to do with being broke.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a look at how NBA 2K24 can win me over.

Around this time last year, I discussed how NBA 2K23 could possibly break NBA 2K14 PS4’s monopoly over my basketball gaming sessions, and make a far better impression than NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22 did. It was interesting to go back and read what I’d written now that NBA 2K23 is approaching the end of its life cycle, and NBA 2K24 is on the horizon. After all, NBA 2K24 will also be competing with my entire collection and a preference to diversify my virtual hardwood experiences, so once again, simply being the latest release won’t be enough.

While my criteria are essentially unchanged, my expectations have naturally been shaped by what happened with NBA 2K23, and the apparent direction of the series. As was the case last year, I must emphasise that these are personal preferences that will determine my level of enjoyment, and inclination to play NBA 2K24 over other games. NBA 2K24 is going to be highly successful regardless, and my opinion of it won’t impact its fortunes either way. I can only speak for myself, and I don’t pretend otherwise. With that being said, I do stand by my criteria and suggestions. I hope that I am impressed by NBA 2K24, but it will have to surpass what NBA 2K23 did.

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is taking a look at five devious practices in basketball video games.

I’m not one for conspiracy theories as a rule, but when it comes to devious practices in basketball video games – and gaming in general for that matter – there’s no need for wild speculation anyway. Publishers are shockingly, brazenly open about their anti-consumer practices these days, mainly because they’ve become normalised. As such, whenever you bring up a troubling issue, there’s a swarm of smug shills waiting to tell you that this how gaming is now and that it’s just business, as if you don’t understand the concept of a billion dollar corporation being concerned with making money.

As I’ve said before, I prefer to stand with my fellow gamers, rather than blindly defend companies that will happily take advantage of their customers. Yes, video game development is a business, but to that end it’s providing a product that we can evaluate in terms of quality and value for money. Good, valuable video game critique requires looking through the spin and hype to identify flaws and drawbacks, including devious practices. The problem is that some of those devious practices are dressed up as generous and beneficial features, in order to disguise their motives and deflect criticism. Even when they are useful, it’s important to recognise the deviousness.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some observations of how bringing the open world approach to MyCAREER has led to an identity crisis.

I haven’t been shy about sharing my disdain for the direction of MyCAREER. I’ve bluntly stated that the mode sucks in NBA 2K23, and that it’s reached the point of no return. I’ve also unfavourably compared it to MyCAREER in NBA 2K14, which I’m still greatly enjoying. I’ve discussed the varying quality of the stories, and how that approach could best be used. Over the years, I’ve experienced the best and worst of MyCAREER, so when I say that the mode is at an all-time low, that doesn’t come from a point of ignorance, nor is it hyperbole.

It wasn’t an immediately sharp decline, but the writing has been on the wall since NBA 2K18. I’ve described it as a turning point for the series, and MyCAREER is the mode that was most impacted. The implementation of The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 steered MyCAREER towards an eventual identity crisis, which finally came to fruition with the expansion into The City in NBA 2K21 Next Gen. Not everyone wanted to see it that way, preferring to shout down anyone who dared not enjoy it. Now that the problems are painfully obvious to all but the staunchest shills and fanboys, we can openly acknowledge that the mode doesn’t know what it wants to be.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a frank discussion of how MyCAREER absolutely sucks in NBA 2K23.

Whenever I talk about playing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER or upload videos, I anticipate a few different responses. There are lovely people who take an interest in that journey, and the updates that I share. It’s prompted a few people to reflect on the fun that they had with NBA 2K14, and either resolve to dust it off, or wistfully wish that they still could. And of course, there’s the occasional person scoffing at the idea of not playing the latest game. “There are people still playing NBA 2K14? Why?” Incidentally, I do actually play NBA 2K23, but not MyCAREER, because it sucks.

Part of me wishes that I could phrase that sentiment more eloquently, and less like a clickbait video. It’s always my aim to be constructive and analytical when I assess a basketball video game and its features, avoiding hyperbole and insulting phrasing as much as possible. In this case however, it’s a suitably succinct way of expressing the view that MyCAREER in NBA 2K23 has a strong case for being the absolute worst iteration of the mode to date. It’s not altogether surprising, as in many ways it’s a culmination of years of discouraging design choices. That doesn’t make it any less disappointing though, especially when earlier games provided superior experiences.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on ensuring that the journey is worth the time and effort in basketball video games.

In recent years, there’s been a puzzling acceptance of the notion that we should have to work to have fun with the basketball video games we play. I’m not talking about the time and effort it takes to master strategies and stick skills, complete challenges, and level up accordingly. A game that’s over too quickly is generally unsatisfying, unless you’re attempting a speedrun. The best rewards and whatever counts as being 100% completion in a game shouldn’t be quick and easy to attain. For most people, it isn’t fun to be handed absolutely everything.

These are uncontroversial statements that I’m sure we can all agree upon. However, the sentiment has mutated into a bad faith argument about gamers wanting everything right away. That may be true of a scant minority of less patient basketball gamers, but most of us just want a rate of progression that’s fair and enjoyable, with rewards that make the journey feel worthwhile. Again, the key to that bad faith argument is in the wording: “you don’t want to put in the work“. A video game should not have to be treated like an occupation in order to be enjoyed, or feel like a rewarding journey. It’s therefore vital that any rewards system makes us feel like it was time well spent.

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