Wayback Wednesday: Weird Stints & Retro Gaming
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at how weird stints can enhance the retro basketball gaming experience.
A topic that I’ve managed to get a ton of mileage out of for Wayback Wednesday is the phenomenon of familiar faces in strange places. It even spawned a companion series: familiar faces back in familiar places! Both are part of the interactive almanac aspect of basketball video games that I’ve frequently touted. It’s what makes revisiting old games and combing through the rosters so much fun, especially when there are weird stints that you’ve forgotten about. Together, they’re a great way for me to indulge my interest in NBA history and basketball video games alike.
However, these weird stints aren’t just fodder for creating content. Seeing them in games and reminiscing about them in articles makes me want to spend more time with those titles whenever I’m looking for something to play. That may seem odd, since the players usually aren’t in their prime and playing for the team that we mostly associate them with. Needless to say, I enjoy revisiting classic games that capture famous stints too, as they involve historically significant matchups. There are some rather intriguing scenarios involving those weird stints though, so let’s take a look back…way back…
An obvious place to start is Michael Jordan’s stint with the Wizards. Obviously, this goes hand-in-hand with his absence from NBA video games throughout most of the 90s. After years of adding him to the rosters of so many titles, it was novel seeing him in games by default, and not on the Chicago Bulls to boot. As a long-time fan of both the Bulls and MJ, I’ll always have mixed feelings about his Wizards tenure, even though a closer examination of those years shows that they’re more impressive than they first appear. All of that aside, the oddity of seeing His Airness in Wizards Blue rather than Bulls Red does make games set in 2002 and 2003 strangely appealing.
Of course, there are other weird stints that draw me to those games, and encourage me to use certain teams in particular. Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing are two of MJ’s contemporaries that leap to mind. Naturally, when I think of those two all-time greats, I recall the champion Houston Rockets from the mid 90s, and the great New York Knicks teams from the same decade. Those teams are a blast in classics such as NBA Live 95, but so is the short-lived duo of The Dream and Vince Carter on the Toronto Raptors in NBA Live 2002. As “cursed” as the sight of Patrick Ewing on the Seattle SuperSonics or Orlando Magic is, I’m inclined to play with those teams, too.
After all, age and health needn’t be major drawbacks on the virtual hardwood. Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, and Patrick Ewing make for an impressive Big Three on paper, even though T-Mac was the only healthy member of that trio in 2002. Likewise, the aforementioned duo of Hakeem and Vinsanity can perform far better in video games than they were capable of in reality. Gaming is a great way to explore fascinating “What If” scenarios, and weird stints that team aging stars with rising ones certainly qualify as such. And yes, the sheer weirdness of seeing those players in the “wrong” jerseys alongside stars from another generation makes them intriguing choices.
It’s another reason that I’m fond of NBA Live 99 PC. Not only is it an overlooked game, but that flurry of an offseason following the conclusion of the lockout ended up producing some weird stints. Scottie Pippen’s lone season as a Rocket has always felt incredibly weird to me, more so than his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. The fact that it came right after the breakup of the Bulls following The Last Dance obviously has much to do with that, as well as the fact that we didn’t have as long to get used to the sight. The same goes for Dennis Rodman’s tumultuous Los Angeles Lakers stint, though it helps that it was his last official video game appearance as an active player.
I can’t help putting the Rockets and Lakers on the floor – in Los Angeles – whenever I revisit NBA Live 99 for some retro gaming, or to get screenshots. The “reunion” of Pippen, Rodman, and MJ when his Airness was in town undoubtedly steers me in that direction as well. Speaking of Lakers who are NBA Legends, Shaquille O’Neal ended up with some weird stints following his split with Kobe Bryant in 2004. Thanks to the championship in 2006, Shaq’s time with the Heat feels as normal as his days in LA and Orlando. His sojourns with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers enhance their appeal in 2009 and 2010 games, as they paired him with some great teammates.
The NBA is notorious for being a copycat league. Whether it’s launching a ton of threes because it worked for the Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, or trying to assemble a Big Three or superteam to challenge the might of the defending champions, teams attempt to mimic what is seemingly a successful blueprint. It’s led to a number of squads that ultimately fell short in real life, but are fun to play with in video games. The 2014 Brooklyn Nets are one of my favourite examples, which in turn makes them a top choice for a quick game of NBA 2K14. On the odd occasion I revisit NBA Live 14, I’m also inclined to play with or against them.
What’s fascinating about that Nets team – aside from the recent relocation to Brooklyn – is that they have so many core players who are noteworthy names in weird stints. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry are there courtesy of the Celtics moving on from the Boston Three Party. Deron Williams was their point guard, following a controversial exit from the Utah Jazz. Joe Johnson was in his second year with the team, but like Williams, it was still strange to see him in another jersey after so many years with the Hawks. Andrei Kirilenko and Shaun Livingston are also on the roster, and Jason Kidd is coaching them. How can you not use that team in 2014 games?
I’ve already spotlighted the 2006 Philadelphia 76ers as a team that’s fun when retro gaming, even though they were generally unsuccessful. The duo of Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, along with young Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver, and even Jamal Mashburn – inactive and essentially retired in real life, but available in video games – should give you enough reason to put them on the floor in NBA Live 06 or NBA 2K6, without even breaking down the rest of their roster. It looks like a team that someone assembled by wheeling and dealing in a franchise game, acquiring their favourite stars and up-and-coming young guns. And yet, it’s a real roster, in the games by default!
In that respect, it could be said that weird stints create duos, trios, and entire lineups that feel like fantasy teams in video games, even if you’re well aware that they’re real. As much enjoyment as you can find in games that provide custom and fantasy team functionality, there’s something special about a ready-made wild scenario. Not only is it immediately available without any preparation, but it’s a fun reminder that yes, that lineup is actually authentic! Again, it’s that interactive almanac aspect of retro gaming that makes revisiting old favourites so rewarding. Sure, you can look up old highlights and even watch full games, but in video games we can play out all of those What Ifs.
I’ve also found it to be an effective method of choosing teams when I revisit games. Normally, whenever I can choose my team – which obviously isn’t always the case when it comes to a mode like MyCAREER – my first choice is going to be the Bulls. Otherwise, I’m picking a significant real life matchup, a top team, or a squad with at least one star capable of producing a dazzling array of highlight plays. Weird stints can point me towards teams that I wouldn’t normally choose and haven’t played with very often, which offers a fresh experience. When you can’t decide which teams to throw on the virtual hardwood for a quick game, it helps to have additional criteria.
There are a few other weird stints that spice up retro basketball gaming for me, that are worth mentioning. There’s the swap of Dominique Wilkins and Danny Manning in 1994, as seen in the SNES version of NBA Live 95. Nique’s presence on the 1999 Magic also adds interest to an otherwise unremarkable team. Glen Rice’s post-Hornets career feels like a series of weird stints, but his time with the Rockets and Knicks stands out. Allen Iverson’s tenure with the Nuggets was memorable enough for a classic team in NBA 2K, but if you’ve got the appropriate roster update, his Pistons and Grizzlies stints can be a fun change of pace, not to mention suitably weird.
What counts as a weird stint will vary for each of us. I’d suggest that any scenario involving a familiar face in an unfamiliar place would count for almost all of us, as would phantom stints such as Mashburn’s appearance on the 76ers. However, while Shaq’s Heat stint has been normalised in my mind, its relative brevity and abrupt end might qualify it as weird for someone else; particularly an avid Lakers fan. I’d also understand if you find weird stints to be unappealing. As noted, they usually involve players being past their prime, and wearing a jersey that you may be disheartened to see them in. I’ll admit that it took me a long time to truly get used to Wizards MJ!
Reiterating a point I’ve made in the familiar faces in unfamiliar places series, although we’d sometimes prefer to forget about weird stints, they are worth remembering. Not to drag down and discredit players, mind you, but because they’re still notable history, and even strangely nostalgic in their own way. We shouldn’t dwell on them when we’re evaluating players, and they’re obviously bizarre sights to behold, but they needn’t be taboo. When it comes to the virtual hardwood, they’re a reason to play with different teams, write an alternate history, and ponder What Ifs. When you’re retro basketball gaming, I recommend seeking out those weird stints for a quirky change.
The post Wayback Wednesday: Weird Stints & Retro Gaming appeared first on NLSC.