NBA Live 18 Reviews

NBA Live 18 is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2017

NBA Live 18's simplistic and fluid mechanics make for an approachable game of NBA, or WNBA, basketball. But for all that it does well on the court, elsewhere it fails to live up to its potential. There are plenty of side modes, but few have the depth or interesting new ideas to be worth getting invested in.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 25, 2017

Still lacks the depth of its rival, but The One mode gives Live a destination mode worth building upon

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7 / 10
Sep 26, 2017

EA Sports' basketball series returns from a one-year hiatus with new features that outshine its traditional modes.

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Polygon
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 18, 2017

NBA Live 18 is best for a very personal brand of basketball, focusing on a created superstar and the moves that make him stand out in a game that skews more toward individual play than teamwork.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 2, 2017

Whilst it may not be the complete package, it does a lot right and has a new and sturdy foundation to build the future of the series on.

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7.6 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2017

Unfortunately, NBA LIVE returns through the back door.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Forbes
Top Critic
6.7 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2017

There are some promising base features in place from a gameplay, conceptual and presentation standpoint, but it's still not where it needs to be.

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7 / 10
Oct 11, 2017

NBA Live 18 is a good basketball game. It's not something that will blow you away, but good enough if you're looking for an alternative. The One is a solid create a player mode that is easy to get into, with levelling up the player far from being a chore, but NBA Live 18 lacks depth in the other modes and the AI could do with improving. EA has work to do if it wants NBA Live to reach the reputation it once had, but that goal seems to be in reach.

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74 / 100
Sep 22, 2017

NBA Live is a great first step for recovering the right way, but there is still a long way to go before reaching the level of NBA 2K franchise.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

Despite lacking content in some of its game modes, like Franchise or Ultimate Team, Electronic Arts manages to deliver a very solid basketball game focused on "The One", where players will be able to become a legend whether it happens on the NBA, the streets, or perhaps even both. Also, the addition of the WNBA helps in order to give some uniqueness to its possibilities.

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7.8 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2017

NBA Live 18 has the main merit of overcoming the predecessor both in gameplay and controls, but it still lacks something to make it a top level title.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

There's no denying that there are rough edges, but one thing Electronic Arts has nailed is the feel of playing a pick-up game. It's a slightly less technical title than its competitor, but it offers up a far better single-player experience. If you're looking for something fresh, or just want to play as Diana Taurasi, then you can't go wrong with picking up NBA Live 18.

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Sep 11, 2017

The extra time that EA took with NBA Live 18 apparently turned out to be the for the best. This is definitely the best game they've put out in a while, and they've built a solid foundation for the franchise moving forward.

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70 / 100
Sep 22, 2017

After a two year development cycle, I was hoping for a bit more from two of my favorite modes.

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Oct 4, 2017

While NBA Live 18 doesn't reinvent the basketball sim, it creates a foundation to give the series a second chance within the already competitive genre.

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Generación Xbox
Gaizka
Top Critic
7.7 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2017

The extra year of development and the implementation of Frostbite has help this leap foward that NBA Live fans long await. There's still some things to be improved, but it's a very amusing game for all fans and it captures the essence of NBA.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2017

Controls aside, NBA Live 18 is better than expected and shouldn't be overlooked.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
7.4 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2017

A marked improvement from previous iterations, and a solid game that shows promise.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2017

Nba Live 18 is a good game, far from the best of the genre, but enojyable and improved from the last chapter. If you aren't familiar with this kind of games, this could be the game for you.

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EGM
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2017

NBA Live 18 has improved in almost every way over its predecessor, making a strong case for its continued existence. However, a lackluster franchise and a sense of been-there-done-that with that other basketball series puts Live 18 one step behind the competition.

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