NBA Live 18 Reviews
Ultimately there's a ton of content in NBA Live 18 for basketball and NBA nuts. While it doesn't have something comparable to Madden's Longshot, making it more accessible and distinct, there's still a ton here to do and enough variance that different kinds of players will probably find something to latch onto. For me, it was The One for sure, with its hodgepodge mix of RPG elements, character customization, and a more casual style of play. When I ran into issues, it usually felt like I had the deck stacked against me in a nasty cocktail of RNG, tough opponent AI, and bumbling teammate AI all working together to take my pride down a notch. A more integrated set of learning tools would have been nice, but the game is simple enough at the beginning to make ergonomic, video game language-style sense, which is a plus compared to the much more complex stylings of Madden or NHL. There's an uphill battle for this one to stand up to the NBA 2K Juggernaut, but it has a chance this time for sure.
Experts of the game will criticize the simplicity of the moves on offer and it is they which will want more of what the 2K game has to offer. But for me, as someone returning to the sport this Live 18 is as good an introduction to the genre, and the life it aims to promote, as you can get.
NBA Live 18 feels like it can be a competitor to the NBA 2K series. The game still needs some work in the presentation department, and while the streamlined modes may be pleasing for players who can feel overwhelmed with options, the available modes can feel pretty bare-bones. The gameplay is solid most of the time, and The One is a pretty good way to do a story mode, even if it doesn't have the writing depth. NBA Live 18 is now a decent alternative, and as long as EA Sports can keep up this momentum, it has a good chance of putting up a tighter fight next year.
Some questionable physics and occasionally poor animations also hinder what is overall an impressive leap ahead for EA and its basketball series. While it's not gonna take over the competition, the game has its own strengths in which to build. NBA Live 18 has finally become a worthy option for those looking for a change of pace.
"NBA Live 18" is closer to being a really good game than many would have anticipated, even after a year off for the series. It offers refreshingly simplified and genuinely fun gameplay with an excellent career mode. Deficiencies in other areas of the game hamper its appeal as a total package, making it difficult to recommend as more than an alternative to its competition, but it's still important to recognize this may finally be the turnaround year that "NBA Live" has been seeking since the current console generation began.
With so many modes, any fan of the NBA Live franchise will have a great time. Putting hours into the career mode you can get lost while building your team up to be the next Chicago Bulls (Pippen and Jordan era) and along with the amount of time you can spend playing Ultimate Team. NBA Live 18 has something for everyone. So in conclusion a great comeback for the flailing NBA Live series actually brings this game back into the upper echelons of basketball games. Yes the company is still few and far between, but as with FIFA and PES, each game seems to be pushing each other ever closer to perfection. Are we there yet? Not quite, but its certainly getting close.