NBA Live 18 Reviews

NBA Live 18 is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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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Sep 11, 2017

"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.

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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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4 / 5.0
Sep 14, 2017

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.

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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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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 15, 2017

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.

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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
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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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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7.8 / 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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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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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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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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7.6 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2017

Unfortunately, NBA LIVE returns through the back door.

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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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8 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2017

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

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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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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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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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