NBA Live 18 Reviews

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

Read full review

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.

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.

Read full review

7 / 10.0
Oct 23, 2017

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

70 / 100
Sep 22, 2017

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

Read full review

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.

Read full review

7 / 10
Sep 26, 2017

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

Read full review

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.

Read full review

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

Read full review

NZGamer
Top Critic
7.4 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2017

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

Read full review

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.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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.

Read full review

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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

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.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.6 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2017

Unfortunately, NBA LIVE returns through the back door.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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.

Review in Italian | Read full review