NBA Live 15

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
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  1. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 28, 2014
    80
    While the game isn’t perfect, it is clearly ready to take on all comers and creates a firm foundation for EA to build upon for years to come.
  2. Digital Chumps
    Oct 28, 2014
    74
    NBA Live 15 is an improvement from the previous year. It contains better graphics, smoother gameplay and feels like a more complete experience when compared to NBA Live 14. That said, there is still some work to be done if it hopes to compete with the NBA 2K series. It isn’t quite to the 2K level, but it’s now officially on the right path.
  3. GamesRadar+
    Nov 3, 2014
    70
    After several years in the wilderness, NBA Live is back and it means business. While it’s not yet ready to take on its 2K rival, Live is a fun game of basketball that’s easy to pick and play.
  5. Game Revolution
    Oct 31, 2014
    70
    This year’s installment isn't the most polished basketball title or even the best hoops title in general. But it’s absolutely safe to say NBA Live has returned and will be sticking around as a contender, as long as it continues to take these positive dribbles forward.
  6. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2015
    65
    A solid game that can’t hold a candle to NBA 2K15. [13/2014, p.74]
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  7. Gamer.nl
    Nov 15, 2014
    65
    EA makes a lot of progress with it's NBA Live franchise. A tad late for this year though, as the competition is still miles ahead.
  8. LaPS4
    Nov 13, 2014
    65
    NBA Live 15 could have been another basketball game, but the fact that we have other references make it another failure in EA's attempt on a sport they're not good at. The same signs of identity in it's modes, however, it also inherits the same symptoms that have burdened the saga for years. Ignite engine has saved it's visuals, offering nice graphics that try to hide an unbalanced gameplay.
  9. COGconnected
    Nov 6, 2014
    65
    If you are looking to pick up an NBA game this holiday season the choice is easy but make no bones about it NBA Live is becoming a contender. Let’s just see what they do next year.
  10. 3DJuegos
    Nov 5, 2014
    65
    A step forward for the classic basket EA Sports sim. Nevertheless, the game is miles away from the greatness exposed by NBA 2K15.
  11. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2014
    60
    Strives for, and achieves, nothing more than competence. [Christmas 2014, p.88]
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  12. Eurogamer Germany
    Nov 24, 2014
    60
    It's still a solid Nowitzki's wingspan away from being anything as good as 2K's series, but NBA Live 15 might actually be the most a sports game has ever improved from one year to the next.
  13. Multiplayer.it
    Nov 23, 2014
    60
    NBA Live 15 is better than NBA Live 14: the gameplay has definitely been improved but it still suffers from clumsy controls and stiff animations. A few good changes and some additional game modes can’t make a good videogame.
  14. JeuxActu
    Nov 14, 2014
    60
    NBA LIVE 15 offers an arcade approach to the basketball game, but despite some nice graphics, it is still a quite average game that hasn't enough to offer to keep basketball fans hooked up. Better than the previous one, but EA Vancouver has still some work to do.
  15. God is a Geek
    Nov 2, 2014
    60
    Thankfully NBA Live 15 is an improvement over the diabolical Live 14 but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect – in fact, it’s far from it. Scoring jump shots is still overly difficult, your team AI isn’t up to muster and tall players feel slightly overpowered. However, the pick and roll functionality combined with the freestyle passing can result in some great plays that, for the first time in years, make NBA Live fun to play.
  16. Polygon
    Oct 28, 2014
    60
    At least it no longer plays or looks like an experiment gone wrong.
  17. Game Informer
    Oct 30, 2014
    58
    NBA Live 15 may not be ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with its competition, but with much improved presentation and mechanics the series is trending in the right direction. The remaining gameplay issues and lack of mode depth, however, makes it tough to recommend this particular version.
  18. GameTrailers
    Nov 5, 2014
    57
    While it’s a big improvement over last year and a clear step in the right direction, NBA Live 15 forgets that basketball is a team sport. Dunks are overpowered, rendering ball movement and teamwork pointless. Hopefully further refinement can produce a great basketball game in the future, but for 2015, NBA Live’s advances are still overshadowed by flawed fundamentals.
  19. PlaySense
    Nov 14, 2014
    55
    It’s a shame, but EA disappoints with NBA Live 15. There’s a lot of modes and it looks nice, yes, but other than that, this is a very disappointing experience, with weak gameplay and clumsy game design.
  20. 4P.de
    Nov 5, 2014
    55
    This is not enough, EA. Although you’ll notice significant improvements over last years’ version, compared to 2Ks slam dunks this is conservative low level college basketball.
  21. IGN
    Oct 28, 2014
    55
    Although NBA Live 15 looks significantly better than NBA Live 14 at a glance, it still suffers from clumsy controls and stiff animations. A few nice changes and additional game modes can’t make up for poor gameplay, but there are some great ideas here that just don’t get a chance to shine.
  22. games(TM)
    Dec 18, 2014
    50
    At least it provides some hope for the franchise's future. [Issue#155, p.130]
    All this publication's reviews
  23. Gameblog.fr
    Nov 24, 2014
    50
    Despite some improvements, NBA Live 15 loses again its fight against the NBA 2K rival. Only the most indulgent gamers could be satisfied with the spectacular basketball proposed by Electronic Arts.
  24. GameSpot
    Nov 3, 2014
    50
    Even during its brightest moments, NBA Live 15 isn't a very fun basketball game.
  25. EGM
    Nov 1, 2014
    45
    NBA Live has had a tough time escaping the shadow of NBA 2K—and that trend continues with NBA Live 15, which doesn’t deliver believable player movement, shooting, or gameplay flow. The “Big Moments” mode shows the potential that the series might be able to execute in the coming years, but right now, it’s like a .500 team trying to compete with a playoff juggernaut.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
98
#98 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 84 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 84
  3. Negative: 26 out of 84
  1. Trax6267
    Oct 28, 2014
    8
    A huge improvement that carves its own niche into the basketball genre. Arguments on which game is better will reach a climax next year, andA huge improvement that carves its own niche into the basketball genre. Arguments on which game is better will reach a climax next year, and the competition will only brighten us sports gamers. The game itself, though flawed ( different flaws than its competitor, which has its own mirade of issues that seem to go un discussed in reviews ) is extremely fun and to me, it represents the current way that the game of basketball is played more than the other guy. Content needs to step up into the compelling arena next year, but I have made my decision on B ball games, and this is the one for me. Cant play defense? You better body that man up!… Full Review »
  2. JBHuskers
    Oct 28, 2014
    8
    NBA Live 14 ended up being a decent game after various patches that were available through the console and in-game. It was still full ofNBA Live 14 ended up being a decent game after various patches that were available through the console and in-game. It was still full of painful reminders that the game is nowhere near where it should have been last year. One year later we get the next iteration of the series with NBA Live 15, and it is clear that it has been vastly improved, and has room to really grow.

    Two things stand out immediately as vast improvements over last year. The gameplay and the graphics. As for the gameplay, it is so much more fluid, and unlike last year, you have the ability to run the fastbreak and run it well. The shooting mechanic and the feedback that comes along with it is very helpful. It will take a while to get a good rhythm going, but once you have the shot down, then it represents a realistic result in terms of being open, the skill of your player, and etc. Another thing that helps out the game play is spacing of the players; which is a key to be able to run a successful offense.

    The graphics are another thing that have received a giant overhaul for Live 15. Using the Face Scan technology definitely helps make things look more realistic, especially compared to some of the models last year. The crowd is also noticeably more alive as well, but not only do they look good, but the crowd atmosphere is AMAZING. Their reactions to the action on the court is the best it's ever been in the series, and makes the drama of taking a three or a buzzer beater real.

    The downfall of the game is the fact that no new game modes were added to the game such as the popular ADIDAS Live Run, or an Online Dynasty. With the time spent upgrading the core of the game, it came at the sacrifice of adding new features. With that said, the better gameplay makes Rising Star much more enjoyable. In addition to that, there are more presentation features within Rising Star that make it a much better mode than last year, but there isn't any kind of branching story line or anything. Just play and earn your goals.

    One of my favorite modes from last year was Big Moments where you try to match real-life situations from actual games throughout the year. One of the coolest additions to this mode is a challenge where you have to match the player's shot chart to succeed. For example on Melo's 62 point game last year, they give you the exact 7 spots on the court where he hit shots in the 3rd quarter, and you'll need to make one from each spot to pass. Along with Big Moments, my favorite mode from NBA Live 14 was Ultimate Team, and obviously the improved gameplay helps here as well. In addition, the inclusion of an auction system is HUGE so you can save up to purchase the players you want for your Ultimate Team.

    There is a lot to like with NBA Live 15. The franchise is going to a place where fans of the series want to see. While we didn't get a huge step in features this year, all of the improvements made have enhanced all of the current game modes and everything is just more enjoyable to play this year.    … Full Review »
  3. WTF360
    Oct 29, 2014
    9
    The very well revered history of EA Sports NBA Live, which stretches well over 2 decades and several generations of platforms, came to anThe very well revered history of EA Sports NBA Live, which stretches well over 2 decades and several generations of platforms, came to an abrupt stop shortly after NBA Live 10 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Soon after the Live 10 gaming season came to a close, and months after a new direction being filed for the EA franchise, the demo for NBA Elite came out to less than stellar reviews. Shortly thereafter, Elite was shelved and that began the 3 year hiatus for the storied franchise.

    Fast forward to Live 14, the next generation of consoles were in our possessions and glimpses of hope and optimism were quickly subdued upon the release of the demo. The game released to poor reception, and quickly Sean O'brien came to tell us of the trials and tribulations that they had faced. Broken teams, shuffled development cycles, new technology. He and the Live team promised updates throughout the season which would help fix some of the core gameplay that plagued the early release. They held true to their word, adding several patch updates to the game throughout the season, even going as far to add a new practice mode for gamers to learn the new controls for Live.

    I recently picked up the latest version of Live on the PS4, NBA Live 15. One of the first things that you'll notice when booting up the game, is how much more "finished" the title looks. From the Intro video, to the splash screens, it screams of a more quality title than Live 14 presented.

    After the initial boot screen, you'll be greeted with a sorely needed tutorial and onboarding process. I have never been a big believer in tutorial modes nor onboarding processes, but when a game has been absent for several years, your mind is trained to play any basketball title as if you're playing the competition's game. Mission 1: teach new and old players alike the nuances of the new dribbling and control mechanics for NBA Live. One thing that you will come to realize during the onboarding process is how much control that you have at your disposal. You will need to learn the new fast break controls, shooting, as well as pick and roll mechanics. If you fail, prepare to be mocked by the cover athlete Damian Lillard.

    After the onboarding process, you'll be greeted with an updated menu system. If you're a Madden player, then you'll easily be able to navigate the game's menu system.

    Hopping onto the Hard court, you'll notice one of the biggest differences this year right out of the gate. The game truly looks like a next gen experience. Everything, ranging from the player faces, right down to the uniforms, accessories and shoes have been scanned and given the details that they deserve. We've seen the Visuals Trailer, we've seen shoe blogs, and we've seen stadiums and player screenshots. The media released this far does the game an injustice, which you'll get to see on your own high definition television. You can tell that the art team for NBA Live 15 is pushing the envelope and trying to bring the Live community a truly next gen looking experience.

    Shortly after release, the NBA Live & EA Sports has already released 1 Title Update that added in the new courts that were just revealed for the season, as well as some new player face scans. This will be constantly updated as the season progresses, and the art team gets more and more player scans.

    Once the whistle blows and the ball is thrown into the air, you'll notice that this is no longer NBA Live 14 as well. The game is a much more polished and fluid experience. Existing animations have been redone and a ton of new animations have been added. Player movement and explosiveness is captured with the fluidity and responsiveness that you would expect out of an NBA Superstar. One thing to note, is that with Live 15, if you spend time in the training facility, learning the moves and honing your "stick skills", you will be rewarded with a nicely animated game that you are controlling each precise movement. On the same token, if you want to play the game without knowing the controls, it'll work, but don't be surprised if your players take shots that look like they belong at the YMCA Little League Rec League. After the initial release of the GameStop Expo footage, I read the comments about the animation from George Hill, dribbling into traffic and throwing up a heavily contested, awkward fadeaway. That's the beauty of the game. If you want to do just that, the game will allow it. You're controlling it. The game isn't going to force you into an animation to keep the gameplay "pretty". That's up to you.

    Venturing on into the gameplay, EA touted a collision system in the paint. Those of you who played Live 14 will consider this a savior. Often CPU opponents or online opponents in Live 14 would spin baseline from the post and get an easy bucket which was widely uncontestable. That is no more. If you go into the paint, be prepared to have your shot contested, altered, or blocked. The beauty of this is that the limbs are released to physics, making for some beautiful contests at the rim. No more predetermined outcomes. The play at the rim will be a direct result of your actions vs the opponents reactions. I can't tell you how many times I have went into replay after a play in the paint and marvel at the beauty unfolding in slow motion.

    Speaking of collisions and contests, shooting fouls and contact are much more prominent this year. This will lead to some very interesting decisions in how you defend superstar players. James Harden is the first guy that I came to who really torched me, as I was unsure of how to properly defend him. If you back off of him to keep him from taking you off of the dribble, he'll have an easy look as a shooter. If you defend him tightly, be prepared to get James Harden'ed, as he'll use freestyle moves to get to the basket for the finish or the foul (or both). If you try to back off of him and contest the shot by jumping, watch your momentum as it may carry into him for the cardinal sin of fouling a jumpshooter. The contact on shooting is extremely well done as well. If you jump into the shooter from the side, be prepared to see him stumble or flop to the side. If you jump into them from behind, they'll fall forward. Jump into them straight on, and well, you get the point. Shooting fouls are very well showcased in this year's game.
    Defensively, the game is flat out fun. If you lightly tether the player movement stick, instead of mashing on the defensive assist button, you'll likely have better results. Angles and forcing towards help will yield the greatest results. The games help defense is well represented as well. Helping the helper on various rotations is also represented in the game. You will have to work to get open shots in the game, which should be expected in an NBA release. Be prepared to see some weak side block attempts if you're playing the Clippers or Hornets as well. DeAndre and Anthony Davis will play to their strengths, coming over and swatting a shot from the weakside.

    Moving on to working to get open shots, there are several ways to do that this year. How you do that, depends on your playstyle? Don't like calling plays? Using the pick system, you can choose which player to come and set the strength, and you will have a variety of options once they set the screen. Do you want them to roll, fade, pop or slip the screen? Your choice. Each team that you face, will have their own unique settings on how they'll be defending your pick n roll screen attempts, so this should dictate your offensive strategies as well.

    One of the new features this year for offense is the use of the L1/LB modifier to call a quick action play. The game will prompt you to press L1 if your offense is stagnant, and you want to get some movement. You'll see a variety of quick cuts, back screens, and players moving with a purpose. This option is very nice to have because a lot of gamers want to run Isolation plays, and don't want unnecessary movement without manually calling for it. This is the perfect option for that.

    One of the biggest complaints that I'm seeing so far is the lack of off ball movement altogether, until the L1 button is pushed. This was my biggest complaint last year as well, until we ventured into the menu system into settings, and turned on a little feature called Auto Motion. By default, the game has it set to manual. This is why the movement is so lackluster out of the box. My suggestion, upon first getting the game, go into settings and turn Auto Motion on, so you will get the best results out of the box. Utilizing auto motion, you'll see guys sprinting off of screens, using hard baseline cuts, popping out trying to get free for an open look. It's a thing of beauty to see a quick baseline cut off of a screen, and hitting a guy for a wide open baseline mid range jumper. What's even more beautiful is seeing the defender trying to catch up to him on the baseline, jumping to contest the shot, and having his momentum carry him into the shooter causing a collision for the "and 1" scenario.

    In closing, NBA Live 15 is a HUGE step in the right direction when you get on the court. A few tips to help you get the most out of your experience:

    * Make sure you turn on Automotion to see the off the ball movement
    * Make sure you go through the onboarding process with Damien Lillard
    * Learn the games controls, and practice with them to get familiar with how each player performs
    * This is not the competitions game, so don't try to play it as such. The result of doing that will likely yield results such as the Gamestop Expo leaked video.
    * Don't be overly reliant on the Defensive Assist button. It's best used to "bump" someone if they're close to blowing by you, to prevent a straight line to the basket.
    * Use the defensive strategies for each individual player, as well as at team level. Want to run a 2-3 zone, with a specific way to defend James Harden (play tight, go over screens, etc)? Set it up. Want even more strategy, set it to pressure shooters as well. There are plenty of options to help contain even the strongest of players. The tools are there, use them to your advantage.

    I'm not a writer, I'm a gamer. Give the game a chance, use the tips above, and I'd say you'll be more than surprised at the outcome. The game is flat out FUN. It feels like Live 10 on Steriods, and that is a great thing. Live is Back.    … Full Review »
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