NBA Live 18

NBA Live 18 is a real positive step forward for the series. The extra time EA gave Tiburon to make things better paid off. You get a solid experience with a good amount of modes that will keep you glued. The skills tree alone will keep you going in the game. The controls of the game are the only downer of the release, and it’s not all the controls, as they need some tightening and tweaking. Controls aside, NBA Live 18 is better than expected and shouldn’t be overlooked.

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.

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.

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.

Unfortunately, NBA LIVE returns through the back door.

Normally, of course, solid wouldn’t be a descriptor you’d apply to the best basketball game of the year. But when the alternative is the hot steaming garbage that is NBA 2K18, solid will more than do. It may be a tainted victory for NBA Live 18, but after years of being second-best, they deserve applause for eking out a win this time around.

NBA Live gets better every year. The One mode is pretty interesting, and if you’re looking for a more accessible approach to basketball, this can be your game.

NBA Live 18 is a pretty good game, but just misses an 'oompf'. The game looks amazing, but besides The One, there aren't any other interesting modes.

Electronic Arts returns to the court with a good basketball game. Despite some mistakes and a lack of options in some of this modes, The One is a fantastic career mode that contains hundred of hours of fun. The Canadian company finds its way to the comeback, and we expect it will result in a few seasons.

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 are 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.

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

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

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.

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.

Decent and accessible, but still not exactly a proper contender to NBA 2K18's basketball-shaped throne.

Between the WNBA matches and the position variety of The One, NBA Live 18 succeeds--albeit barely--as a viable alternative to NBA 2K18.

NBA Live 18 still doesn’t match or best NBA 2K18’s deep feature set, but this year does show progress. The stable online matches, interesting career mode concept, and adequate if arcadey gameplay all point to a more promising future for EA’s most struggling sports franchise.

Not the best basket sim out there but a good one. Another step forward for this beloved franchise… but not the big one.

NBA Live 18 is a step in the right direction.

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. But the spare treatment given to the rest of the big modes of play make this a pick-up-and-play basketball game that walks the line of being arcadey in some spots. Those who enjoy player management and building out teams will not find much to love in NBA Live 18, but at least the gameplay is solid throughout, and fans can actually talk about what this game can expand on next year without wondering if there will be a next year.

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.

NBA Live is far from perfection, but it shows the sparks of the future arcade contender of NBA 2K.