The chances are that if you buy NBA Live 18 as of 2018, less than 4 months since it's release, you are going to be getting it for a very, very low price in a sale out of a state of curiosity. With this in mind it isn't terrible value for the £10-£15 price range it is likely to cost you however the price of the game cannot excuse it's obvious failings especially when compared to NBA 2k18sThe chances are that if you buy NBA Live 18 as of 2018, less than 4 months since it's release, you are going to be getting it for a very, very low price in a sale out of a state of curiosity. With this in mind it isn't terrible value for the £10-£15 price range it is likely to cost you however the price of the game cannot excuse it's obvious failings especially when compared to NBA 2k18s vastly superior product.
Firstly the games major focus is its MyCareer competitor entitled "The One" on the face of it this sounds like a decent idea and is the same rags to riches type deal your MyCareer in NBA 2k18 is going for. A large talking point you will have heard is that it is entirely possible to progress in this mode without having to buy skill points/xp and that you don't have to waste in game currency acquiring haircuts and shoes and the like. This is true however the mode itself is boring, repetitive and doesn't really inspire you to keep playing it. You begin playing a variety of games on famous streetball courts, then at the draft combine whereupon your performance determines your draft placement. The gameplay is much the same fare as MyCareer with in game milestones to meet for bonus points but this leads to the main downfall of the game that underpins everything else it tries to do.
Live 18 doesn't look bad, graphically it can stand up to 2k18 but certainly not threaten to surpass it. Presentation is quite slick with the ESPN branding but that gets very old and very repetitive very fast. The main issue with this game is you only realize just how well animated 2k18 is when you come and play this, it's direct competitor. You never feel as in control of your player as you do in 2k, animations aren't very varied and they don't link smoothly together. As such there isn't much joy to be had in exploring different possibilities of breaking down a defense. A shame, I feel, because I still don't think a game has surpassed Live 2004 for fluidity, ease and satisfaction of dribble move controls, though modern 2k does come close.
Generally the whole thing just feels like a budget NBA game when you've played 2k for any amount of time and whilst 2k has it's flaws and it does like grabbing your cash off you in microtransactions quite frankly those micro-transactions feel WORTH it if you're willing to pay them. There is a tangible difference as your player progresses that is visceral and enjoyable to see. Live quite obviously poured it's time and effort into The One and whilst it is enjoyable enough it doesn't grab you, make you connect with your character and keep you coming back like MyCareer does.
If you're wondering why I'm focusing so much on those two modes it is because outside of The One, Live is unfortunately quite laughable in content. The franchise mode is literally as bare bones as can be. You cannot scout draft picks, can't really negotiate with free agents and so it feels quite honestly like exhibition mode but with a calendar view. Again, you realize just how in depth and nuanced the games opposition has become when you play this, little things like the trade finder or the CPU giving feedback as to trade offers. The absence of this simple things makes this games franchise mode feel incredibly, incredibly dated and the more I think of it, it isn't vastly different than the aforementioned Live 2004 in terms of depth.
Mix that in with the fact that playing 5 on 5 on this game seems to exacerbate the fundamental flaws with the gameplay and ultimately you'll get about your moneys worth in time exploring this game and trying stuff out but I feel absolutely no urge to go back and see more of it.
They didn't do a bad job. It looks good, it runs well, the presentation is slick but without much variety and the animations are lacking. It plays differently than 2k as you would expect and it's not exactly a bad different, it is a functional game but really when you compare it, as you must do, to its competitor it pales so much.
If you see it on sale and are intrigued by what another NBA game will play like, if you have the low £10ish amount of money hanging around then by all means give it a try. You'll get 10 hours out of it just seeing what they do differently and you may take to it better than I did as it seems some people do but ultimately it is not possible or credible to claim that this game can compare to or better NBA 2k18.… Expand
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