NBA LIVE 18 Review: The One Edition. Offers Revolutionary Gameplay and Solid Controls

If you want a fresh perspective on the basketball game genre, NBA Live 18 offers something unique and different, with The One mode, the addition of the WNBA and simple gameplay that anyone will get used to in one or two games.

Graphics: 4.5

The graphics are fluid and realistic: Curry and Harden are quite their real replicas. The cut-scenes are brilliantly designed, and you will feel like you’re part of a few league moments. The animation mechanics have a few flaws. For example, it may be difficult to halt high momentum on players without losing the ball at first contact. For the most part, however, runs are brilliant, and dunks feel just as exhilarating as the real thing.

Gameplay: 4.0

NBA Live 18 is a basketball simulation game, offering different play modes such as the titular career mode: The One, in which you start off as a street player, gradually working up your stats and getting drafted into an NBA career, or playing across different leagues. Combine lets you play in the league but also gives you commentary and perspectives from ESPN’s First Take hosts Max Kellerman and Stephen Smith who offer their honest views on how your career is progressing. In this mode, you are a league player, and you get to experience the full cycle of the league, both on and off the pitch, complete with clothing, and you can also play in online teams.

Live 18 also incorporates the WNBA as a first, though not included in other modes such as The One. A pretty inherent downside is that The One is less about actual skills than media performances in this game, so you’ll gradually switch to other modes.

Controls: 5.0

With NBA Live 18, the player is responsive from any angle or perspective, and even complex moves roll off your controls fluidly. Whether you are playing in single player mode or as part of a team, you will be completely in control of the ball. The input is quite responsive, and I didn’t feel like I had to aggressively punch in my controller to get that dunk or a layup. Dribbling with the right analog stick might be a little cumbersome.

Replay Value: 4.5

NBA Live 18 has quite fluid controls, a variety of modes such as The One and Multiplayer, and the addition of the WNBA. There’s also no aggressive microtransactions which are fantastic! You can, however, garner reward points which you can use to purchase new gear, tattoos, and other merchandise. The game is surprisingly adaptable and straightforward, and you will want to keep coming back to it after one or two games.

Conclusion

Live 18 may have a long way to go in becoming a real viable alternative to the more popular NBA 2K18, and it falls short in some areas such as a rich feature set or even the graphics. For me, however, this game strips down basketball to its basics especially to players who haven’t had much experience with playing a console basketball game before. Most importantly, the game is fun to play.