NBA Live 19

The journey EA has taken with its NBA Live series has been an interesting tale to follow. Not only does EA have to compete with the monolith that is 2K, but they have to meet the expectations they’ve set themselves with the Madden series. It does seem as though excitement for Live picks up right up until release, and then falls sharply a few weeks after. For the most part, I feel as though EA has taken steps in the right direction to offer gamers a uniquely different experience for their basketball sim the past few years. NBA Live 19 offers just a few more bread crumbs towards what I believe will be a truly complete basketball sim, yet still lacks that “it-factor” that sports games need to stay relevant year-round.

Gameplay

NBA Live 19 offers up the smoothest gameplay yet since the reboot of the series in 2013. You can really tell a lot of time and care has gone into nailing dribble moves and the overall movement of players. Unlike last year, how players moved across the court felt distinctly unique to that player; Kevin Knox (since I’m a huge UK fan) really moved on the court how I would expect him to move in real life. This is such a huge improvement over previous years, as I always found Live had a tendency to make each player playing a certain position play similarly. Before, Anthony Davis would move and make similar post-moves as LeMarcus Aldridge. Yes, they both play the power forward position, but neither of them have nearly the same play style or go-to moves. It’s a little tweak, but one that goes a long way if you’re trying to make a meaningful basketball sim.

To the surprise of no one, shooting the basketball is the most important part of the game. Unfortunately, I still feel NBA Live could really improve their shot meter and the actual mechanics of shooting the ball. As it currently stands, the shot meter is a really long and obnoxious bar that fills up the longer you hold the shoot button (whether that be square, or holding down on the right thumb stick). Your goal is to fill the bar to the very top, and release at the perfect time to have a good shot release. It’s basic, it’s been done, and it needs to be changed. No matter when I shot the ball, I felt there was a certain amount of lag that disallowed me from getting the perfect release. Sure, with more practice I’m sure I could learn the releases of many different players, but the system as it stands is so clunky that it gets frustrating after a few games. Also, it doesn’t help that the bar itself is often times way larger than it ever needs to be. I would have much rather seen EA do away with the shot meter entirely, and come up with a shooting system that was just as fluid as their dribble mechanics.

I loved this sort of progression with Icon Abilities.

NBA Live 19 is making tiny steps towards having a full catalogue of game modes. While Live 19 is much more diverse and offers several different game modes, it still needs something “new” to really stand out from the crowd. Players are able to partake in the typical story mode (titled “The One”), Live Ultimate Team, a truly light Franchise mode and NBA/WNBA Play Now modes. “The One” and it’s associate sub-modes is Live 19’s flagship mode, and you can really tell. A lot of time has gone into creating a dynamic story that offers a bit of everything NBA Live 19 has to offer. I’ve never really been a big fan of the career modes in sports games, but “The One” really stuck with me with it’s deep progression systems for building out your player. Each player is able to choose an Icon that is related to the position they play. For example, I chose to play as a floor general point guard (as I probably would be in real life), where I focus on setting up my teammates to score efficiently. When you activate the Icon abilities, you get certain boosts to gameplay for a short duration to really tear up the court. I really loved the new feature, as it allowed to craft my player exactly how I wanted him to be, while also debating which abilities to upgrade and spend skill points on. This sort of progression is usually lacking in story modes (or at least caught behind paywalls), so I was really happy to see EA has made it enjoyable and complex as you progress through the story.

Speaking on different changes to the career mode, there are two that really stuck out to me: the inclusion of WNBA players, as well as team crafting via card packs. I said it briefly earlier in the review, but it’s worth reiterating here; EA needs to introduce features that sets itself apart from its competition. With the introduction of WNBA players in the career mode, I feel as though EA has done just that. Not only can the WNBA players hold their own against their NBA counterparts, but are often better than them. More often than not I was choosing to include Sue Bird or Candace Parker in my team over some NBA players. With the growing popularity of basketball across the world (including the growing popularity of the WNBA), it’s exciting to see that EA handled implementing the WNBA in such a smart and exciting way.

Another great implementation in NBA Live 19s career mode is the introduction of card packs and bundles into the career mode. When you complete certain games and goals, you’re able to open up bundles of packs that include specialty gear for your player, as well as player cards that allow you to recruit various NBA/WNBA players to your street-ball team. What it’s no shocker you can get randomized gear like shoes and jerseys for your player, what’s so unique is how they’ve included my favorite mode (Ultimate Team for Live, MyTeam for 2K) across all sports games into the career mode. The ability to pull player cards from these packs to build up your street-ball team is so unique and fun, that it really encouraged me to continue playing through a career mode I otherwise would skip.

Let’s talk about Live Ultimate Team. Unlike Madden 19, I really feel as though EA dropped the ball on Live 19’s Ultimate Team. There is plenty to do, don’t get me wrong, but the way the whole mode is organized and put together feels like an afterthought. It’s really disappointing, as these sorts of modes usually get their hooks into me and don’t let me go. The first thing off the bat that confused me was how in this version of Ultimate Team, you seem to have non-star players who have cards from several years ago that you can pull in packs. For example, my starter pack contained a bronze Robert Covington from when he was picked up as an undrafted rookie for the Houston Rockets in ’13-14. As anyone who plays the mode regularly will tell you, these sorts of bronze, silver and even sometimes gold cards are some of the first cards you want to replace in your lineup. Yet, for some reason, there are hundreds of random bronze and silver cards of players from year’s past. On one hand, it’s great for having a lot of content to pull. On the other, it’s flooding the marketplace and your collections with a bunch of useless cards. Throwback cards are great, but only when they highlight the best-of-the-best players in their primes.

All in all, I really feel the gameplay and modes for NBA Live are hit and miss. “The One” and it’s subsequent modes are excellent, and really deserve a shot from any sports game fan. However, every other mode in the game feels empty and thrown in there as if they “had to be in the game”.

Visuals

I really feel EA has done a lot with the visuals of the NBA Live series over the past few years. If you even just look back two years ago to NBA Live 17, you can tell Live 19 is a vast improvement. Similar to what I mentioned earlier in how players move on the court, they actually finally look like their real-life counterparts. I still feel as though some actual tweaks could be made to the body mass of some players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it’s a great improvement that fits what EA is striving for. On that note, I do wish players were a bit more expressive during games. After a big play, most do a typical celebration, yet it still feels as if their expressions are empty and emotionless. I know how hard it is to have exact facial animation in these sorts of annual releases, but these celebrations and expressions are almost a key aspect to the game of basketball. What’s the point if you dunk on someone with Russell Westbrook and can’t give them his signature mean-mug. Courts, crowds and the game commentary are good at best, and are pretty good for feeling like the actual broadcasts. Although, after several games, I did have to turn off the in-game commentary; but I do that for every sports game anyway.

All in all, NBA Live 19 is a solid tip-toe towards what I think could be a great competitor in the basketball video game world. Even though “The One” is excellent and should be played, everything else is lacking and feels phoned-in. If EA were to put as much effort and innovation into their other modes as they did with “The One”, they’d have a real contender for best basketball sim out there. But please (please) change the shot meter.