The State of NBA Live
The NBA Live franchise has been going on since 1989 when EA released the very first installment of the series as Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs. Since then NBA Live is still one of the top basketball games in the market. In '95 Electronic Arts released NBA Live 95 and it was the beginning of a franchise on the rise. Through the 2000s, Live took the simulation game by storm as they added new features, modes, gameplay, and etc. Now, with Live on the rise, there was a newly developed series by the name of NBA 2K who was also trying to get in the basketball simulation door also. With that, NBA Live was still the top basketball simulation game at that time. Even though Live had been on the top for so many years and 2K still developing, they have also been on the deep end as well.
NBA Live 10 was the last game EA made on last-gen consoles. Since then they struggled with delays and cancellations and with that, they decided to revamp and rename the next game as Elite 11, but that did not work, so they tried again to bring back the Live name with NBA Live 13, that was canceled as well. In 2013 at E3, EA announced that the NBA Live franchise will be returning to the next-gen consoles as they announced the installment of the series with NBA Live 14.
EA also announced that Live 14 would be running on a new engine called Ignite and a new dribbling/physics system in BounceTek. With the release of Live 14, the game was bad all around and didn't do well at all, with the clay-like player models, bad animations, and poor gameplay. I played and spent some time with it. Mostly, I was interested in the new career mode "Rising Star" and surprisingly enough enjoyed it but I didn't get into the "Franchise" mode. As a frequent career/franchise player, I look into those modes specifically to see what's added in and what's wrong, and that goes for any sports game. Once I do that, I can make suggestions for the future games. Back to the point at hand, we all know that Live 14 was bad. Nevertheless, the following year EA released NBA Live 15. EA decided to go back to the drawing board with Live 15. Still, on Ignite engine Live 15 had improved graphically and gameplay wise. I enjoyed 15 as well and it was playable, but with online multiplayer starting to take over, it was still lacking in that area with no kind of mode to cover it like Live 10 did with Adidas Live Run. EA was heading in the right direction with 15 for sure.
By the time E3 in 2015 came around, EA announced the next installment in the series with NBA Live 16. Live 16 was playable and it featured the return of Live Run and the addition to a new Pro-Am mode, where you could take your created player to the streets to compete in the Summer Circuit against CPU controlled NBA players where you can earn gear or play regular 5v5 online pickup. I really enjoyed myself on 16, because it was something different and I appreciated it for what it was. It improved graphically and the gameplay was decent.
The following year, EA decided not to go through with Live 17 and that was a disappointment after seeing how decent 16 was. Fast forward to EA Play 2017, EA once again announced the return of NBA Live with their latest installment of NBA Live 18. When EA announced the return of NBA Live 18, the Live community was excited and eager to see what they had brought to the table after a half-year off. It was announced that there was a newly incorporated career mode called "The One" where you can take your created player on three different paths to be The One. Those three paths were the league, streets, or the Drew League. In addition to that, they also announced that they would be Live Events to unlock gear crates. Now, for us career mode/online players we couldn't wait to get on the sticks after hearing that. During the course of the year, the game has been improving. There was even a 3v3 mode added into the game. Once 18 came out I was all over it and still playing it to this day.
My experience with this game is great. Live 18 is the best Live on next-gen consoles. Animation wise, the animations are not bad but still need some improvement, but not bad. There are still some weird animations but they are bearable. One thing I would point out is, every player jumps the same on their jumpshot but has different releases, that is something the team over at EA might have to think about moving forward. Overall, the shooting is great and as a shooter myself I know from experience. All in all, the game is fun, entertaining, and competitive. My all-time favorite Live game is NBA Live 2005, but Live 18 might just be my favorite basketball game since Live '05 and it's the best Live since the series returned to next-gen consoles.
I had the pleasure to be on Twitch one day and run across one of MusicMindFrame's streams. He also has a Youtube Channel "MindFrameGaming". MindFrame has one of the most welcoming communities I have been a part of. The name of the community is called "Vibe City" and they welcomed me with open arms. The definition of Vibe City is gaming, chilling, vibing out to 90s and early 2000s Hip-Hop and R&B, and just having a good time. Also, about two or three weeks ago MindFrame announced that he was an EA Game Changer. So, if you're on Twitch or Youtube swing on over to Vibe City and check out MindFrameGaming and show some love and to see some valuable content.
YT: https://www.youtube.com/MindFrameGaming
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/musicmindframe
Therefore, EA Play is closely approaching and I believe that the EA Sports team has something big planned for all of the sports games. If NBA Live is there to announce NBA Live 19, I will be excited to see what's in store for this upcoming year. Maybe an expansion to "The One" perhaps? Maybe a new game mode of some sort? Will there be some new playstyles? A suggestion I have for the playstyle point is, there could be three playstyles in one. For example, there could be a Playmaking Slashing Defending Point Shooter or a Defending Slashing Shot Creating Wing Shooter. Also, regarding "Roster Editing" and "Franchise" mode there should be an option to transfer your created player to the updated roster, save the roster and update the updated roster to your Franchise.
These are just predictions and ideas that I have for the future of the Live franchise. Something like that could have a positive impact on the game if they do it the right way and take their time with it. Whatever we see I will be cool with. With that being said, This is only the starting point for what's to come in the future. NBA Live is back and is on the rise to be one of the top basketball games once again.
#WeLive #WelcomeToTheRise
NBA Live 10 was the last game EA made on last-gen consoles. Since then they struggled with delays and cancellations and with that, they decided to revamp and rename the next game as Elite 11, but that did not work, so they tried again to bring back the Live name with NBA Live 13, that was canceled as well. In 2013 at E3, EA announced that the NBA Live franchise will be returning to the next-gen consoles as they announced the installment of the series with NBA Live 14.
EA also announced that Live 14 would be running on a new engine called Ignite and a new dribbling/physics system in BounceTek. With the release of Live 14, the game was bad all around and didn't do well at all, with the clay-like player models, bad animations, and poor gameplay. I played and spent some time with it. Mostly, I was interested in the new career mode "Rising Star" and surprisingly enough enjoyed it but I didn't get into the "Franchise" mode. As a frequent career/franchise player, I look into those modes specifically to see what's added in and what's wrong, and that goes for any sports game. Once I do that, I can make suggestions for the future games. Back to the point at hand, we all know that Live 14 was bad. Nevertheless, the following year EA released NBA Live 15. EA decided to go back to the drawing board with Live 15. Still, on Ignite engine Live 15 had improved graphically and gameplay wise. I enjoyed 15 as well and it was playable, but with online multiplayer starting to take over, it was still lacking in that area with no kind of mode to cover it like Live 10 did with Adidas Live Run. EA was heading in the right direction with 15 for sure.
By the time E3 in 2015 came around, EA announced the next installment in the series with NBA Live 16. Live 16 was playable and it featured the return of Live Run and the addition to a new Pro-Am mode, where you could take your created player to the streets to compete in the Summer Circuit against CPU controlled NBA players where you can earn gear or play regular 5v5 online pickup. I really enjoyed myself on 16, because it was something different and I appreciated it for what it was. It improved graphically and the gameplay was decent.
The following year, EA decided not to go through with Live 17 and that was a disappointment after seeing how decent 16 was. Fast forward to EA Play 2017, EA once again announced the return of NBA Live with their latest installment of NBA Live 18. When EA announced the return of NBA Live 18, the Live community was excited and eager to see what they had brought to the table after a half-year off. It was announced that there was a newly incorporated career mode called "The One" where you can take your created player on three different paths to be The One. Those three paths were the league, streets, or the Drew League. In addition to that, they also announced that they would be Live Events to unlock gear crates. Now, for us career mode/online players we couldn't wait to get on the sticks after hearing that. During the course of the year, the game has been improving. There was even a 3v3 mode added into the game. Once 18 came out I was all over it and still playing it to this day.
My experience with this game is great. Live 18 is the best Live on next-gen consoles. Animation wise, the animations are not bad but still need some improvement, but not bad. There are still some weird animations but they are bearable. One thing I would point out is, every player jumps the same on their jumpshot but has different releases, that is something the team over at EA might have to think about moving forward. Overall, the shooting is great and as a shooter myself I know from experience. All in all, the game is fun, entertaining, and competitive. My all-time favorite Live game is NBA Live 2005, but Live 18 might just be my favorite basketball game since Live '05 and it's the best Live since the series returned to next-gen consoles.
I had the pleasure to be on Twitch one day and run across one of MusicMindFrame's streams. He also has a Youtube Channel "MindFrameGaming". MindFrame has one of the most welcoming communities I have been a part of. The name of the community is called "Vibe City" and they welcomed me with open arms. The definition of Vibe City is gaming, chilling, vibing out to 90s and early 2000s Hip-Hop and R&B, and just having a good time. Also, about two or three weeks ago MindFrame announced that he was an EA Game Changer. So, if you're on Twitch or Youtube swing on over to Vibe City and check out MindFrameGaming and show some love and to see some valuable content.
YT: https://www.youtube.com/MindFrameGaming
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/musicmindframe
Therefore, EA Play is closely approaching and I believe that the EA Sports team has something big planned for all of the sports games. If NBA Live is there to announce NBA Live 19, I will be excited to see what's in store for this upcoming year. Maybe an expansion to "The One" perhaps? Maybe a new game mode of some sort? Will there be some new playstyles? A suggestion I have for the playstyle point is, there could be three playstyles in one. For example, there could be a Playmaking Slashing Defending Point Shooter or a Defending Slashing Shot Creating Wing Shooter. Also, regarding "Roster Editing" and "Franchise" mode there should be an option to transfer your created player to the updated roster, save the roster and update the updated roster to your Franchise.
These are just predictions and ideas that I have for the future of the Live franchise. Something like that could have a positive impact on the game if they do it the right way and take their time with it. Whatever we see I will be cool with. With that being said, This is only the starting point for what's to come in the future. NBA Live is back and is on the rise to be one of the top basketball games once again.
#WeLive #WelcomeToTheRise
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