NBA Live 18 Hands-On: 7 Things We Learned
It's (back) in the game.
Let's get this right out of the way: there's plenty to like about NBA Live 18. The demo is surprisingly good fun, which suggests the full release will hopefully be like that as well, unlike numerous entries in this once-storied franchise.
The demo was made available on the 11th of August, and it doesn't feature many gameplay options. Apart from drills, online streetball and Warriors versus Cavs in a NBA-Finals-Game-Seven-Baby, its main part is the introduction to The One, called The Rise.
In this limited version of the mode, the player will be able to fight their way back to relevance on the streetball circuit, and then improve their draft stock in a rookie game. Once that game is over and the player is drafted, the mode is over as well. After all, The One career mode is the selling point of NBA Live 18.
Still, when taking into consideration the disappointment that followed EA Sports' previous basketball releases, the demo is very encouraging and indicates that the full game can be at least a step in the right direction.
7. It's Way Better Than NBA Live 16
NBA Live 16 wasn't that good to begin with, which makes it really easy to top, but NBA Live 18 makes the previous game look like a relic.
The gap between both games is colossal. NBA Live 16 was extremely frustrating, the passes were very easy to steal, the shots that should go in didn't, etc. The player models and their movements were not only unnatural, they were simply funny.
In NBA Live 18, there's more consequence involved in the events on the court. The most important part of the improvement is the defense, which is more natural now. A dart informs you where your opponent is going to move. Although sometimes defense can get frustrating as well, especially when attempting to steal the ball, it's still a huge improvement over the previous entry.
All in all, passing is improved, shooting is improved, and blocking is actually better than in any other basketball video game.