NBA Live 18 Hands-On: 7 Things We Learned
4. Fluidity Is The Main Issue Regarding Animation
Player animations are a huge plus of this game. When LeBron James drives into the lane and attempts a lay-up or a pass, he does it just like LeBron James. When James Harden makes a shot he celebrates with a cooking dance, just like the real James Harden.
The players not only look similar to their real-life counterparts, they act EXACTLY like them. This adds realism to the overall experience, even though players don't interact with each other as often as they should.
Getting to these stunning animations is the hard, rather awkward part. Players bringing up the ball look strange, as if they couldn't combine dribbling and walking in a straight line, however the real problem occurs during cutscenes or changes of pace.
Whenever a player is forced to change his stance or position, he moves as if a couple of frames were cut out. The change is instant, not gradual, which takes away the fun from observing players behave as they do during actual games.