NBA Live 18 Hands-On: 7 Things We Learned
3. Over-Reliance On Presentation Is A Bit Suspicious
Even though the in-game animations showing in-game players acting as real ones are a welcome addition, it seems that they mask a deeper issue, which may be the lack of significant progress in some departments regarding the final product.
Demos can get buggy, but this one seems polished, so what if EA put so much work into the demo to build up the hype for a new NBA Live, and the game will not deliver, AGAIN?
A deal with ESPN may also hide the holes in the essence of every sports game - the gameplay. The fact that ESPN's Steven A. Smith and Max Kellerman discuss your custom player on First Take is one thing, but seeing them do it with the same passion as in real life is a very nice touch. Their dialogue doesn't seem forced or fake.
However, the scenes with them take around ten minutes of the already short demo, and you can't skip through! It's as if the player is forced to appreciate them, embrace the realness, but this should come naturally and involve actions on the court, not the presentation.