NBA Live 18 Review: 3 Ups & 3 Downs
Don't call it a comeback.
After a one year hiatus, EA Sports is back with its version of NBA basketball. The sole fact that they refuse to give up is applaudable, especially when taking into account who they're up against. Comparing NBA Live and NBA 2K would be simply unfair, at least for now, so this review will approach NBA Live 18 as a singular, standalone game.
This approach does the game more justice, since the release is not a comeback per se, but an attempt at one.
Once we reasonably lower our expectations it's easy to see why EA Sports wants to continue releasing basketball video games - they know how to make them, even though they target a certain audience.
NBA Live 18 is a game for sports fans in general and not basketball fans specifically. It's a perfect product for what's been referred to by sports scholars as the "highlight generation," for fans who prefer to watch solely the highlights and not whole sporting events. That's why this EA Sports title is simple, quick and filled with athletic plays - it's easy to master and even easier to enjoy, hence appealing to a large audience.