PlayStation 4
Released in 2018 by EA Sports
Grade: C+
NBA Live 19 has a smooth-moving feel that makes me want to love it, but the stupid thing is just riddled with issues.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the fifth Live on PS4 and Xbox One. NBA Live 17, NBA Live 20, and NBA Live 21 were all cancelled.
EA had already struggled with basketball in the PS3/Xbox 360 generation, where the last installment was NBA Live 10.
Praises and gripes
On the surface, this might seem like a more accessible alternative to 2K’s more sophisticated offering, but it definitely aims to be a genuine simulation boasting rich AI, realistic action, and tons of nifty moves. Unfortunately, it comes up short in every respect. The more you dig into it, the more frustration you’ll find.
When it does things well, they really look nice. As you’ll see in today’s NBA, the pick-and-roll is a big part of the game, and it feels great when it works, with your big guy ready to catch on the move and slam it. Every now and then, I found an open shot in transition, and players catch and shoot fluidly. There are a bunch of dunks and layups that look nice.
I like how you can simply hold the shoot button as you charge to the basket, and your player will automatically go into an animation that makes sense, like a floater, slam dunk, up-and-under, or short fadeaway. For star players, these are realistically fruitful. I also like that players seem to finish in traffic, as long as they’ve gotten their shoulders past the defender. That’s realistic.
In general, though, the shooting logic is all jacked up. It’s unforgiving, punishing slight variance in your release point. There’s a shot meter to help you, but it feels unnatural within the flow of the game. Defenders often alter shots, indicated by an icon that says “Guarded,” even if their position doesn’t warrant it. And the game seems obsessed with a “breaking ankles” animation that too often makes the defender fall down, allowing a wide open shot. This happens maybe once a game in real basketball, but in Live it’s a frequent occurrence.
The dribbling logic isn’t great either, despite EA’s best effort to recreate an arsenal of realistic moves. And if you look closely, players hold the ball and slide their feet all over the place. That’s not only a traveling violation, but also sloppy animation. I even once saw a player pick up his dribble to do a shot fake, then dribble again on his way to a layup. That’s inexcusable!
The plays aren’t useful at all, and in fact, you’ll turn the ball over if you follow them. It’s easy to pass the ball to the wrong guy, even with the ugly “passing line.” The core controls need a lot of fine tuning.
Well-earned shots miss, and you’ll score baskets in shallow, stupid ways. Sometimes I just charged down the court past the entire defense for an uncontested dunk. What is that? I’ve coached 6th grade girls who play better defense than that! There’s an awful lot of tip-ins and offensive rebounds.
A lot of shots near the basket are emphatically swatted away, and sometimes an offensive player chases it out of bounds for a mindless turnover. I guess EA hasn’t fixed that issue, because I remember it from NBA Live 2003!
The issues extend past the on-court action into more technical stuff. One time, my playcall menu listed players who weren’t on the court. Another time, those little icons under my player didn’t go away and floated around the court for a couple possessions. I turned off replays to avoid interruptions, but the damn things showed up anyway. The automatic substitutions sometimes leave star players on the bench in the final moments of a close game.
These issues just came at me one after the other. I’m telling you, I wanted to like this game.
The graphics initially looked awkward. Players move funny and have big heads. But I adjusted and liked how the game looked, especially the sparkling arenas. The play-by-play man calls the action well, but why the hell is Jay Williams giving me life lessons? I’m not on a retreat for troubled youths; I’m just trying to play a video game.
There’s an awful lot of added modes, with contrived names like “The Rise” and “The One.” The key online mode is a 3-on-3 halfcourt game, where you control only your created player and subject yourself to the bad teamwork of your ballhogging fellow gamers.
I did sort of enjoy playing as a young phenom point guard as I rose through the ranks of a streetball circuit. Your overall contributions to the team are rewarded, and basketball purists will embrace playing off the ball.
The game is also fleshed out with the entire WNBA lineup of teams and rosters. No snark from me there, actually. It’s a welcome addition.
Overall, man, EA is just so far behind with their basketball games. They need some core improvements.