NBA Live 19 Review: You Are The One

Welcome to NBA Live 19

NBA Live was once a game that dominated and took lead in providing high level entertainment for both gamers and sport fans alike. Then with the announcement of NBA Elite 11 the game sadly cancelled one week out from launch. Going digital, NBA Live 13 never reached the release date either. To some NBA Live was done for.

Live 14 made a surprising debut on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, coinciding with the launch of both console launches. And while hoping to get that positive vibe, it was more neutral. Now let’s skip ahead to the release of NBA Live 18 where EA Sports introduced “The One” allowing players to take their skills to the court or the streets and still grind, leveling up every step of the way. Live 18 made a triumphant comeback, also same year presenting to all the WNBA roster and a WNBA mode for players to embrace the other side of the Basketball.

NBA Live 19 is back and following its own footsteps which appears to be quite comfortable. We know this year is on a new level of being “on fire,” the demo that’s available on PS4 and Xbox One showcased that. But how consistent is NBA Live 19 across the board?

What’s In The Box

Modes available in NBA Live 19 are NBA and WNBA Play Now which are the respective options for exhibition, Franchise mode, Ultimate Mode and Online Head 2Head. We’ll jump into every mode throughout this review, but the premium mode is The One.

Back to Being “The One”

Expect more when becoming the one as there’s a true road to greatness here. Like Live 18 you have the choice of taking the game to

the court in the NBA (The League) or you can challenge squads, as well as yourself in “The Streets.”

Surprisingly similar to the NBA 2K Prelude you are traveling around the world to get your shot in the NBA. In superb fashion EA Sports got it right! Joel Embiid special rules game was the cheapest, sleaziest rules; also making it one the most creative and entertaining features. And it only gets better; it’s called Court Battle.

Welcome to Court Battle

A new mode allowing you to create your own rules to defend your court while attempting to dominate the surrounding competition. It’s something that genuinely separates NBA Live from NBA 2K, a personal jab in allowing arcade style gameplay while maintaining realistic fundamentals, mechanics and presentation.

As you create your own court where people can actually join and play on, you can add designs, logos, text and more. With enough points and through hype level progression you can purchase unique designs, players and rules for your team. What will keep this mode fresh is the weekly changeups, making every purchase both interesting and critical.

For those wanting to run with an online squad you can do so with Live Run and Live Events. Events are more rewarding helping you earn crates as you level up, this year including iconic players, streetballers and content creators.

And Then There’s …

Ultimate Team is here for players that love creating their fantasy teams and putting them to the test. Proven to be a huge success in Madden and FIFA, Live Ultimate Team starts you off with 12 players, one coach a venue and two jerseys; essentially what’s required to have an NBA team. Your level of skills and grind will ultimately define your success.

Franchise mode also returns allowing you to play as Coach and GM. Draft players, fine tune your team through trade and find what will get your team to the NBA Finals and claim the championship. These two modes are honestly not the bread and butter on Live 19, but appreciated for those looking to step out of the realm of the player and prefer coaching.

The Bad in NBA Live 19

-The arcade feel is still there, not as much as over the years, but present.

-Player movement needs to be tweaked just a bit more as I found my character stiff at times or simply not moving at all when attempting to block shots or grab rebounds.

-Not game breaking, but clipping is too noticeable, specifically during replays, slightly taking away from the sense of realism.

-Visuals has be mentioned here. Yes, it’s getting better and acceptable. But when considering graphics in other EA Sports game I’m baffled in the difference in Live gameplay and screenshots. Gameplay has elevated these past few years, can graphics as well? To be fair, EA Sports did mention not being able to capture everyone’s face yet. And for what it’s worth, it’s not too bad.

Ladies First

The WNBA is back with the most creative feature possible, the ability to create female players, not only for the team but to take to the streets to join squads and challenge the men to a game they may not be ready for. Let’s say for the record I couldn’t keep quiet watching male players online and offline get dominated or dunked on by female players. I knew it was possible, but great googley moogley.