Added: 04.11.2014 0:02 | 0 views | 0 comments

EA's return to basketball last year felt like a labor of obligation, shabbily patched together and pushed out the door. If this year's goal were simply "make a better game," NBA Live 15 checks that box--but that doesn't make it a good basketball experience. Shoddy mechanics, simplistic defensive play, and antiquated visuals make it difficult to have fun with NBA Live 15. It's not broken, and there's enough content to keep you busy for the full NBA season. However, NBA Live is a franchise desperately searching for its identity, and its deficiencies are only more glaring with

Defense isn't smart or fun, as it's just too easy to press against your man and prevent open looks or strong post moves. Instead of guessing the direction of a player's drive, NBA Live 15 allows you to shut down even the biggest stars by simply staying reasonably close. That's it. You need to press your weight against bigger men in the paint and time your jump to contest shots, but defense doesn't offer enough involvement in the on-court battle to actually feel interesting. Attempting steals adds a bit of dynamism, but batting the ball away is too easy. On my first six attempts, I stole the ball five times and drove it down the court for multiple easy baskets. It helped me come away with a win, but that shouldn't happen in a game attempting to simulate the sport.

The rest of the feature set continues to feels like a watered-down version of what NBA 2K15 already provides. Ultimate Team lets you build your dream team through collected cards of varying rarity, while Dynasty allows you to manage the trades, goals, and on-court action of your favorite team. Both are serviceable, but have been done better elsewhere. The Big Moments mode is a little bit more novel, letting you reenact some of the most spectacular nights in a player's career. Stepping into Carmelo Anthony's shoes to recreate his 62-point outburst from last season is a challenge, but attempting to recapture this magic is at least a fun change of pace.

Even during its brightest moments, NBA Live 15 isn't a very fun basketball game. Effective offense is a struggle to achieve, and defense is far too automated to keep you interested. Even with individual players looking better up close, NBA Live 15 fails to present an attractive package when all ten bodies are running plays on the court. EA is headed in the right direction with this struggling franchise, but compared to NBA 2K15, Live feels like it's playing for a roster spot in the D-League.

Added: 04.11.2014 0:02 | 0 views | 0 comments

EA's return to basketball last year felt like a labor of obligation, shabbily patched together and pushed out the door. If this year's goal were simply "make a better game," NBA Live 15 checks that box--but that doesn't make it a good basketball experience. Shoddy mechanics, simplistic defensive play, and antiquated visuals make it difficult to have fun with NBA Live 15. It's not broken, and there's enough content to keep you busy for the full NBA season. However, NBA Live is a franchise desperately searching for its identity, and its deficiencies are only more glaring with

Defense isn't smart or fun, as it's just too easy to press against your man and prevent open looks or strong post moves. Instead of guessing the direction of a player's drive, NBA Live 15 allows you to shut down even the biggest stars by simply staying reasonably close. That's it. You need to press your weight against bigger men in the paint and time your jump to contest shots, but defense doesn't offer enough involvement in the on-court battle to actually feel interesting. Attempting steals adds a bit of dynamism, but batting the ball away is too easy. On my first six attempts, I stole the ball five times and drove it down the court for multiple easy baskets. It helped me come away with a win, but that shouldn't happen in a game attempting to simulate the sport.

The rest of the feature set continues to feels like a watered-down version of what NBA 2K15 already provides. Ultimate Team lets you build your dream team through collected cards of varying rarity, while Dynasty allows you to manage the trades, goals, and on-court action of your favorite team. Both are serviceable, but have been done better elsewhere. The Big Moments mode is a little bit more novel, letting you reenact some of the most spectacular nights in a player's career. Stepping into Carmelo Anthony's shoes to recreate his 62-point outburst from last season is a challenge, but attempting to recapture this magic is at least a fun change of pace.

Even during its brightest moments, NBA Live 15 isn't a very fun basketball game. Effective offense is a struggle to achieve, and defense is far too automated to keep you interested. Even with individual players looking better up close, NBA Live 15 fails to present an attractive package when all ten bodies are running plays on the court. EA is headed in the right direction with this struggling franchise, but compared to NBA 2K15, Live feels like it's playing for a roster spot in the D-League.