NBA Live 14 Review: A Missed Opportunity for a Solid Comeback

I’ve been playing NBA Live since the 2000 edition and I’ve only switched to the 2K series recently when the Live franchise was in hiatus. Consequently, I was genuinely excited when EA announced NBA Live for next-generation consoles.

The two franchises were close rivals at one point and that was a good thing for gamers. What can be so bad about having two awesome NBA games to enjoy? I was looking forward to having two great NBA video games again when the next-generation of consoles come.

The NBA 2K franchise has arguably grown into a behemoth during its rival’s absence, so it will definitely be tough for NBA Live to even think about topping NBA 2K. The developers from EA have also admitted that NBA Live 14 is meant to be a foundational building block for the series.

In all honesty, I was not expecting it to dethrone NBA 2K14. I feel like a lot of the series’ long-time fans were on the same page as developers when it came to expectations. We just wanted a game that met the current standards of a basketball game and one where we can say: “This has potential, maybe in the next two games they can go head to head with 2K.”

Pretty reasonable right? Unfortunately, it was too much of a tall order for EA Tiburon to deliver. People might say that it’s unfair to compare the two games, but it’s hard not to since they are both trying to do the same thing. At the same time, NBA Live’s absence allowed NBA 2K to set the standards for a basketball video games so it would make sense for them to at least match it. I mean you should at least try to be in the same level in order to compete.

Alright, here goes the painful part wherein I discuss NBA Live piece by piece. The graphics and animations are nowhere near the realism 2K achieves. At times, the players look like plastic dolls and they move like clay animation pieces on the court.

The weird thing is it’s very obvious that it is a video game and that usually isn’t a bad thing. It has this cartoony look to it that doesn’t fit its genre at all. My peers have told me that they liked the IGNITE engine on FIFA and Madden. With NBA Live 14, it hardly looks next-gen at all. It looks like a game that would have come out in 2006 or 2007. To be fair, the court does look nice but that’s it.

    

The animation isn’t as realistic and vibrant as its rival. I love how you could see the frustration in a player’s face when they get knocked down or fouled out. Your team mates leapt from joy on the sidelines whenever their teams makes an awesome play. You don’t get the same level of experience in NBA Live.

I was hoping to see LeBron James show a winning face and jump after he made a fast break dunk. Nope, he acted like nothing happened. The characters don’t react so it’s hard to be immersed in the game. 

The quality of the commentary isn’t that great either. The recording itself sounds poor and it’s not on par with what we get from Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr. I wanted to feel like my created player was a real NBA player, but it fails to do that at times when they talk. They comment on what happens in-game, but rarely about what happens outside of the game based on what I’ve played so far.

NBA Live 14 does have its version of NBA 2K14’s “real voice,” but it’s more focused on the coaches instead of the players. You hear the coaches talking to their team and it is contextually accurate so I’ll give points for that.  The halftime show is actually pretty entertaining as it feels like you are actually watching a game on ESPN. Overall, my main criticism is how the player and team names often times feel inserted into the dialogue like SIRI except it’s not robotic.

Gameplay isn’t drastically different than what you are normally used to if you play NBA video games. It feels mostly the same with NBA 2K14 only the right stick is used for freestyle dribbling instead of shooting the ball. Aside from a few variations, it isn’t bad at all when it comes to the controls.

I’m a bit mixed on the A.I of the game. Others praise it, but there are times when I felt like my team mates were just standing there while we were on offense. They weren’t moving around or anything to adapt to what was happening on the court.  It was also strange how it felt like I was looking at a mirror. Whenever I moved left or right, they followed in unison like puppets.

I never really use the play calling feature since I don’t really know what they mean. I think that this is something all sports games should work on because not everyone playing may be familiar what a play entails.

The game’s answer to MyCareer mode is Rising Star and it pales in comparison to NBA 2K14 both current and next-gen consoles.  Rising Star has a rookie showcase and a draft, but most of the time it’s just a cycle of playing a game then going back to the menu. NBA 2K14 for current-generation platforms and PC didn’t have the storyline aspect, but you had a draft cut scene, interviews, and moments where you can chat with the GM at the very least. If NBA Live had introduced before 2K did it, then it would have been more positively received.

              

The scoring in Rising Star is also a lot harder than it was in NBA 2K games. You get deductions for every missed shot you make even it was a good shot selection. In addition, penalties are given if your match-up scores regardless if it was a good block attempt. This is definitely something that needs to be refined a bit more because the scoring system does not seem fair at times. 

I think it’s worth mentioning that you only have limited options with customizing your character. You can only pick a head, hair style, and accessories. You can’t even choose the color, adjust the sliders, or add facial hair. It’s even more limited than NBA 2K14 on next-gen which I already thought was restrictive.

I was also disappointed with Dynasty mode since that was the feature I loved playing in basketball games before MyCareer came to be. It’s not bad, but it does nothing to totally revolutionize or reinvent itself against its competition.

On the bright side, the Big Moments mode is quite exciting since it challenges you to recreate key moments in recent NBA games. I enjoyed replaying through the Boston Celtics’ three-pointer buzzer beater against the Miami Heat and so much more. However, it detracts from the moment when the game abruptly cuts after finishing the challenge. You don’t see any celebration or moments of frustration. It kind of takes away from what makes the moment big in the first place. How can you relive an upset win if you don’t see how the ever victorious Miami Heat react?

I’ve heard that Ultimate Team mode is as good as it is on FIFA. I’m not really a fan of virtual trading card based game modes, but I heard that it is one of NBA Live 14’s strongest features.

Lastly, let’s talk about the game’s soundtrack. I’ve always been a fan of NBA Live’s soundtrack growing up because it always featured undiscovered yet fitting tracks. NBA 2K usually features more mainstream hip-hop songs and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I love how NBA Live and other EA Sports games was my go-to source for music. NBA Live 14 still sticks to undiscovered tracks and I’ve loved some of them so far but I don’t feel particularly pumped about basketball unlike King James’ selection for 2K.

              

In the end, NBA Live 14 fails to take advantage they had to redefine the franchise after the years of absence. While it is certainly a playable game, the product just does not keep up with the standards most gamers are already acclimated to.  It would have been a good game if it was released years ago for the current-generation, so it suffers because of poor timing. It’s as if they released a remastered version of their previously cancelled NBA Live game.

Based on user and critic reception so far, I highly doubt that we will see NBA Live return next year unless EA Tiburon is truly committed to merely compete with their rivals at 2K Sports. If they can’t, I think it’s more profitable for them to revive one of their more critically acclaimed franchises like NBA Street and NBA Ballers.

Final Verdict:

5/10