NBA Live 19 Review - Dribbling Forward
NBA Live 19: Basketball for AllThe screech of the parquet floors, the deafening click of a dunk, the soft noise of the net when a shot is shot, the grace of a crossed dribble ... Few sports simulations provide as many sensations as those putting the orange ball in the spotlight. To appeal to the general public, EA understood that capturing the spectacular essence of basketball was essential. While the franchise has regained its credibility last year, NBA Live 19 offers an experience still far from perfect, but pleasant enough and complete enough to merit the interest of those curious about the discipline.
COME ON AND SLAM
To replace NBA Live on the players' radar, EA had to first of all take care of its performance on the floors. If the previous opus still retained a pronounced arcade touch, its successor slightly gains in realism and fluidity. Let it be said: the action is always punctuated by powerful dunks, blocks, broken ankles and layouts as improbable as spectacular which end in the circle. The game however benefits from the famous realistic movement technology, already used for a few years on Fifa in particular. Its contribution is felt on the screen, the action on the parquet being less muddled than before, and above all, controller in hand. The players move in a realistic way and the dribbles are linked better, with a certain ease since it is enough to manipulate the right stick to trigger naturally crossover, dribbles in the back and other devastating movements, sometimes specific to certain players. The stepback of James Harden, the silky shoot of Stephen Curry ... the stars are entitled to their "signature moves". The gameplay bases are solid, with some new movements (dribbling between the legs or in the back of the opponent, Shammgod ...) easily comprehensible thanks to a complete and didactic tutorial for each compartment of the game.The work of individualizing the behavior of players is however far from complete. Seeing Rudy Gobert dribbling like Kyrie Irving then attempting (and succeeding) stepbacks at the station is not to displease us, but realism level, it does task. Basically, each player, whatever his position or his physique, can do the same thing as the others on a field. A defect that goes hand in hand with the behavior of the AI, annoying as possible when trying to create a game on attack placed or in transition but no one moves as it should, and just as lost in defense.
Despite this, the sensations remain pleasant: in a few moments, any player behind his screen is able to transform himself into an effective scorer, well helped by a generous shooting gauge which allows to easily trigger perfect shots, and quite simply by the game. We often have the impression of not controlling what the player is doing, due to the still very robotic or even scripted animations, and to the gameplay which still lacks technical depth. Two glaring examples: the shots near the circle, unpredictable, and the game at the post, which can pass from "wow, I managed to make the movement I wanted!" to "what just happened?" from one possession to another. But often it works, and it's spectacular.
However, do not believe that it is enough to rush towards the basket and to press stupidly on a key to mark. Change the difficulty, personalize your parameters for a more realistic rendering (by following for example the wise advice of the Operations Sports site), and it's a whole other game that will deliver to you. The defense does its job rather well, probably too much, to the point of being constantly jostled by wanting to overtake its opponent or by trying to stand out without a ball. The contacts are felt, and provide good feelings. Defending on the man is particularly satisfying: if you stay well in front of the attacker, by following the small arrow on the ground which serves as a guide, you will be able to stop his offensive. Too bad the rebounds, blocks and passes are always so approximate. The cause: the physics of the ball, which sometimes seems to float randomly like a beach ball. But in the end, the imperfection and the permissive side of NBA Live 19 play in a way in its favor, making it fun every moment and never frustrating.
BASKETBALL WITHOUT BORDERS
"Fun" and "never frustrating", three words that perfectly sum up NBA Live 19, whether in its gameplay or in its game modes. Once is not custom, the main part of the program is articulated around creation of his player (or his player), "L'Élu", capable from the first games of winning on the floors. More than ever, EA is focusing on the streetball side, ultimately leaving the NBA on the sidelines. The narration is limited to interactions via the virtual smartphone and a few cutscenes, where Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman of the emblematic ESPN chain evoke the exploits of our avatar, who had the good idea to take a sabbatical year after college to shine on playgrounds around the world. We can then obviously be drafter, chain NBA matches, aim for the title and individual awards, in an effective but very, very basic career mode, which offers the bare minimum.Where NBA Live 19 shines is when it brings our avatar to the streets. The possibilities are varied, both online and offline. On the one hand, the Live Run for competitive 3v3 or 5v5 online and Live Events, which are daily challenges to be carried out in cooperation with other players. The key: unique rewards (t-shirts, shoes or players of various rarities). On the other, the particularly engaging Streets World Tour mode, which leads to a series of matches on the pitches around the world. As we progress, we unlock players who are then used to compose their crew of five streetballers. This is the advantage of the title, which makes grinding pleasant, never tiresome and fair: there is always something to gain, whether it is skill points for our avatar, animations or badges to personalize your game. , or cosmetic items galore to give it style.
TRUST THE PROCESS
If NBA Live seems to have found its identity around the "Chosen" modes, the rest is still under construction. Graphically, the rendering is pleasing to the eye in general, although still uneven. The textures are clean, the floors and the playgrounds shine brightly, but we feel that most of the players were not entitled to the "face scan". Even more annoying: the body shapes, completely removed from reality in some cases, such as the Shaq, which miraculously lost 50 pounds. The game engine Frostbite is sorely lacking, especially as it would allow to offer a real scripted career mode, in line with "The Adventure" of Fifa or the "Longshot" of Madden NFL.Level immersion, the developers make efforts by gathering elements which will speak to the amateurs of basketball: a neat hip-hop tracklist (although limited to 20 pieces), the ESPN skin which immediately sets an atmosphere "like on TV ", the five-star duo Ed Cohen and Jay Williams at the microphone ... but the set is unfortunately under-exploited. The comments quickly go around in circles, and the soundscape during street matches is limited to music that repeats itself over and over and to an audience that screams from time to time without too much logic in relation to the action.
Same story for the content outside "L'Élu", starting with the Franchise mode. The structure is laid, the foundations are there, but the interior is completely empty: we just choose one team, advance in the calendar by simulating (or playing) the matches while managing our workforce, we s 'occupies draft, contracts and payroll in the off season, then rebelotte. Not enough to keep the players in suspense, especially since the simulation is not yet developed. Seeing the Chicago Bulls finish second in the East, led by a Jabari Parker at 32 points average, the purists of the Grand League risk tearing their hair out. The Ultimate Team mode is already richer in options with challenges that number in the tens. But the microtransactions and the slowness to accumulate the packages and the players of value come to tarnish the experiment, knowing that one starts with ridiculously weak cards. Unless you have a lot of time (or money) to devote to it, it's difficult to find interest.
As for online game enthusiasts simply looking to plant a few baskets from time to time with their favorite team, they have at their disposal stable servers, fast matchmaking and, it was time, the possibility of directly confronting a player of his friends list. It's just a shame that no historic team is playable. We are content here with All-Star selections, thirty NBA franchises, their Association, Icon and Statement jerseys, as well as the twelve women's WNBA teams. Again, the experience is incomplete: we would have liked to be able to launch a Franchise mode with the Los Angeles Sparks or the Minnesota Lynx, or try to fetch the Grail with our player in a WNBA career mode. If NBA Live 19 is already showing its potential, the reconstruction is still underway to consolidate all the compartments of its game. Trust the Process, as Joel Embiid puts it so well.
The notes
+ Positive points
Intuitive, fun and spectacular gameplay ...
Complete and rewarding progression system
The streetball theme
Good variety of game modes, online and offline
Court Battles mode, original and engaging
Pretty pretty
Fourteen playgrounds, including new ones (Pier 54, Rio ...)
ESPN skin
The WNBA license and the possibility of creating a player ...
-Negative points
... which still lacks depth and precision
The behavior of AI
Player models (templates and faces) ranging from good to bad
The physics of the ball
Basic Career Mode
Franchise mode limited in options
The soundscape during matches
... without being able to launch Career or WNBA Franchise mode
More complete and more fluid than its predecessor, NBA Live 19 is certainly a recommendable basketball game. As much the neophytes as the addicts with the orange balls can find themselves there so much the experience of play is pleasant, in an immediate and constant way, on condition of liking to create, personalize and make evolve its player. Dunker, shooter and dribbler has rarely seemed so intuitive, with real progress in the game sensations. Those who seek less permissive gameplay and who ask for more, especially in terms of realism, are likely to remain hungry. The room for improvement is still immense, particularly in the Career and Franchise modes, but the encouraging signs are there.
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