NBA Live 19

NBA Live 19 is a basketball simulation video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. It features Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers as its cover athlete and was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 7, 2018.[1] The game is the 22nd installment in the NBA Live series, and the follow-up to 2017's NBA Live 18. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised the improved gameplay and modes, but criticized the AI and animations.

NBA Live 19
Cover art featuring Joel Embiid
Developer(s)EA Tiburon
Publisher(s)EA Sports
SeriesNBA Live
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release
  • WW: September 7, 2018
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Features

NBA Live 19 features Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers on the cover. Much like EA's Madden NFL 19, the game includes gameplay improvements, with the introduction of real-player motion and the expansion of one-on-one features. It also is the first basketball game to include the option to create a female player.[2] In addition, NBA Live 19 received a new commentary team of New York Knicks radio play-by-play announcer Ed Cohen and ESPN basketball analyst Jay Williams. Furthermore, new presentation elements debuted for this season. Cohen and Williams replaced Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, who had voiced the NBA Live series since NBA Live 14. The career mode is also enhanced with streetballer Grayson "The Professor" Boucher and ESPN's First Take with co-hosts Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, among others, reacting to player performances.

Career Mode – "The One"

The career mode includes online features as well as offline modes, known collectively as "The One" for both NBA and street games. Players can choose to create a male or female player, followed by choosing to play as a guard, wing or power forward/center. They then pick a play style, which determines two initial attributes that can be upgraded and three that can be unlocked for upgrades, and then pick an icon that corresponds to either a current NBA star or an NBA legend that determines a special ability and an extra attribute that can be upgraded as well as various boosts as the character gains experience. Moreover, three WNBA stars also have icons inspired by them. For example, a player who creates a slashing guard can choose Beast Mode based on Russell Westbrook to increase dunking, The Answer based on Allen Iverson to increase steals or The Spark based on Candace Parker to increase shot blocking. The 25 icons and their associated players are as follows:

Play Style Current NBA Icon Classic NBA Icon WNBA Icon
Guards
Backcourt Shooter Chef
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors		 Sniper
Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks		 none
Slasher Beast Mode
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder		 The Answer
Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers		 The Spark
Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
Backcourt Defender The Wizard
John Wall, Washington Wizards		 The Glove
Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics		 none
Floor General Point Gawd
Chris Paul, Houston Rockets		 Maestro
Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks		 none
Wings
Wing Shooter The Reaper
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors		 The Legend
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics		 Triple Threat
Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
Wing Scorer The Assassin
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs		 Vinsanity
Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors		 none
Wing Defender The Claw
Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors		 Pip
Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls		 none
Playmaker The King
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers		 Magic
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers		 none
Bigs
Post Anchor The Process
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers		 The Dream
Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets		 The Phenom
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
Rim Protector The Evolution
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans		 The Mountain
Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets		 none
Stretch Big Big Kat
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves		 The Marksman
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks		 none

Court Battles

Aside from Live Run and Live Events as live multiplayer, there is another mode, Court Battles. Each player can create and customize a home court and then specify a rule set (for example, Meet Me At The Rim, where bonus points are given for dunks and blocks) and a team to defend it. At the same time, the player tries to win games on opponents' home courts to take control of them.[3] Unique rewards are available in this mode, including unlocking star players for Court Battles and the Streets World Tour. Each player may also use a created player from The One for away games in this mode, as long as the created player meets the home court requirements set by the defending team.

Soundtrack

On August 22, 2018, EA Sports announced the soundtrack for the game, which would feature 20 songs, including songs by Migos, J.Cole, Logic, Injury Reserve and Lil Pump. The soundtrack was also made available for streaming on Spotify.[4]

Reception

NBA Live 19 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics on the PlayStation 4 and "generally favorable" reviews for the Xbox One, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Prior to its release, some reviewers questioned whether or not the game would be released due to the tepid reception and poor overall sales numbers of NBA Live 18.[11]

IGN gave the game 7.9/10, saying: "I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked playing NBA Live 19. The core basketball game and its various modes offer plenty of chances to have a fun basketball experience... NBA Live 19 is great at simulating basketball and has fun modes to shake things up, but its personality comes up a bit short."[9] In its 7/10 review, GameSpot said, "NBA Live 19 is a capable and competent basketball game that offers a multitude of different ways to play and numerous reasons to keep coming back. Its impressive attention to detail complements the strong foundation set by its presentation and gameplay. However, the AI logic and animation problems are impossible to ignore given they're at the heart of the experience the entire game is based on."[8]

Accolades

The game was nominated for "Control Design, 2D or Limited 3D" and "Control Precision" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[12]

References
  1. "An Inside Look at Joel Embiid, NBA LIVE 19 Cover Athlete". EA SPORTS.
  2. Kofie Yeboah (June 26, 2018). "Joel Embiid trusted the process onto the 'NBA Live 19' cover". SB Nation. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  3. NBA Live 19 – Court Battles Trailer EA Sports NBA Live on YouTube
  4. "'NBA Live 19' Official Soundtrack: Complete List Of Songs Featuring Migos, J.Cole, Lil Pump And More". Forbes. August 22, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  5. "NBA Live 19 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  6. "NBA Live 19 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  7. Bertz, Matt (September 7, 2018). "NBA Live 19: Still Searching For Its Shot". Game Informer. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  8. Makuch, Eddie (September 6, 2018). "NBA Live 19 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  9. Macy, Seth G. (September 6, 2018). "NBA Live 18 Review". IGN. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  10. Peters, Brenden (September 15, 2018). "NBA Live 19 review". USgamer. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  11. "With Struggling Sales Numbers, Will We See NBA Live 19?".
  12. "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
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