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. 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.

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. 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, if the player chooses to create a slashing guard, he or she 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 StyleCurrent NBA IconClassic NBA IconWNBA Icon
GuardsGuardsGuardsGuards
Backcourt ShooterChef
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Sniper
Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks
none
SlasherBeast Mode
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Answer
Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
The Spark
Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
Backcourt DefenderThe Wizard
John Wall, Washington Wizards
The Glove
Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
none
Floor GeneralPoint Gawd
Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
Maestro
Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
none
WingsWingsWingsWings
Wing ShooterThe Reaper
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
The Legend
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
Triple Threat
Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
Wing ScorerThe Assassin
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
Vinsanity
Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors
none
Wing DefenderThe Claw
Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
Pip
Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
none
PlaymakerThe King
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Magic
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
none
BigsBigsBigsBigs
Post AnchorThe Process
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
The Dream
Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
The Phenom
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
Rim ProtectorThe Evolution
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
The Mountain
Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets
none
Stretch BigBig 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 named Court Battles. Each player can create and customize a home court and then both specify a rule set 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. Unique rewards are available in this mode, including unlocking star players for Court Battles and the Streets World Tour. Each player may also use his or her created player from The One for away games in this mode as long as it meets the home court requirements set by the defending team.

Soundtrack

On August 22, 2017, EA Sports announced the soundtrack for the game, which would feature 20 songs, including Migos, J.Cole, Logic, Injury Reserve and Lil Pump. The soundtrack was also made available for streaming on Spotify.

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.
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." 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."

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.