NBA Live 16 Review: A step forward in some areas, a step back in others

Somewhere along the way, basketball overtook baseball as my second favorite sport. Maybe it’s because the only two baseball teams I care about, the Mets and Marlins, couldn’t buy a playoff appearance (until this year, at least). Likewise, my sports game playing has shifted from baseball games to basketball. This happened a few years ago, with NBA 2K in its stride and NBA Live making its return.

Unfortunately, NBA Live has yet to hit its stride since returning. We’re still waiting for that breakout performance that shows EA Sports’ basketball game can hang in the paint with 2K’s. You don’t hear Hassan Whiteside saying he wants to get his NBA Live rating up; he only mentions 2K. So NBA Live 16 has its work cut out for it.

This year’s version of the game attempts to change up some mechanics, add some modes, and revamp/retool instead of going for a huge rebuild. But do the new bells and whistles help the title make that leap to title contender?

The Positives

• Live Pro-Am’s Live Run mode is an impressive addition to online play. Up to 10 human players can get together to go five-on-five in a game to 21 with their created players, playing in some pretty great courts. You also have the option to play with your friends against computer opponents.

• Creating a player is really in-depth, with a high amount of detail that you can get into. There’s a Gameface HD companion app for Android and iOS that lets you import your face into NBA Live 16. We had some trouble with the app, but after we got it to work, there’s no doubting my player looked like me. Everything else, like tattoos, shoes, gear, etc. will have to be earned. You earn Skill Points for in-game actions, so play… a lot!

• Live Ultimate Team adds a bunch of offline challenges to help you earn coins and players. While I’m not a fan of EA’s card-based team-building mode, I understand the appeal of it, and fans of the mode will have no gripes.

• I love the new on-court feedback. The shot meter is very clear and the most precise feedback the franchise has ever given you for jumpshots. A meter begins to fill when you take your shots, and it stops filling when you release the shoot button. It shows you your release point for the best success. It’ll also show you if you had an early or late release, a color to show how closely guarded you were, and a percentage for the likelihood of making said shot. You also don’t have to learn every shooter’s animation.

• Feedback on plays is also top-notch. When you call a play, you’ll have prompts and play art appear on the court, showing you where to move to, what your next action is, who to pass to, and more. It’s great for players that want to run plays to open up shots, but needs some hand holding to know where to go with the ball while presented with options.

• The system for pick and rolls, and pick and pops are fluid and really OP with a Stretch Four.

Negatives

• It’s hard to get excited about Rising Star when 2K16 has a MyCareer mode featuring a storyline by Spike Lee.

• The Dynasty mode doesn’t appear to have any real changes. Just run of the mill stuff here. However, I did notice that it is more difficult to trade for another team’s star players.

• The AI is not good. Teammates in Rising Star don’t react like they should, and you’re pretty much forced to shoulder the scoring load regardless of the type of player you’re setting out to be.

• AI defense is also not good. Rest assured, every time you face an elite scorer, they would put up 30+. Damian Lillard went 17-17 and was impossible to stop driving to the basket, whether I was covering him or not. And part of that has to do with controls.

• While the game looks nice, the gameplay doesn’t live up to the looks. The controls and gameplay still feel stiff. Honestly, I felt like the controls were working against me and making the game more difficult, especially on defense. It’s too easy to have a player blow by you, or even stick to a player. There’s just a lack of fluidity that isn’t present in other elite sports games.

• Importing myself into NBA Live 16 with Gameface HD was a bit of a nightmare. It kept telling me on Android that my head was the wrong size, which made me feel self-conscious. The iOS version had better luck. But it also made me look… well… weird. It looked like a bizarre version of me that was born in the deep south, where at birth you can tell that corrective surgery should’ve been done, but because it was the south they didn’t have the technology or medical know-how to do so.

The Verdict

This is the third NBA Live game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. By now, you’d expect the rebuild to be bearing fruits of labor. And you see the progress in some areas. Shot feedback, on-screen prompts for plays, and a robust online mode provide some really solid features. But the things still holding NBA Live back is the clunky gameplay and shoddy AI. Luckily, the AI isn’t the problem when you’re playing with human players online, which is where the game really shines. But most of the time you’re reliant on your AI teammates. It’s frustrating when AI and controls fail you.

While NBA Live 16 is a step forward in some areas, it’s still hard to recommend over other basketball video games on the market. Until gameplay doesn’t feel so stiff, NBA Live will feel like an 8th seed in the Eastern Conference — in on the action, but not much hope to advance in the playoffs.

NBA Live 16 was reviewed with a provided PS4 copy.