EA Sports launched NBA Live 18 today, and with it, they introduce the brand new game mode called “The One,” in which players rise through the ranks of the NBA and street basketball.
In the mode, players develop their own play style from 11 signature abilities and 70 other upgradeable traits (such as shooting, rebounding, etc.) while they go about playing in the NBA and the streets. “NBA LIVE 18 delivers a basketball experience with a level of player choice unlike anything that has come before,” said Sean O’Brien, Executive Producer on NBA LIVE 18. “We are giving fans a unique opportunity to build their own basketball legacy, playing on iconic courts and in Pro-Am leagues outside the traditional NBA, with a game that’s completely open and ever-changing. We’re going to continue to offer our fans new experiences through LIVE Events, where they can unlock rewards on their own or with a teammate.”
More information on “The One” courtesy of EA:
For an authentic NBA career experience, THE LEAGUE offers fans the ability to progress from rookie to veteran with their favorite NBA team while playing real NBA action including the NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals games. Just like in the NBA, players can earn MVP, All-NBA and Sixth Man of the Year awards, among others.
In THE STREETS, fans can push their career further on legendary Pro-Am courts where competitive challenges and matchups await, including LIVE Events – new, regularly updated challenges that are in-real time to battle opponents in competitive or co-operative games for unique rewards – to build a career in the streets through challenging tournaments and throwback challenges. Games can be played on iconic courts such as Rucker Park in New York City and in leagues such as The Drew in Los Angeles.
For more information on NBA Live 18, make sure to check out our preview of the game:
The prologue chapter of the career ends with the player getting drafted into the NBA (it’d be sort of a buzzkill if you didn’t, after all), and while I didn’t get to see how that plays out, I did end up playing a regulation matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. I took great joy in choosing the Warriors (whose stacked roster essentially turns the game into an easy mode no matter what difficulty you play on), and ended up regularly draining three-pointers with Curry and Thompson. I ended up beating Lebrun James and the Cavs pretty easily, but I got a better fill for the regular gameplay (as I could finally switch players) and came away very impressed.
Taking a year off has done wonders for NBA Live 18. Electronic Arts have severely retooled their basketball sim, and for the first time in nearly a decade 2K Sports finally have some competition. Gamers can’t go wrong this holiday season as both games play great, and it’ll come down to unique features that are the real selling point. Turning basketball into a RPG is strange at first, but I really dig what I’ve seen so far, and I can’t wait to go more in-depth with NBA Live 18 when it releases in September.
