NBA Live 19 still hasn’t been announced, but judging by the fact that NBA Live 18 came out on September 15th last year, we have every reason to expect that the next installment will come out soon. What does NBA Live 19 need to accomplish to improve over last year’s game and compete with the more popular NBA 2K franchise? Here is our NBA Live 19 wishlist!
5. More customization options.
One of the things NBA 2K does right is customization, especially in MyLeague. We’re still not seeing NBA Live implementing the same level of customization in Franchise Mode. While we’re at it, we’d also like to see Create-A-Player brought into both Franchise Mode as well as Exhibition. Was Create-A-Player problematic in NBA 2K18? Yes, but problematic is better than nonexistent.
4. Improve animations and character depictions.
NBA Live 19 features a fair amount of realism, but there are still plenty of issues with animations and rendering. Skating continues to be a major problem, and there are some other weird issues which occur on the court. We know that these aren’t all going to go away, but even if they were reduced, it would help.
We also would like to see improvements with face scans, especially where skin tones are concerned. A few more body types would be good too. If you were to believe NBA Live 18, everyone in the NBA has one of just a couple different builds.
3. Add more signature moves.
There are not nearly enough signature moves in NBA Live 18. That needs to change in the next game. Right now, most of the moves look just way too interchangeable. On that note, player skill levels need to be differentiated more as well.
2. Improve The One mode.
The One mode could use a number of changes and improvements. Endorsements need to actually have some value, you should have the option to choose a position and so on. With a bit of polish, this mode could really shine.
1. Make improvements to presentation.
Quite a lot could be done to beef up presentation. For one thing, commentary recordings and scripts could be better. For another, different game modes could diverge a bit in terms of how they are presented. For example, there should be a different vibe between an exhibition contest and a Franchise mode game. It is also odd to realize that EA Sports has rights to ESPN’s branding, but hardly seems to make use of it.
Make no mistake; NBA Live 18 was a good game. But the NBA Live franchise is still lagging behind the NBA 2K series, and there are plenty of reasons we can cite for why that is the case. This year represents an opportunity to change that. Hopefully NBA Live 19 will show off some improvements in these and other areas and maybe start catching up with the competition!