‘NBA Live 18’ First Look: Initial Signs Are Mostly Positive For Franchise Reboot

EA Sports’ NBA Live franchise has been on a hiatus since the release of NBA Live 16 back in 2015. And now, anticipation has been growing for NBA Live 18 for months. These next few months will be crucial for EA Sports in regaining its footing in the sports gaming universe and attracting players they have lost.

This week saw the first screenshots for NBA Live 18. The company invited some of the most popular YouTube gaming personalities to a private event to show the game off. This move could be risky as social media personalities could build up hype for a game or kill it before it is even released. In the case of NBA Live 18, it seems that for what little of the game that people saw, it has created some sense of promise.

After examining the screenshots that were released and the videos from the event, there are three initial impressions that I took from the first glimpses of NBA Live 18. Let’s start with the player visuals.

The Players Look Good….With Some Exceptions

It is safe to say that Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving look the best in NBA Live 18 since they have appeared on the cover of past next-gen editions of the game. Irving and Westbrook look phenomenal as well. LeBron James looked true to life, as do the major stars in the NBA, since those are the players that casual fans are the most familiar with. Even DeMar DeRozan from the Toronto Raptors looks amazing.

On the other hand, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans looks a tad odd. The mouth of James Harden of the Houston Rockets looks a little off. Same thing with Stephen Curry. Keep in mind, this is a first peek and adjustments are constantly being made. It’s going to be interesting to see how much the faces and body types change between this reveal and in the final release in the fall.

Player Movement

Something that many look for in a basketball game is player fluidity and how easily and naturally the players move. In videos released by those from the party, it seems that the dev team put a lot of focus on that for NBA Live 18 as the players’ movement matched the flow of the game. EA Sports even added some of the signature moves you’ll recognize from some of the players.

Player animation fluidity will make or break the immersion of NBA Live 18. NBA 2K puts a lot of work in making sure that players in their game move realistically, yet there are still instances where 2K doesn’t get it right and you’ll find spastic and rigid movements here and there. Unfortunately, this is also the case with the early NBA Live 18 videos. Still, I saw more good than bad in the video.

The Arena Lighting Looks Good

This is the dork part of me coming out. Lighting in arenas make a huge difference to me as to whether a game is good or bad. For a basketball game, the arena should not be lit up like a Christmas tree, but it shouldn't be dark and hazy like it’s from the 1950’s.

Based on what I’ve seen from the screenshots and videos, EA may have gotten the lighting correct in arenas like AT&T Center (San Antonio) and Oracle Arena (Oakland). The test for NBA Live 18 will be the Staples Center in Los Angeles when the Lakers play (the crowd is darkened) and how that will look. At first glance, however, it seems that developers of NBA Live are on the right track.

What are your thoughts about the what you seen of NBA Live 18? Let us know in our comment section.