Gameplay
As in the last chapter, NBA Live 18 is all about the immediacy of gameplay to break into the hearts of fans. The choice was made to try and intercept all those players who do not have the urge or time to carefully study all the commands before they can think of going down. In NBA Live 18, from early games to the lowest levels of difficulty, it will not be difficult to snap the CPU, with a game that still points to attack rather than defense, often easily overcome, with the result of often assisting games rich in points. Despite the apparent simplicity, in order to be able to win constantly to the highest levels of difficulty, you need to master all the various commands, from the different types of passage to the dribble moves with which to evade the defenders from the ball.
Also modified for shooting and defense 1vs1, revised compared to the past edition to make them more understandable to users. We start with the first, with a release indicator that will help us understand the right time to start the shot.
If, however, in the last chapter released at the right time it almost always made sure to score a point on NBA Live 18 this is no longer the case, with the game also taking into account the ability of the shooter and distance from the basket: an effective way to contribute to the credibility factor.
For defense, a kind of mini-game has been introduced to counteract the player in possession of the ball: through our movements we will have to walk the ball to the front and force it or to pass the ball or lose it under our pressure.
All this is not easy, as attackers can count on the various dribble moves to change direction quickly, sit and bend to the basket. The whole system, not easy to explain, has proved fairly simple and fun to use in practice, allowing us to try a bit to defend at the highest levels of difficulty, which was impossible in the last chapter.
Again on defense, if stealing the ball has become a bit harder, you can not say the same as stops, still incredibly strong enough to entice players, when using dominant centers like Whiteside, to convey to the center of the area the opponents, ready to be neutralized.
The One and other modes
The NBA Live 18, on which developers have invested most of the time and resources is clearly The One, the equivalent of the classic career player.
Unlike what we see in other games, which often put us in the role of a talented young man who is ready to land in the championships that count, here the way for the NBA will be longer. After a terrific college accident, our quotes on the draft went on strike, forcing us to find a new way to land in the world’s most important championship.
Along with our friend and teammate, he also got disappointed with the lottery night, we will start a tour around the US that will take us to play in the most important summer camps and leagues in the States, from the Drew League to the hot and sunny beaches of Venice Beach in LA.NBA Live marks a new look compared to what was previously seen.
With our virtual alter ego not yet at the height of the various Harden and Durant, we can decide to start the season immediately by getting rid of a place in rotations or focusing on improving our skills in the Pro-Am Tour where we will face several players to become the best playground player of all time, then returning to the NBA with already fully respected statistics.
Just the progression system turned out to be a pleasant surprise, improving as seen above.
A premise is still needed: there are no shortcuts to get to the top, we will have to hit every dot without the possibility to use real money to turn into Lebron James from today to tomorrow.
Depending on the role chosen, we can choose a different style of play, such as a playmaker capable of attacking the basket, rather than a shooter, each with unique unlockable abilities with the advancement of the levels. In our case, we tried to replicate Russell Westbrook, having to improve the ability to roll from below and into the ball control, sacrificing the shot from over the three-point arch. All this adds the traits, series of passive skills similar to those of an RPG that will allow us to elevate our level of play.
