Simply passing the ball around the key looks and feels a half step faster than you'd expect, and even shooting the ball is a bizarrely inauthentic task. The pace is much faster than is often comfortable, with transition plays often feeling more disorienting than advantageous. It helped me come away with a win, but that shouldn't happen in a game attempting to simulate the sport.īut then, I continually found myself questioning whether or not NBA Live 15 really is trying to provide an authentic basketball experience. On my first six attempts, I stole the ball five times and drove it down the court for multiple easy baskets. Attempting steals adds a bit of dynamism, but batting the ball away is too easy. You need to press your weight against bigger men in the paint and time your jump to contest shots, but defense doesn't offer enough involvement in the on-court battle to actually feel interesting. Instead of guessing the direction of a player's drive, NBA Live 15 allows you to shut down even the biggest stars by simply staying reasonably close. Dunks and layups can almost feel automatic if you're guarded by a single defender, but getting into the paint is arduous with efficient dribbling and quick finesse moves being so toothless.ĭefense isn't smart or fun, as it's just too easy to press against your man and prevent open looks or strong post moves. It's too difficult to create space and find an open shot on your own, so you're left relying too heavily on working around picks in order to push to the rim. Running offensive plays is trying, with much of your ball movement stemming from often-ineffective screens. However, NBA Live 15's biggest and most pervasive liability comes in how it feels.
Its unrefined presentation is forgivable, if disappointing. NBA Live 15 isn't ugly, but constant visual wobbles make it feel stuck in a generation gone by. The frame rate often fails to keep up when turnovers lead to fastbreak scores, while sudden accelerated animations make it difficult to follow the action. Athletes stick awkwardly close to one another on the court, jittering maneuvers and stiff movements pulling you out of the action. It can be attractive up close, but NBA Live 15's technical limitations emerge when you pull back the camera and watch it all in motion.
There's a varying level of detail from player to player, but stars like cover athlete Damian Lillard look sharp, thanks to the motion capture work and 3D head scanning. Jump shots, post moves, and even Euro steps all look more believable than those in last year’s game. Sweat realistically travels down bodies, which now sport muscles that retract and expand during drives to the basket.
If you take a close look at a player in NBA Live 15, you quickly see the technical strides this series has taken. However, NBA Live is a franchise desperately searching for its identity, and its deficiencies are only more glaring with NBA 2K15 reaching such great heights.
It's not broken, and there's enough content to keep you busy for the full NBA season. Shoddy mechanics, simplistic defensive play, and antiquated visuals make it difficult to have fun with NBA Live 15. If this year's goal were simply "make a better game," NBA Live 15 checks that box-but that doesn't make it a good basketball experience. EA's return to basketball last year felt like a labor of obligation, shabbily patched together and pushed out the door.