NBA Live 18 lands on consoles today

Are you the One? Find out in NBA Live’s newest mode, as the game slam-dunks the Xbox One and PS4 today.

“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.”

A whole new ballgame

As sports titles go, EA’s NBA Live 18 actually presents a mess of new stuff this year. All that starts with The One. The new mode is an “all-new dynamic career experience centered around the player”. What’s that mean? Think “RPG-lite”.

The One is set to offer players actual progression, including “extensive gear customization, and narrative branching”. You’ll also be able to develop your own individual play style. The One offers “11 signature abilities and 70 different, upgradable traits”

Another new element is the duality of The League and The Streets. The twin paths allow gamers to either go pro, or play in the Pro-am circuit. Here’s the difference, broken down by EA:

The League

• 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.

The Streets

• 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.

And in addition to all of that, the game also includes the complete WNBA roster and team set. The women’s league is available for play in the WNBA Play Now mode. It sounds like it’s a pretty full mode of play too, just not overly deep with options. Though I’m sure that’ll change in the future if this is received well.

NBA Live 18 is available right now for the Xbox One and PS4.