By: Max Cannon
While EA Sports may hold the crown in football, soccer, and hockey with the Madden, Fifa, and NHL series of games they aren't quite the premier developer when it comes to basketball with their NBA Live franchise, while the highlight in basketball titles will often go to the NBA 2K series. However, NBA Live looks primed to make a comeback as the series took last year off to focus on this title and if the upcoming demo is any indication we could be seeing a rise in popularity for the Live franchise.
NBA Live 18's Demo
Currently available on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, fans can try out the latest NBA Live ahead of its September 15th release. Here's what EA had to say about what's new for the demo.
"In the NBA LIVE 18 free demo, players will experience The Rise, the prologue section of The One – an all-new way to pursue your legacy, centered on the player and defined by your choices. Progress made in The One during the free demo can be carried over into the full game, so players jumping in early can continue their experience when the full game launches. Players in the free demo will also be treated to specially-timed Live Events – limited-time activities with special rules, rewards and characters, only available in The One.
NBA Live 18's Box ArtCourtesy of EA Sports
Rewards earned in weekly Live Events will also carry over into the full game, giving players reason to regularly come back and check out the new events in order to earn new rewards. The free demo rounds out with a Play Now experience between the NBA Finals rivals Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. The NBA LIVE 18 demo is available to all players with Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus."
NBA LIVE 18 Reveal Trailer - The One
How Can NBA Live Improve?
One of the biggest reasons fans choose the 2K games over the Live ones is the superior visuals. If the Live games can get a boost to their graphics engine it may win over some of 2K's gamers. If you're going to want to get started early with this demo it'll actually mean something to your experience with the full game, any progress made in the demo will carry over to the main game and that will include the character you can create for the game's campaign.
Take a look at the competition with NBA 2K18 below.
NBA 2K18 - The Art Behind NBA 2K18 Video Blog
By getting gamers a head start, and for free, NBA Live can get its players invested as early as possible with its demo. But it still has a long way to go to dethrone the champion but maybe this won't happen in a single game? Maybe this will be the first domino to tip. More competition will force both of these games to be better and higher quality games are going to be better for us gamers!
NBA Live 18 hits store shelves on September 15th for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One while its demo is available now on both PSN and Xbox Live.
Have Your Say!
Are you a fan of the NBA Live series? Which sports games do you love? Comment below!
