[youvalss]

So...now that this generation of Live games is officially done, which one did you like best? Here are my thoughts, and keep in mind that I don't play online and don't care about The One and all those player creation stuff...Only care about NBA basketball with real players.



Live 14 - Rough start, not even close to what was expected, even die-hard Live fans would admit that. EA made some improvements to the game, but still the graphics were bad for this gen, gameplay was lacking. I must admit that this game had a decent AI (Court Q), it actually was the only thing about this game I felt was close to being ok. And controls were the best this gen, with every move you want - controlled by the user.



Live 15 - The game that we should have got instead of 14? Much improved graphics (except for the washed out colors), decent physics, better animations but still lot of ugly ones. AI was a step back from 14 in my opinion, controls felt less responsive than 14 (probably because it was more animation-heavy), signature style was downgraded as far as dribbling, and other moves that were controlled by the user in 14 were automatic in 15 (floaters, for example). Some updates broke shooting jumpers (similar to what happened at the end to 19).



Live 16 - I only played the demo, so can't say much about the full game. But I really liked the demo. Graphics were great(!), controls felt good, everything was smoother and more fluid, I enjoyed the demo much more than I enjoyed 15. From what I understand, update 1.04 improved gameplay big time. Shooting was nice with that meter.



Live 18 - Oh yeah, my favorite Live this gen. Love the graphics - the best looking Live to date in my opinion (except for some players with extremely wide shoulders). Textures, lighting, arenas, sweat...and everything in between is A+. Gameplay is great with some slider edits and roster edits (yeah, we finally got to edit rosters - but not tendencies). Spacing is the best out of any Live and AI plays great with lots of off-ball movement and ball movement, but you still get a fair chance to win if you play smart basketball and don't force shots.


Live 19 - Great game that was ruined by update 1.25, which broke shooting and spacing. Upgrade in many ways over 18 (more interactions with environment, more emotion, better looking movement/animations, better player models) but I still come back to 18 every night and prefer it over 19.


What are your thoughts and I would love to read everyone's take on 16 in comparison with 18/19. Saw a used copy of it at EB Games a couple of times, but is was sold for...ready?...$35. Yes, I'm serious, that's ridiculous. Was thinking of getting it if I find it cheaper somewhere else in the city.