NBA Live 14

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NBA Live 14
Nbalive14box.jpg
NBA Live 14 cover art.
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series NBA Live
Platform(s) PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release date(s) November 19th 2013

NBA Live 14 (stylised as NBA LIVE 14) is an NBA video game by EA Sports, released November 19th 2013 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the nineteenth game in the NBA Live series (the seventeenth to actually be released), and the second game in the series to be developed by EA Tiburon following NBA Live 13, which was ultimately cancelled on September 26th, 2012. It is therefore technically be the direct sequel to both NBA Live 10 and NBA Live 13, and was followed by NBA Live 15.

Cancellation of NBA Live 13 & Return in 2013[edit]

EA Sports officially announced the cancellation of NBA Live 13 on September 26th, 2012. The announcement made mention of fans being able to play the game "next year", indicating a plan to continue the series in 2013 with NBA Live 14.

On April 30th 2013, EA Sports updated the official NBA Live website with a placeholder message that promised "More Details Coming Soon", while also removing all NBA Live 13 content. On May 7th 2013, Kotaku reported that NBA Live 14 had officially been included in EA's 2014 fiscal plan as one of their upcoming titles in the Fall of 2013. At the time, President of EA Labels Frank Gibeau heavily hinted that the game would be a next-generation console title, with "a full reveal at E3".

NBA Live 14 was officially revealed during Microsoft's reveal of the Xbox One on May 21st 2013, where it was confirmed as next-generation only and a launch title for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Various trailers were released to highlight aspects of the new EA Sports IGNITE engine that the game will share with Madden 25, FIFA 14 and EA Sports UFC.

Features & Development[edit]

NBA Live 14 is a sim-oriented basketball title featuring ESPN licensing and integration, as per EA Sports' fifteen year agreement with the network. It features staples of the series such as Dynasty Mode, while bringing back a variation of the right analog controls seen in NBA Live 2003 through NBA Live 10, in contrast to the changes planned for NBA Elite 11. The game was developed by EA Tiburon, which assumed development of the series beginning with the cancelled NBA Live 13. From NBA Live 95 through the cancelled NBA Elite 11, the series was developed by EA Canada.

On April 30th, GoodGameBro.com discovered the LinkedIn profile of an EA Sports developer which mentioned NBA Live 14 by name and referred to the presence of Ultimate Team in the game. Ultimate Team was eventually revealed to be included in NBA Live 14, marking its debut in the series.

NBA Live 14 is a next-gen exclusive title, appearing only on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It sees the debut of the EA Sports IGNITE engine, technology that it shares with Madden 25, FIFA 14 and EA Sports UFC. Key features of the new engine include bounceTEK, which refers to the dribbling mechanics and release of the basketball to physics; CourtQ, which is the "brain" of the game; and NBA Live World, which will be comprised of online content, updates and challenges.

In a Q&A that took place on Twitter on June 27th 2013, former NBA Live producer Scott O'Gallagher confirmed that the game would feature ESPN presentation, blocked dunks, dunk packages, in-bounds plays, team specific playbooks similar to NBA Live 10, and putback dunks. Scott also confirmed the return of Legendary NBA players, updates for player likenesses and accessories, a demo and the return of shoe-guy Ryan Santos to the development team.

On August 21st 2013, it was announced that the game would feature a single player career mode called Rising Star, with Under Armour branding. The mode is similar to NBA 2K's MyCAREER, as well as the Be a Pro modes that were featured in previous EA titles and Become Legendary, which was intended to debut in NBA Elite 11.

NBA Live 14 also introduced new online content in the form of BIG Moments, a feature that allowed gamers to replay scenarios from real games after the fact, such as gamewinning shots and other memorable performances. NBA Rewind also returns from NBA Live 10, giving gamers the opportunity to replay entire games and try to achieve certain statistical milestones.

Cover Player[edit]

On July 25th 2013, EA Sports revealed Kyrie Irving as the cover player for NBA Live 14. The announcement included a teaser video, featuring in-game footage of Irving dribbling a basketball up to the camera before saying "I'm Kyrie Irving, and I'm in the game." Irving was heavily rumoured to be the cover player for the game, following his involvement with the cancelled NBA Live 13, appearance during EA's press conference at E3 2013, and prominence in teaser previews.

Reception[edit]

NBA Live 14 has received mostly negative reviews from critics and basketball gamers alike. It holds a Metacritic score of 43 for the PlaStation 4 version, and 36 for the Xbox One version. Common criticisms include the stiffness of the controls, the quality of the graphics and animations, and missing features in Dynasty Mode and Rising Star. Executive Producer Sean O'Brien wrote an open letter to the community acknowledging the issues, and pledging a patch to address as many of them as possible. The patch was praised as a pleasing effort when it was released, though the overall opinion of the game remains negative.

Links[edit]






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