Well now, let me tell y’all about them NBA Live games. It’s a whole series of basketball video games, you know, made by EA Sports. First one came out back in 1994, I reckon. That was way back when, and it was all about giving folks the chance to play basketball right there on their TV screens. They call it the “successor” to them old NBA Playoffs and NBA Showdown games. I ain’t too good with all them fancy terms, but that’s what they say.
Over the years, the NBA Live games sure did change. They started adding more features, like them All-Star Weekend modes. Back in 2005, they let you do stuff like the Dunk Contest, 3-Point Shootout, and even play in the All-Star Game itself. It was something real special. They didn’t just slap it together neither, they put a lotta work into making it look nice, like you was right there at the event!
Now, y’all might be wonderin’ how them NBA Live games sold over the years, and that’s where the real story starts. Every year, there’d be a new release, and some years, folks liked it more than others. Let’s go through some of them years, shall we?
- NBA Live 19 (2018) – Released on September 7, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox. Now this one had Joel Embiid on the cover, that big fella from the 76ers. Ain’t nobody denyin’ his talent, that’s for sure.
- NBA Live 18 (2017) – Released on September 15, 2017, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox. They put James Harden on this one, and it was real popular with them folks who love his style of play.
- NBA Live 16 (2015) – Released on September 29, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox. That one had the big names, like Russell Westbrook and James Harden again. They sure know how to pick them stars.
- NBA Live Mobile (2016) – This one hit the phones, y’all! Released on July 6, 2016, for Android and iOS. A whole lotta folks got into that game since you could play it right on your phone whenever you had a few minutes.
But here’s the thing, even though the NBA Live games had their good years, they ain’t always been top dogs. A lotta people ended up pickin’ the NBA 2K series instead, which really took off over the years. If you ask folks ’round here, some of ‘em say the 2K games just feel more real, like you’re right there on the court. NBA Live, on the other hand, well, it had a few rough patches.
Now, let’s talk numbers. You wanna know how them NBA Live games sold, right? Well, from what I can gather, it ain’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Some of the older ones sold real good, but as time went on, the sales started to slip. And when NBA Live 14 came out in 2013, well, it didn’t do so hot. A lotta folks say it wasn’t polished enough, and that hurt the sales. After that, EA Sports took a break from makin’ new NBA Live games for a while. They needed to regroup and figure out how to compete with NBA 2K, which was just runnin’ away with the market.
In 2016, they finally came back with NBA Live 16, and that was a startin’ point for ’em. But by then, the 2K series had already built up a big fan base. People were hooked on it, and they wasn’t lookin’ back. Even though NBA Live tried real hard, it didn’t quite catch up. The 2K games had that real feel, better graphics, and more stuff to do. The NBA Live series, well, it just didn’t have the same shine.
But I gotta give credit where credit’s due, EA Sports kept tryin’. Every year, they’d release a new version, hoping it would take off. They even had a free mobile version for folks who didn’t wanna pay for a full game. That NBA Live Mobile, y’all know it was real popular too. You could play basketball on your phone while sittin’ on the porch or waitin’ for your bus, real convenient like.
Still, despite all the effort, NBA Live never really got back to the big sales numbers it had in the past. There’s folks that say if EA had kept pushin’ and made a more solid game, they mighta given NBA 2K a run for their money. But you know how it goes—sometimes, folks just get comfortable with what they know, and NBA 2K’s been sittin’ at the top of the hill for a long time now.
But, don’t let me tell ya it’s all bad. EA Sports still puts out the NBA Live games, and some folks still buy ‘em. There’s always a little crowd who likes what they see, even if it’s just the mobile version. And who knows, maybe one day, EA Sports will come up with somethin’ that blows everyone away. Until then, folks will keep talkin’ ’bout them good ol’ NBA Live games and what might’ve been.
Tags：[NBA Live, EA Sports, video games, NBA 2K, basketball simulation, NBA Live sales, Joel Embiid, James Harden, NBA Live 16, NBA Live 19, NBA Live Mobile, mobile games]
