It would certainly be an understatement to say it's been a rough decade for the EA Sports' "NBA Live" series. Despite multiple cancellations, poorly received editions and a near complete erosion of a once strong fan base, the publisher continues to invest heavily toward a potential turnaround. The goal for this year wasn't to challenge the competition, but rather recapture some credibility and build a product that can offer something different to the marketplace.

Under those parameters, "NBA Live 18" should be considered a success. It has delivered fun gameplay, a compelling, well-designed career mode and authentic ESPN presentation. Unfortunately, it comes up short in just about every other area, especially in regards to its Franchise mode.

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As sports video games have become more complicated, their potential base of consumers has in some ways become more limited. Whether it's someone who is brand new to the games, doesn't have a lot of time to dedicate to them or doesn't have expert-level knowledge of the sport, many have felt left behind or shut out in recent years.

"NBA Live 18" does a good job of being a more welcoming option for consumers. The game is fairly accessible for everyone, with success made possible in the most basic of areas that naturally lead to fun like shooting (a simple shot meter with feedback), dribble moves (utilizing the right stick with shoulder button modifiers), dazzling passes and alley-oops (based on face buttons and shoulder modifiers) and even play-calling (basic court diagrams and symbols that make running them seem possible).

Just as critically, the gameplay experience tends to play out organically due in part to the skill level displayed by the players on the court. Player abilities seem to matter more than ever, with success or failure possible based on utilizing their strengths and mitigating any weaknesses.

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Quickness really matters in this year's game. It's possible to blow by defenders, get to the rim and, just as importantly, actually finish there. It's also far more difficult to stick with a guy like Isaiah Thomas defensively than it is to guard someone not necessarily known for driving past defenders. Weight and strength factor in heavily and that creates mismatches — which the CPU uses to its advantage.

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Responsiveness to input commands, fluidity of player movements and smarter CPU AI are also key. Players can now get shots up quick and in rhythm (something that's not always been the case), preventing defenders from seemingly always being able to close space in that time and contest the shots. The same goes for steals, which can lead to fast break scores rather than the player gathering the ball and in doing so having their momentum stopped.

Ultimately, the gameplay offers something that will get anyone on board — exciting, fist-pumping moments. Whether it's thunderous dunks, a spectacular three-point shooting display or impressive blocked shots, "NBA Live 18" feels as though it's encouraging you to play more in an effort to achieve more of those moments and, in the process, improve at the game.

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Another way for more inexperienced gamers to enjoy a team sports game is through the single player career mode. For those players, "NBA Live 18" introduces "The One." Those who care most about career mode — building up a created player who is weaved through story elements while improving attributes through various manners of play — will likely find "The One" to be a fulfilling experience.

The concept was to provide two very different forms of basketball with one side taking place on the streets and the other in the pros. There's a story built in early on providing background for your player (even featuring ESPN's "First Take" segments), and story elements continue to follow him throughout the career, but the bigger focus is simply on playing the games while improving his skills and shaping his abilities.

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That's all done through progression that utilizes a "Skills" tree. Skill points are earned and then placed into the attribute categories as desired, with primary and eventually secondary skills to build up. There are also "Traits" which are earned and upgraded through play, further allowing for more personalization in how the player will perform on the court. Special animation packages can also be unlocked over time.

EA Sports deserves credit for avoiding the temptation to build the career mode around microtransactions. There is no option to improve the character by paying them money. Because of that, there's also no need to sacrifice one thing for another, such as making a choice to spend earnings on improving attributes or customizing characters with accessories, clothing or shoes. Here there are "Crates" that can be purchased (with a separate earned currency not tied to upgrading skills) which provide those character customization options.

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"The One" isn't just about single-player through street and professional campaigns. There's also an online component with Live Run (five users vs. five users) and Live Events (co-op challenges that are updated frequently). Online in general has been and remains a strength for EA Sports games, however slight latency does affect the responsiveness, particularly in games involving several different people.

Unfortunately, outside of "The One" career mode and enjoyable gameplay, "NBA Live 18" falls apart. Franchise mode is a mess. The WNBA is basically just thrown in. Its Ultimate Team is basic compared to team-building modes in all other sports games. It's also strange that there is currently no way to play a regular head-to-head NBA game against a friend online.

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The issues with Franchise mode will be especially disappointing to those who look for them to provide longevity out of sports games. While not nearly as deep as either one of the two franchise modes in the other NBA video game, it's the bizarre design decisions, bugs and deficiencies that were identified within minutes of basic testing that are most alarming.

Franchise is now separated into weeks instead of days, meaning the simulation of CPU games and transactions only occurs when a week is advanced rather than on a typical daily schedule. This works for a game like "Madden," which has a season structured around weeks, but it does not for an NBA game.

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Why will the name Alan Hinners mean something to those playing Franchise mode? Hinners is a fake player inexplicably made available in free agency at the start of the first season with an All-Star caliber rating of 90 Overall. Starting at point guard, Hinners is rated as the sixth-best player at the position in the game. The Mavericks always sign him, and he goes on to win Rookie of the Year 100 percent of the time by averaging around 25 points and 12 assists. This oversight will need to be patched given that there is no way to prevent the CPU Mavericks from signing him.

The simulation engine in Franchise produces some head-scratching results. After the first run had the No. 6 Heat beat the No. 7 Grizzlies in the NBA Finals, I decided to simulate a bunch of first seasons and see if that was an anomaly. It wasn't. Other teams to win the championship included the Knicks, Mavericks, Clippers and Hornets. The Cavs rarely made it to the NBA Finals, and the Celtics never did, while the Warriors were able to win only a few titles. There should always be room for the occasional surprise from simulations, but today's NBA offers little suspense regarding which teams have any shot at a title.

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It's also worth noting that the CPU does not complete any trades among the 29 teams that aren't being controlled. That's a major oversight. There don't appear to be any injuries that occur during games, but rather that's limited to simulations. Turning off auto-subs breaks the CPU; it won't substitute at all during games. There is no online component to Franchise. Additionally, there remains no ability to edit players, something that the basketball gaming community has continually stressed over the years is critically important.

One of the few announcements in recent years that generated any positive press for "NBA Live" was the addition of the WNBA. All 12 teams and players are included in the game, but sadly there's no way to play with them besides exhibition games offline and online. The crowd is also the same that's found in NBA games, and there is zero commentary referencing the women's teams or even their player names. Given that the women's teams in FIFA were added in similarly half-baked fashion and haven't been touched in the years since, there isn't much reason to be hopeful their place in the game will be expanded upon next year to something more substantial.

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"NBA Live 18" is closer to being a really good game than many would have anticipated, even after a year off for the series. It offers refreshingly simplified and genuinely fun gameplay with an excellent career mode. Deficiencies in other areas of the game hamper its appeal as a total package, making it difficult to recommend as more than an alternative to its competition, but it's still important to recognize this may finally be the turnaround year that "NBA Live" has been seeking since the current console generation began.

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"NBA Live 18" was reviewed on Xbox One and will also be releasing for PlayStation 4 on Friday, Sept. 15. A pre-order discount makes the game $40 until that date at which the price will jump up to the standard $60.

Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter@Pastapadre.