EA Sports is looking to bring back it’s NBA Live franchise with a vengeance with the release of NBA Live 16. The latest entry in the franchise is an next-gen console exclusive, and features some changes including new modes, a new shot meter and more key updates.

NBA Live 16 is an 2015 basketball simulator, it is developed by EA Tiburon, and published by EA Sports. It is available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Cover athlete Russel Westbrook takes charge.

Editor’s Note: This Playstation 4 copy of NBA Live 16 was provided by EA Sports.

NBA Live 16 looks to bring the series back to it’s former glory, and for the most part it succeeds. As a newcomer to basketball games (as far as owning one), I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was able to get used to the basic controls of the game, shooting, dribbling, passing, etc all were easy to get the hang of, however it was the more advanced controls that I had issues with, of course this was more my own fault than the game’s. The Rising Star mode was a nice way to get a good feeling of the game as you take your created player down his own path in the NBA. Pro Aim, and other modes also provided fun ways to keep your created player upgraded as often as possible as you competed with other players online.

Teamwork is key.

THE GOOD: NBA Live 16’s game modes such as Pro-Aim and Rising Star provides plenty to do, and playing with your created Player is always fun, especially when using the Game Face app to literally put yourself in the game.  Graphically, NBA Live 16 looks amazingly realistic, and it felt like I was a spectator for an actual NBA game. The easy to pick up and play gameplay made things a lot more enjoyable for newcomers like myself, and Ultimate Team & building your created player from the ground up is a lot of fun.

NBA Live 16’s Pro Aim Mode.

THE BAD: There were game breaking glitches here and there, and unfortunately I experienced one during my very first game in Rising Star. Speaking of which, Rising Star would have been way more fun if there was one than a single rookie game before being drafted to your first pro NBA team. And RP being locked to online is a bit of a downer.

The Game Face app literally puts players in the game.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: While NBA Live 16 definitely improves over the last two entries, there were still some annoying glitches, though nothing too big just a few game breakers here and there, that weren’t very frequent. The Rising Star and Pro Aim modes are really enjoyable, as is Ultimate Teams. Rising Star only having one rookie game before your created player got drafted to an NBA team was upsetting, and it would have been more enjoyable if there were a tad more. And RP being locked to online while not anything major, was an annoyance.