This game has improved defense and offense play, passing play, shooting play, dribbling play, and more animations for NBA Live 16. The game has also introduced Freestyle Control and Movement with improved visuals. This game mode allows players to play basketball life on the court and off the court with more clothes and a new Game Face app for iOS devices with App Store and Android Devices with Google Play. Live Run, a 5v5 online multiplayer mode, returned for the first time since NBA Live 10, while the game also introduced a new cooperative mode, Summer Circuit. Both modes are set in outdoor and indoor venues across various real-life cities such as Venice Beach, Brooklyn and Seattle. EA Sports describes their new league vs. league tournaments stating, "Work as a team and score as many points as possible to earn a win. Each member in the tournament will get to play 3 quarters. Select an opponent to play and score as many points as possible while playing good defense." Other game modes include Rising Star which is where you create a player and work your way up to stardom in the NBA, the way you can level up is by using Experience Points which is what you earn after playing NBA games and in Pro-Am games.
Reception
NBA Live 16 received generally mixed reviews, according to Metacritic. Critics highlighted the improvements in game modes and overall quality of picture, but the most common complaints were associated with lag. IGN gave the game 6.0, as they were completely dissatisfied with the gameplay of NBA Live 16, stating "flashy presentation and interesting new game modes can only go as far as the stiff and laggy gameplay will take it." They also stated that the game has very clumsy controls that can only go so far within this game. Bleacher Report gave a rating of a 7.4, giving more positive statements than negative ones as they said, "at its best, NBA Live 16 flows incredibly well with smooth back-and-forth action at venues spanning the globe and most times details look great in the process". EGMNOW gave the game a 6.5, the game gave them mixed feelings as they state, "NBA Live 16 takes a small baby step forward with the franchise, but there are still core gameplay elements that need to be smoothed out before it can be a championship caliber game".
