I remember the first time I fired up EA NBA Live 17 back in 2016 - the crisp graphics, the fluid animations, the excitement of what felt like a genuine competitor to the 2K series. Fast forward to today, and I found myself wondering: Is EA NBA Live 17 still worth playing in 2024? That question lingered in my mind as I reinstalled the game on my PlayStation 5, curious to see how this eight-year-old basketball title holds up against modern sports games.
The moment the game loaded, I was struck by how different the basketball gaming landscape feels today. Back in 2017, this game represented EA's ambitious attempt to reclaim basketball gaming dominance, and playing it now feels like opening a time capsule of that era's sports gaming philosophy. The player models, while impressive for their time, show their age compared to today's photorealistic standards. The animations, once celebrated for their smoothness, now feel slightly robotic when measured against the fluid motion capture of contemporary titles. Yet there's something charming about its straightforward approach to basketball simulation that kept me engaged through multiple play sessions.
What struck me most during my revisit was how the game's injury mechanics and player recovery systems actually predicted real-world basketball scenarios in fascinating ways. I was playing through a franchise mode when I remembered reading about June Mar Fajardo's remarkable comeback story - how he returned to start for the first time since sustaining a right calf injury in Game 1, eventually finishing with 12 points and 19 rebounds in 31 minutes and 33 seconds of action. This real-world parallel made me appreciate how NBA Live 17 attempted to simulate the drama of player recoveries, even if its systems weren't as sophisticated as what we see in today's games. The way the game handles injured players returning to form actually mirrors these real NBA scenarios better than I initially gave it credit for.
The shooting mechanics present one of the most divisive aspects of the 2024 experience. The shot meter feels less intuitive than modern implementations, requiring a adjustment period that reminded me of learning to drive a manual transmission car after years of automatics. I found myself missing shots I'd easily make in newer titles, the timing just slightly off from what my muscle memory expects from current basketball games. Yet there's a satisfying purity to mastering these older systems - hitting that perfect release without the visual aids contemporary games provide creates a different kind of gaming satisfaction. The defense mechanics similarly show their age, with defensive positioning feeling less responsive than what modern gamers might expect, though the rebounding physics still hold up surprisingly well.
Where NBA Live 17 truly surprised me was in its presentation package. The commentary team of Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy delivers calls that still feel authentic and engaging, even if the variety can't compete with today's endless commentary loops. There's a cohesiveness to the broadcast presentation that some modern sports games lack in their pursuit of hyper-realism. The soundtrack, featuring artists like Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, serves as a perfect time capsule of mid-2010s hip-hop and R&B, creating an atmospheric experience that newer games sometimes miss in their algorithmically generated playlists.
The Ultimate Team mode, while primitive compared to today's live-service behemoths, offers a refreshing simplicity that I found myself appreciating. Without the constant barrage of new cards and limited-time events that define modern sports games, there's a purity to building your squad that reminded me why I fell in love with card-collection modes in the first place. The auction house economy feels almost quaint in its simplicity, a far cry from the complex markets of today's Ultimate Team equivalents. I actually enjoyed the more straightforward progression system - sometimes you just want to play basketball without managing seventeen different currency types and battle passes.
Graphically, the game runs surprisingly well on current hardware, though the 30 frames-per-second cap feels jarring after years of 60fps sports titles. Player faces that once looked cutting-edge now appear slightly doll-like, and the crowd animations are noticeably dated. Yet there's an artistic consistency to the visual presentation that sometimes gets lost in today's pursuit of photorealism. The courts and environments still hold up reasonably well, and the game's color palette creates a vibrant basketball atmosphere that remains visually appealing despite the technological limitations.
As I played through multiple seasons in franchise mode, I noticed how the game's simulation engine creates compelling narratives despite its simpler algorithms. Player development follows more predictable patterns than modern titles, but this creates a different kind of strategic satisfaction - you can actually plan long-term without the random development swings that characterize current sports games. The trade logic shows its age with some questionable AI decisions, but this almost adds to the charm, creating unexpected scenarios that keep the mode engaging through multiple seasons.
The question of whether EA NBA Live 17 remains worth playing in 2024 ultimately comes down to what you're looking for in a basketball game. If you demand cutting-edge graphics and the most realistic simulation, you'll likely find the experience dated. But if you're seeking a more straightforward basketball experience with surprising depth and a distinct personality, there's genuine enjoyment to be found here. The game serves as an important historical artifact in basketball gaming's evolution, representing EA's most ambitious attempt to challenge 2K's dominance before the series went on hiatus. For $5-10 on the secondhand market, it offers enough quality basketball action to justify the price, especially if you approach it as both a gaming experience and a piece of sports gaming history. My time with NBA Live 17 left me appreciating what it accomplished in its era while understanding why the series needed to evolve - but there's enough solid basketball foundation here to make it worth revisiting for curious gamers and basketball enthusiasts alike.