Some may feel that the single-player experience is all but dead in the sports video game genre, and if you’re being honest with yourself, there is actually a decent argument to support that narrative. For myself though, I feel like the single-player landscape is not vanishing, but merely evolving with the times. Proof of that can be found in the popularity of the of the Be A Pro, MyPlayer and Road to the Show modes that allow the user to create a player, and play only as that individual through all of his or her career.

EA’s NBA Live franchise offers just such a mode, and while not nearly as robust and fun as some of the other offerings out there, it still provides some interesting moments. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at areas Rising Star gets right and wrong

The Good

As with any player-centric mode, the focus should always be about the player -- obviously, right? Well Rising Star does an admirable job of doing just that, not only does the game mode focus in on you as a talented young prospect out of college, but it also takes you through the Adidas Rookie Showcase, NBA Draft and follows you throughout your career. Unlike the hyped, story-driven career offering from NBA 2K, Rising Star simply lets you play each game as your created player, and has a primary focus on developing your player into an elite NBA player. Some may like this linear approach, some may hate it, but the fact remains that career mode in NBA Live 16 is all about development and on-court action.

Another area where NBA Live succeeds is its simplicity in how your player earns XP or developmental points to grow in skill as a player. Snag a rebound, earn XP. Hit a shot, earn XP. Tightly defend your opponent and stop them from scoring, earn XP. On the flip side, if you want to pursue objectives outside of your skill set, and are unsuccessful in doing so, points are deducted from your in-game point chart. The game penalizes and rewards you correctly, and does so in a very simple manner that is easy to understand.

The Bad

While I somewhat praise the simplistic approach that EA has taken with its Rising Star mode, it may sadly be a bit too easy, even on a higher difficulty level. Most career modes utilize a grind-it-out approach to gaining skill points to upgrade your player, and although EA follows the same path, it can be extremely simple to garner points and end up with a 100 point perfect game. The game allows you to basically take over and have control over literally everything that takes place on the court. Your AI teammates are basically Stepford teammates as they act incredibly submissive and docile.

While the idea of this type of freedom seems exciting and fun at first, you have to be incredibly patient to not partake in becoming the puppet master of the NBA court -- which is not as easy as one would think. I would have liked to see a system in place similar to 2K's where your player has to gain a certain trust level from his teammates before he has full control of all the actions on the court.

The Ugly

Presentation is always important in a career mode, and while I’m not advocating for a story-driven mode, the presentation in Rising Star is weak at best. Sony’s MLB-based Road to the Show mode proves that a non-story driven career mode can work, and can still be a lot of fun at the same time. In Rising Star, you get basic pop-up windows that showcase your accomplishments, and standard stat and award boards that coincide along with them. Beyond that, there just is not much else there other than the commentary generically talking about you as players, and what you have accomplished. How hard is it to have individual practice routines that focus on your players, or maybe a free-throw session to help improve in that category? Apparently it’s pretty hard. On top of no individual sessions, there is no interaction at all with your coaching staff, GM, teammates or owner.

Honestly it just feels like presentation in the Rising Star mode was a simple afterthought, at least from the outside looking in. When one is trying to grind through an entire NBA career, there has to be more than just a few pop-up boxes and stat boards to keep one interested. I would love to see more time and development attention given to Rising Star mode, but my fear is that with the other in-game issues, we may not see that for at least a couple of years, if at all.


How are you enjoying Rising Star mode, and what would you change?