Last year, the "NBA 2K"series, which has reached unimaginable heights in terms of sales, critical acclaim and popularity, hit Ernie Banks Jersey its first speed bump since it faced a crisis in 2013. "NBA 2K18" was the lowest-rated game from the series in a decade, andconsumers revolted against microtransactions influencing the design and puttingpre sure on them to spend money simply to make the game fun to play.Was that just an anomaly for "NBA 2K,"or did the game hitits inevitable peak?MORE: Meanwhile, "NBA Live"has written a completely different story since 2010 when the series collapsed with an ill-fated reboot. Multiple cancellations followed, and poor products were released early during this generation of consoles. However,just last year, "NBA Live"seemed to have stabilized with a decent effort and created hope for the future.Can "NBA Live" differentiate itself enough from the competition while avoiding an identity crisis?Here's the good and the bad of what "NBA 2K19" and "NBA Live 19" have to offer this year..."NBA 2K19" strength: Depth and polishThere is no other sports video game that can match "NBA 2K"in terms of content. What continues to amaze is that all of it from gameplay, presentation, its various modes and other features isexceptionally well done. This is not a series that does anything halfway."NBA 2K19" has cleaned up a number of flaws in gameplay from last year and produced a much more satisfying experience with the defense in particular making great strides to reduce the various tactics that were used as exploits in the past. Additionally, CPU players and teams show far more intelligence in a number of areas. That creates an ever greater challenge, but one that is more satisfying on both sides of the ball.MORE: The series just keeps building on the areas in which it's already excelling. The commentary booth, which last year featured 11 rotating play-by-play announcers and color analysts, added another voice in Bill Simmons. The broadcasts stay fresh due to the different voices and the authenticpresentation.Though there were no new additions for "NBA 2K19," the 62 cla sic teams found in last year's game have returned. There are also new mini-games in the online space known as "The Neighborhood,"which has been redesigned after complaints about how it wasjust a big time-waster used to push microtransactions and advertisements.The MyCareer story mode in "NBA Tony Kemp Jersey 2K19 might be its best yet. The production value is high once again, but the major gripes from the past have been addre sed. Players can finally skip those annoying cutscenes, andthe story is more understated.The main character, though incredibly insecure, isn't someone you wantto root against. The promoted actors for this year, like the top-billed Anthony Mackie and Haley Joel Osment, areunderutilized, however."NBA Live 19" strength:Moreacce sibleSports video games are unquestionably complicated and difficult for those that are inexperiencedorlack considerable knowledge of the sports they represent. It can be something that veterans who play every release fail to recognize, butif new fans don't come on board and enjoy their Victor Caratini Jersey experiences, then the franchises will stagnate and die off. Contraction in the genre over the last decadecan be attributed in part to that, along with the high cost of licenses and development.MORE: "NBA Live 19"is the friendlier of the two basketball games, meaningit's the easier one to just pick up and play. Theonline modes are designed to be enjoyable social experiences, and it keeps microtransactions limited to its Ultimate Team mode something that publisher EA Sports deserves credit for acro s its entire suite of sports games."NBA 2K19" is much more complex and intimidating. Those who put the time in with it will be rewarded, but there's no question that it's demanding. Thatisn't for everyone."NBA Live 19" weakne s: Traditional experience"NBA Live"was never going to be able to directly compete with "NBA 2K."Instead, it needed to offer something completely different. The series decided to go all-in on its career mode called "The ONE."Last year, it was established and proved succe sful in what amounted to the sole reason to play "NBA Live 18." That was understandable for a seriesin the proce s of a rebuild. However, EA Sports has doubled-down on it for "NBA Live 19." Almost all of the developments arerelated to this career mode while the actual NBA side of things islargely ignored. Basketball on the streets or custom courts is the focus now with a created character. Undoubtedly, these modes within "The ONE,"which includes Court Battles (withvarious wacky scoring rules) and Live Run (teaming up onlineagainst teams full of user-controlled players), are fun and engaging, especially when playing with friends.Those seeking a more traditional NBA experience, however, will be disappointed with the lack of advancement Kendall Graveman Jersey . The faltering authenticityeven extends to anew commentary team, which features former playerJay Williams, who has never called an actual NBA game. The commentaryis inexcusably atrocious, and it sounds like a relic from the distant past."NBA 2K19" strength:Emphasis on old featuresDisappointment with the various Franchise Modes is a common sentiment expre sed by sports gamers. Publishers and developers have, somewhat understandably, shifted resources towardmodes that instead produce digital revenue.MORE: "NBA 2K"has proven to be the exception, and that is even more true with "NBA 2K19." The latest versionfeatures not one, nottwo (), but three different ways to experience having control over a franchise. "NBA 2K19" has its ultra-customizable MyLeague, and now MyGM has been broken into two different options with one narrative-based and the other more traditional, bypa sing the story angle.It may even be fair to say the game has a fourth choice with its Online MyLeague, which for the first time delivers nearly all the same features as found offline. Only "Madden"has continued to support a full-fledged online franchise over the years, and developers with multipleseries have publicly stated they have no interest in building out one of their own."NBA Live 19" weakne s: Poor Franchise ModeThat is all in stark contrast to "NBA Live 19,"which has easily the worst Franchise Mode of any major sports game. Verylittle was done to improve it from last year.Core features are mi sing, and the mode isoddly structured. There is no player editing, its sim engine is flawed (bizarrely madepredictions like Thunder over Bulls in next year's NBA Finals) and its Jon Lester Jersey free-agency logic is extremely problematic.Those are just the obvious i sues on the surface. Clearly EA Sports sees Franchise as a low priority, and those who find the mode important need to know that."NBA 2K19" weakne s: Virtual Currency problemThe u