As we approach the end of our EA Sports fall preview week, it was only a matter of time before we landed on, for lack of a better way of putting it, a problematic series: NBA Live. Say what you will about the franchise, but it has made solid progress over the last couple of seasons. If what we?ve seen of NBA Live 19 is any indication, it seems that more improvements are still very much in the cards.
Equality for All
Before we dive into the updates to The One, an extremely noteworthy update to the player creator has been made. You can now create female players! After last year?s addition of WNBA teams and rosters, the next logical request from the community was the opportunity to create and customize their own future WNBA star. But that wasn?t all EA had up its sleeves. The company went the extra mile and made women players available across all modes. Ultimately, this is a seismic shift when compared to the rather segregated nature of NBA Live 18?s WNBA integration. This goes even one step further in The One, which now includes fully integrated rosters. Everything from unlockable gear to the entirety of the player progression system are available to both genders. A move of this magnitude should be applauded. It is a fantastic step in the right direction, as far as inclusivity is concerned, and is a direct response to community feedback.

Fresh off of this announcement, I dove into my hands-on session with NBA Live 19′s The One and created a female character as my di...