NBA 2K13 Review

NBA 2K13 Review (Xbox 360 Version)

For years, the 2K series of NBA basketball games has been the gold standard. As the NBA Live series continued to trend towards more fantasy and arcade-type gaming (before being cancelled in 2012 and 2013), 2K has stayed focused on simulation and realism. NBA 2k13 is another step in the right direction, as gameplay and visuals continue to improve and the game is as good as ever.

Visuals: 9/10

For the most part, player models have been significantly improved and even with the poor models, one can tell who they are on the court. Taking a close look at Chris Paul or Kobe Bryant shows a remarkable resemblance and on the court, they look just like their real-life counterpart.

The arenas are beautiful, with crisp edging and attention to detail. It’s always been difficult to get good crowd imaging, especially when real crowds have each individual person doing something different. In the past, games have counted on batches of people in the crowd that do their own thing. Without getting into technical detail, it would just be too much work to individually code each fan in the stands. 2k13 does a pretty good job, but if you really wanted to nitpick, you could.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

The newest addition to the game is the Dribble Stick. Basically, by holding a trigger and using the right stick, players are able to blend the old “freestyle” of the NBA Live franchise with the “isomotion” of the 2K series. In theory, it’s awesome. The more control over the players, the better.

The problem lies with the learning curve. For a newbie, it’s quite difficult to master and there’s no good documentation with the game. One can search the internet to find excellent advice from numerous sources, but it seems like 2K missed the boat here. How hard is it to include information in the manual or with a short tutorial in-game?

Offensively, the game is smooth and rewards good basketball strategy. If one dribbles around like a madman and tries the same move over and over, the computer AI will snuff it out and it will generally result in a turnover or a bad shot. Good ball movement and solid plays result in successful offensive possession, which is how it should be.

Defensively, things aren’t as easy. Even on the medium levels, the computer AI seems much smarter on the other team than on the user teams. Other players on the court just don’t seem to rotate as quickly and aren’t as responsive as I’d like. A big bonus is the continued difference between players. Don’t expect to bring Ryan Hollins out to the three-point line to guard Russell Westbrook, unless you want to get schooled.

The feeling of mismatches has grown this year, specifically when an elite offensive or defensive player is matched up with someone inferior to them. When a defensive stalwart like Andre Iguodala or LeBron James locks in, it really ramps up the difficulty. Try doing the same with Steve Nash, and you’re sure to fail. It nails this aspect of the game. Taking advantage of these mismatches is rewarding and creating them via screens and off-ball movement is great.

Game Modes: 9/10

You’ll find the usual mixture of modes if you’ve played the 2K series before. Association mode, MyCareer and MyTeam are the bulk of what most will play and all offer significant value in different ways.

Association mode is always fun and the AI is constantly being tweaked to improve performance. Aside from the usual complaints of teams making the odd lopsided trade or rotations not making sense, the Association does a good job of putting one into the shoes of a NBA general manager. I’d love to see them add in some owner mode additions, like setting ticket prices, advertisements and marketing.

MyCareer is the former MyPlayer, and it’s a lot harder this year. For those unaware, the mode is about creating a player and starting at the bottom. Your player improves based on performance and moves his way up the ranks, with the goal of making the Hall of Fame. Everything has consequences and while it’s remarkably frustrating to watch your player get docked for little things, it’s pretty realistic. The spotlight shines on rookies when they make mistakes, and this is no different.

MyTeam is an offshoot of the Ultimate Team modes from EA. You can purchase packs of players to build a team, that will take on other created teams. You can earn virtual currency in the game, which will allow you to buy more packs that contain players, boosters and the like.

Extras: 9/10

The soundtrack is excellent and the pregame presentations are fun to watch. There are a lot of extra created players that are interesting, including Jay-Z, Justin Bieber and Bow Wow among players on a “celebrity” team that you can control. Of course, historical teams are included and it’s always a trip down memory lane to take control of Michael Jordan and watch him dominate.

Overall: 9/10

This game is surely the best in the series and while there are a few things keeping it from being the best (deeper association, defensive AI, learning curve and bad menu design), it’s definitely a must-buy for any basketball fan.