[REVIEW] NBA 2K13

Nick Kakolowski

(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC [REVIEWED], Wii, PlayStation Portable, Android, iOS)

For the past few seasons, the people at 2K Sports have released basketball games so far above the pack that EA hasn’t even bothered to release its own title. While the NBA Live/Elite games have been in an endless development cycle trying to keep up with 2K, developer Visual Concepts has been steadily improving its 2K Sports series.

NBA 2K13 is a steady continuation of this annual improvement. The game is built on the same engine as 2K12. However, a few key gameplay updates and presentation improvements make NBA 2K13 stand out from its predecessor. 

The main new feature is the addition of right-stick dribbling controls, which closely mimic the classic Freestyle system that was so prominent in the NBA Live games. There are, however, a few differences.

With the Freestyle controls, the Live titles had an arcade feel because you could pretty much do whatever you wanted on the court. With the right stick controls in NBA 2K13, the defense responds well to the dribble moves you attempt. Spin the wrong direction when the defender is shading that way and it’s a turnover. Try a front crossover when a defender plays you tight and it’s an easy steal. The right stick controls mix well with Isomotion-like capabilities to provide fun and freedom of movement, but do not detract from the simulation experience.

The right stick controls, however, are not perfect. They push the user to be precise and strategic with dribble moves and player movement. The problem is that gamepad control sticks are not precision instruments. There are moments, especially when playing development drills, when a ball will actually bounce into the side of a player and he won’t rotate a bit to pick it up. The AI should be able to overcome this limitation and it occasionally gets in the way of the gameplay.

Outside of this slight flaw, the gameplay will suck you in. I’ve often found myself planning to play the first few minutes of a game before simming to the end only to find myself in the third quarter still having too much fun to stop. The pacing is excellent, off-ball AI movement is solid, and defense is much more interesting to play than in years past.

The other major gameplay change is the addition of Signature Skills. It’s a lot like the old Weapons labels used in Madden and works well on the whole. It would be nice, however, to see some negative signatures and more variety in future releases.

The association mode is, for all intents and purposes, the same as it was in the past. This means it is an excellent feature as a whole. However, there is one major flaw – player progression.

One of the challenges when making sports games is figuring out ways to have players progress realistically, with some never reaching their potential and others exceeding expectations, without taking control away from users. There are a variety of ways to deal with this issue, but NBA 2K13 does this by having just about every player reach his full potential. This creates a dynamic in which almost every team has a borderline elite overall rating within a few years.

At the start of a new association, four teams have a rating of 90 or above, eight teams fit between 85 and 89, five teams rate between 80 and 84, nine fall from 75-79 and four have a rating below 75. By the 2015-2016 season, I have one save game in which four teams have a rating above 95 (which no team achieves at the start of the association). Furthermore, 16 teams are rated between 90 and 95, six fall from 85-89, three from 80-84 and just one team with a rating below 80. This creates a situation in which every team is spectacular and your efforts to build a great team are nullified because every team is excellent.

This flaw does not break the game, it is still well worth playing the association mode, but it does detract from the value of an otherwise excellent mode.

Furthermore, the advanced Total Control Simulation system helps you mold your team in a more meaningful way by defining the strategies employed while simulating through seasons.

MyPlayer remains the best mode of its type in the sports game universe. A combination of new fictional social media systems, the ability to meet with the GM during the year, and an expanded endorsement system provide a solid sense of immersion.

Online play is pretty much what you would expect. You get a solid chance to play with your friends, but you don’t get the added MyTeam mode that is exclusive to consoles. This means your online experience can be good, but it probably won’t stand out from other sports games.

The visuals and sound are closely based on the 2K12 engine, but the animation is even better and players look more realistic. This creates a smooth and realistic portrayal of basketball that is even better on PC. Furthermore, excellent commentary adds to the experience, something that is still rare in many sports games.

The big presentation change for this year’s game is the inclusion of a number of visual and audio touches from producer Jay-Z. This leads to a solid soundtrack and some interesting visual flares to the menus. Whether you like these or not is really a matter of taste. However, there are also refreshing promos to games that mix music videos and player highlights to add a delightful sense of atmosphere to games.

The PC version of NBA 2K13 is, in many ways, superior to its console counterparts. But 2K Sports does not to seem altogether interested in taking advantage of this: the company chose not to include MyTeam in the game. What’s more, a few days before release, the digital download date was changed to October 16, two weeks after the retail game comes out. There wasn’t an official announcement and only basic recognition of the fact on Twitter. Some retailers did not even know of the change until the night before the release. Shortly before the 16th, the digital download release was pushed back to October 30. PC gamers thrive on digital downloads, and these delays, without explanation, put a damper on the quality of the game.

In the end, the sum of NBA 2K13’s parts is an excellent game that outperforms its predecessor and is much more than a roster update. The title stands out on the court and is worth playing if you have even the slightest interest in basketball. There are a few flaws, but none of them break the game or have a seriously negative impact on the experience.