Best BBall Outside the Garden

     NBA 2K13, one of the most anticipated sports games in recent memory, has finally been released to the general public. After the extremely popular 2K12, many people felt that this game could not be topped. However, 2K outdid itself this year and made a great game even better. With the help of a new executive producer, Jay Z, the gameplay is better, the soundtrack more awesome, and overall it has exceeds expectations.

     2K13 was able to build upon a great base of past 2K games, which have steadily taken over as everyone’s preferred basketball video games. One new key feature is the “freestyle dribbling” control, which allows you to control crossovers and other dribbling moves with your player. This brings back memories of the old NBA Live games, which were the best NBA video games in the early 2000’s. 2K13 has also improved on some of the glitches found in the older versions. For example, when you pump faked in the corner in 2K12, you would often step out of bounds, resulting in an unnecessary turnover. This has been fixed in 2K13 and now you are able to pump fake all you want in the corner without any fear. In 2K12, there was also a glitch which allowed the defender to force the offensive player out of bounds. This was annoying because, once again, it created an unnecessary turnover. Now the defender actually has to steal the ball from you. Thanks to these glitches being fixed, the action in 2K13 is more realistic than any basketball game to date.

     With Jay Z producing NBA 2K13, it was obvious that the game was going to be getting an upgrade. In order to be better than the wildly popular 2K12, it had to be new in more than just name. 2K13 delivered, with Jay Z adding his own flare to the game by improving the soundtrack, introductions, and new features. The game now includes a “Dunk Intensity” meter that measures how awesome your dunk is and there is also a bar that appears above your selected player, giving you his stat line as well as his skills. These are both small features, but they do improve the overall gaming experience.

     Another feature, which was heavily advertised, is the additions of the 2012 U.S Olympic and the 1992 U.S Olympic Dream Team. Playing on this summer’s Olympic games and the war of worlds between Kobe Bryant and Dream Teamers on whose team was better, 2K13 allows you to play out this scenario and see who would win once and for all. They have also added a Celebrity team, which gives you the option of draining a three with Mac Miller, crossing someone up with Justin Bieber, or throwing down a ferocious jam with Kevin from the Office. If this was not enough, 2K13 has also added more “old school” teams, so you can play as classic NBA teams. My personal favorites include the 01-02 Sacramento Kings (unfortunately without Chris Webber) and the 00-01 Philadelphia 76er’s. There is nothing better than destroying a clearly superior team with the 6ft, 165 pound monster that is Allen Iverson. These new features all add to the impressive resume that the 2K series has built over the years.

     Overall, I give NBA 2K13 a rating of 9/10. The only thing that sets it back is the lack of explanation for any of the new controls; its something that you have to play for a little bit before you figure it out. Besides the lack of control explanation, NBA 2K13 is an excellent basketball game and is honestly one of the best sports games I have ever played. This is a must buy for any gamer that is a fan of the NBA.