NBA 2K13

NBA 2K13 is one of the best basketball games ever made. After the debacle that NBA 2K12 was last year, 2K Sports have really stepped up their game to make one of the best looking and most realistic basketball simulations ever made.

The first thing that caught my eye when I played 2K13 for the first time was how players collided with each other in a realistic way. This is something that I had not seen in a basketball game. This year, when you set a screen, the defending player will be stopped by it, and sometimes fall as a result of it. The dribbling controls have also been redesigned to allow you to break down your defender in a controlled manner. If you use a gamepad, you will find that the dribbling controls have been moved to the right analog stick, which was previously used for shooting. You can also hold a shot modifier button to use the right stick for shooting, but its main function is now dribbling. Chaining moves and breaking the ankles of your opponents is now much more fun than ever before. This controls scheme was first implemented by the now defunct NBA Live series, but perfected by 2K. The graphics don't really look that different to me. But they do look good. Anyone who plays NBA 2K games will tell you that realism is far more important than graphics, and I absolutely agree with that.

There have been many changes to the game. Some of the most noteworthy ones are, firstly, the fact that Jay Z is one of the producers of the game. This has an effect on the soundtrack. The music is enjoyable if you like hip hop music and rap, but you won't hate the soundtrack if you don't enjoy that kind of music. Secondly, there is a new mode that lets you pit the current USA basketball team against the 1992 Dream Team, featuring Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Larry Birds, and others.

I hated NBA 2K12. It was a bad game, and many people hated it too. 2K13, on the other hand, has received a great deal of acclaim. I enjoy that it feels realistic again. It is a game that you can master if you practice, and that is what I love about it.