With the end of the generation looming for the 360, NBA 2K13 found itself in a similar position to many other big releases in 2012. How does one appease fans with new mechanics, concepts, etc. when there is new technology to worry about right around the corner? Achieving that balance is difficult, and in that context, the new concepts in 2K13 make it a pretty ambitious effort for a game with absolutely no competition (I still shudder thinking about the crippled Live demo from this summer). But while this year's iteration is by far and away the best on-court product we've seen from 2K Sports, the same collection of off-court issues and bugs from years past remain, frustrations that make it more of a step sideways for the franchise, than a true one forward.

gameplay

NBA 2K13 is probably the most authentic virtual sports experience we've ever seen. It's hard to describe without experiencing it; player movement and momentum feel completely new, immediately feels like an entirely new game. Gone are the super lengthy dribbling and layup animations, which in previous titles led to really wonky physics, without a lot of real kinetic feel for the changes in momentum when colliding mid-air during a layup. But for the first time ever in a sports video game, I don't feel like I'm trying to manipulate a series of animations to my benefit in 2K13 - and it completely changes the game of virtual basketball.

With these new systems in place, it's much easier to split defenders, navigate tricky paths down the lane – and pass: the massive passing issues of 2K12 are largely fixed, thanks to these shortened motion-capture sequences, and plethora of new 'in-between' animations, to give every player-to-player interaction a unique feel. There are still some issues, however: at times, trying to make a dribble move past a defender can lead to some collision detection issues, where players will just run against each other for a second or so until body motions move according to the code. When it does work, slipping past a defender and driving to the rim feels – and looks – better than ever.

Along with mapping the dribble moves to the right stick – just like it used to be before it was a shooting stick in recent years – a few key changes to the default control scheme make a lot of things easier. The best of these is the new pick 'n' roll system, which is activated by holding the top left trigger. Depending on how long its held, the player that comes to screen will either pick, pop, or fade to the basket – making 2K13 the first game where running a pick 'n roll offense can really be effective, especially with teams like the Lakers, Spurs, and Clippers.

In general, offense in the game is more consistent than in 2K12, where entire quarters could be wasted to constant turnovers and inexplicable cold spells, thanks to the rubber-banding embedded in the game's code. It appears to be removed this season – although there is a pretty noticeable bug greatly enhancing offensive rebounding, and the game speed has increased on the default difficulty in sliders. These changes make games play faster and more high-scoring, clearly aiming itself at a wider playing audience than in previous seasons. However, serious sim-minded players are always going to manipulate the sliders to their liking, so these changes won't detract long-time players from enjoying it.

graphics

Aside from the new animations, 2K13 largely looks the same as its predecessor – though the new courts for the season look noticeably sharp, especially the new Barclays Center court for the Nets. Having the same graphics package means there are still some really badly rendered faces of players (some looking nothing like their real-life counterparts), and there are still times when bodies will disappear in replays, and players will glitch through each other on pre-determined outcomes; for example, a shooter's arm going through the block of a defender to make a layup.

There are some new additions to the pre-game packages, randomly throwning a clip from a 'classic' music video into the pre-game highlights (pre-game highlights in a video game are still really weird to me). I don't really know how Eric B. and Rakim's 'I Ain't No Joke' sets the table for a Bobcats/Wizards game, or why they used an obnoxiously loud live Jay-Z clip for 'On To The Next One' for a Raptors/Cavs game. It's kind of an empty feature without the proper context – and for that reason, the only one that works for me is the Nets' “Brooklyn” opening montage (big surprise, considering Jay-Z owns the tiniest sliver of the Brooklyn Nets).

The most annoying changes visually are off-court, where a hideous gold-on-black has infected every facet of design. I don't know about you, but looking at yellow statistical numbers on a pitch-black backdrop while I'm in the middle of playing on the bright court. Add in the gimmicky side bar graphics that simulate the appearance of a audio equalizer display constantly flashing and vibrating and the still-growing amount of menus to work through at times (seriously, it's ridiculous), and the visual package in the menus becomes unappealing quickly.

sound

With Jay-Z's name plastered on the front of the box and advertising materials, many expected NBA 2K13's soundtrack to bump.... which it doesn't, relying on a weird mix of aged, super-edited hip-hop tracks (Mobb Deep's 'Shook Ones Pt. II' sounds absolutely neutered) and an unflattering selection from Jay-Z's catalog. I'm sorry, a ten-year old verse from Joe Buddens' 'Pump It Up' and 'The Bounce' from The Blueprint 2 just don't pump me up for some NBA ball. There isn't a single exclusive Jay-Z track or verse on the soundtrack, nor are there any basketball-related songs (the highlights of last two year's soundtracks, with Kurtis Blow's 'Basketball' in 2011 and the NBA-flavored 'Sideways' remix from Chyi da Prince last season). It's a big disappointment – I'd rather go back to the annoying dubstep of 2K12 than hear the 'H.A.M.' instrumental played back to back-to-back with Coldplay any day of the week.

replay value

NBA 2K13 is a game to be played over and over again, like any great sports game. However, the online components threaten to fail a lot of what is done on-court in 2K13, highlighted by the new VC currency system. An obvious ploy to pull more money out of consumers, VC is the key to everything unlockable in 2K13 in the myPlayer and myTeam modes – and the bane of my existence.

In myPlayer, VC is earned like skill points were in previous titles (the skill point system is still there, but only for offline careers. Starting a career online and bringing it offline for one game makes it offline forever, so be warned), and used on player upgrades, equipment, new animations, and clothing Yes, they've finally added more off-court gear for your myPlayer, most costing the equivalent of 15-25 excellent games, way overpriced for their complete cosmetic use (save for one or two armbands that provide a small statistical benefit).

But where the VC really messes up myPlayer is in the drills: in previous years, completing drills awarded skill points and provided permanent increases to specific abilities (winning the shot competition would boost shooting skills, etc). Those increases are gone: the drills remain, but only award 20, 40, or 60 VC, making every single drill irrelevant except the easiest and fastest to complete. There's literally no incentive to play the 4-5 minute long fast break drill, when the 60-second long, much less skillful dribbling course awards the same benefits: in short, it's an idiotically short-sighted system, skewed toward one thing: profits.

The company's paranoia of the currency being hacked and exploited is front and center, too. If the internet disconnects at any point when the game ends, any VC points earned in that contest are gone forever, unable to get back once the game auto-saves after exiting the menu. The auto-save also rears its ugly head every single time an attribute is upgraded: it literally takes 15 seconds each time, requiring a save of the myPlayer file and the User Profile – not to mention having to connect first to the inconsistent 2K server to maintain currency balances.

This VC, which can be purchased with Microsoft Points, of course – crippled the new myTeam mode on release day. Similar to the Ultimate team modes in EA games, myTeam puts players in a 10-game 'race to the playoffs', pitting player-built teams against each other over Xbox Live. However, there's no distinction in the auto-matchmaking system, so I found myself getting whooped every match by someone who'd paid $20 or more to unlock the best of the best. It immediately sucked any enjoyment out of the experience, and I haven't returned since.

2K Sports spent a lot of time this summer talking about their improved online features, from the matchmaking to the much maligned Online Assocation from last season. Does it work better this year? Hard to tell, because I've only been able to connect a handful of times. The servers are constantly down, rendering the Online Association mode completely useless for anyone who wants to play consistently. When I can get the quick match working, it's a chore to find someone who isn't playing with the nearly indefensible Miami Heat – where more than half of my opponents rode Ray Allen to more than 30+ points against me, thanks to the offense-heavy construction of the gameplay on the default online difficulty.

People who pre-ordered the game also got early access to this year's All-Star DLC, which includes a brand-new dunk contest, three-point competition, and obligatory All-Stars and Rising Challenge games (no skills contest, for some odd reason). The dunk contest is the highlight of this, giving players 30+ dunks to execute in Guitar Hero-like fashion, against three human and/or AI opponents. Oddly, shooting the 3-pt contest feels nothing like shooting anywhere else in the game, so winning the competition is more luck than true 2K skill.

bottom line

NBA 2K13 makes some big strides on the court – and in turn, takes some massive ones backwards off of it. At this point, the game's been out for almost two months, and there are still 19 players missing off the latest roster update (I'm writing this review on November 18th). It's things like this, along with the lack of fixing anything related to Association mode (terrible trade logic, dumb AI contracts, etc.) or previous off-court issues, make things like VC and broken online modes even more frustrating. I'll still be playing 2K13 constantly over the next year – its that good on the court, and most of the other issues with the game are ones I've been used to for years at this point – but it'll be a little more begrudging than normal, thanks to a complete oversight of previous frustrations, not to mention a few more thrown in the mix for good measure.

Review by: Randy Dankievitch
Posted: 12/10/2012

Gameplay:	9.0
Graphics:	8.5
Sound:	6.5
Replay Value:	9.5
Bottom Line:	8.5