NBA 2K13 News Post

NBA 2K13 Review (360/PS3)

12:07 PM - October 9, 2012 by RaychelSnr

Delivering year after year on expected greatness is no easy feat, but even harder is daring to gain new ground without losing the blueprint that originally paved a successful path. This year’s iteration of NBA2K certainly looks to dazzle, but also features one of the biggest gameplay changes arguably since the franchise’s inception.

With a two-pronged attacked aimed to both satisfy basketball gaming enthusiasts and also increase pure entertainment value, 2K Sports seeks not only to produce another great hoops title, but to also engrain the franchise deeper in today’s pop culture.

Does NBA2K13 accomplish this full on takeover?

Read More - NBA 2K13 Review (360/PS3)

Game: NBA 2K13Reader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PC / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 75 - View All

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Member Comments

# 21 GisherJohn24 @ 10/09/12 04:19 PM

Again, they forgot to address the problems the game has that should absolutely affect a game score and review summary. OS< please consider giving 2nd opinons also and maybe mention a blog after or followup addressing issues people are having. And shouldn't bugs and glitches affect a game score? 9.5 still seems a bit generous. And did you forget to mention the missing legends? Mind you, most fans know this already, but shouldn't you mention the details also?

# 22 bprint101 @ 10/09/12 04:43 PM

its a great game, but to 9.5 it was to be revolutionary and brings something new to the table, 2k13 just kinda stays the same, problems in 2k13 were in previous 2k games. 2k sports needs to look at the op wishlist and give us what we want!!!! overall 2k13 is solid but not groundbreaking. 9.0/10

# 23 erickonasis @ 10/09/12 04:57 PM

Then i guess NBA Live 10 should have got a 9.5 too

# 24 ffaacc03 @ 10/09/12 05:01 PM

Again, too many bugs, glitches and omissions across the whole game to be considered a 9.5 ... is it the best 2k game ? ... most probably ... but by no means a 9.5 !

P.S:
True to be told, online has indeed been better than ... ever ... in terms of stability !

# 25 BA2929 @ 10/09/12 05:09 PM

"OMG! This game is like an 8.7, not a 9.5" comments are exactly why Kotaku stopped giving rating scores. I agree with the reviewer. This game is tons better than last year. Good review.

# 26 Tomba @ 10/09/12 05:24 PM

The game as far as gameplay and animations added IS a 9.5.
The game as far as the successful implementation of both new gameplay and animations added is an 8.0
And the game as far as representing the NBA is a 6.0.

Though I can not go back to 2k12 or 11 or 10....
That says ALOT

# 27 scoonie05 @ 10/09/12 05:34 PM

LOL @ 9.5....Why do any of the reviews point out any of the issue's?? They don't have any problems with pointing out Madden's flaws though. Go figure .....

# 28 Bahnzo @ 10/09/12 05:47 PM

No way this game's a 9.5/10. It's good, but rating it that high? I would expect that from a day one review from IGN, but not after a week with the game from OS.

# 29 TreyIM2 @ 10/09/12 05:56 PM

I can agree with a 9.5 but would trim it down to 9.25, personally, just for more room for improvement sake. Heh. Greatest sports game I ever played, hands down, even with the flaws. I hope Mike removes left stick dribbling in his second phase of control stick for 14....or, rather, patch of out for THIS game (hint, hint M-Dub!!!). Feels like I'm fighting with my dribbling because of this, at times.

# 30 ultralow36 @ 10/09/12 06:20 PM

Who cares what the score is ......great game ...8.5-----9.0-----9.5......10.....who cares...

# 31 Optik @ 10/09/12 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultralow36


	Who cares what the score is ......great game ...8.5-----9.0-----9.5......10.....who cares...

Because the score is a perfect reflection of how uncritical the review is.

# 32 Mister Magnus @ 10/09/12 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlane007


	I think OS should do a review of the virtual currency issues and the scale of costs of items and skills in MyCareer. Can I point out a VERY important thing that is missing from the came. AN INSTRUCTION BOOKLET that explains VC and where you earn it and how much you get for each mode?! Endless forum posts on people not sure why or when you earn VC. So, i get it when i play a quick game, but not an association game... But, some people get VC for Online Association... You get it for MyCareer games and MyTeam but only when you are online, otherwise you get Skill Points... The larger issue that I've come up with is that 2K has completely changed the focus of the game. I like to play association but when i played my first game and didn't get any VC i thought, "**** this..." at least if I play MyTeam exhibition games I get 150 VC for each game. My focus has been to earn VC so that I can get the most out of mades that used to be free. Good players in blacktop... cost VC. Basic accessories in MyCareer... cost VC. Hey MyTeam looks pretty cool... oh, costs VC. And don't get on me about saying that 10,000 VC only cost $3. I bought a full price retail game and expect all of the modes to be playable and I expect to be competitive without shelling out more money. VC is fine for EXTRA purchases. If you want a Nike hoody for your MyPlayer in blacktop or a pregame ritual. But being able to get a generic headband for your rookie MyPlayer shouldn't cost you anything. Review that, Operation Sports.

Dang, I'm right on with this. Not only can I not put the accoutrements on my virtual athlete that I would wear (or perhaps want to wear) IRL, but the cost is so exorbitant that I can't fathom EVER using VC on those things instead of bumping my mid-range game or adding a player skill.

Another thing, if I want to run two different MyCareer's -- hey, sometimes I want to play the game as a 5 and as a 2 -- MyCareer's will be battling over the VC in my bank. Not the most elegant solution, IMO.

I've been avoiding MyTeam for the moment b/c I don't want to accidentally drop any VC that I shoul be spending in MyCareer.

Finally, it would have been nice to have a few CHOICES when kitting out MyPlayer since I (and my friends) are going to be seeing him on the menu screen every time we hit it.

I love OS reviews for the details they latch onto as real, tried-and-true sports gamers. This 2k review felt a little light for having been in the hopper for the past week. I look forward to the bevy of sidebars and side discussions that are hopefully coming down the pipe soon.

# 33 Spaced Ace @ 10/09/12 06:36 PM

The original NBA 2K for Dreamcast came out in 1999, not 2000. C'mon, OS review guy. Get it together.

# 34 archangelkatana @ 10/09/12 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlane007


	I think OS should do a review of the virtual currency issues and the scale of costs of items and skills in MyCareer. Can I point out a VERY important thing that is missing from the came. AN INSTRUCTION BOOKLET that explains VC and where you earn it and how much you get for each mode?! Endless forum posts on people not sure why or when you earn VC. So, i get it when i play a quick game, but not an association game... But, some people get VC for Online Association... You get it for MyCareer games and MyTeam but only when you are online, otherwise you get Skill Points... The larger issue that I've come up with is that 2K has completely changed the focus of the game. I like to play association but when i played my first game and didn't get any VC i thought, "**** this..." at least if I play MyTeam exhibition games I get 150 VC for each game. My focus has been to earn VC so that I can get the most out of mades that used to be free. Good players in blacktop... cost VC. Basic accessories in MyCareer... cost VC. Hey MyTeam looks pretty cool... oh, costs VC. And don't get on me about saying that 10,000 VC only cost $3. I bought a full price retail game and expect all of the modes to be playable and I expect to be competitive without shelling out more money. VC is fine for EXTRA purchases. If you want a Nike hoody for your MyPlayer in blacktop or a pregame ritual. But being able to get a generic headband for your rookie MyPlayer shouldn't cost you anything. Review that, Operation Sports.

I love the game so far, but I also have noticed some errors with VC credits. I am able to earn them in all modes except for one. The association mode offline: Sometimes I earn credits, and sometimes I do not. I am not sure why. I did notice though that if you set your minutes played per quarter to a higher minute level, that you seem to earn more VC for association and for exhibition games. If my game would let me earn VC for all my association games, I would be really happy. But I enjoy the myteam, and mycareer modes. I have played online with quick teamup games, with like 7 to 8 humans at one time and a few computer players. That is fun. And blacktop is cool too, cause I could use myplayer that I created with current and legendary players. I found the 3pt shooting contest difficult, in that I could not even finish all the racks. I could make shots, but the buttons needed to shoot, run to the next rack and pick up balls from the container made it really hard to get around. And I tried it 3 times with different players so far. I have found the pro difficulty that is standard when the game loads is too easy for me. I went like 9-0 with the clippers in association mode to start the year. I blew out the lakers, heat, spurs, and thunder by more than 15 points in some of those games. The next difficulty all-star has been better though, so hopefully I will find a good balance of difficulty and challenge and still be able to win games. Overall this game is great, and I am glad I picked it up early. Just waiting for the roster updates at this point. And hopefully they can fix the VC so I can earn it during association mode that is offline.

# 35 DickDalewood @ 10/09/12 07:24 PM

Completely agree with review and score. Best sports game this gen.

# 36 archangelkatana @ 10/09/12 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Magnus


	Dang, I'm right on with this. Not only can I not put the accoutrements on my virtual athlete that I would wear (or perhaps want to wear) IRL, but the cost is so exorbitant that I can't fathom EVER using VC on those things instead of bumping my mid-range game or adding a player skill. Another thing, if I want to run two different MyCareer's -- hey, sometimes I want to play the game as a 5 and as a 2 -- MyCareer's will be battling over the VC in my bank. Not the most elegant solution, IMO. I've been avoiding MyTeam for the moment b/c I don't want to accidentally drop any VC that I shoul be spending in MyCareer. Finally, it would have been nice to have a few CHOICES when kitting out MyPlayer since I (and my friends) are going to be seeing him on the menu screen every time we hit it. I love OS reviews for the details they latch onto as real, tried-and-true sports gamers. This 2k review felt a little light for having been in the hopper for the past week. I look forward to the bevy of sidebars and side discussions that are hopefully coming down the pipe soon.

for the mycareer, if you buy certain team items say a "thunder" arm sleeve by adidas, you can earn points for three point shooting, and same for calf sleeves that can improve jumping or speed. The items that cost more than 2000 to 5000 points can give you permanent attribute raises. So it does make them useful investments for mycareer players for the appearance of your player and his skill level. Just click on these items, and it will tell you what attribute boosts it gives, and then if you like them you can confirm purchase. If you dont like the boost than just cancel the purchase. One thing for myteam signature skills though. If you assign a skill to a player you cannot save that skill. Meaning if you have a guy with deadeye, and then swap it for floor general. The deadeye skill will be erased permanently. So do not swap skills unless you are ok with losing the skill. I was hoping it would be given back to my collection so I could put it on a different teammate. But it doesnt work that way. So dont assign the skills immediately, until you are sure you want that player to keep that signature skill.

# 37 TeeDogg @ 10/09/12 07:28 PM

I can't believe OS gave this game a 9.5 ! I would've given it a 9.473
Jk
Great review, best sports game I've ever laid hands on.

# 38 VUUAASSHHH! @ 10/09/12 08:55 PM

Hahaha! I see the bribe was paid.

# 39 Epiffani @ 10/09/12 09:31 PM

Coming from someone who played NBA 2K12 a total of 10 times max, due to the neglectful nature of factoring in positioning on all fronts (my main problem with 2K12), NBA 2k13 is a far cry in that respect and it really is an excellent game that deserves the praise that it's largely getting.

The number one thing that I feel like they absolutely nailed this year -- and they always try to make this a point of emphasis, but they really fleshed it out this time around --is player differentiation. In the past, the ratings & tendencies, in combination with the numerous amounts of signature animations, were enough to visually see the difference amongst players, but throw into the mix signature skills, and you have players that feel completely different-- even those with similar attributes playing the same position. I've only been the Bulls and the Clippers, and Chris Paul and Derrick Rose (two elite PG's) feel completely different as far as when I'm controlling them. CP3 has a certain tempo to his game that I simply can not replicate when I'm controlling Rose and vice versa. When I'm controlling Rose, it's almost as if he's a highlight waiting to happen because of his athleticism. They're both 'explosive' guards, but at the same time, they are almost polar opposites from one another (just like in real life).... Just like the old adage of saying "there's more than one way to skin a cat" and I thoroughly enjoy using both of them equally because of it. It's seriously hard to play other sports games now because the lack of player individuality absolutely pales in comparisons to what NBA 2K13 has done with their 4 headed monster (ratings, tendencies, signature animations, and now signature skills).

NBA 2K13 (along with The Show although to a lesser extent) is the only sports game that I can play the appropriate, real life allotted time, and not feel like it's a choir to get through. In fact, when I'm playing offline, that's all I play is 12 minute quarters and I couldn't imagine playing any other way. Just think about some other sports video games out there and imagine trying to play the exact same minutes of the sport that they are attempting to simulate... Not only would it become monotonous after awhile out of sheer out of boredom, but the numbers would be way out of wack. All of my numbers when I'm playing 12 minute quarters in 2K13 are respectable and are not so 'far-fetched.'

This game, just like the review alluded to a bit, is also incredibly deep. My friend picked up the game on release, I went to his house and he hasn't even played the game yet. You know why? Because of the shoe creator (he was creating shoes when I went over there). He's absolutely locked in on that feature despite me telling him that there's a good game to be played.

The All-Star Weekend, much to my surprise, is extremely well done and the commentary just like the regular games is incredibly seamless and well done. I was playing the dunk contest, and the CPU did the exact same dunk as I did and three man crew clowned him because of it....

Of course there's negatives, which I'm sure I'll get into on here as time goes on, but I'm seriously amazed at this point from the improvement that they made in a year span with this title, especially as far as the gameplay is concerned. Fantastic game.

# 40 tril @ 10/09/12 09:37 PM

good review and a very fair score. I would have given it between a 9.0 and 9.5
IMO, The gameplay is just phenomenal. They really did a good job of incorporating the x's and o's of basketball on both sides of the ball.
Defense is frustrating at first, but once you learn to really play defense its a thing of beauty.
yup there are some flaws but the flaws do not bring the game down.

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