With the NBA season right around the corner, it is time to get in basketball mode. This also brings along the latest basketball video game rush, most notably 2K Sports “NBA 2K 13.” Heralded as the best basketball simulation ever by gameinformer.com and given 9.5 stars out of 10 by IGN, “NBA 2K12” was one of the most successful sports games of all time. However, fans are not content with just having the same game year after year. There have been calls for improvement and anticipation for what the 2K Sports team will do to make the game even better from last year’s.
When looking at the newest installment of the NBA 2K franchise, it is necessary to look first at some of the shortcomings of its predecessors. According to stickskills.com, some of the most noticeable problems in the game are problems with the Artificial Intelligence or “AI” of both the computer opponents and the computer teammates. It was observed that the computer has an uncanny knack for getting back into games and making miraculous shots to do so.
“NBA 2K13” has made many strides not only to fix a lot of these problems, but also to improve the game past anything we could have thought possible. The first major change that has been made is to the controls. In previous games, dribble motions and movements have been solely reserved for the left analog stick. In the new version of the game, the right analog stick will allow for 1-to-1 movement of the basketball. This means that if you move the analog stick from left to right, your player will perform a left to right crossover move.
Another key feature that will be presented in the game is the ability to manually bounce pass. In the new version of the game, by hitting the left trigger and the pass button, your player will make a bounce pass. These new controls will allow players to have more freedom in choosing what moves, or series of moves and passes, will work to get the more-realistic shot.
Physics has also been incorporated into the game. According to developer videos provided by 2K Sports, the game will incorporate a physics machine when players collide or get contact on shots.
This change will help with the realistic quality of the game. Point guards that finish at the rim in real life, like Russell Westbrook or Brandon Jennings, will be able to do so in the video game as well (something not common in the previous game). The developers have also tweaked the defense in the game. With the ability to shade players right or left, and the advantage of the new physics system, it will be much easier to play effectively on defense.
Each player will also be allotted up to five signature skills based on their talents. According to the 2K Sports Tumblr, these skills will include microwave, which means a player will heat up fast (a basketball term meaning to be in the zone) like JR Smith, corner specialist like Shane Battier or a posterizer like Blake Griffin. These skills will also be available in the Myplayer mode when you are building your own NBA legend. 2K Sports has also incorporated All-star weekend with the 3-point contest, rookie game and dunk contest. This feature, however, is only available when you pre-order the game.
In terms of legendary players, there has not been very much revealed about which teams will be in the games. However, the 1992 Olympic Dream Team in its entirety will be on the game. 2K Sports has decided to put the FIBA teams in the NBA 2K13 game as well.
This will allow gamers to play the 1992 Olympic Dream Team with the 2012 team to finally settle the question of who is better. This will also give the gamers the chance to play with players like Charles Barkley and Mike Mullin who have not been in a video game for quite some time. The game will be available Oct. 2.