NBA2K13

NBA2K13
Developer: 2K Sports
System: XBox360
Score: 3/5

So I decided to stick with the sports theme for another week before I get into AC3 and H4. This was my first time playing a 2K sports basketball game in a very very long time (Dreamcast long time). Okay the fact that this game has Justin Bieber and hes like 6'2 and a 92 overall. That alone should have told me not to rent this. I will say one major thing I didn't like was having to setup an account before I even could play anything.

Visuals: B+
So creating a guy was very detailed. You had a handful of different animations to pick from for the my player creation. It involved the shot, layup, crossover, just about anything that you do as a player. The non game animations are a very nice touch to the game. With the draft interview the GM's were the same suite and a different voice. The post game interviews is very generic with the people and there animations.

Controls: C
I will have to say that while on defense the player moved way too much for the lack of movement on the controller. On offense the control movement isn't as bad but it just feels slow to me. If you attempt to steal its a solid second for the game to decide if he needs to stick his hand out or do a lunge and if you do a lunge (not by choice) that takes you out of the play for a solid 5 seconds.

Audio: B
If you like Rap music this has a very good soundtrack for you then. Jay-Z is not only involved with the Nets but he is also a producer on the game. The commentary I must say is one of the better commentaries I've heard for a sports game. While doing interviews during the draft and press conferences my characters voice was very Lebron James soundings. I couldn't find where to change it in the player creation or a place to change it later. I do think that I recognized a tune from MLB The Show.

Gameplay: B+
When playing my player if you passed the ball and that player didn't score within the next 3 seconds you were not giving an assist and there was even one time that I passed Vince Carter to 1 step and dunked and I was not awarded with the assist. One of the things that EA games lack is a draft that doesn't suck. I must say this was entertaining to watch. It did get annoying with Stern saying the same thing over and over. It was a nice touch to see me walk across the stage. My player had an addition that I liked and that was being able to choose an endorsement between Nike and Reebok. You are able to do drills to improve your player which is very helpful but the drills only last 30 seconds but the loading takes 2 minutes to load up. There needs to be a tutorial on controls and how to shoot. I haven't played a NBA game in a long time and it took awhile to get the timing down for shooting and even with really good players I couldn't do it well. A major flaw I did encounter was trying to complete an in game challenge is that my team was down by 15 and I had to cut the lead to 5. Doesn't seem that hard but when they move me from PG to SG to SF and then to PF. I'm like what the crap I am a 5'10 PG trying to guard Paul Gasol. Lets just say I didn't cut the lead to 5 and I played from the 2nd quarter all the way to the end. If you don't get a challenge that makes you play the whole game you will only play 5-6 minutes a game since your a crappy player. The bad thing about that is if you play your 6 minutes in the first half you sit out the entire second half. As a crappy player with a 68 overall and me just being awful at the game completing drills and getting a payday every 2 weeks is the best way to level up your guys attributes.

Replay Value: A-
Given enough time and some tweaks the myplayer would be a good replay value with all the things that you can do that doesn't involve playing. You can also play at different positions and different play styles. I didn't play a lot of the franchise but there is a lot too it and if your a basketball fan then you will enjoy playing this over and over again.  As being a sports game if you like the sport the replay value if great if you don't then this game is not worth buying.

Side note: If anyone is interested in helping write reviews for Playstation, Wii, or PC games let me know. I am needing help in doing reviews on new games on those systems.