![]() ![]() ![]() Navigating the menus, which I found cumbersome in the previous version I reviewed, is also made ten times easier thanks to being able to use the stylus to select options, make trades, switch rosters around and all the other stuff that is a necessary part of any sports sim. It is employed in a few different ways here – most obviously as a controller, which is perfectly comfortable with a number of customisation options in how you map the buttons. Then of course you factor into the equation the GamePad. It is refreshing to see a game that, unlike the standard Wii version (released at the same time), is not a hacked-to-bits, inferior, compromised version of the proper grown-up game. First and foremost, this is hands down the best basketball game ever seen on a console bearing the Nintendo name. The question most people will be asking, however, is why you would want to purchase the Wii U version of Visual Concept’s title, as opposed to those already on the market. Sure, the servers aren’t as heavily populated as Xbox Live or PSN, but when I did find a match, the online code was solid and I was able to hear my opponent breathing heavily and swearing into my Mad Catz headset (sold separately). There is a wealth of stuff to see and do, whether you fancy a relaxing one-on-one with a mate, or embarking on some online matches. You can still use the incredible 1992 Dream Team in friendly match-ups, select a number of other legendary teams (now including the surprising and pleasing likes of Allen Iverson’s superb 2000 76ers), design your own Nike kicks, or dabble in the oddball card-based minigames. My Career is present and correct, with the same Virtual Currency earning, grinding-fest. It doesn’t stop there: the Wii U version has nearly all of the content enjoyed by the other formats – the only noticeable omission I can see is the lack of the All-Star Weekend mode. Wii U owners need not fret – their port of the game is pretty much indistinguishable from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, with only a few minor glitches and missing animation frames (the jerseys appeared a little rigid to me). And don’t sleep on Jay-Z’s involvement, either – his choice of tunes is spot-on, and his presence in the game is completely appropriate and non-intrusive. ![]() ![]() Graphically, 2K13 is one of the most dazzling looking sports games ever seen – from the ultra-realistic character models, correct from LeBron’s sweatband all the way down to the smallest tattoo on Deron’s bicep, to the way adverts and talking heads pop up on the screen in an emulation of how the telly companies like to do things – this is a stunner. To celebrate another rollicking season of going-hard-in-tha-paint action, what better than to fire up 2K’s Wii U interpretation of their killer franchise, and see how things work out using the extra screen? Jigga’s Brooklyn Nets are going pretty well in a conference led by their rivals the Knicks, whilst Oklahoma are looking ominous once again in the Northwest. And while it wasn’t the huge leap from the 2012 instalment that I had hoped for, 2K games still crafted easily one of the best sports videogames of the year, which was a fine vintage to say the least. Where once I marvelled at the Mode 7 thrills of NCAA Basketball, or the arcade simplicity of an NBA Jam, NBA on NBC or even Arch Rivals, now the popular sport is rendered on our television screens in a manner more akin to an interactive high-definition sports broadcast. It plays a mean game of b-ball, too – with a level of detail on display that is staggering when you figure just how far basketball simulations have come in the last 25 years. It looks phenomenal, underpinned by lavish, Jay-Z endorsed production values. NBA 2K13 is an astonishing game in many respects. ![]()
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