App Store Arcade | NBA 2K13 (iOS)

Purchase Game $7.99                 About our AppStore Bite Articles

Even though I grew up in Boston I wasn’t a sport fan (maybe because Bostonian fans love to cause riots whether their team wins or losses…hmmm). Ask me who’s playing tonight and I’ll have no clue. However, that doesn’t stop me from enjoying a sports game on the comfort of my couch, or in the case with NBA 2K13 in the coffee shop down the street.

From the start, it’s clear that NBA 2K13 is amazing and even if you’re not a basketball fan there’s still plenty to enjoy. Some of NBA 2K13 outstanding strengths are the AI as well as the variety of difficulties. The easiest setting allows any basketball novice to step in and be able to have a fighting chance at winning. More astonishingly is that the AI is not necessarily dumbed down but instead the skills of the opposing players are adjusted down. Once you get the hang of NBA 2K13 you’ll most likely want to ramp up the difficulty and once again the strength of the AI is apparent. NBA 2K13 now increases the skill of the opposing players instead of finding ways to cheat.

There are a few modes to choose from, noteworthy are the Multiplayer and the MultiSeason. Multiplayer brings what we expect including bluetooth support as well as starting up a multiplayer game via Game Center. With MultiSeason you can adjust the length of each game, turn on on/off injuries and fatigues among other things. There’s a couple of other modes as well and the only mode that tends to be lacking content is Practice Mode. It’s only you on the court so don’t expect to practice passing or anything of that nature. Instead the only thing that it seems to be good at is honing your control skills.

There are two different control schemes to choose from in NBA 2K13. I prefer the virtual controls which provide the accuracy. The control layout feels natural and doesn’t get in the way. The other control scheme is one finger touch-control. This method while not being my cup of tea, isn’t technically bad in any way, it’s just that you have less control with it. It’s great that NBA 2K13 included one-touch and hopefully it evolves down the line.

Lastly, I’ll mention the graphics and animation. The animation of the players is smooth and for an iOS title have a bit of detail to them. On the downside, up and close to the players reveals broken seams and the animation with the audience is choppy. Nonetheless, what NBA 2K13 accomplishes in the graphics department is outstanding.