NBA 2K13: Demo Roundtable - Operation Sports

Feature Article

NBA 2K13: Demo Roundtable

Submitted on: 09/26/2012 by

Aaron Ondrey: It's almost October. Leaves are turning, replacement referees are being threatened, and NBA 2K13 is just around the corner.

Today is a good day to be an NBA 2K fan. This demo has me believing NBA 2K13 will fulfill my prediction as Sports Game of the Year.

First off, the gameplay is a thing of beauty. Players cut, they move and they go places with a purpose. They barely get in your way if you're the ball handler, especially compared to last year's version. The passing is a lot sharper, and the manual pass is a long-awaited addition back into the game for myself.

Players play like their real-life counterparts. LeBron has the power to drive to the hoop and carry a defender with him. Durant starts to heat up, and can't miss. Role players also are going to play a much bigger role thanks to the signature skills. Chalmers will drive and kick to the corner for a Battier 3-pointer, and Ibaka and Perkins run the paint on defense.

The player movement finally feels like speed and weight matter. If I'm the Thunder, and LeBron takes off on the break, I can't keep up with him if I'm Ibaka. This makes me so happy. It's also a great feeling to know that you have a lot more control on defense, and are rewarded when you play it well.

The control stick dribbling is fantastic once you can grasp it. It took me about 10 games to fully understand what I was doing in relation to the hoop, but it's great when you chain everything together. Guards like Westbrook, Rose, Rondo and CP3 are going to be a dominant part of the game. This is definitely realistic because the NBA has shifted to a point guard league.

I got an overall great experience playing the demo today. Of course, there were a few things off. I didn't like the tiny delay when shooting with the shot modifier combined with the right stick. I'm also not a fan of how easy it is to do hop-step layups and spin dunks. This will be easily addressed for offline gamers, but if the quick ranked matches online are on pro/default, there will be some upset people.

Overall, I couldn't wait for the release of NBA 2K13. The demo has just made me more excited.

Bishop Tart: As a person who really got into NBA 2K11 -- but was not a huge fan of NBA 2K12 -- I must admit, NBA 2K13 has won me back. The new advanced controls are enough to make me love this game already. That's something I think the series really needed. Add that to the already near-perfect gameplay and new signature skills, how could you not want to play NBA 2K this year. The new animations also look slick, and like Aaron said, the speed and weight of each player actually matter. That will be huge this year.

To me, NBA 2K12 didn't do enough to make it feel like a completely new game. Visual Concepts looks like they added some big gameplay enhancements this year, and I can't wait for the full release in October (November on Wii U).

Dustin Toms: First of all ... wow. The NBA 2K13 demo is the first demo I've ever touched that was better than its retail predecessor. As mentioned above, the player movement has reached the point where it's so realistic, my jaw drops in the middle of the game in amazement. I know I'm playing a video game, but damn it looks good -- especially the flopping after a jump shot.

The new control stick is pretty sweet. It's 2K's way of bringing the difficulty level back down to the casual gamer, but at the same time have made it more complicated for the hardcore. Pretty damn initiative. Between this new feature and NHL 13's skating engine, the OS yearly award for Most Innovative is going to be a hell of a fight.

However, there are a few things I wasn't to fond of in the demo. Flopping may look awesome, but it happened to often. I saw anywhere from two to six flops in the 5 minute quarter -- a flop a minute is just too much. Also, player response seems to fluctuate way too much in each game. Sometimes it would take a second or two for LeBron to pass the ball, causing turnovers of other things.

But the issues in the demo are never issues in retail versions, let alone 2K, who has already mentioned on Twitter that they're looking into the responsiveness. Either way, it's safe to say that NHL 13 might need to be shaking in its feet if it wants to win any Game of the Year awards.

What about you OS, what are your thoughts on the NBA 2K13 demo?

NBA 2K13 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 jd_newton72 @ 09/26/12 11:47 AM

I just wish we could change cameras on the demo so I could tear it up better with Westbrook. Stupid kinect

# 2 cmebfresh @ 09/26/12 11:49 AM

to me its kind of street ball ish. But i will buy it and try to turn it back to sim. Cause i had a lot of dunk on's and the dribbles kevin durant and lebron make.... is not how they really dribble. But is still a must buy

# 3 aga11ah @ 09/26/12 11:55 AM

so they are calling it sports game of the year after playing the demo? lmao...

hopefully 2k has them on their payroll.

# 4 Paul Pierce_OS @ 09/26/12 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aga11ah


	so they are calling it sports game of the year after playing the demo? lmao... hopefully 2k has them on their payroll.

It's so funny when I was not a member here they used to say OS was a EA Fanboy site. Now the tables are turned they say their a 2K Fanboy site....SMDH You need proof:

Language Warning

Spoiler

# 5 DirtyJerz32 @ 09/26/12 12:03 PM

PP, vid was hilarious!!!

# 6 Paul Pierce_OS @ 09/26/12 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyJerz32_OS


	PP, vid was hilarious!!!

I know I was on the floor when I first saw it.

# 7 StankonYa @ 09/26/12 12:08 PM

It may be a little too fast to give it game of the year nods, but this demo is awesome. There's no reason to believe anything less in my eyes.

I love how the game runs, it's smooth, fatigue is a factor and the ball is alive... if that makes since to anyone.

Oct 2 can't come soon enough, I'm even going to try it out on pc.

# 8 MrBigShot1 @ 09/26/12 12:22 PM

^^^Such a great video...

# 9 MAGboyswifT27 @ 09/26/12 12:34 PM

I'm ready for my bball fix so 2K13 comes at a perfect time. I like the "Live 04" RS moves lol but still gotta get used it.. But overall I'm excited for the game..

# 10 SouthBeach @ 09/26/12 12:49 PM

When I first started playing, I enjoyed it because I felt all the changes and it felt better overall. As I continued to play, keeping in mind it's not the final build, certain things bothered me.

Namely, the responsiveness. But that's been addressed already. And I'm having a difficult time with the control stick. But that's more of a user issue on my part, haha. At times, I felt like I had no control while performing certain moves (attacking the basket mostly)...so I'm not sure if that's a responsiveness issue or another issue on my part.

Aside from that, I'm pleased with the demo. Loving the new animations and how speed is a huge factor now. I'm a big fastbreak enthusiast, so having the ability to outrun Serge Ibaka with Wade and Chalmers definitely put a smile on my face.

One thing I hope we can turn off is the "Dunk Intensity Meter". I'm not sure if they've addressed what significance it has or the "Fan Intensity" as well. It just seems a bit gimmicky/arcadey so I'd like to have the option of turning it off in the retail game.

See you at 11:55pm Monday night, Gamestop.

# 11 TreyIM2 @ 09/26/12 12:55 PM

This demo is CRAY!! What a difference new dribble controls make!! Love it but need more time with it tonite.

# 12 al2k4 @ 09/26/12 01:02 PM

The demo shows drastic improvements over it's predecessor. NBA2k12 is unplayable now.

# 13 Vni @ 09/26/12 01:03 PM

I must have downloaded another version of the demo than most people here.

# 14 Rebel_INS @ 09/26/12 01:40 PM

Overall i really like the demo. Still getting used 2 not holding the L trigger while dribbling and having 2 hold it while shooting. One thing i did notice from playing online that needs work is the offensive rebounding still feels unbalanced. Other than that, I'm just patiently anticipating Tuesday.

# 15 MAGboyswifT27 @ 09/26/12 01:47 PM

Agree with @TheAlmighty

# 16 CRAZY2KFAN @ 09/26/12 01:51 PM

2K13 SHOULDVE NEVER CHANGE THE BUTTONS FROM 2K12! PLAYING THE GAME FOR A YEAR THOSE BUTTONS BECAME SECOND NATURE! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 17 CRAZY2KFAN @ 09/26/12 02:05 PM

OVERALL GAME SEEM DOPE! IM NOT SURE BUT I HOPE I USE THE OLD BUTTONS! DONT NEED TO DO ALL THAT DRIBBLING ! WITH THE RIGHT ANALOG ! THE LEFT ANALOG WAS JUST FINE! IT CONTROLS WASNT BROKE SO WHY FIX IT! IT WAS GAMEPLAY THAT NEEDED CHANGING! AND HITTING X TWICE FOR FAKE PASS! IS TERRIBLE, HOP STEP JUST OFF GP IS TERRIBLE! AND THE RIGHT ANALOG DRIBBLE IS VERY! LOOSEY GOOSEY AND EASY TO STEAL FROM! WHO EVER CREATED THIS GAME REALLY OVER THOUGHT THE CONTROL SITUATION !

# 18 The Biscuit 07 @ 09/26/12 02:06 PM

I would love to hear more of Vni thoughts. Please give us more then just the vague comment. Why do you feel that way? I have to agree with most of everything that people have posted. The weight is there, the speed difference, the smoothness and animations are all great. It's a demo, it's not perfect, but someone in another topic mentioned how stealing "felt" better. It was not so much an animation as feeling your "hands" really go for the ball. I get that sensation too. It's much more tactile then before, same with blocking. It's not all just one kind of blocking. I've had tip blocks, average blocks, one block that knocked a beer out of a fans hand in the fourth row (sadly I was the shooter in that situation). I thought I would adjust faster to the new shot stick . . . that was not the case. But it's all biology. Muscle memory is all it is. I already am feeling an improvement this morning from last night. I just have to get to the point it's more instinctual then having to think about it. I have noticed the slight lag though on the shot stick someone mentioned . . . I thought it was just me, but hopefully either they can adjust that or I can learn how to be more effective, as that could be a product of my own play not the game itself. Overall I'll give it an 8 out of 10.

# 19 CRAZY2KFAN @ 09/26/12 02:08 PM

# 20 CRAZY2KFAN @ 09/26/12 02:15 PM

ALSO HAVING TO USE THE L2 BUTTON! TO SHOOT IS TO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT! LIKE I SAID THE 2K12 BUTTONS MADE MUCH MORE SINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

« Previous12 3 Next »

More Links