SteveM's Blog
One of the areas that 2K Sports has seeked to develop over the last several years of the NBA 2K franchise is the number of licensed shoes in the game. We’ve certainly come a long way from the days when Iverson was the only player with brand-name shoes in the game, but let’s face it: not all the shoe models are created equal.
It looks like all the shoes are built on one of three essential models: low-top, mid-top and high-top. The low-top shoes (as exemplified by the Kobe 8s in the game) look kind of squished. And for models of shoes that involve open spaces or unusual shapes (the Jordan XVs, with their unusual tongue, come to mind) their in-game models don’t display their full character. Add to this the fact that some design elements of the shoes are too subtle to project well (the Jordan XVIs’ full wrap makes the in-game model look kind of flat and boring), and you’ve got dozens and dozens of authentic shoe models that frankly don’t look all that great on your digital players.
Now you might want to deck your My Player or your Association team out in particular models for swag- or nostalgia-related reasons, but I’m only interested in aesthetics. So here’s a handy and highly unscientific list of the best-looking in-game models of shoe by manufacturer, plus the top five at the end.
NOTE: Again, I’m talking IN-GAME models here, not how fresh the real shoes are.
REEBOK
None. They all look terrible. Sorry, Allen Iverson. Maybe if they bring in the Answer IVs next year.
CONVERSE
Weapon — This is really your only option for Converse. An all-time classic, worn by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the Weapon is a great old-school option to go along with the Jordan Is and looks especially nice on historic players or any time a player is beholden to the Converse brand. I would go Chuck Taylors if they looked AT ALL like real Chucks.
ADIDAS
adiPower Howard — A great, simple model that is easy to customize for whatever team you need to customize it for. Just make the base of the shoe white, slap a black sole on there, and make the stripes whatever the main color of the team is. This was my go-to shoe in NBA 2K12 for this reason and it still gets the job done.
Crazy Shadow — A solid and slightly more modern option for Adidas-endorsing players. Also easy to customize for team color patterns, which is great if you’re not into tweaking every little element of a shoe to make it look good for different teams.
NIKE
Air Command Force — These are a good throwback option for high-tops and work particularly well for PFs and Cs, in my opinion. There’s enough shape to them that they don’t look anonymous on the court, but not so much that they draw attention to themselves.
Air Max Closer V — I’m a sucker for Air Max shoes. Clean lines, big swatches of color. Again, easy to customize quickly and make look good for any team. Another good big man option, but also looks great on guards.
Air Revolution — If you can’t tell by now, I like the old-school shoes, maybe to a fault. It might be because the mix of different materials and textures makes a lot of the newer shoes look kind of jumbled on the court. Good shoes in NBA 2K13 need to strike a balance in terms of visual that means they look good but don’t stand out. The crazier designs stick out like a sore thumb. The Air Revolutions strike the right balance.
LeBron 9 — Of the marquee models (the others being the Kobes and the KDs), these look the best. Some of the colorways are a little bananas for my taste, but the basic model is nicely balanced and the shape is one of the better translations from the real world to the in-game model. Plus it gives you that sweet +5 to Dunk that can help out a My Player who can almost get to the rim.
Zoom LeBron VI — The key for this shoe is the piece that covers the forefoot, which gives it a sort of pseudo-formal feel, almost like a wingtip. This shoe looks great with a high contrast color scheme—my usual plan for customizing the colors on any shoe involves a lot of black and white with just flashes of color.
Nike Dunk High — No surprise here: another classic shoe that works in the game for all the reasons given above for the Revolution and Weapon.
THE TOP FIVE
Nike Zoom Soldier II — The white, black and red look of this shoe in its default appearance is clean and striking without standing out as over-designed or clunky. The red is subtle enough that it looks right even on teams like the Nuggets or the Warriors, yet not so subtle that it disappears completely on the court.
Nike Air Barwin — If I judged this shoe solely by the way it looks in the small image on the selection menu, I’d never pick it. But go ahead: throw it on a player and see if it doesn’t have a nice balance and shape, a kind of effortless class that’s simultaneously bespoke and down-to-earth. That blend of character and reserve is hard to find in a good sneaker in the real world, much less in the digital world.
Jordan IX — Bearing a default color scheme not unlike the Zoom Soldier II, the Jordan IX is obviously one of the classic basketball shoes. Its character carries over from the real world to NBA 2K13 beautifully. It looks authoritative and balanced, as comfortable in a crossover as a thunderous dunk.
Jordan I — Like the Weapon and the Nike Dunk High and Monta Ellis, this shoe have it all. Once again, the default black, red and white colorway is extra sharp like cheddar, but it looks great almost no matter what you do with it.
Jordan III — 2K13 can’t quite capture the black-veined elephant-print texture at the toe and heel that makes the III so late-eighties-licious. But they’re still a great look, at once timeless and retro and just one gold diamond-shaped badge away from being British Knights, which is not a bad thing.
Nothing inspires debate like shoes, right? I know everyone has been hard at work designing custom shoes and custom colorways, but what are the best out of the box in-game models for shoes in NBA 2K13?
# 1
wallofhate @ Apr 5
When you change the patten leather to metal on the jordan 11 breds or cool greys or space jams and the regular ones those are the best looking and closest to real life imo
# 2
ponderguy @ Apr 5
@wallofhate completely agree. If you are rolling with a team like the Blazers, Spurs or Nets with Black as a primary color you don't even have to change from Default. Can't believe they didn't make it
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