You can collect VC even by playing quick matches, which means time and effort you spend in one mode can reward you in another. The VC you collect can buy attributes in career mode or customise your player with new clothing and signature animations and new clothing. The in-game Virtual Currency now replaces XP points. There's also a load of RPG elements added this year. Even weirder still, you can also play as Justin Bieber as part of a celebrity team. Yes, and the current US Olympic team is included too but it's weird that they haven't included an Olympic or international mode to take advantage of these teams. Who is making his first appearance in a video game since the Mega Drive days. I'm sure a lot of fans would have liked see something similar to Michael Jordan Career or NBA's Greatest mode, but for retroheads this year there's the original 1992 Dream Team featuring Charles Barkley. And it's been made more streamlined this year so you can learn moves without having to master previous ones. Yeah, and luckily the game still includes a handy tutorial system which takes you through everything. It reminds me a little bit of the old NBA Live controls.
Yeah, there were still moments where I missed a shot because I pressing the old controls but once I got the hang of it, it does feel a lot more natural. Now it's controlled with the right stick and if you want to shoot you have to hold down a modifier or use the shot button. The dribble gameplay's been changed up this time around. The graphics aren't that much better than 2K12 but at least this year there's less repetition in player movements and it really keeps the game dynamic. Each player has individualised dribble and shot styles and there's a whole bag of new dunk animations. Yeah, there's just nice little touches everywhere you look. But it's the small details which are really clever, like mini celebrations after making a good basket. You're definitely affected more by the collisions on court and players will even change up shots if they get knocked in mid air. Yes, you can really feel the impact of weight on a player's movement this year, Baj, a lighter faster player will be a lot easier to move around as opposed to the bigger players. Although all the retro teams and players are still available, 2K13 is about trying to deliver the smoothest and most realistic Basketball sim possible.
That's right, they've thrown more focus on the core gameplay this year. NBA is back again with 2K13 and this time the devs have stepped away from the showcase modes of the previous couple of games. Hex, if there's one thing I like about Basketball games it's slamming the dunks.