by With big lights, great graphics, and a Jay-Z produced soundtrack, NBA 2K13 is all about the big stage, and it’s one of the rare sports games that delivers an enjoyable experience on the iOS platform. Keeping the spirit (and much of the core gameplay) of its console version, NBA 2K13 raises the bar for basketball games on iOS devices. This $8 game is available as a universal app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch; devices must be running iOS 5.0 or later.
The game is actually one of the most realistic sports simulators you’ll find on the mobile platform. The logos and courts are crisp, clean representations of their real-life versions, and the players are recognizable. Players will warm up, talk to each other, and jog around the court in believable ways. The commentary is also fairly accurate and situation appropriate. In short, you feel like you’re playing an NBA game—right down to the sometimes-mindless cutaways to the crowd.
Before each game, pick your preferred control arrangement: one finger, or classical. The classic-styled controls offer the player a small touchscreen pad on the left and a range of situation-dependent buttons on the right. These buttons change depending if you’re on offense or defense. Strangely, the one-finger controls—where you can change your play, pass, and shoot with only a single finger—are more challenging, but also more robust. You’ll be able to do far more with the one-finger controls, making it the preferred method to utilize.
With the one-finger controls, you can steal, double-team, or initiate a full court press on defense. It’s exceptionally easy to initiate, but takes time to master. Likewise, understanding how to use quick screens and alley-oops on offense are techniques you’ll have to practice. If you’re looking for NBA 2K13 to be like the arcade icon NBA Jam, you may be disappointed; dunking is a challenge and a rarity, and the game is shockingly true to the fundamentals of the game—if that’s your kind of thing.
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