I don’t often play sports games, but lately I’ve been playing quite a few, including the most recent NBA release from 2K Sports, NBA 2K13. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of different factors that bring players in to a franchise such as this year after year, such as the team rosters, the soundtrack, and the overall quality of the game. Is NBA 2K13 worthwhile? We’ll see.

When I first started to play, it seemed like it was the same as most sports titles. By that, I mean that you could simply look at a previous version of the game, update the roster, splash on some better graphics, and improve the game’s controls and you would have the new game. I don’t have a problem with it for the most part, but I do wish that new things could be brought to the table more often. With Jay-Z producing the game, I did notice that the soundtrack was pretty awesome, but I got annoyed by how often the AI handed my ass to me in gameplay.

The title’s controls are very fluid and easy to grasp. It took me a while, since I haven’t really played a NBA title since the SEGA Genesis, but I was able to pick it up without too many problems. I know, it’s bad that it has been that long since I played a basketball game. You can clearly tell, however, that the developers have fixed many issues that have been brought up with past games. Everyone wants better graphics in a new game, as well as improved controls, updated stats and rosters, and new features. 2K Sports has made sure to bring as much as they could into this new release. I still have a hard time playing solo, but when playing with friends, I have a great time. The multiplayer side of the game is very good, whether it’s online or local, and doesn’t seem to show any lag.

Should you buy this game? I’d say yes if you’re either a fan of the series or simply enjoy a decent title. As for me this will be a game I’ll be playing alongside friends, since I really suck playing solo. NBA 2K13 offers decent graphics, very easy to learn controls, awesome music, and much more. If you’re looking for the next NBA game to purchase be sure it’s this one since Jay-Z did a great job producing it. Hopefully the next one is also handled by Jay-Z as well.

NBA 2K13 on the Xbox 360 was provided for review purposes. For more information on this title, please visit 2K Sports.