Every time I play an NBA 2K game, I'm reminded of how much more predictable the entire sport is compared to competition such as baseball or football. Great teams stay great for a long time and there aren't too many surprises when the playoffs roll around.

My Career mode is even more expansive; Top notch presentation; Same great game mechanics from past entries

Little in the way of meaningful changes; Needlessly complex menus

With no real competition in the NBA video game arena, 2K Sports could have phoned this one in and still dribbled away with a boat load of cash. Instead, they took a well designed NBA 2K12 and polished it up, threw in a few more needed additions, added some bells and whistles, and finished what could...

Incredible graphics; Past and present superstars; Fluid gameplay

Virtual Currency (VC) can be hard to come by early on

Run, don't walk, RUN out to buy this game now. Seriously. There is nothing about NBA 2K13 that should drive you away. The 2K sports team have scored again, doing the near impossible by improving upon last year's title in almost every way. Almost.

Presentation; presentation; presentation - you are fully welcomed in; and embraced by the game's feel and looks; Motion; physics; animations are all spot on; The commentary is ridiculously accurate

Load times are still a little on the long side; Menus are not up to the same level as the rest of the presentation; Justin Bieber...

It may seem hard to believe now, but a few years ago the NBA 2K series was known as just another good basketball franchise. Then came NBA 2K11 and the explosive Jordan Challenge, followed by NBA 2K12 and the amazing NBA's Greatest mode.

Better passing and fast breaks; Looks and sounds unbelievable; Better online stability

Excessively complex controls; Historical modes gone; MyTEAM is online-only

I truly enjoyed NBA 2K12 . So I wasn't surprised that I truly enjoyed NBA 2K13 as well. The gameplay remains flawless, visuals are fairly realistic and MyPlayer mode is the best player sim in the biz. Unfortunately I only liked 2K13 because I felt, at most times, that I was just playing 2K12 .

The new control stick is delightful; My Player mode should be emulated by all other sports sims; The game remains the best basketball simulator ever made

The game fails to innovate on many levels; For the most part; the game is a carbon copy of 2K12; There is a Coldplay song on the soundtrack; No; really; Coldplay

Players themselves have had their ratings revised in a key area, as well. All of the top stars in the NBA, and even a number of role players and sixth men, are now given signature skills that better reflect their real-life traits.

Excellent game flow emulates the real thing; New right-stick controls make slick moves easy to pull off; Signature skills enhance player depth; TV-realistic graphics and animations; Lively; varied play-by-play

Confusing interface; Overblown Jay-Z production

I have plugged hours and hours of my life into "MLB 12 The Show" and was thoroughly convinced that it would be the sports game from 2012 that sucked up the most of my free time. After playing "NBA 2K13" for just an hour, I wasn't so sure any more.

All in all, the lack of any major innovation and the initial overwhelming depth in NBA 2K13 holds the game back; however, that doesn't mean a fan should pass up on this title. 2K Sports has done a great job proving why they have been the top dog when it comes to basketball sims.

NBA 2K13 is the unrivaled (literally!) champion of NBA action despite some struggles with implementing a user friendly interface. Jump right in with you own player or run the court with any of the dozens of legends included.

It's interesting that my character began with two left feet and was all thumbs, because I'm pretty sure I didn't select those options during the player creation process. Maybe there's a slider for that somewhere. Oh well.