With a rapturous burst of speed, the uncompromising leader of the Chicago Bulls, Derek Rose, slips past his defender and leaps towards the rim, the basketball grasped tightly in his hand. An adrenaline rush takes the crowd; chants and cheers erupt and shake the foundation of the arena. The ball releases from Rose's fingertips and hits the backboard and falls through the rim. The buzzer sounds and the Bulls are victorious. We playing basketball, well virtually we are playing basketball.
NBA 2K13 will release on Oct. 2, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Wii U, and Wii. The game so far looks like it could be the best version in the acclaimed series. With anticipation rising, I thought that this would be a perfect time to list my top five basketball video games of all time. Here they are:
5. NBA Jam: A basketball arcade game developed by Midway in 1993 wasn't the first arcade style basketball game, but it might have been the best. The game offered rim-shaking and backboard shattering dunks with exaggerated physics. There are no fouls, free throws, or violations except goaltending and 24-second violations. "On fire" power-ups gave player unlimited turbo and increased shooting precision. The game is filled with easter eggs that unlock hidden players, ranging from US President Bill Clinton to Hugo the Charlotte Hornets mascot.
4. NBA 2K: was released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and was the first basketball game where the players actually looked somewhat like their real life counterparts. The play-by-play was worlds beyond what was in other games. The rebounding, shooting and foul-line mechanics would became staples of the series and copied by other titles for years to come. If the game had one glaring flaw was that player didn't play like their real-life counterpart, but back in 1999 that was fine because NBA 2K was so pretty.
3. Lakers Vs. Celtics and The NBA Playoffs: this was the forefather to the NBA Live series. The Genesis version featured ten NBA teams from the '89-'90 season including the All-Star teams. Back in those days having real teams and NBA Players was unheard of in basketball videogames. The game was the first to feature portraits for the starting five players on your team. The game is pretty basic in design compared today's games, but it still a fun title.
2. NBA Live 09: EA had a bitter rival in the NBA 2K series, and in 2008 the publisher made some efforts to dethrone the champ. Live 09 featured Dynamic DNA statistical system delivering a game that mimics the real world sport. DNA updated everything in the game from player's accessories, haircuts, facial hair changes and shoes. My favorite part of the game was it was easy to pick up and play and 5-on-5 online games were fun if you could get 10 of your friends to play.
1. NBA 2K 12: The game took everything that NBA 2K11 did right and improved upon it. Giving gamers more classic players, classic moves, and period-specific depictions of their arena, uniforms and broadcast style. The player model looked much better although never as good as those featured in NBA Live. My Player mode is deep and is reminiscent of MLB The Show's "Road to the Show" mode. The game also featured realistic crowds, beautifully rendered arenas and great commentary.
