From almost the exact spot where he missed the go-ahead 3-pointer just seconds earlier, Carmelo Anthony nailed the game winning shot on a fade-away jumper to give the New York Knicks a 99-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on opening night at the brand new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.
Anthony stood a good 25-feet-away from the basket with only 1.3 seconds remaining in the game, Brooklyn small-forward Gerald Wallace was defending when Anthony cut to the right, leaped backwards from the line and released the ball right passed Wallace's outstretched hands.
The ball sailed through the rim and swished on its way out of the net. It was Anthony's fifteenth basket of the night. He finished the game with 37 points. The crowd was glued to their seat as the game went back and forth. The game was one of the best video game basketball moments I ever had. Basketball truly is a game of momentum shifts where no lead is ever truly safe.
NBA 2K13 captures these momentum shifts almost to perfection. The game creates unexpected variables such as anxiety during free throws. On the court the game is a pure triumph. Players feel weighted and move realistically up and down the court.
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is a speedster and has the agility of Spider-Man and Los Angeles Laker Dwight Howard powers his way to the hoop in realistic fashion. One minor problem is that players still seem to have no control of their bodies while running close to the sidelines and often step out of bounds.
The new control system is an All-star in my book and helps to create an awesome feeling of accomplishment when you pull of a spectacular crossover or game winning shot.
NBA 2K13 repositions the game's dribbling moves to the right analog stick, but it is also still used for shooting but now requires the left trigger to be held down while taking the shot. It won't be an easy transition to the new system and many gamers will have a few miscues while playing their first few games.
The game's difficulty level on the default setting seems to be tone down from previous editions. It isn't a walk in the park, but most gamers should be able to win by at least a few points. On higher difficulty settings be prepared for a challenge that never feels cheap or like the game is cheating you out of the victory.
The game's presentation is fantastic showing shot of famous landmarks and advertisements for future games. The game has the best instant replay system in sports gaming. The new soundtrack is wonderful if you are a fan of Jay-Z. If you are like me and prefer better rappers or a different genre, the game does offer custom soundtracks. I actually enjoyed watching the NBA draft in the game.
Unlike in last year's edition of the game, online play works well. I experienced very little lag, and no disconnections during games or matchmaking. However the scoreboard disappeared during the games.
The new MyTeam mode starts you off with a team of NBA benchwarmers as you work your way up to fielding a squad of super stars. My squad currently consists of Lebron James and a bunch guys that are worst than the teams he played with in his early years with Cleveland. You build your team by spending virtual currency (VC) or real money on players or by getting booster packs. You can also use the VC earned on your MyPlayer, upgrading his clothing, and skills.
As we and other sites reported the game had an issue with connectivity yesterday that resulted the lost of virtual currency earned when playing the game's offline Association mode. But the problem seems to be fixed now and I had no further issue with this bug. You can read more about that issue here and feel free to comment if your are still having problems with the game.
During the game's Association mode, I noticed that a lot of the NBA's premiere players moved to other teams and that franchises would sign two to three star players at the same position. This takes away from the realism and hopefully will be corrected in future editions of the game.
NBA 2K13 continues to solidify its spot among the best sports video game franchises of all-time. I give the game a 9-out-of-10 for pure basketball euphoria and yeah I used a Jeremy Lin pun in the title read about his in-game rating here.Don't forget to read our NBA 2K13 team preview of the Miami Heat here. Check out our list of the five best basketball video games here. Read about the cancelation of NBA 2K13's chief competitor NBA Live here.
Check out our NBA 2K13 team previews:
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
