NBA 2K13

North American Wii box art featuring Blake Griffin (left), Kevin Durant (middle), and Derrick Rose (right).
Developer(s)	Virtuos (Wii) Visual Concepts (Wii U)
Publisher(s)	2K Sports
Release Date(s)
Wii	NA: October 2, 2012 EU: October 19, 2012 AU: October 5, 2012
Wii	NA: October 2, 2012 EU: October 19, 2012 AU: October 5, 2012
Wii U	NA: November 18, 2012 EU: December 15, 2012 AU: December 27, 2012
Wii U	NA: November 18, 2012 EU: December 15, 2012 AU: December 27, 2012
Platform(s)
Classification(s)	This game uses the Nintendo Network
Sales	4 million
Genre(s)	Sports (Basketball)
ROM Size	3.46 GB
Rating(s)
ESRB	04
PEGI	01
ACB	01

NBA 2K13 is a basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on September 19, 2012 for the Wii. A version for the Wii U was also released as a launch title in North America and in PAL regions a month later. It is the fourth and last NBA 2K game to be released for the Wii and the only game in the series to be released for the Wii U. It is also last NBA 2K game to be released on a Nintendo console until NBA 2K18 for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. As the 14th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, NBA 2K13 is the successor to NBA 2K12 and the predecessor to NBA 2K14, which, along with WWE 2K14, were going to be released for the Wii U, but were canceled.

Development

Around mid-June 2012, 2K Sports announced a 'Uncover the Cover' where the more tweets #NBA2K13 got the more clues would be revealed about the cover athletes. Two of the legends from NBA 2K12 have been removed: Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. On May 3, 2012, 2K Sports announced that as a bonus for pre-ordering the game, buyers would receive downloadable content for an All Star Weekend, which would feature the Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Contest, Rising Stars Challenge, and the NBA All Star Game. Also a shoe creator was developed, featuring designs from Nike, Air Jordan, Adidas, Spalding, Reebok, Converse, Under Armour, and generic shoes available to create and edit.

Jay-Z serves as executive producer of the game. He has been credited with the idea of having both the 1992 and 2012 United States men's national basketball teams in the game. Additionally, he appeared in an introduction, picked songs for the game's soundtrack and contributed to the design of its in-game menus "and other visual elements".

Initially, former Bulls star Scottie Pippen was left out of the game, due to the inability to secure use of his likeness. However, after widespread disappointment from fans over his absence, he was then added to the team roster.

The soundtrack was announced in August 2012 including songs from Jay-Z and artists like Nas, Kanye West, and U2.

Soundtrack

Curated by Jay Z

Artists/Bands	Songs
Jay Z	Pump It Up Freestyle
Jay Z	The Bounce
Jay Z	Public Service Announcement
Kanye West	Mercy ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz
Kanye West	Amazing
U2	Elevation
Kanye West	We Major
Mobb Deep	Shook Ones
Santigold	Shove It
Nas	The World Is Yours
Puff Daddy	Victory ft. The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes
Dirty Projectors	Stillness is the Move
Phoenix	1901
Justice	Stress
Too $hort	Blow the Whistle
The Hours	Ali In the Jungle
Roy Ayers	We Live In Brooklyn Baby
Eric B. & Rakim	I Ain't No Joke
Jay Z, Rihanna	Run This Town
Jay Z	On to the Next One
Coldplay	Viva la Vida
Daft Punk	Around the World

Reception

NBA 2K13 has received critical acclaim and has a Metacritic score of 94 out of 100. IGN gave it a 9.4 out of 10 and said that "Even when left with a clear, unobstructed path to the basket, 2K13 throws down a monster jam with this year's edition", and that "It's obviously the best hoops game out there, and it might even be the best sports game of all, period." GameSpot scored the game a 9.4 of 10 saying that "Enhanced realism and a great new control setup make NBA 2K13 a fantastic recreation of pro hoops". Game Revolution gave the game a 4.5 out of 5 and said that, "There is no doubt that NBA 2K13 is one for the ages. Without any other true competitors to stand in its way, the sky is the limit. If you haven't already picked up a copy, you are sorely missing out. I can't ever truly say if a game is worth $60, but with this one, it might be worth even more." GameTrailers gave it a 9.4 out of 10.

However, Joystiq and GamesRadar gave the game mixed reviews. Both publications lauded the game's on-court experience, while criticizing the game modes. Joystiq called the My Career and My Team modes "uninspired and lazy" while GamesRadar lamented the absence of the Jordan and Greatest challenges modes from the previous installments.

Gallery

Main article: NBA 2K13/gallery

Trivia

• Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls are the cover athletes, and they are all shown in dunking positions.
• The game was executive produced by rapper Jay-Z, who designed the game and curated its soundtrack.
• This is the only NBA 2K game to be released on two Nintendo systems.

External links

• NBA 2K13 at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• NBA 2K13 at GameFAQs