NBA 2K13 | Zavvi PS3 / 360 | £19.98 (save £4.50)
PS3 / 360 Price Comparison | NBA 2K13 Review

On the fence? Check out Matt's feature on why NBA 2K13 will become your new favourite sports game.

• What: NBA 2K13
• Where: Zavvi
• Current Price: £14.98
• NBA 2K13 Price Comparison
• NBA 2K13 Review

If it's been a while since you played a basketball game, this is a great time to come back as 2K's series has been going from strength to strength over recent years. So much so that EA keep cancelling their own NBA titles. The Wii U version is selling for a fiver cheaper than the other consoles and Zavvi are selling it for more than half as much as their competitors. Now that's a steal.

Thanks to urbansaint1609 at HotUkDeals.

• What: NBA 2K13
• Where: Zavvi PS3 | 360
• Current Price: £19.98
• NBA 2K13 PS3 | 360 Price Comparison
• NBA 2K13 Review

While not a huge departure from the previous game, NBA 2K13 is an excellent place to start for anyone looking for a change from footy games. A decent career mode is well matched with the fantastic on-court gameplay and even the commentary does a great job. Zavvi are beating the competition by about £5 at the moment, making this particularly tempting. You won't find a better basketball game out there, mainly because EA keep cancelling theirs at the last minute.

Thanks to Gregsizzle at HotUkDeals.

Platforms: PC | PS3 | Xbox 360 (reviewed)

Developers: Visual Concepts

Publishers: 2K Sports

The NBA 2K series has been so good over the last few years, that they've actually managed to dismantle their opposition. 2K Sports' franchise has been so utterly capable that EA Sports have refused to muster the anything more than the faintest of whiffs of competition. NBA Elite disappeared into the ether, presumably because it would have cost too much, the risk would have been too great, to even consider taking on possibly the most comprehensive sports series in gaming. NBA Live '13's return was pulled due to "disappointing" development.

But a lack of competition can breed a bit of complacency, and while this might well be the best basketball game around - possibly even the best sports game, full stop - it rests heavily on the laurels earned with past glories.

There are some changes, though. Basketball is a deceptively technical game, particularly if you want to provide a true simulation of the game. 2K Sports' efforts in the past have usually come with a PES-like bible of button combinations to etch into your memory. This time around, however, Visual Concepts have taken a leaf out of EA's book and mapped a host of dribbling and playmaking functions to the right stick. Deft sweeps and nudges of the right stick, particularly when used in conjunction with motion instructions of the left stick will paint a tapestry of spins, fakes, crossovers, and fadeaways. 

When you make a sports game as brilliant as NBA 2K11, how can you convince less diehard fans to shell out for the latest version? By culling the multiplayer support, that's how. 2K Sports has announced that they're switching off the servers in mid-November, which is only 13 months since the game first released - and we'd forgive you for feeling a bit miffed. Especially considering that NBA 2K12's launch has been dogged by some serious multiplayer issues.

On the other hand, NBA 2K12 surpasses its predecessor and is probably the best sports game of the year. Dave gave it 10/10 in our review, so it's not all bad news.

Platform: PC (version tested) | Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports

Another year, another basketball season, another NBA 2K game. And yes, another success. Except for ‘another basketball season’ bit, as it looks (at the time of writing) like the lockout will scupper it and you’ll have to resort to watching Deron Williams and Luol Deng strutting their stuff in Turkey or Spain.

But as for the game itself, it’s like there was never a pay dispute related to the odd million dollars here and there. Oh, except for the fact none of this season’s rookies are in the game, which is a bit rubbish, but not 2K’s fault. One would imagine that they would be patched in if the lock out is avoided.

All the current stars are present and correct though, including a load of classic players like Dr J, Karl Malone and some guy called Jordan. They take pride of place on the redesigned front end in the NBA’s Greatest Mode, although there’s no room for Yinka Dare, perplexingly (sarcasm).

It’s a nice distraction, and will eat up a good deal of playing time, but obviously the meat of the game is in the regular team modes and, of course, the My Player mode, which is still the best example of its kind in all of sports entertainment.

Thought EA Sports' were done with basketball? Think again. Label boss Peter Moore revealed to IndustryGamers that EA Tiburon already have an early build of next year's title 'up and running' and that they will be returning to challenge 2K.

Last year saw EA Sports rebrand their NBA Live franchise as NBA Elite only for them to take one look at NBA 2K11 and cancel the release, a course of action that Moore says was done for quality purposes.

Platforms: PC (Reviewed) | PS3 | Xbox 360 | Wii |
Developer: Visual Concepts | 2K Sports
Publisher: 2K Sports

This year's ball-'em-up is all about Michael Jordan, which is annoying because, as a Utah Jazz fan, the last thing I really want to do is relive the times MJ helped the Chicago Bulls beat the Jazz in the NBA Finals. He's everywhere this year, from the Jordan challenges, where you're given the opportunity to relive classic matches from his career, to the equipping of various Jordan Brand trainers (or sneakers, whatever) that increase player attributes. You can give these to real players or equip them on your My Player career mode character.

The whole Jordan thing is the major addition this year, with everything else being basically tweaked or updated. It's also a sign of how good the overall package is that its main rival, EA's NBA Elite, has been canned for at least the foreseeable future. Quite simply, this is the best basketball game ever made.

Last year's version was great, but had a few minor issues. In contrast to so many other developers, 2K Sports seem to have addressed nearly all of them, from the way your rating increases or decreases in My Player to making it harder to get the ball into the paint. Assists are now harder to come by, as the AI will tip passes away and generally force more turnovers off sloppy passes than before. Pleasingly, it's just not just happening to you, as the computer will throw its fair share of bad shots and passes to keep things realistic.

It's still very hard to win if you don't play proper basketball. If you want constant dunking and the ability to hit shots from your own half, go play NBA Jam or just adjust the sliders to make you invincible. Otherwise, you'll have to play proper, considered ball to achieve consistent victory. Just as it should be in a simulation, really.

Click here to find out why NBA 2K11 might just be the best B-Ball game of all time...