Just announced today by 2K Sports is the inclusion of both USA Men’s Olympic Basketball teams into NBA 2K13. There’s no word on if there will be a specific mode built around the Olympics or those teams, but the inclusion appears to be this year’s version of the Jordan Challenge or NBA’s Greatest modes.
New Executive Producer for the series, Jay-Z, was a major proponent of including both the Dream Team and the 2012 team, due in no small part to the braggadocio that was coming out of both camps. Obviously creating that match-up in the virtual world is wholly dependant on the skills of the player, and in no way is indicative of how a real game would play out, but it’s a neat little way to play with history.
Kevin Durant, cover athlete for NBA 2K13, and the unfortunate cover athlete for the cancelled NBA Live ‘11, is excited to see how his gold medal team stacks up with the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone.
One slightly weird omission is that of Scottie Pippen, long-time Bulls small forward and instrumental piece of Jordan’s 6 NBA title runs. It’s similar to Charles Barkeley’s no-show in NBA 2K12, and there’s no word from 2K Sports whether it was a licensing issue.
NBA 2K has become such a well-oiled machine that even small inclusions like the Dream Team are enough to warrant the purchase of a game that has perfected basketball gameplay. A perennial contender for sports game of the year, NBA 2K promises to not only cause a few arguments this year, but maybe even settle a few.
Who do you think will win on the virtual courts of NBA 2K13: the Dream Team or the 2012 Olympic Team?
NBA 2K13 releases October 2, 2012 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.
