The NBA 2K13 demo was available for download two days ago and since that time I have played the 5-minute quarter between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat nonstop.

The hype surrounding NBA 2K is always biggest right before the launch and after playing this demo, I am confident that NBA 2K13 will be the best basketball game yet.

Here are a few takeaways from playing the demo:

How does it look?

The game looks absolutely amazing. It’s a significant upgrade from NBA 2K12 from the graphics to all of the little detailed animations. Every player feels different too. Russell Westbrook moves just like he does in real-life from simply dribbling up the court to kicking out his leg on a contested jump shot. There is a noticeable difference in controlling each player which really adds to the game. LeBron James’ strength is impossible to miss when you are controlling him or trying to drive past him. Kendrick Perkins’ screens are better than Chris Bosh’s. The size and weight of a player matter more than ever in NBA 2K13. The physics have been revamped as well so that on a fast break, Serge Ibaka isn’t chasing down LeBron. If LeBron is ahead of you, it’s over, just like in real life. Bosh isn’t staying in front of Westbrook either. Chalmers isn’t even staying in front of Westbrook without a great defensive effort. Simply put, the physics have greatly improved and are more realistic now.

New controls

The biggest change in NBA 2K13 is the right control stick which is now used to pull off dribble moves. It can still be used as a shot stick too but only while holding down the left trigger. Once you get used to the new controls, you have more control than ever before in a 2K game. I was never a fan of the isomotion because I felt like I didn’t have quite as much control as I’d like but now those days are over. If anything, the game has now become a lot easier because of the more control you have. This is not a bad thing although it may shrink the gap between the experienced gamers online and the new ones. The shot controls have most notably become easier to pull off as well. Hop steps in the lane, eurosteps and spin moves can all be done with button pressing as well as the shot stick which has made them extremely easy to do. NBA 2K13 feels a lot different than NBA 2K12 but it didn’t take me that long to get used to it and now I feel like I have more control when playing 2K13 than I ever did with 2K12. I think this means the potential for 2K13 is greater.

Signature skills

One of the new additions to NBA 2K13 is the 31 signature skills that are assigned to players. It is clear that even in playing the demo these signature skills will impact the game a lot and in a good way. It makes the game feel more authentic but some of them may be overblown a little bit. For instance, I have yet to see Shane Battier miss a 3-point shot from the corner. Kevin Durant and Westbrook don’t miss at the rim. LeBron gets those chasedown blocks a little too easily. Overall, it’s another element added to the game that will make it seem more realistic.

Thunder players

I have played almost exclusively with the Thunder in this demo. You can’t sub in the demo so I have barely played with the bench players including James Harden. Playing with Westbrook and Durant has been awesome though as they are both monsters in this game. Like I mentioned before, Westbrook is impossible to stay in front of. The demo is only on pro level and you can literally score every play with Westbrook if you want to. It’s really fun working to get to those open midrange shots from the elbow with Westbrook like he does in real life. There is such a variety in the ways you can take shots that I hardly ever recall seeing the same shot twice. Durant is fun too. His shot looks a little better than it did in 2K12. He is absolutely money on his spot-up threes and it is clear that it is really hard to affect his shot at all. Ibaka is really fun to use on defense protecting the paint and blocking shots. A lot of his blocks sent the ball out of bounds which almost never happened in 2K12. He is also automatic on his midrange shot whenever he’s left open.

Verdict

Overall, my time playing the demo has been awesome. I have no doubt that 2K13 will be far better than 2K12 and be a candidate for Game of the Year. The detail and authenticity in the demo is the best I’ve ever seen and playing with the Thunder especially is so realistic. The full game will come out Oct. 2 so we are just a few days away now. I will be one of those guys standing in line come midnight for sure.

Yesterday not only did we get the release of the NBA 2K13 demo but someone who had the game early revealed all of the overall player ratings in the game including the Oklahoma City Thunder players.

A little over three weeks ago I predicted the overall ratings for every Thunder player. I ended up being pretty close on some but not perfect of course. There were a few surprises but it looks like the Thunder are going to be pretty unstoppable to use in NBA 2K13.

On to the ratings.

Kevin Durant – 94 overall

We have known for awhile that Durant would be a 94 overall. What we also know now is that there are two players rated higher than him in LeBron James (98 overall) and Dwight Howard (96 overall). It’s not surprising that Durant is this much less than LeBron and Dwight. He is not going to get rated too highly on his defensive skills and post-up offense. Nevertheless Durant will surely be ridiculously good in the game. There won’t be any better shooter from anywhere on the floor for the most part and thanks to 2K introducing signature skills, it will be even tougher to affect Durant’s shot at all.

Russell Westbrook – 93 overall

Westbrook got a big boost from last year and ends up two points higher than I predicted. He is one of the most all-around players in the league for his position and that is clearly shown in this rating of 93, which is also the rating Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant received. From playing the demo just a little bit it is already very clear just how amazing Westbrook is in the game. It is close to impossible to stay in front of him in the game, very much like it is in real life.

James Harden – 81 overall

This one surprised me to see Harden this low. I predicted an 85 overall and it has been revealed that Manu Ginobili is an 86 overall. Harden is not five points worse than Ginobili. There games are so close that you have to compare the two and it isn’t hard to make the case that Harden has surpassed Ginobili at this point in their careers. Harden must not have gotten very good ratings on defense at all and perhaps awareness ratings. He should still be very good in the game but an 81 is simply too low.

Serge Ibaka – 80 overall

Ibaka with an 80 overall is exactly what I predicted. He will be the best shot blocker in the game and deservedly so. They also gave him the defensive anchor signature skill and while he may not quite deserve that yet, it will make him even better in the game. After playing the demo some it is also clear that 2K respected Ibaka’s midrange jump shot which is basically money in the game as well.

Kendrick Perkins – 72 overall

I predicted a 70 overall for Perkins but after some thought, I am not surprised 2K made him a 72. He will clearly be a little overrated in the game as we know he also has the defensive anchor signature skill. The real shocker is how much lower Nick Collison is rated.

Thabo Sefolosha – 69 overall

I thought Sefolosha would get a little higher of a rating but this is pretty fair either way. He is rated as one of the best perimeter defenders in the game which is nice but he does little else besides knocking down a few threes.

Eric Maynor – 68 overall

Maynor goes up from last year’s game despite playing only nine games last season. This may be an example of a team making it to the NBA Finals and everyone on the roster getting a little ratings bump because of it.

Reggie Jackson – 67 overall

This is ridiculous that Jackson is just one point worse than Maynor. Jackson was pretty terrible last season and I can’t believe he is rated this high. This will make Jackson a real asset to trade for a high draft pick in Association mode which shouldn’t be the case. I guess he is rated pretty well on athleticism that may make him this high overall.

Nick Collison – 63 overall

Collison is a little low for my taste and every other Thunder fan’s. Saying he is nine points worse than Perkins makes just about no sense. This is where the 2K team falls short doing their homework on guys like Collison. He was still valuable in last year’s game as a great offensive rebounder and I expect the same this year. If he has any hustle signature skills he may be a little better too.

Daequan Cook – 62 overall

This is right around what I expected for Cook. He will be a good 3-point shooter despite having a down year last season and that’s all he will bring the Thunder.

Perry Jones, III – 60 overall

This seems a little low for Jones but he is a late-first round draft pick and 2K rated accordingly. He is pretty unknown right now so don’t expect Jones to play too close to real-life form out of the box.

Lazar Hayward – 60 overall

I can’t imagine any Thunder fan will ever be playing with Hayward. 60 might be a tad too high.

Cole Aldrich – 59 overall

Aldrich gets a solid boost for no apparent reason except he is the frontrunner to assume the backup center role for the Thunder. We will see if he has any value at all in the game.

Daniel Orton – 55 overall

Orton may not make the team in real life. A 55 overall won’t make him too popular in 2K either.

Hasheem Thabeet – 54 overall

Shouldn’t Thabeet at least be higher than Orton? 2K must hate him because neither have done anything in their NBA careers but I still think you say Thabeet has more upside than Orton. 7-foot-3 players are always valuable in 2K no matter how low their rating is. I may end up using Thabeet instead of Aldrich at times in NBA 2K13.

The NBA 2K13 demo will be available for download next Tuesday, Sept. 25 for PS3 and 360. The demo will be one 5-minute quarter between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.

The demo will be online enabled meaning 1 vs. 1 quick games with random opponents. The demo will not feature commentary as most demos do not.

In past demos you haven’t been able to pull up the menu to call plays either and could only call quick plays. Also in some past demos you were not able to substitute. This will be an issue for OKC fans if they cannot bring James Harden in for Thabo Sefolosha.

As usual, the two teams that played in the NBA Finals last season are featured in the demo. We know that LeBron James is rated a 98 overall in the game and Kevin Durant a 94 overall. Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook are both in the 92-93 overall range.

It would have been interesting if they featured the 1992 Dream Team and 2012 Olympic Team in the demo but clearly 2K wants us to wait until the full version of NBA 2K13 before playing with those teams.

The demo is never a full version of the game and is probably a model from months ago. It will still be a significant change from NBA 2K12 as it always is.

The game will release on Oct. 2, just one week after the demo arrives.