Part of the struggle likely lies with the touch screen, the game beamed wirelessly to the Game Pad in tandem with the TV action. With the somewhat lackluster refresh rate and six inch screen, many of those visual/performance flubs are hidden. It's almost preferred to play directly on the controller.
Managing the coaching elements is sharp, and no less intrusive than it would be on a standard controller. It's arguably easier here with options sprawled across the touch screen for direct access as opposed to shuffling through plays on a d-pad. Substitutions are possible without delving into sub-menus, and strategies are snappy on either side of the ball. Touch screen controls related directly to the on-court action are mercifully absent. The right stick actions, including jukes and beautiful transitions into shots, are intact.
The, “What are we supposed to do with this thing?” feature is coined Biometric Scan. Marketing jargon is brilliant, as the small Game Pad can be used to display a sort of thermal image of the players. Fatigue is indicated on their bodies which drain to black as they tire. Hot/cold streaks are depicted as glowing red/blue players respectively, although this is no different than the information being displayed on the player's circle below their feet on the Xbox 360/PS3. Quite honestly, it was easier to pick out than taking your eyes from the TV on the Wii U.
Don't count on Biometrics returning next year, but hopefully the jersey physics and frame rate improve markedly.
NBA 2K13 is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB. This game can also be found on: PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360.
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