Glitches and a chopped down frame rate take some spring out of this superstar's step.
As for the gameplay, it's still very, very good. Some features take getting used to because you don't really have a tutorial that shows you the basics (you're essentially told through the menu as the game loads up – brief but adequate), but the Shot Stick is still going to be your best friend, especially as you get inside the paint for a monster slam. (If you prefer, regular button play for shots is also included.) Crossovers almost feel natural, and you can even set up alley oops if you prefer.
The GamePad also finds use here, though some of it is rather gimmicky. Being able to flip up coach options on the touch-screen is helpful, should you feel a substitution is absolutely necessary. And when you hold it up to the screen, you turn on a predator-like Gatorade bio-metric scan, where you can see which shooters are "hot" (they go from orange to red, and sometimes blue if they aren't making anything) and check their stats by tapping on them. It's not the greatest feature in the world, but it's kind of neat. When you prefer not to use that, you can hold the system in your lap and use it as a second screen, so the TV display doesn't have to be on. At least that's good.
But not everything is up to par with this port. It's decent enough that you'll get your basketball fill, but you can tell in certain areas that the game was a bit of a rush job. Thankfully, it's not in the commentary, which continues to be the absolute best the business has to offer. Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr continue to be comfortable with one another, trading humorous banter at times and stopping everything to be in thrilling awe of a powerful dunk. It really holds well together.
Where the game staggers a bit is in its graphics. Yeah, they continue to look quite good, but the frame rate has been pretty much halved. Instead of running at the usual 60 frames per second like the other versions, the Wii U edition moves along at just 20-30. That's not to say you won't get your performance out of the game, but it stutters more often than not. The replays look good, though, and up close, the players and coaches mostly represent themselves.
