NBA 2K13 has over 4,000 animations

We already know NBA 2K13 has big changes to gameplay; we've got new Control Stick functionality that allows for more control on both offense and defense. The improvements don't stop with gameplay, however. In fact, over 4,000 animations have been shot for NBA 2K13.

"In 2K13 we really focused on adding more animations, more in between animations," explained senior animator Willie Phung. "So instead of one pose to the next pose, we add in the in between pose so it actually blends nicer."

Another big addition to the game, which 2K Sports hasn't done in previous years, is capturing the ball data more. Now when players are holding the ball, you can actually see them palming the ball, rather than just looking like a flipper. Wrinkle maps were used to simulate the muscles in the face so you can see life-like expressions from the players creating a more believable experience.

"Everything is being revamped. You're going to see a whole new NBA 2K13," promised lead animator Elias Figueroa. For now, we'll just have to settle on seeing the dev team talk about and highlight some of the big improvements to NBA 2K13's animation system.