MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

[peigone]

Quote: Originally Posted by Profit89

Controls should be simplified.

Heh, can't get any simpler than having only one hitting system to choose from, and one in which you don't even have to aim the bat! Head on down to your local batting cage, ignore where the ball is thrown and just swing the bat in the middle of the strikezone every time, and then come back and tell us how many pitches you actually made contact with. Won't be many, I can guarantee.

No, one problem with the game in fact is that the controls are too simplified already and, because of that, there's little sense of immersion, and of the effort and skill involved in playing the game of baseball.

[jeffy777]

Quote: Originally Posted by peigone

Agreed. The ball physics IMO have definitely taken a step back since VC took charge. When zone hitting was removed from the game, it seemed to also affect the ball physics programming. The timing-only hitting seems to create more of a canned, pre-determined feeling to physics and hit variety than was ever evident with the zone hitting. Not that the ball physics in 2K11 is awful, but it was noticably better in the past IMO.

I don't think this series ever had zone hitting until VC added it in 2K9 (but then removed it in 2K10).

I still own every current gen version of 2K baseball, going back to 2K7, and I agree with Joe that 2K11 has the best physics. Maybe grounders aren't the best, but overall the ball physics in 2K11 are the best they've ever been in this series, and they're pretty good.

[peigone]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeffy777

I don't think this series ever had zone hitting until VC added it in 2K9 (but then removed it in 2K10).

Zone hitting was in back in 2K5. It was definitely in the game when Kush was developing it, and it was definitely VC who removed it.

[jeffy777]

Quote: Originally Posted by peigone

Zone hitting was in back in 2K5. It was definitely in the game when Kush was developing it, and it was definitely VC who removed it.

2K7 had the step influence swing stick with the circle you could move to GUESS a pitch location (you had to set it before the pitch and it didn't aim your swing, but it just improved your hit if you guessed right).....but I don't remember any zone hitting. I could put the game back in to check, but I don't think it's there. It may have been in 2K5 though (I never played 2K5).

I know for a fact 2K9 had zone (cursor) hitting and it was a new feature that year, then they unfortunately took it out in 2K10.

[jeffy777]

Quote:

MLB 2k7 was a very good game, but the tone of this article suggest that Brinkman led a development team that gave it its all and maybe shot too high, while recent installments have been no effort affairs that 2k has given up on. I'm sorry, but thats ridiculous to me. MLB 2k8 and even moreso 2k9 were disasters. Just terrible and completely unplayable games (especially 2k9, 2k8 wasn't actually that bad, but it was a definite step in the wrong direction after 2k7). The author acts like the development team has just given up, which is total bs imo. Sure, maybe the higher ups at Take Two have thrown them under the bus, but thats hardly equal to 2k sports throwing in the towel. 2k11 was BY FAR the best in the series, and if not for some frustrating issues (that lets face it, pretty much every 2k game has had them... thats the one part of the article I'll agree on... QUALITY CONTROL 2K, for the love of god, QUALITY CONTROL!), 2k11 would be considered a damn fine game. The pitching is still way better than The Show (although some would disagree, its at least a point of contention), the hitter is solid (much improved ball physics after the patch, a very good camera angle that makes reading pitches as good in a video game as ever, etc), and frankly, I find the entire pitcher/batter battle fantastic in 2k11 (my biggest gripe is that there are too few foul balls out of the box). Then you factor in the fact that fielding was hugely improved (it still suffers from clunky animations too often and personally I wish they'd return throwing to the 2k8 days, but overall, it was actually enjoyable most of the time in 2k11, which could not be said for previous iterations), and the end result is that the on the field experience is actually pretty damn good (and from where it was left in 2k9, it is so much better it isn't even funny). Heck, many critics said if it weren't for a lack of polish and the superior game modes in The Show, 2k11 could have actually been the better game, since many thought on the field that 2k was just as, if not better than, The Show. Thats saying a lot imo. So why now is this author coming out and saying garbage like, "Yet instead of taking a cue from Verlander and toeing the rubber for one final effort, 2K Sports seems more inspired by the indifference of Roger Dorn in Major League." Really? Come on man, yeah 2k11 may have made you scratch your head at times because of some of the decisions and lack of polish, but I don't see how thats evidence that they aren't willing to "toe the rubber for one final effort". I just don't see how a game that was well improved over its predecessor (2k11 vs 2k10) would then make you come to the conclusion that this team has given up. Lets wait and at least hear some info on 2k12 before jumping ship and declaring this game a failure... Of course, I also disagree that the cover looks good, I think it looks like crap! I don't need/want puffs of smoke and all that garbage, it makes the game look silly and arcadey. So I guess I'm just coming from a completely different mindset than this author.

I agree with you about 2K11. I think it is a much better game than a lot of people give it credit for (sure, it's not perfect, but it's still good), and the series has gotten progressively better since VC took over. If only 2K would tighten up their quality control, it would be a much better game.

The author seems to think 2K will stop making MLB games as soon as the license runs out. No one really knows.....but what we do know is that there are only 2 companies that make baseball games for us here in the U.S., so we should be cheering for both because we all know competition is good for any game genre, but especially sports games.

[rudyjuly2]

I don't think 2K has thrown the towel in either. If they did they wouldn't have offered the $1 million dollar perfect game competition the last two years (a complete waste of money though imo) and they wouldn't have paid to get Justin Verlander on the cover. If they were really throwing in the towel you would see Brad Penny on the cover.

The quote from the 2K execs was an obvious one. They won't continue the current license deal the way it is which guarantees them to lose money. It was a knee jerk reaction to the EA football exclusive license. I can definitely see 2K continue making a baseball game, certainly on the 360. Unless EA jumps back into baseball gaming, which is certainly a possibility, 2K still has a stranglehold on 360 baseball gaming and should be able to make money if their license fees drop.

Quality control WAS a major issue and after two years of 2K baseball where I've generally had a good time but annoyed at some obvious problems and bugs I doubt I will be getting 2K12 unless the previews are great.

[jeffy777]

And let's not forget how much better the online play has improved in the 2K series the last couple years. It's often overlooked that 2K11 has the smoothest online gameplay in any baseball video game to date. Compare that to before VC took over (2K8 was unplayable online).......so obviously they haven't just thrown in the towel.....but I agree with Rudy that simply ironing out the bugs would go a long way. 2K11 is good, but it could've been great.

[wat3]

This might make me sound old but does anyone rememeber World Series Baseball 2K on Dreamcast? I wish 2K would go back to some of the gameplay from that game. Not so gimmicky and really fun and felt good today.

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by peigone

Zone hitting was in back in 2K5. It was definitely in the game when Kush was developing it, and it was definitely VC who removed it.

Actually, it was Kush that removed it. It was removed either for 2K5 or 2K6 (not sure-the game was an abomination so I mostly skipped it).

Kush and Blue shift were both VC studios. VC took it "in house" for 2K9 which, ironically, is the first time zone/cursor (really more cursor) hitting was seen on this generation of consoles. 2K7 didn't have zone hitting. It was the same two modes we see now ("classic" and analog-though analog wasn't as good then).

So, Kush is actually the one to remove it (though, by the time they did, they were called 2KLA, I believe) first. I say first because VC then removed it from 2K10 and 2K11 after bringing it back for 2K9, unfortunately (something I was very vocal about at the time ).

Regardless, I agree zone hitting would provide (in theory, at least..as always, it comes down to how well it's programmed) better hit variety. I also agree it's an area in need of improvement...though it's funny that all this talk stems from a lazy article supposedly triggered by 2K12's cover...lol.

[jeffy777]

Quote: Originally Posted by SoxFan01605

though it's funny that all this talk stems from a lazy article supposedly triggered by 2K12's cover...lol.

Well said, ha.