5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

[CaptainZombie]

5 months ago 2K released this on the XBOX and PS2. As we all specualated then, it was a marketing ploy w/ World Series around the corner to make a few extra dollars. There were minor changes to issues from the original MLB2K5 and more WS type modes were added to the game.



I am hoping that improvements have been made to the gameplay from this last version, and I'm not talking about gimmicks.

I wonder if we will see a discounted MLB2K6: WSE in October 2006 this year as we did last?

[baa7]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

I am hoping that improvements have been made to the gameplay from this last version, and I'm not talking about gimmicks.

THAT is the question. It's an unpopular question around here: people are hyped right now and don't want to be reminded of last year's fiasco. Obviously only time will tell. But I still recall how quickly this forum cleared out after last year's hype and game release. People just disappeared when it was clear the game was a dud. I can't help thinking something similar could happen this year as well... which is why it's probably a good idea to set the old personal expectation level at “reserved”.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

THAT is the question. It's an unpopular question around here: people are hyped right now and don't want to be reminded of last year's fiasco. Obviously only time will tell. But I still recall how quickly this forum cleared out after last year's hype and game release. People just disappeared when it was clear the game was a dud. I can't help thinking something similar could happen this year as well... which is why it's probably a good idea to set the old personal expectation level at “reserved”.

I remember how fast this board cleared out. It was Hulkster and myself that really put any attention towards the WSE release when we released our rosters for it. It was a slight improvement over MLB2K5, but not enough for people to spend $25.

I just hope they don't do something similar with a 2K6:WSE, but not enough improvements.

[jim416]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

But I still recall how quickly this forum cleared out after last year's hype and game release.

Yeah, that did happen, didn't it?

[Blzer]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

Well, it depends on what you consider a gimmick. I mean, I know that I may be considered a fanboy for 2K games. Who knows... maybe I am. Maybe I should just crawl out from the caves and say that I'm a 2K fanboy, even though I don't agree with fanboyism on any accounts. But, defending things is something that I like to do, and this game always seems to be a hot-button topic where I feel that I have some quality feedback on one's comments toward something.



The first thing is this: WSE wasn't supposed to show the progression of what 2K6 was supposed to be... so if there are more threads like that, there will be some heavily discussed issues as to what their goals were releasing WSE. IMO they may do the same thing again this year with 2K6, and I don't see them doing anything different from last year... it's just a World Series Edition for 2K6, and not 2K7 50% through the completions of that game.


And the second thing, again, is to ask what one would consider a gimmick (worthless or not) from 2K's game. I won't mention any names (mainly because I forget), but I can name a few people that considered 2K's Swing Stick gimmicky with MVP's Load & Fire Hitting Revolutionary. Is there any justice in that? I don't believe so. Also... Pure Motion Physics are so that there is no more turning on a dime, players going through each other, or the stadium not affecting the player when interacting with it. I can't find one way to consider it a gimmick. The next few paragraphs will list a few other "gimmicks".

The only one that is questionable will be Inside Edge, and that's seeing exactly how realistic it will be, and how much of a crutch it will be. IMO, the second question was answered after seeing the first batch of beta screenshots, where there was a setting for the CPU to use Inside Edge for batters and pitchers. So, since they do it too, I wouldn't necessarily consider it a crutch for us, unless you play on Default Pro.

Snap throws are one that I will consider a gimmick. They are something different that they added to the table that IMO was not needed to further enhance gameplay. Why need a catcher cam for throwdowns and snap throws, but not in any other situation? I'm not saying that this was a bad idea, but I will agree on saying that this was a gimmick as was SlamZone last year.

BaseBurner mode could be considered a gimmick, but if so, it's my favorite one of them all. It's nothing new to the series, so I'll leave it alone for you guys to look back on what it was and what you thought of it.

Payoff Pitching doesn't seem to be the absolute best pitching system, but I think it will work better than K-Zone, especially because it will actually be playable and usable with the BTP cam. They also offer (what MLB has offered the last few years) the break point for where you set the pitching cursor, which will attract some fans, especially myself. Gimmicky? Not unless you consider it gimmicky for the other game, too.







So, in my mind, it's not really as much about how many gimmicks are in the game, but it's more on the lines of how many of them are "worthless" gimmicks. ESPN MLB had a worthless first-person mode, which is unfortunate because ESPN NFL 2K5 had an excellent one. It also was horribly shut down with The Dual. MLB 2K5 came out of nowhere with an astounding amount of options to customize the game, especially in the presentation and controls departments. I hope that 2K6 rehashes the same thing, but that every feature, gimmicky or not, is worth having in the game.

[jim416]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

Blzer,

Anything they are adding is gimmick when the gameplay is bad and the game is buggy out of the box.. If they tout IE (and it appears like it's flawed), as far as I'm concerned it's a gimmick to suck you in and make you go "oh and ah". If they don't fix the gameplay there is going to be jumping ship again. It's a gimmick to add new features if they overlook the biggest flaws in the game, i.e., gameplay. A gimmick, something to suck you in.

Maybe I should just crawl out from the caves and say that I'm a 2K fanboy

You don't have to do that as it's pretty obvious, but it would be nice if you admit it.

MLB 2K5 came out of nowhere with an astounding amount of options to customize the game,

Sort of spinning it. Yes, they threw an unfinished product at us with a bunch of options that luckily fixed somethings. Don't you think they should throw a finished product at use and THEN we can think about options for personal preference.

We're all hoping they do well this year, but, from what they've thrown out for us to see there is some concern. It's sloppy marketing and the hard core fans that are here can see it. As hardcore as you seem to be you'd think you'd see it too.

I'll eat humble pie if I'm wrong, have said that. Will apologize to 2k devs right here if they come through. I hope they do. You do the same if the game if the game is another mess?

[CaptainZombie]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

Well, it depends on what you consider a gimmick. I mean, I know that I may be considered a fanboy for 2K games. Who knows... maybe I am. Maybe I should just crawl out from the caves and say that I'm a 2K fanboy, even though I don't agree with fanboyism on any accounts. But, defending things is something that I like to do, and this game always seems to be a hot-button topic where I feel that I have some quality feedback on one's comments toward something.

The first thing is this: WSE wasn't supposed to show the progression of what 2K6 was supposed to be... so if there are more threads like that, there will be some heavily discussed issues as to what their goals were releasing WSE. IMO they may do the same thing again this year with 2K6, and I don't see them doing anything different from last year... it's just a World Series Edition for 2K6, and not 2K7 50% through the completions of that game.

Your not doing anything wrong w/ defending 2K games or MLB2K series. I'm at fault for the same things. Last fall when WSE came out, I don't know if you remember, but I was one of the few praising the game. I wasn't opposed to the WSE since I was one of the first few OSer's around here to buy the game. Many fanboys of MLB2K didn't even jump on the bus with this release.

Only thing I was disappointed about was that they didn't fix all of the issues with WSE, just a few. This should have been 2K5 Complete. All issues that were reported on OS and other boards should have been fixed.

And the second thing, again, is to ask what one would consider a gimmick (worthless or not) from 2K's game. I won't mention any names (mainly because I forget), but I can name a few people that considered 2K's Swing Stick gimmicky with MVP's Load & Fire Hitting Revolutionary. Is there any justice in that? I don't believe so. Also... Pure Motion Physics are so that there is no more turning on a dime, players going through each other, or the stadium not affecting the player when interacting with it. I can't find one way to consider it a gimmick. The next few paragraphs will list a few other "gimmicks".

I didn't care for "Load & Fire". I used the face buttons for batting instead. Those people have double standards imo with regards to "Load & Fire" being better & "Swing Stick" not being since it's the same concept.

The only one that is questionable will be Inside Edge, and that's seeing exactly how realistic it will be, and how much of a crutch it will be. IMO, the second question was answered after seeing the first batch of beta screenshots, where there was a setting for the CPU to use Inside Edge for batters and pitchers. So, since they do it too, I wouldn't necessarily consider it a crutch for us, unless you play on Default Pro.

I think Inside Edge might actually be a useful feature, and not a gimmick. I hope that Stats are accurate since 2KSports has a track record of having incorrect stat tracking over the years in their games.

Snap throws are one that I will consider a gimmick. They are something different that they added to the table that IMO was not needed to further enhance gameplay. Why need a catcher cam for throwdowns and snap throws, but not in any other situation? I'm not saying that this was a bad idea, but I will agree on saying that this was a gimmick as was SlamZone last year.

BaseBurner mode could be considered a gimmick, but if so, it's my favorite one of them all. It's nothing new to the series, so I'll leave it alone for you guys to look back on what it was and what you thought of it.

Payoff Pitching doesn't seem to be the absolute best pitching system, but I think it will work better than K-Zone, especially because it will actually be playable and usable with the BTP cam. They also offer (what MLB has offered the last few years) the break point for where you set the pitching cursor, which will attract some fans, especially myself. Gimmicky? Not unless you consider it gimmicky for the other game, too.

Now these are gimmicks to me. I feel sometimes that 2K/VC/Kush spends too much time coming up with new ideas for their sports titles and are not spending the time to refine the problems from the previous year. Payoff pitching might be something neat, I'm 50/50 on the fence with this one. Snap throws and Baserunner are something that I could do without.

Even look at WSE, I'm glad that they released this version.....but they had 8 months to fix all of the issues. All they did was fix 1 slider that we all know what it was, and added some World Series modes. It doesn't bother me that they released this version, but fix the problems.

So, in my mind, it's not really as much about how many gimmicks are in the game, but it's more on the lines of how many of them are "worthless" gimmicks. ESPN MLB had a worthless first-person mode, which is unfortunate because ESPN NFL 2K5 had an excellent one. It also was horribly shut down with The Dual. MLB 2K5 came out of nowhere with an astounding amount of options to customize the game, especially in the presentation and controls departments. I hope that 2K6 rehashes the same thing, but that every feature, gimmicky or not, is worth having in the game.

I hope that they do release a WSE2K6, but I also hope they fix any problems that may come up in this release. If NBA2K6 was an indication on the XBOX/PS2, than hopefully the developers will be combing the threads the weeks after release on these systems to find out what the glitches are so they aren't replicated on the 360. This was one good way of cutting down the bugs from the 360 2K6 version. I think the same was done with NHL2K6. But there were a few new glitches/bugs that appeared in the 360 version.

MLB2K6 for XBOX and PS2 should be used as a spring board to make sure that X360 doesn't repeat the same problems as I mentioned above.

Bro, I want the same thing you do.....A top quality baseball game on the 360 from 2K/KUSH in the form of MLB2K6.

I want to lead my Cubs to the World Series in the digital world since I have a feeling that in my lifetime, they may never see a WS again.

[NoSkillz50]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

You gotta admit though Blzer, they are very gimmicky in general. Instead of focusing on subtle nuances, they take something and make it way over the top, they hype it up like crazy and then it feels like something out of an arcade game. For every step forward they could be taking a step back. I wish they would shelf most of their ideas and just polish this game off. Make it play like real baseball first and fix the animations. They are patronizing too sometimes. Realistic physichs for runners? Are you kidding? This is something that every other game has and something that should be expected, they slap some fancy label on it and act like they deserve an award.

[Blzer]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

I'm only reiterating the name they gave. Instead, from now on, I'll call it "momentum" for the running, and "collisions" for the player interaction.

[spit_bubble]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

World Series Edition was utterly lame.

If they did another WSE this year, but made it a different game all together... With like 30 teams from past World Series' that you could use in a season...

That would be utterly sweet!

[Blzer]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

[I won't say I've said it before, but] MLB 2K5: WSE was not targeted for those that already have MLB 2K5. Granted, if they got those sales... power to them. However, for those that didn't get the game the first go-around got a second chance to go at it. So, if you're saying that the WSE edition was lame because it wasn't quite an add-on to the game at all, then I would agree with you. But that's about as far as the line goes.

[spit_bubble]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

[I won't say I've said it before, but]So, if you're saying that the WSE edition was lame because it wasn't quite an add-on to the game at all...

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm saying.

If they make WSE 2K6, hopefully they'll make a good, unique game that focuses on one of the great sporting events in history... Rather than one that just exploits it.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

[I won't say I've said it before, but] MLB 2K5: WSE was not targeted for those that already have MLB 2K5. Granted, if they got those sales... power to them. However, for those that didn't get the game the first go-around got a second chance to go at it. So, if you're saying that the WSE edition was lame because it wasn't quite an add-on to the game at all, then I would agree with you. But that's about as far as the line goes.

I wonder what the sales figures were like for MLB2K5:WSE?

[Blzer]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

I think their biggest problem with WSE was that they never advertised it. I saw every single World Series game, and not once was there a commercial for it. I wonder how they would have sold well at all with that kind of marketing ploy.

As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen an MLB 2K5 commercial either.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: 5 Months Ago.....2K5:WSE

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm saying.

If they make WSE 2K6, hopefully they'll make a good, unique game that focuses on one of the great sporting events in history... Rather than one that just exploits it.

This is what I was expecting, a WSE where there was focus on the playoffs. I liked that regular season was in there and being able to begin 1/2 way through the season, which should make a return if 2k6 get the same treatment.

I think they should also have a Playoffs Mode where the teams that have made the playoffs are in this mode.