Re: Patch Discussion
Well, after a day with the patch I have found the gameplay on the field much better. But all-in-all it's still not worth it due to the other numerous problems that plague this title.
1) For some reason my settings never hold from game to game even in Franchise Mode when I play one game and immediately go to the next. Using Classic Control... suddenly for no apparent reason I am using Swing Stick... annoying.
2) Still having issues where errors are not being counted corrctly from game to game during a season.
3) I have now run into the reported issue where the CPU is not putting players back into Major League starting Lineups on CPU controlled teams - Jeter was out two weeks with a torn calf muscle, and has spent the rest of the season in AAA.
4) Sometimes the game appears to still generate artificial hits by not allowing the control of certain players (especially infield hits). I cannot tell you how many times routine grounders have rolled by my 3rd baseman and 2nd baseman without them moving at all, despite my moving the control stick. I know some claim it's an artifact of the player stats... I cry bull. The player is frozen in time, makes no effort to even put his glove to the ground or even make a play for the ball. What's even funnier is after I control the outfielder to grab the grounder the frozen player IS STILL standing frozen in place.
5) Bunting... just plain silly in this game... why did they remove the drag bunting feature from previous years? It's just like an exercise in silliness... despite any setting I've used I can almost 100% of the time move a runner from 1st to 2nd, but what's worse is the CPU defense seems utterly confused on how to handle bunts. So what I was expecting to be a simple sacrifice bunt invaribly ends up being a bunt for a hit. I rarely get thrown out, even with my slowest players.
6) Lack of animations. While I am not a big stickler on the graphics side of gaming, I would like to see some variety of animations when players make plays. Every play is like an instant replay of the previous play... SS and 2B's always make the same diving grabs, outfielders look virtually identical when they track down fly balls... just makes for a tedious game, and after a while I feel like I'm just going through the motions.
At the end of the day MLB2K6, after the patch, is not a bad game... it just feels like a lazy, half-finished game. There's really not enough here to differentiate itself from previous versions of the 2K series... it's almost like playing 2K4, just on another platform.
What's sad is there's a lot of good potential. Inside Edge is amazing and has frankly made me a better batter. I really examine my hitting strengths when I face certain pitchers and will wait for "my pitch". Meanwhile, the batter/pitcher interface is easily the best I've seen in any baseball video game.
Unfortunately all of the numerous little glitches and bugs that infect this game distract from my overall enjoyment of MLB2K6. Hopefully next year Kush can get it's act together. But I will definitely wait for a few reviews before I plunk down my money again for next year's version.
Yancy
Well, after a day with the patch I have found the gameplay on the field much better. But all-in-all it's still not worth it due to the other numerous problems that plague this title.
1) For some reason my settings never hold from game to game even in Franchise Mode when I play one game and immediately go to the next. Using Classic Control... suddenly for no apparent reason I am using Swing Stick... annoying.
2) Still having issues where errors are not being counted corrctly from game to game during a season.
3) I have now run into the reported issue where the CPU is not putting players back into Major League starting Lineups on CPU controlled teams - Jeter was out two weeks with a torn calf muscle, and has spent the rest of the season in AAA.
4) Sometimes the game appears to still generate artificial hits by not allowing the control of certain players (especially infield hits). I cannot tell you how many times routine grounders have rolled by my 3rd baseman and 2nd baseman without them moving at all, despite my moving the control stick. I know some claim it's an artifact of the player stats... I cry bull. The player is frozen in time, makes no effort to even put his glove to the ground or even make a play for the ball. What's even funnier is after I control the outfielder to grab the grounder the frozen player IS STILL standing frozen in place.
5) Bunting... just plain silly in this game... why did they remove the drag bunting feature from previous years? It's just like an exercise in silliness... despite any setting I've used I can almost 100% of the time move a runner from 1st to 2nd, but what's worse is the CPU defense seems utterly confused on how to handle bunts. So what I was expecting to be a simple sacrifice bunt invaribly ends up being a bunt for a hit. I rarely get thrown out, even with my slowest players.
6) Lack of animations. While I am not a big stickler on the graphics side of gaming, I would like to see some variety of animations when players make plays. Every play is like an instant replay of the previous play... SS and 2B's always make the same diving grabs, outfielders look virtually identical when they track down fly balls... just makes for a tedious game, and after a while I feel like I'm just going through the motions.
At the end of the day MLB2K6, after the patch, is not a bad game... it just feels like a lazy, half-finished game. There's really not enough here to differentiate itself from previous versions of the 2K series... it's almost like playing 2K4, just on another platform.
What's sad is there's a lot of good potential. Inside Edge is amazing and has frankly made me a better batter. I really examine my hitting strengths when I face certain pitchers and will wait for "my pitch". Meanwhile, the batter/pitcher interface is easily the best I've seen in any baseball video game.
Unfortunately all of the numerous little glitches and bugs that infect this game distract from my overall enjoyment of MLB2K6. Hopefully next year Kush can get it's act together. But I will definitely wait for a few reviews before I plunk down my money again for next year's version.
Yancy
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