Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

[Trevytrev11]

The development cycles for sports games are already short enough, but with the numerous problems of MLB 2K8 demanding not only a patch for the frame rate, but also a title update to touch on many other issues, will this cut short the effort put into 2K9?

In a perfect world, it seems that the development cycle for 2K9 would start a few weeks after the release of 2K9 and go full steam until a few weeks or months before the release of the game. However, it's now mid-April and it seems that their attention is still on fixing 2K8.

In the long run, it seems that once again, they won't have enough time to fix everything that won't be fixed via patch, fine tune everything else plus add their new "gimmick" of the year and then test the game like it should be tested.

Per many conversations on these boards, it seems like production is done a month or so prior to release, so we're talking 9-10 months of actual development time for 2K9. I know it's too early to even start ragging on 2K9, but one can't help but be concerned since this is the final year of the three year plan.

[baa7]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

I'm sure 2K9 will be 'okay and playable', just like 2K8 is. But until they scrap their 8 year-old game engine and start over, this game is always going to be lacking. In other words, the real issues with this series have nothing to do with 9-10 months of development time.

[pdawg17]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

I'm sure 2K9 will be 'okay and playable', just like 2K8 is. But until they scrap their 8 year-old game engine and start over, this game is always going to be lacking. In other words, the real issues with this series have nothing to do with 9-10 months of development time.

I completely agree...and if they don't get a demo out early they're going to piss people off all over again...

[merff11]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

I am enjoying 2k8 so don't get me wrong here. But it seems to me that the 2k baseball series is like a watching a train wreck. You can't help but watch. You really want to look away but can't fight the urge to see the mangled wreckage.

I am hoping 2k9 can provide the same type of enjoyment that 2k8 is for me right now, with the kinks worked out. As stated, until the engine is fixed it probably won't happen.

No matter how bad the product, next year people will be on here pre-ordering 2k9. One cause it's the only baseball title, but two because we always hope that something good will come from our being patient with 2k. The game has made some significant strides this year, but still has more than the proposed 1 year in Brinkman's plan.

We all want to walk away from this nightmare, but somehow are compelled to keep coming back. ( Before anyone else jumps on it, I really don't think EA taking out 2k will help this situation. We see what happens when one company controls the market so whether EA or 2k, if only one is producing a title, we will get half a product)

[russ99]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

I am enjoying 2k8 so don't get me wrong here. But it seems to me that the 2k baseball series is like a watching a train wreck. You can't help but watch. You really want to look away but can't fight the urge to see the mangled wreckage.

I am hoping 2k9 can provide the same type of enjoyment that 2k8 is for me right now, with the kinks worked out. As stated, until the engine is fixed it probably won't happen.

No matter how bad the product, next year people will be on here pre-ordering 2k9. One cause it's the only baseball title, but two because we always hope that something good will come from our being patient with 2k. The game has made some significant strides this year, but still has more than the proposed 1 year in Brinkman's plan.

We all want to walk away from this nightmare, but somehow are compelled to keep coming back. ( Before anyone else jumps on it, I really don't think EA taking out 2k will help this situation. We see what happens when one company controls the market so whether EA or 2k, if only one is producing a title, we will get half a product)

I think if EA takes over 2K, they'll acquire the MLB license, so I'd assume MVP 2009 would then be released with MLB teams, players, stadiums, etc. and 2K MLB will be mothballed, which may eventually be good for gamers since there's no excuse for what 2K did to us this year.

The same stipulations of the license would be in place so Sony and Microsoft (if they choose to) can still produce a 1st party game. It wouldn't be a single game.

[bonafied0034]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

People seem to forget what EA has done with the NFL license. Madden has not lived up to what it should have become on the next-gen consoles. Granted, I find Madden 08 playable and, at times, entertaining, but there's not telling how much better this game would be if there were still competition from another company (no, APF doesn't count since it isn't the NFL). That is the basis of Capitalism, companies competing against one another to make the best product so that more customers buy there product instead of the other. In the video game world, if only one company is allowed to make a game featuring the NFL or MLB, it only hurts the consumers since there is nothing that is driving the company to make the game better. Sales for games like Madden are off the charts just based on name alone, and people will still always buy MLB 2k-whatever just because it is the only MLB title for the 360, so there is nothing driving these companies to make their titles that much better from year to year, since they will always sell. And no, a few gamers on OS saying that they will wait before buying the game next year will do nothing to hinder sales because each year there are new people that buy gaming consoles and will pick up the game without looking at any reviews or anything online, because, honestly, there really aren't many people that look at online gaming forums.

As you can see, IMO, EA buying 2k and acquiring the MLB license really wouldn't help anything. Sorry for the tangent on the rest of the post.

P.S. All of you saying that since MVP 2005 was such a great game, and made by EA, that we should be begging for EA to buy 2k and get the license, but you seem to forget that EA made that game before anyone had the exclusive rights to make an MLB game, and that competition drove them to make such a great game. Just think about that.

[Turbo Lax 33]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

Bonafied,
I absolutely agree with you. It drives me nuts that the bad guy of the season is the same company that everyone was praising during football season. Read the blogs after Madden came out and it was all...... "2k would have never dogged a game, 2k is the king, EA sucks".

Now here we are in baseball season and 2k released a game that in my opinion was very playable in single player mode but got absolutely bashed on the boards. The stutter and slow down while noticable, certainly didn't make for an altogether unplayable game. What are we hearing now......."2k sucks, they owe us, I'm filing a class action lawsuit, EA would have never done this".

I was disappointed in both Madden and MLB2k8, but I played them both, formed my own opinion on how long I would play them for and chalked up the problems in each to the fact that it's nearly impossible for these companies to release a flawless game within the year cycle we have all come to expect.

I do believe as consumers, we all have the right to our own opinion and blogs like this are designed for that very feedback. I just find the over the top, high drama responses a tad much. Nobody forced me to buy either game. I try and take a very objective stance in my opinion of a release after I plunk my hard earned 60 bucks down.

As for what I did about it, in case anyone cares is I sold all of my EA stock (a nominal amount), only ended up playing 4 franchise seasons in Madden (cuz it wasn't fun) and vouged that I wouldn't buy anymore EA products until next football season. I feel EA has slipped in almost every sports title they have released over the last few years. But I love football so I will continue to plunk down my moola for NCAA and Madden.

That's my 2 cents and yes I'm aware nobody asked for it....flame away drama queens

[baa7]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

That's my 2 cents and yes I'm aware nobody asked for it....flame away drama queens

Passive-aggressive much?

And that's like making some trolling comment and then saying, "Now go ahead call me a troll, all you judgmental people!" And what else do you think they're going to call you after that?

[baa7]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

Now here we are in baseball season and 2k released a game that in my opinion was very playable in single player mode but got absolutely bashed on the boards.

And I would guess that 2/3 of the people who bought the game and posted on this and other forums, have long since given up on the game. So yeah: bashed on the boards. And on the various site reviews. And for good reason apparently.

Not quite sure what anything you wrote had to do with the thread topic though.

[Turbo Lax 33]

Re: Will 2K9 be hurt by 2K8?

My reply was actually to Bonafied's comments.....that's why I started it with;

"Bonafied"

I will agree with you it wasn't on topic, but I was simply agreeing with his post.