What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

[porkchop]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

Yeah I'm going to hop on board the bandwagon here. The thing that scares me the most about MLB 2k9 is:

The look on my wife's face when I tell her I just went out and bought a PS3.

Here are the Sega Sports / 2K baseball titles I have purchased, in order:

WSB (that turd put me off Sega for a long time and it was all High Heat from then on for me) WSB 2k3, MLB 2k4, MLB 2k5, MLB 2k5: WSE, MLB 2k6, MLB 2k7, MLB 2k8.

Sooo basically we're talking about someone who has given his support for the product every year with mixed results (some of those titles were great - WSB 2k3 for instance.) Meanwhile, EA put out a little title some time ago called "MVP Baseball 2005." This title still, after all these years, stands as the gold standard for baseball titles.

Unfortunately like many I have an Xbox 360. I love my Xbox 360 - it rocks! I love Live, I love the controller and I love the large library of titles to choose from. I love the constant improvements Microsoft is making to the console. I also love baseball games - more than any other game. I have zero faith in 2k. I've given them SO MUCH of my money... and more often than not I have come away disappointed. This cycle has ended. In order for me to buy another MLB title from 2K, I will need the fine folks that visit OS to tell me that it's worth my money. I'm sick of paid beta testing.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

Not quite...I agree with the sentiment, but in reality it doesn't bear out. They are so busy working on the game that they can't afford to release a picture or two? A teaser? They don't have time for this yet they release multiple little Tim Lincecum videos? It just doesn't add up.

Let's get this out of the way: The marketing department doesn't work on the game other than to...you guessed it...market it.

The lack of marketing is a 2K trademark, especially with their baseball titles. That said, I'm not readin too much into it. It's no different than any other year, IMO. The lack of info doesn't concern me becuase most of what they need to do isn't that marketable anyway.

"All new for 2009...We actually give you a baseball game!" Not exactly an advertisers dream, is it?

Eventually they'll release screenshots, videos, info, etc. When they do, they'll likely be ripped for it. Marketing wise, they're in a no-win until they release a solid product...which has nothing to do with how it's marketed.

The Lincecum videos all were done while he was @ 2K doing his Mo-Cap session. That's the same way they did the Rick Nash commercial which is the same concept.

VC has a lot of work to do to get this series back to respectability. They have to FIX:

GAME CODE/ENGINE
GRAPHICS
FRAME RATE
COMMENTARY
GAME PLAY

Yes we've seen info from the other game already, but remember the other game has a big head-start due to have a pretty solid foundation already.

This game's foundation is terrible & needs a lot of work. Yeah I realize people are mad about being burned with MLB 2K8. Heck I could understand if you feel burned by this series since Kush took it over in 2004.

The reality is this series has been going backwards & to see Take-2 say enough is enough & bring in Visual Concepts to me is a good sign. I would love to see a teaser from 2k sports already & some screens, but again for me no news means good news.

[CarryTheWeight]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

EA got a bad rep doing the exact same things 2K is doing now. Eventually it hit EAs bottom line so they went in and restructured things. While EA is still not perfect they have come a long long way in just a few years. They are responsive to the community and truly seem to take an interest in improving things as much as they do in making money.

EA had deep pockets and an large market share which helped them through the lean times. 2K will not be able to survive the lean time with is about to strike them like an iceberg in the night. Over the years it has been apparent that those at the helm would rather just keep throwing things overboard than trying to right the ship.

That's exactly what I've been thinking over the past few years as well...exactly the opposite of what happened in the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube era. We can complain all we want about the Madden series, but look at titles like NHL and FIFA 09 from EA Canada. To say that those series haven't improved from the year 2006 on would be a flat-out lie.

As a huge 2K supporter myself since the 2K3 years, I'm not quite sure what to make of what's been going on this past generation. Sure, EA doesn't necessarily deliver the highest-quality titles either (does NFL Tour ring a bell?), but it seems as if their philosophy is moving in the right direction (community interaction and suggestions).

[SoxFan01605]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

The Lincecum videos all were done while he was @ 2K doing his Mo-Cap session. That's the same way they did the Rick Nash commercial which is the same concept.

VC has a lot of work to do to get this series back to respectability. They have to FIX:

GAME CODE/ENGINE
GRAPHICS
FRAME RATE
COMMENTARY
GAME PLAY

Yes we've seen info from the other game already, but remember the other game has a big head-start due to have a pretty solid foundation already.

This game's foundation is terrible & needs a lot of work. Yeah I realize people are mad about being burned with MLB 2K8. Heck I could understand if you feel burned by this series since Kush took it over in 2004.

The reality is this series has been going backwards & to see Take-2 say enough is enough & bring in Visual Concepts to me is a good sign. I would love to see a teaser from 2k sports already & some screens, but again for me no news means good news.

I don't disagree with you about the potential this game holds with VC taking it back over. I also agree they have much to fix.

My only point, and our only disagreement on this, is that the lack of marketing is any kind of indication they are hard at work fixing the game. As I said, the marketing team isn't the group "fixing" all the issues you listed. That's a poor excuse for no info. I don't say that to be critical, I'm just pointing it out as a matter of course. The truth is we don't know why they aren't marketing. They just aren't.

You say "no news is good news." some say "no news is bad news." I say, "no news is no news"...lol.

This is typical 2K marketing. Nothing more, nothing less. To read into it as something positive is as silly as reading into it as something negative. If your hopeful for the game...fine. If someone is skeptical of the game...fine. I don't see how the marketing (or lack thereof) can play into either of those perceptions though...at least not at this point.

[oldskoolmaddenfanz27]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I cant believe they assigned Randy Johnson a generic face

[Behindshadows]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

What frightens me the most is that the graphics will still suck for a Next Gen game, and the fact that they might still have a bad pitching system.

With the mistakes made in NBA 2k9 and NHL 2k9 looks like all the efforts were put into presentation and everything else lacked. I hope they don't make the same mistake with the MLB.

[Gamblin79]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

My biggest fear is that 2k9 won't calculate ERA correctly, the AI won't steal even when the slider is set to steal 100, and that singles and HRs will be the only two types of hits.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

My biggest fear is that 2k9 won't calculate ERA correctly, the AI won't steal even when the slider is set to steal 100, and that singles and HRs will be the only two types of hits.

Sooo...your biggest fear is a re-release of 08?

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I don't disagree with you about the potential this game holds with VC taking it back over. I also agree they have much to fix.

My only point, and our only disagreement on this, is that the lack of marketing is any kind of indication they are hard at work fixing the game. As I said, the marketing team isn't the group "fixing" all the issues you listed. That's a poor excuse for no info. I don't say that to be critical, I'm just pointing it out as a matter of course. The truth is we don't know why they aren't marketing. They just aren't.

You say "no news is good news." some say "no news is bad news." I say, "no news is no news"...lol.

This is typical 2K marketing. Nothing more, nothing less. To read into it as something positive is as silly as reading into it as something negative. If your hopeful for the game...fine. If someone is skeptical of the game...fine. I don't see how the marketing (or lack thereof) can play into either of those perceptions though...at least not at this point.

We'll the same way people feel the lack of info means:

This game is Teh Suxs & 2k is hiding something, for me it means business as usual as far as marketing..

2K Marketing has a bigger issue @ hand than showing some screens & videos. I'm pretty sure they need to prepare for the onslaught they're gonna get from media outlets about 2k8.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I'm pretty sure they need to prepare for the onslaught they're gonna get from media outlets about 2k8.

Just take a note out of McGwire's book: "We're not here to talk about the past"..it did wonders for his reputation.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

Just take a note out of McGwire's book: "We're not here to talk about the past"..it did wonders for his reputation.

Yeah, that's probably the answer we'll see from them. Hopefully the game will help with such an answer

[bodhiball]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I'm most frightened that the most popular thread right now on the 2k forum is "What FRIGHTENS you most" while everyone is gushing over the videos, features, screen shots and improvements in The Show.

[baa7]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I'm most frightened that the most popular thread right now on the 2k forum is "What FRIGHTENS you most" while everyone is gushing over the videos, features, screen shots and improvements in The Show.

Ha-ha! Good one. More sad than frightening though.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

Ha-ha! Good one. More sad than frightening though.

lol...so true

[dynastynation]

Re: What Frightens You the Most About MLB2k9?

I just want the little things to be fixed... and a lag-free online would be a plus.