the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

[Woodcutta]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Complaining about grass coloring or the realism of how the flag is waving is taking it a little too far but complaining about the lack of a team celebration after a dramatic comeback when it was in last year's game is a legit gripe. Telling the gaming community that the game will be much improved and even more realistic when taking things out of the game that made it more realistic isn't "nitpicking".

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Maybe it makes them feel better about their own faults

That would be it.

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Complaining about grass coloring or the realism of how the flag is waving is taking it a little too far but complaining about the lack of a team celebration after a dramatic comeback when it was in last year's game is a legit gripe.

Great. Now, could you please make a list of all the things that are merely complaints about the game versus all the things we can legitimately gripe about. So that everyone here is clear and we know what's what.

[Diesel3649]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

It's not hard to figure out why the game is being dissected the way it is, you put out a mediocre product for three consecutive years, you better expect gamers to disect it, poke it and prod it every way you can, then put a scope up it's backside and check it from the inside out!
I appreciate all the scrutiny, in these economic times we can't afford to be fooled a fourth year in a row.

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

It's not hard to figure out why the game is being dissected the way it is, you put out a mediocre product for three consecutive years, you better expect gamers to disect it.

That would also be it.

[Eddie1967]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

I'm 27 years old, been gaming since I was about 6 or 7, been surfing online game forums since you had to install AOL with those little white floppy disks...

I've never seen a game analyzed and dissected down to a tee before its release the way MLB 2k9 has been. not any game - sports or otherwise...and not just on this site, but all over the internet:

- players have large trap muscles
- too much organ music
- questionable hits
- fans not responding realistically
- framerate issues (despite what espn and game informer says lol)
- uniform accuracy
- stadium accuracy
tons more but you get the idea....

on one hand, this could just be nothing more than the foreshadowing of yet ANOTHER sub-par 2k baseball project by gamers across the internet...or, is this just the byproduct of the PS3 vs XBOX360, or MLB THE SHOW vs 2k BASEBALL wars...

so what do you think? are these concerns legit, or not?

Finally someone who sees the light. I really think it goes beyond MLB 2K9, all 2k games are dissected this way. And what's even worse is that the people nitpicking this game and other 2k games to death play other games (not 2k) that lack these "little things" even more. I could see concerns about game play to a point but some of the other concerns are just ridiculous IMO. Ads being one of them.

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

all 2k games are dissected this way.

If you're from Glitch City, the rest of the world tends to view you with suspicion!

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

some of the other concerns are just ridiculous IMO.

Discussing concerns on a message board is why they exist. Could it be that you and the OP just don't like message boards maybe? I honestly don't get why peoples' opinions regarding this or that game can be so upsetting to some.

[texbuk84]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Finally someone who sees the light. I really think it goes beyond MLB 2K9, all 2k games are dissected this way. And what's even worse is that the people nitpicking this game and other 2k games to death play other games (not 2k) that lack these "little things" even more. I could see concerns about game play to a point but some of the other concerns are just ridiculous IMO. Ads being one of them.

This statement is so true. Alot of the people who are critizing the 2k series of games are people who never played a 2k game ever in their life. That's like me being a English literature critic when I am a Mathematician. It doesnt make sense to me.

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Alot of the people who are critizing the 2k series of games are people who never played a 2k game ever in their life.

And you know this to be true, how?

[tmac55]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

This statement is so true. Alot of the people who are critizing the 2k series of games are people who never played a 2k game ever in their life. That's like me being a English literature critic when I am a Mathematician. It doesnt make sense to me.

Well said. I totally agree. I was admittedly an NBA Live fanboy for years, but I have converted to 2K since like 2K7 and they really do have their unique stamp on their types of sports games. I think most 2K fans had high hopes for what VC can do and it'll be interesting to see what they can produce in a year one window. We all want the best for this game.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Finally someone who sees the light. I really think it goes beyond MLB 2K9, all 2k games are dissected this way. And what's even worse is that the people nitpicking this game and other 2k games to death play other games (not 2k) that lack these "little things" even more. I could see concerns about game play to a point but some of the other concerns are just ridiculous IMO. Ads being one of them.

lol...Eddie, I'm beginning to like you, even with your unabashed homerism

You're letting it seep into your point here a bit though. People don't overanalyze 2K games more than they do any other. In fact, all the complaints some of you make about overzealous Show fans here can easily be applied to 2K football fans over in the Madden forums. It's what happens when a product fails to hit it's mark, unfortunately.

There are a few things at play here:

{NOTE: If you don't feel like reading my thesis...lol (and who could blame you) skip on down to the last paragraph for the directly on-topic point!...don't say I didn't try to spare you...lol}

-For some, yes, it's as simple as they like to complain.

-We have a more limited selection of MLB games. It's not like people have 4-5 different titles that cover the varying differences in player "needs."

-Simply put, 2K has pumped out inferior baseball. 2K7 seemd stepping in the right direction, then fell backwards. This rollercoaster they've put their fans on hasn't helped anything.

-Piggybacking of the last one, people also get miffed when a game USED TO have something and then it goes away. OR, they see another game consistently doing things better and wonder why this game still can't get things right.

-Repeat problems. People tend to find more when problems they've already mentioned are never fixed. Bat sounds, Organ music, bat-to-ball physics, goofy animations, etc have all been a sour point for a few years now. These complaints are resurfacing at the slightest sight, because people are more tuned into these.

-Features. If you have something new or flaunt it as a major feature, it will always draw attention. This is both blessing and curse for them as any inconsistencies will be picked up on.

-3rd party exclusive. 2K baseball has the unfortunate comparison to Madden in this regard: It solidified a legacy for the game it put out of commission.

2K5 and MVP 05 will live on forever in people's hearts because they were "killed in their prime." Opinions of their actual quality aside, the "killer" (in this case 2K baseball) will always draw some bitterness in this regard.

There are more, but you get the drift.

Also, the community itself plays a role here. For every complaint you have 2 or 3 loyalists sweep in to defend EVERYTHING...no matter what (not exclusive to the 2K forums either...speaking of game forums in general).

It's not really that everyone with a gripe is piling on, it's just that you have a ton of people with varying opinions on what matters to them. This can cause it to feel like there are more complaints than necessary (I'm not talking about the agenda based commnetary...real gripes here).

The ironic thing is, The Show is likely dissected even more...lol...but people usually have a positive to follow with because the game's been so good for a few years now (Yes, a few years. It was a good next gen title BOTH years it was out...just wasn't visually "next gen" in 07) and it's been a good PS2 game as well.

Go look at the bugs/glitches thread from last year or the 2009 wishlist thread...lol. I remember thinking "Oh Crap" when the glitches piled up to 28 pages in like a day...lol. Turns out most of it was repetition and mostly minor. It just comes off as less frequent there because the game hasn't disappointed that many people recently. Plus, if the situation were reversed (meaning SCEA held the 3rd party exclusive) they'd be under even more fire too, as I mentioned before.

Most "overanalyzing" starts off innocently enough as just a comment. It doesn't reallyoccur until a couple people come to debate it...then both "sides" jump in to disucss their respective points, and sure enough another horse suffers...lol. It's healthy, IMO, as long as everyone can keep their cool and not personalize it.

Anyway, after all that is said...lol...overanalyzing means NOTHING to the state of the game. It's not a sign of anything than a bunch of people with varying opinions commenting on the game.

I think it will be easier to swallow (and less harsh in general) if the game provs to have turned around. We'll see how it plays out.

The End

[baa7]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

-Simply put, 2K has pumped out inferior baseball.

And not just baseball.

[Artman22]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

Some are valid especially after 2k's history in baseball games but can be exagerated. I think it's best to wait until the retail product to over analize.

[patssox2004]

Re: the over analyzing of MLB 2k9...good or bad sign?

You bring up all valid points, and I know your fusteration with the MLB 2kx series. I've been buying them since 2004 and I know. I think this year's version will be the best, because new developers are taking over. In 2k8 Ben Brinkman promised us the best baseball game around-but he did not follow up on this promise. This has led people like you(and me) question if it's possible the 2k series can let us down this year as well in 2k9. I believe these developers realize they need to do something, or the MLB 2k series will be no more. Thus, I've seen some great improvements in previews and more.

-The fan interaction has definitly improved- all fans cheer and stand up in the 9th inning in a close game, and actually catch foul and HR balls. They accruately duck when a foul ball is going to hit them, and they chant big name players. It's not perfect, but it's better than in 2k8 where the fans were robots. To see the best in this, look in the Oakland/Seattle video on Operaton Sports

- The questionable hits is also mainly improved. I see great potential in the fact that I've seen more ground balls, more bloop singles and a varitey of hits. I've also seen less gappers then before. I think this is another good improvement, that we did not see in the 2k8 preview videos.

- I do admit the stadium accuracy and players are not good- 2k has added numerous quanities of 2 ads(Pepsi and State Farm). It is very excessive, and it ruins the stadiums because 2k has modified the ads into walls to make them biggerthan they are or add an ad that is never there(Wrigley Field). Also, Citi field is missing alot of minor details(foul poles are supposed to be orange, not yellow) which is a surprise since the Mets field is pretty popular to use. The player accuracy is somewhat ok- 2k got the main players right- but were too lazy with some minor but well-known players and gave them generic faces.

-Finally, it seems like the framerate issues will be gone as in the videos they were mainly good. 2k said it would be fixed, which hopefully it will be. They said alot of untrue things last year, which is a bit concerning. They say the demo will come out tomorrow for XBOX 360, if it doesn't then you can count on other broken promises- like framerate. If that happens, you should seriously question wasting $60 for this game, if you don't want to be let down.

I'm 27 years old, been gaming since I was about 6 or 7, been surfing online game forums since you had to install AOL with those little white floppy disks...

I've never seen a game analyzed and dissected down to a tee before its release the way MLB 2k9 has been. not any game - sports or otherwise...and not just on this site, but all over the internet:

- players have large trap muscles
- too much organ music
- questionable hits
- fans not responding realistically
- framerate issues (despite what espn and game informer says lol)
- uniform accuracy
- stadium accuracy
tons more but you get the idea....

on one hand, this could just be nothing more than the foreshadowing of yet ANOTHER sub-par 2k baseball project by gamers across the internet...or, is this just the byproduct of the PS3 vs XBOX360, or MLB THE SHOW vs 2k BASEBALL wars...

so what do you think? are these concerns legit, or not?