Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

[Spanky]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

I'm enjoying the game and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, Queens has a point. It's just sloppy to put out a game with so many bugs & glitches. 2K needs to take a little pride in their work and they should've delayed the game a few weeks. I mean how much can really be fixed in a patch? Don't they have big memory limitations?

They shipped an obviously unfinished game, there's no way some of this stuff slipped by testers. So it was like "Heck with it, we'll just patch it later." I dont mind patches, but aren't they supposed to fix minor issues that weren't caught in normal testing? Major bugs are just unacceptable.

During the million dollar challenge what if you have a perfect game going in the 9th but it freezes? You're going to call an attorney, and if that doesn't work you'll post the video up on Youtube for all to see. It will get millions of viewers, nationwide media coverage and 2K will look stupid and have egg on their face.

This game is the best ever in some areas but the most ugly in others. Again, I'm a fan and it's a keeper but am just frustrated.

Agree with all your points. The thing that gets me the most is the lack of pride they have in putting this thing out with such embarrassing glitches. I mean, if there were no framerate issues, fatigue issues, freezing, etc., last year, why is it there this year? Did fixing the injury and errors bug from last year screw up other things? Makes no sense.

Ultimately, I beat the head honchos there are just sitting back and laughing and saying, "Good thing we didn't put out a solid, finished product. Now they'll come back next year looking for a game that corrects those issues and we'll screw up 3-4 other things that have them coming back the year after, and so on and so on.''

[FavreDollaFootlong]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Agree with all your points. The thing that gets me the most is the lack of pride they have in putting this thing out with such embarrassing glitches. I mean, if there were no framerate issues, fatigue issues, freezing, etc., last year, why is it there this year? Did fixing the injury and errors bug from last year screw up other things? Makes no sense.

Ultimately, I beat the head honchos there are just sitting back and laughing and saying, "Good thing we didn't put out a solid, finished product. Now they'll come back next year looking for a game that corrects those issues and we'll screw up 3-4 other things that have them coming back the year after, and so on and so on.''

Not to continue to beat a dead horse but the thing that goes along with the pride to me is that they put out nba 2k11 maybe one of the greatest sport games (to me) ever by far the greatest basketball game ever. facial expression and graphics were awesome and then they put out this, which graphically i was not impressed at all. Honestly at some points it reminds me of Big Hurt Baseball for Super NES when some of my 5'11" guys look as big as Bonds or Canseco.

My biggest negative impression, besides whats already been said cuz i agree, is how they spew this crap about the MLBPA union and that's why they dont have prospects like Harper because they can't use their likeness until they sign pro papers. Ok well how come then with players that do like Duensing from the Twins, Pennington for the A's, they half-A it and give them the same faces. a lot of different players are identical if you play with some different teams. Players they have pictures of they use 2k generated generic heads. Just laziness. I've noticed about 30 Mauer look alikes, all my pitching prospects are identical twins. that kind of stuff really bugs me.

Oh yeah also no Ron Gardenhire. I make a pitching change and a fat nick blackburn comes trotting out to take....himself out of the game. nice work there. it would also be nice to see some crowd reaction like EA does with the NHL series.(crowd stands up and erupts after goals, wins, big hits, if anyone hasn't played.) Not happy with the no applause for a walk-off 3 run shot at home and i almost get the feeling the developers focused on borderlands, bioshock2, nba2k11 and said F everything else we already lose to the Show every year and their only on one console.

[swaldo]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

It's definitely unfinished. But this is pretty much par for the course for sports games.

Where you see sloppiness and lack of pride, I see a ton of work and innovation that upgraded the game far more than I assumed they would for this released. Their reach was longer than their grasp, but I love what they have done.

It can be done, I challenge anyone to find a single bug or glitch in Pro Yakyuu Spirits Baseball. With the huge amount of games that are released and short attention span of gamers, after a few freezes they'll say "This is crap" and run to Gamestop to trade it in. And next year they wont even bother purchasing it. Meanwhile some reviews are clowning the game as if it's a big blooper reel, and it all could've been avoided.

They should've delayed the game until the freezes, frame stutters, fatigue issue and poor managerial AI decisions were fixed. If they just did those things then reviews would be more positive and people would be happy and keep their copy because it is a fun game. We need this franchise to succeed because its going in the right direction, but it isn't going to happen if they dont care about their reputation.

Just look at the instruction manual - it's pathetic. I found a copy of PES 6 soccer for the PS2 recently and the thing weighed like 2 pounds. I was like wtf? So I open it up and there was a massive instruction manual explaining every detail of the game. 2K doesn't even bother explaining how some basic functions work, it's just vague and sloppy.

In the 90's PC games were always released unfinished. People tolerated it so devs got lazy and released games that were even more buggy. The companies who cared enough to put out a solid product and did it right (such as Valve) are still around.

I also bought 2K11 for the PSP (because I really like the 360 version) but it has some really funny gameplay and is basically a weak product. It was developed by 2K China - wut? Now I have relatives that did alot of missionary work in China and was raised with the notion that the people of China are great people. However, I'm sorry but what do they know about baseball? According to the PSP product I'd say not much. That's the thing, 2K is brilliant in some areas but there are so many times I'm like "C'mon man, you've got to be kidding me!" Someone please take charge and clean this thing up.

My copy is currently on the shelf waiting for a patch, so what would a delay really matter?

[spit_bubble]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

...2K doesn't even bother explaining how some basic functions work, it's just vague and sloppy...

...I also bought 2K11 for the PSP (because I really like the 360 version) but it has some really funny gameplay and is basically a weak product. It was developed by 2K China - wut?

I know you're talkin' about the PSP version, but I seriously think maybe 2K China did the in game instructions for the 360 version. When I first started to tinker with the sliders and read the explanations they had underneath them, the first thing I thought for some of them was that these have been translated poorly from another language by someone who doesn't understand English...



Maybe the labor is cheaper in China???

[swaldo]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

I know you're talkin' about the PSP version, but I seriously think maybe 2K China did the in game instructions for the 360 version. When I first started to tinker with the sliders and read the explanations they had underneath them, the first thing I thought for some of them was that these have been translated poorly from another language by someone who doesn't understand English...



Maybe the labor is cheaper in China???

LOL, and I think I'm the only person in the world that bought it. I couldn't find one user or media review on the PSP version so I had no clue how good it would be. Dont they want to sell copies? You know, produce good product, make good money?

[JayhawkerStL]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Nah, I bought the PSP version while I was in Boston for PAX. It's pretty poor. Actually, it feels like an updated version of 2K9. I almost bought The Show, but 2K11 was $20 vs. $30 for The Show.

[Jistic]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Yeah, that is a tough one. Are the freezes mostly a 360 issue? I remember going through this with a few games like ASB 05 and NCAA BB 10 and it really wares on you after a few times.

I hope it is something that can be addressed via patch.

It might be a 360 issue. I have it on the HDD too but no matter. It sucks because I do really like the game. But I can't invest my time in it if I can't play it. I'll hold on a little bit to see if we hear about a patch if not I'll move on.

[hitstreak13]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

It might be a 360 issue. I have it on the HDD too but no matter. It sucks because I do really like the game. But I can't invest my time in it if I can't play it. I'll hold on a little bit to see if we hear about a patch if not I'll move on.

I have it for the PS3 and am truly enjoying the experience of 2k this year. The only bummer is that I have yet to start a franchise because of some bugs. I, like yourself, will wait it out to see if they patch things up. I am definitely rooting for them because they did a great job IMO.

[therizing02]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Wow. Been playing the game for about 3 days now and it seems like NOTHING was done as far CPU in game management.

Just finished a Franchise game. Used the Twins and put 11 on Mitre through the first four innings. He ends pitching a complete game anyway and throwing over 130 pitches. Brilliant.

Wait...it gets even better. In the bottom of the 6th the Yankees decide to bring Sabathia in to play LF for Gardner. Of course Sabathia doubles in a run in the 8th.

I also love the pitching changes mid-count. Had the Pirates down 5-2 in the top of the 8th at Wrigley. Of course the asinine CPU manager lets the pitcher bat with 2 on and 1 out. Gotta love it.

Ridiculous. Glad it's a rental. If you're on the fence either rent it or save your money.

[DJ]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

It might be a 360 issue. I have it on the HDD too but no matter. It sucks because I do really like the game. But I can't invest my time in it if I can't play it. I'll hold on a little bit to see if we hear about a patch if not I'll move on.

Well, I think to be safe I'll go with the PS3 version. I was leaning that way anyway, since I can import Custom Music on the PS3 and can't on the 360 (no CD burner).

[elfdutch]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

What can i say, i’m really in love with this game.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o></o>
Pitching / hitting is the best I’ve ever seen.<o></o>
I especially love how you can hit an outside pitch to opposite field.<o></o>
Love the double plays ,the outfield play, I even love the infield play.<o></o>
<o></o>
Starting to tweak some sliders as both me and the cpu are getting too much hits.<o></o>
<o></o>
Fatigue bug needs to be fixed for franchise but I trust they will work that out.<o></o>
<o></o>
I love the lighting in day games. Night games on ps3 are not so good, but in those cases I choose the batting practice uniforms in my home games. They have less/no white in them which makes all the difference.<o></o>
<o></o>
Sure there are some animation jerky /wonky things, and most replays suck.<o></o>
And I really wish they had worked on that, but other than this I am really enjoying this game!<o></o>

[DJ]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Thanks to GameStop offering 40% extra trade-in credit on 360 games, I am now the proud owner of MLB 2K11. I wound up going with the 360 version, as I thought the graphics were a little cleaner than the PS3 version.

I'm really looking forward to digging into this game later today and I will report back with some detailed impressions after I play a few games.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Thanks to GameStop offering 40% extra trade-in credit on 360 games, I am now the proud owner of MLB 2K11. I wound up going with the 360 version, as I thought the graphics were a little cleaner than the PS3 version.

I'm really looking forward to digging into this game later today and I will report back with some detailed impressions after I play a few games.

Looking forward to your thoughts DJ.

[DJ]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

One game officially in the books and I am really happy with my purchase. I'll get to the negatives in a bit, but let me mention the positives of what I saw in my game, which was a 3-1 win by my New York Mets over the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field. This was on default PRO, by the way.

Pros
-Commentary. My gosh, this is such a breath of fresh air compared to MLB The Show (I have both games, so I feel it is OK to bring up both games in my impression). John Kruk is just off the charts good, he may be the best in ANY sports game. Phillips is pretty good and I've always been a big Gary Thorne fan, so always good to hear his voice.

-Soundtrack. 2K always does a great job with these and I'm loving the selection this year.

-Batting camera. Whoever came up with this angle deserves a raise. I love that I can read pitches but it doesn't feel cheap that I'll never strikeout. In my game, I had 2 walks and 6 strikeouts, very fair numbers there.

-Hit variety is real nice. I saw a couple of bloopers, a hard liner to the gap for a double and a towering HR by Jason Bay.

-Again, this is on default PRO, but the CPU ball/strike ratio is really good. TB threw 117 pitches against me, 75 strikes and 42 balls for a .641 strike percentage. I was at 98 total pitches with 35 balls and 63 strikes for a .642 strike percentage.

-Gesture commands are great. I like The Show's Analog pitching mechanic, but I have to give the edge to 2K. You can't pinpoint spots like in 2K10, and the variable strike zone (again, much needed) really helps you and the CPU work counts.

-I'm not sure how to explain it but 2K, I've felt, always has done a good job of making the stadiums feel "big". The outfield just looks and feels expansive and that there's a ton of room to cover, just as it should be.

-Swing stick is real nice. I only use Power Swing in 2-0, 2-1, 3-1 counts or 0-0 if I see a pitch down the middle. Otherwise I use Contact and then Defensive in pitchers' counts.

-Inside edge is full of good info.

-Stat overlays are GREAT!

-The crowd is lively, and I like the player-specific chants.

Cons
-No pitch history for prior at-bats. It'd be nice to see where the CPU pitched Jose Reyes in his last AB.

-There's some definite framerate issues. I noticed it on a lot of flyballs and there were also just some general hiccups during the real-time presentation cuts.

-Fielding in the infield still feels too much on auto-pilot for me.

-CPU has NO power on the default settings. Not a single ball ever made it even close to the warning track. Good thing for sliders

-Games take a long time to play. I like the RTP, but I don't want to be playing 2 baseball games that each take over an hour to play. I may have to look at the hurry-up option.

-Colorado's uniforms are a mess. The purple alternate hasn't been worn in years, and the black alternate that they do wear (see my avatar), DOES NOT have purple sleeves. I don't get how they mess up things like that, but then nail some of the other teams' classic uniforms.

So, again this is just after one game but I do see the potential in this game and think it will be a great compliment to MLB The Show, especially once MLB Today gets going.

Question for you guys, if I set the Pitcher cam to Broadcast, does it adjust to whatever the home team's camera is? Or will I have to adjust the settings to get the camera to match what I see on TV?

Well, I'm going to adjust some sliders (Rudy, I'll be using your set) and keep playing. Good work so far, 2K.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Official MLB 2k11 - Impressions Thread

Question for you guys, if I set the Pitcher cam to Broadcast, does it adjust to whatever the home team's camera is? Or will I have to adjust the settings to get the camera to match what I see on TV?

I think the broadcast cam adjusts for every stadium but I don't use broadcast so I'm not completely sure. I love the Minnesota type of camera.

Nice thoughts DJ. The cpu power is definitely neutered on default pro. The cpu offense is tuned poorly out of the box imo.

The stadiums do feel big but a little too big with how slow the outfielders are on default. The stadiums do look and feel good imo.