I've only played two games so far, along with a HR Derby session. Probably the biggest improvement was, as much as Hilary can't believe it, in the graphics department. The biggest issue that still remains is the awful animations. In two games I've only hit one HR, my pitching has been WAY too good, and this is with blzer's slider settings. Since I basically suck at reviews, I'm going to try instead to assign scores to various categories:
Key: last year's grade / this year's grade
graphics -> C/C
- while the graphics are crisper, the faces are horrible looking and the players' bodies don't look well-proportioned
sound -> B / C
- the sound of the bat is a little annoying. It sounds like a freaking firecracker, but there is really no way to change that without also hurting other auditory aspects of the game.
player animations -> B / C
- the same ol' animations are back. One thing that I really like is that the first basemen doesn't rocket the ball at the covering pitcher. One thing that I can't stand is how everytime a player fields the ball or throws it, he is in some sort of "saddle riding" stance. It's hard to explain, it's not a bow-legged stance, but rather the reverse of that. On plays, the ball sometimes gets vacuumed into the glove, and the players don't look quite right when running. Can't put a finger on it, maybe someone else here can help on that one.
swinging animations -> C / D
- last year the swinging animations -- as EVERYONE here is well aware of, were disgusting. This year they actually mimic real-life. Sort of. The bat still looks like a toothpick, and the hitters look like they're swinging at pinatas blind-folded.
pitching animations -> B / C
- the pitchers motion is smoother this year, though I'd still like more emphasis put on each pitch type.
ball flight physics -> C / D
- last year there WERE no ball physics. There were too few varieties of hits and everything seemed like a vacuum. This year the thirdbasemen, and how in the world QC didn't catch this I don't know, literally lofts the ball 20-30 feet in a high arc over to firstbase. It looks terrible. On replays of pitches, the ball literally gets vacuumed into the catcher's mitten at the last second. Maybe not too noticeable by the blind, though. At least this year there appear to be a greater variety of hits
crowd -> B / C
- the animations of the crowd singing at the 7th inning stretch DO get old, but the crowd seems more "into the game" this year. It's refreshing. This year, the fans seem to have more pixels alloted to them, a little less of a cartoonish appearance
pitches -> B / C
- last year most of the pitch types looked the same, this year there is MUCH improvement in this department. Sliders actually break like they should. Curvballs, depending on who is throwing them, can really fool you big-time, especially if you're back-doored down and away. What I don't like is that there are way too few balls thrown in this game, maybe blzer can remedy this with an update of his slider settings. I had absolutely no problem throwing strikes.
feel of the stadium -> B / C
- this year the stadiums feel much larger, the cameras really help to protray this. What I don't like is that things get pretty blurry once the ball is hit deep in the outfield, where things can be really bla until the camera zooms out there. I do like the cameras switching, but the lag between switches is too great for my comfort.
minor leagues -> D / C
- all they basically did was revamp the look of the minor league feature. There are AAA and AA players, but not nearly as many as there should be. The same ol' scripted responses to attempts to trade players exist. I'm not really sure what Kush spent a majority of its time on, because there really aren't many improvements in the gameplay department, and the minor leagues feature looks like it's been barely touched, except for the upgrade in the menus, etc. They get a 'D' in this department, since minor leagues are such an important part of managing a team and it's not done well in this game. This is one area that MVP 2005 (which I haven't played yet, and will) will likely beat MLB 2K5 badly in.
in-game menus -> A / C
- they really worked on the menus, that's obvious.
base-running -> A / B
- this year you have total control of your runners. One thing that I really like is that the opposing pitcher WILL pick you off if you're not very careful with each step you add to your lead off a base. I took two steps off first base with Austin Kearns and got caught napping big-time. He was the tying run, but that out ended the game.
pitching -> C / C
- while the pitches themselves are more dynamic, I think it's just way too easy (unless you drastically change the slider settings) to throw strikes, and the opponent seems to swing and miss at almost everything. It would be nice to give up 3-5 walks per game (or more if I have really crappy pitching on the mound), and especially to receive that many walks. I realize that we gamers are hackers when standing in the box, but the opposing pitchers in this game simply don't throw too many obvious balls. It seems too much like a hack-fest.
hitting -> C / D
- I don't like the way the swings work. There were occasions where I swung BELOW a pitch, and the game would say that I swung too high. WTF? This existed in last year's game, too, it is something that Kush should have fixed.
feel of the game -> B / C
- It didn't take long before I started seeing all the same stuff I saw in last year's ESPN MLB 2K4, and I was really wishing for more of a positive gaming experience. As with most sports games, I'm sure it will be a lot more fun when playing against my wife. A lot of the issues with the A.I. won't exist then. However, the animations, cutscreens, GREAT commentary and dialogue, help to create a presentation that immerses you in the game, for all its shortcomings.
Final Grade -> C+ / D+
Please keep in mind that there are tons of things that I'm sure I forgot, and that this is only my opinion. Things that bother me might not bother someone else. Things that I don't find important someone else might. Still, I love the game of baseball, and the WSB/ESPN MLB 2K series has been my favorite all along. I have to acknowledge that MVP 2004 last year had a few VERY glaring issues, that otherwise would have made it an incredible product. I'm going to give both that game and the PS2 product a shot, also. Even though there are many categories I didn't address, I still have my opinion of the overall feel of this game, and that is where the final grade comes from (an average of all the categories I addressed).
Key: last year's grade / this year's grade
graphics -> C/C
- while the graphics are crisper, the faces are horrible looking and the players' bodies don't look well-proportioned
sound -> B / C
- the sound of the bat is a little annoying. It sounds like a freaking firecracker, but there is really no way to change that without also hurting other auditory aspects of the game.
player animations -> B / C
- the same ol' animations are back. One thing that I really like is that the first basemen doesn't rocket the ball at the covering pitcher. One thing that I can't stand is how everytime a player fields the ball or throws it, he is in some sort of "saddle riding" stance. It's hard to explain, it's not a bow-legged stance, but rather the reverse of that. On plays, the ball sometimes gets vacuumed into the glove, and the players don't look quite right when running. Can't put a finger on it, maybe someone else here can help on that one.
swinging animations -> C / D
- last year the swinging animations -- as EVERYONE here is well aware of, were disgusting. This year they actually mimic real-life. Sort of. The bat still looks like a toothpick, and the hitters look like they're swinging at pinatas blind-folded.
pitching animations -> B / C
- the pitchers motion is smoother this year, though I'd still like more emphasis put on each pitch type.
ball flight physics -> C / D
- last year there WERE no ball physics. There were too few varieties of hits and everything seemed like a vacuum. This year the thirdbasemen, and how in the world QC didn't catch this I don't know, literally lofts the ball 20-30 feet in a high arc over to firstbase. It looks terrible. On replays of pitches, the ball literally gets vacuumed into the catcher's mitten at the last second. Maybe not too noticeable by the blind, though. At least this year there appear to be a greater variety of hits
crowd -> B / C
- the animations of the crowd singing at the 7th inning stretch DO get old, but the crowd seems more "into the game" this year. It's refreshing. This year, the fans seem to have more pixels alloted to them, a little less of a cartoonish appearance
pitches -> B / C
- last year most of the pitch types looked the same, this year there is MUCH improvement in this department. Sliders actually break like they should. Curvballs, depending on who is throwing them, can really fool you big-time, especially if you're back-doored down and away. What I don't like is that there are way too few balls thrown in this game, maybe blzer can remedy this with an update of his slider settings. I had absolutely no problem throwing strikes.
feel of the stadium -> B / C
- this year the stadiums feel much larger, the cameras really help to protray this. What I don't like is that things get pretty blurry once the ball is hit deep in the outfield, where things can be really bla until the camera zooms out there. I do like the cameras switching, but the lag between switches is too great for my comfort.
minor leagues -> D / C
- all they basically did was revamp the look of the minor league feature. There are AAA and AA players, but not nearly as many as there should be. The same ol' scripted responses to attempts to trade players exist. I'm not really sure what Kush spent a majority of its time on, because there really aren't many improvements in the gameplay department, and the minor leagues feature looks like it's been barely touched, except for the upgrade in the menus, etc. They get a 'D' in this department, since minor leagues are such an important part of managing a team and it's not done well in this game. This is one area that MVP 2005 (which I haven't played yet, and will) will likely beat MLB 2K5 badly in.
in-game menus -> A / C
- they really worked on the menus, that's obvious.
base-running -> A / B
- this year you have total control of your runners. One thing that I really like is that the opposing pitcher WILL pick you off if you're not very careful with each step you add to your lead off a base. I took two steps off first base with Austin Kearns and got caught napping big-time. He was the tying run, but that out ended the game.
pitching -> C / C
- while the pitches themselves are more dynamic, I think it's just way too easy (unless you drastically change the slider settings) to throw strikes, and the opponent seems to swing and miss at almost everything. It would be nice to give up 3-5 walks per game (or more if I have really crappy pitching on the mound), and especially to receive that many walks. I realize that we gamers are hackers when standing in the box, but the opposing pitchers in this game simply don't throw too many obvious balls. It seems too much like a hack-fest.
hitting -> C / D
- I don't like the way the swings work. There were occasions where I swung BELOW a pitch, and the game would say that I swung too high. WTF? This existed in last year's game, too, it is something that Kush should have fixed.
feel of the game -> B / C
- It didn't take long before I started seeing all the same stuff I saw in last year's ESPN MLB 2K4, and I was really wishing for more of a positive gaming experience. As with most sports games, I'm sure it will be a lot more fun when playing against my wife. A lot of the issues with the A.I. won't exist then. However, the animations, cutscreens, GREAT commentary and dialogue, help to create a presentation that immerses you in the game, for all its shortcomings.
Final Grade -> C+ / D+
Please keep in mind that there are tons of things that I'm sure I forgot, and that this is only my opinion. Things that bother me might not bother someone else. Things that I don't find important someone else might. Still, I love the game of baseball, and the WSB/ESPN MLB 2K series has been my favorite all along. I have to acknowledge that MVP 2004 last year had a few VERY glaring issues, that otherwise would have made it an incredible product. I'm going to give both that game and the PS2 product a shot, also. Even though there are many categories I didn't address, I still have my opinion of the overall feel of this game, and that is where the final grade comes from (an average of all the categories I addressed).
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