Major League Baseball 2K10 Preview (Gamepro)

[500Feet]

I'm gonna try to look at this situation rationally..

2K Sports doesn't seem proud of MLB 2K10. I don't know how to view that since they were proud of MLB 2K9 before release and it ended up flopping.

If they have any consistency, MLB 2K10 should be a decent game and something to be proud of since 2K Sports isn't hyping it as much.

But honestly, in my opinion, 2K Sports' promotion is sloppy, untrustworthy, and unpredictable.

[Knight165]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveDQ

Given Ron's track record, maybe that means very soon.

Haha...very good.

M.K.
Knight165

Quote: Originally Posted by ExtremeGamer

Even with gameplay videos or not, it's like I can play the game till it comes out anyway. Until I can play a demo or the actual game, I can't say whether or not this game will be like last year, or an improvement. No one can.

I agree there. Even with full gameplay vids, it's always completely different to actually play the game.

I do think it's odd to wait so long to show videos though... it really does make it seem like 2K is "hiding" something, whether they actually are or not.

One would just think that after how poor last year's effort was, they would want to show the improvements as soon as possible.

[JBH3]

Can someone post the article into the thread? I cannot view the link from os@work.

[Blzer]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBH3

Can someone post the article into the thread? I cannot view the link from os@work.

Pretty soon you're going to have to change your avatar to Blzer, because he's coming in the clutch a bit more than Utley these days :

Quote:

There's perhaps no other phrase that resonates more with baseball fans than "there's always next year." With pitchers and catchers less than three weeks away, one can't help but get excited at the clean slate their team gets - in real life and on their favorite console. It's no secret that MLB 2K9 was a disappointment. Its score on Metacritic topped out at an underwhelming 64, with most of the major gaming outlets, including GamePro, giving it a below average score. So you could understand how shocked I was when I first sat down to play MLB 2K10 and realized that it might actually have a shot at being a worthwhile effort. In talking with Visual Concepts producer Ben Bishop, it was obvious the development team was humbled by last year's game. But like a resilient team with playoff aspirations, the devs are using the adversity as inspiration to reboot the franchise and get back to good fundamental gameplay. "2K9 was really a challenging year for us," said Bishop who spoke at length about last year's consolidation of the Kush Games and Visual Concepts studios. The change came during the development of MLB 2K9, setting the team back two to three months and making it difficult for them to accomplish their goals. "We never want to make excuses no matter what the situation [but] it was pretty clear going into 2K10 that we had a lot of work to do to improve the game and get the series back on track." During my time with the game (which was roughly 85% complete) I noticed how much smoother and more natural the game felt on both sides of the ball. Pitches are now selected prior to moving the right analog stick, which ensures that no matter how badly you mess up the gesture, your guy will still throw the pitch you want. At the plate, the developers have re-envisioned the way players interpret incoming pitches. A batter's eye rating, combined with how well the pitcher makes the throwing motion, will determine whether the batter can see which pitch is coming. What's even better is that in addition to contact and power swings, players can now press left or right on the right analog stick to swing defensively. Despite some bugs in the build I played, it was clear that improving the defensive gameplay has been a priority. My fielders responded appropriately and made all the easy plays. Bishop is confident there will be no need for major patches just weeks after release, like last year's game. One advantage players will notice by having Visual Concepts at the helm for the entire development cycle is the luxury of learning from their successful experiences with NBA 2K10. "Now that we have NHL, NBA and MLB all in house here at Visual Concepts, we have the ability to share resources a lot more," said Bishop. "You can see similarities in navigation and presentation and we want you to have a sense of familiarity with whatever 2K Sports title you pick up. When you play MLB 2K10's My Player mode you'll see a lot of elements that are in common with NBA 2K10's My Player mode. We took a lot of what they did to set the bar and we tried to add elements that made more sense for baseball." Fans of Franchise Mode have much to be excited about as well. Between the addition of a 40-man roster, rehab assignments, compensation draft picks and a revamped trade block, players should experience the most in depth mode the series has ever offered. And like NBA 2K10, players will now have the ability to announce their accolades to the world via their own 2K hosted blog. Write your own posts, upload highlight clips or scores, and broadcast it on your Facebook or Twitter account. From the few hours I spent playing MLB 2K10 and talking to Bishop, there's much for fans of the series to feel optimistic about. Look for GamePro's review when the game hits shelves on March 2, and head to 2ksports.com to find out how you can win one million dollars for throwing a perfect game!

[Blzer]

As for the slight bicker about lack of gameplay videos, here's how I see it from some people's perspective... if they can't get out gameplay videos before SCEA releases a demo for The Show, PS3 users are going to have a hard time convincing themselves about having 2K as a single or second game on their shelf. They kind of need that persuasion before another game locks them up the rest of the way through, especially if they pre-order as a result.

The only thing that I worry about is that they're simply not ready to release this game yet (working countless hours in the home stretch to get what they wanted to get in), or that this is another 2K8 where there's nothing they're proud of showing. I really doubt that's the case by seeing the previews, but these previewers probably don't look for the same thing in baseball games as I do. What do I mean by that? Well so far Chase is still the only one to mention the lack of a check swing. What else have other previewers been hiding? There is still so much to figure out about this game, and we'll only get that either by seeing gameplay videos, playing the demo, reading impressions, or playing retail. Until then, we're left guessing while The Show piles on more and more media with an impending demo possibly within the week.

[Artman22]

Quote: Originally Posted by DickDalewood

I agree there. Even with full gameplay vids, it's always completely different to actually play the game. I do think it's odd to wait so long to show videos though... it really does make it seem like 2K is "hiding" something, whether they actually are or not. One would just think that after how poor last year's effort was, they would want to show the improvements as soon as possible.

I agree it sucks the way 2k does their stuff, but they do the same for the nba series as well, and that's their bread and butter.

[rock85]

Quote: Originally Posted by pjv31

Every day when I wake up the first thing I think of is are there any gameplay videos today? lol Pretty sad huh

That's exactly what i do. I just want 2 great baseball game's and i know i have one already. Check that i'll take one great and one very good