Why MLB 2k9 is better than 2k10

[ucat4]

Someone in another thread mentioned alternating between playing 2k9 and 2k10, so for the heck of it, I thought I’d do the same. After going back and playing a couple of 2k9 games (after months of not playing) I’ve come to the conclusion that 2k9 is the better of the two. Here’s why. Note, this is based purely on gameplay.

I apologize for the length of this post......
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2k9:
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Fielding:
Pros:
Fielding is much more realistic in 2k9. The CPU team actually bobbled a couple of grounders resulting in base hits. I actually threw an error trying to throw to my first baseman. My first baseman had to jump up off the bag to catch two balls and stretch on multiple occassions to make the catch for the out (more animation variation). Also, you can actually make various diving plays!
Cons:
A bit touchy when positioning your outfielder trying to catch a fly ball, but once you get the hang of it, it’s no big deal. This is not ideal, but certainly not a deal-breaker.
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Pitching:
Pros:
Much more realistic. I actually threw two “base on balls”, hit a batter as well as threw a wild pitch to the backstop. Pitches are much more random (even when trying to hit the same spot with the same exact pitch type is much more difficult and random & therefore, more realistic).
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Batting:
Cons: Unlike 2k10, you can’t intentionally foul off balls
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Stats:
Cons: Too difficult to find “in-game” stats on opposing team. It’s just easier w/ 2k10 to find in-game stats when trying to make pitching decisions, etc.
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Simability (sim options):
Cons: You can’t sim half innings, full innings, etc, which really is a bummer.
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Presentaion & graphics:
Pros: Graphics are arguably better in 2k9 than 2k10. Great presentaion – it’s nice to be able to see all of the batter nuances between pitches.
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Cons: The games can be long, but that’s what “hurry up” mode is for.
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2k10:
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Fielding:
Cons: Way too “automated” and easy. Lack of diving plays by the user (I’m twenty five user games into my franchise and have made one diving play….one! I have not seen one error, not one (throw meter simply doesn’t work). Fielders have “rocket arms”. Zero infield pop-ups or catching balls in foul territory. Fielding is extremely flawed and ridiculously unrealistic.
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Pitching:
Cons: Way too easy to pinpoint my spots on every pitch, w/ very little randomness. Lack of giving up walks to the CPU. No wild pitches. Lack of randomness is the best way to describe the pitching experience.
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Batting:
Pros: I like the fact that you can foul off balls intentionally at the plate. I also like the contact swing versus the full “power” swing.
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Stats:
Pros: I like the stat overlays during the game and the in-game stats seem more easily accessible than in 2k9.
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Simability (sim options):
Pros: It’s nice to be able to sim an inning or two or whatver you want for that matter. 2k10 has nice sim options.
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Presentation:
Pros: I know 2k spent a lot of time trying to perfect the “pitcher-batter” duels, which is fine, but to be honest I don’t see a huge difference from 2k9.
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Cons: No batter nuances are shown between pitches, not even through a “slower” game option. Not enough player animations. No injuries?!
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Everyone reviewing 2k10 mentions a significantly better game, but I’m just not seeing it. I know they touted their new “pitcher-batter” duel experience, but I honestly don’t see a huge difference in the pitcher batter duels from 2k9. They added some great things to 2k10, but removed some great things from 2k9. With the horribly unrealistic fielding and way too easy pitching in 2k10, I feel that 2k9 is the better of the two. Stat overlays and sim options are nice, but realistic gameplay for me trumps all. As someone else in another thread mentioned, 2k9 just might go down as the most underrated baseball game in history. This 2k series is so close to being great.
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I urge you to go back and put 2k9 back in for a few games and take the 2k9 / 2k10 challenge….I almost guarantee that you’ll like the actual gameplay of 2k9 better.
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I know I missed some things and only concentrated on overall gameplay. I personally haven’t even tried the “my player” mode yet - maybe “my player” mode is enough to push 2k10 past 2k9.

Thoughts anyone?

[jeffy777]

Graphics better in 2K9? Sorry, but I stopped reading there.

2K10 is much more solid overall. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go back. Plus I'm addicted to My Player mode

[JayhawkerStL]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeffy777

Graphics better in 2K9? Sorry, but I stopped reading there. 2K10 is much more solid overall. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go back. Plus I'm addicted to My Player mode

I agree. But he also claims 2K10 is also too easy i pinpoint his pitches. It may be, but it is exactly the same in 2K9.

But the real dinger is why why he thinks hitting is better in 2K10, Fouling off pitches? Hitting is ridiculously better in 2K10, but it is about far more than the defensive swing. The LS is now implemented in a way that useful instead of game-breaking. Pushing up doesn't launch HR's, it actually costs you distance, but generates flyballs to bring that man from third home.

The cues about what pitch is coming and a general sense of where has really improved my plate discipline. And not just when I get the clue, but it has made it easier to start reading balls and strikes.

I'd say hitting has finally gotten to be as fun and compelling as the pitching had become.

And while I miss some of the real time presentation from last year, I can now leave hurry up mode off and still get games in quickly. If I am in a real hurry, the hurry up mode is even a lot faster. And it does this by adding a new presentation element with all of the stats and information.

If I was going to go back to another version, it would be 2K8, where the pitching was much, much better. There was a lot I really liked about 2K8 that has not made it back into the game. 2K10 is such a hue step forward, that I cannot imagine going back to 2K9, even for the errors, which I do hope get patched into the game.

[tril]

I posted the same things in other threads about 2k9 being better than 2k10, and for the same reasons.
However, Im beginning to back track on that statement.

2k10 makes me, and probably others realize, that 2k9 wasnt that bad of a game (I enjoyed 2k9, even before 2k10 was released). 2k9 did alot of things right and 2k10 just expanded on those basic principles.

First ,and most importantly- 2k10 fixed the pitcher composure slider. this slider completely broke 2k9. everything wrong with 2k9 can be attributed to this slider. Everything was magically fixed once this slider was tuned down to zero.

next was the camera settings. 2k10 pushing the AI default pitcher back further away from the batter, allows users the opportunity to read pitches. I went back to 2k9 and used 2k10 camera settings,and voila pitches were easier to read, resultining in higher pitch counts. The Ai pitching is still a bit more aggressive than 2k10.

I absolutely agree with the fielding in 2k10. 2k needs to patch the fielding.
2k10 the defensive swing is a great new feature. it not only fouls more balls off, but you can get bloop singles, and still strikeout. defensive swing is greta for border line pitches. Im sure 2k will fine tune this in future releases.



2k10 is solid, it has grown on me. Im starting to see more hit variety. I just need to see some bobbled balls, and errors. they need to fix hurry up mode also.

I lowered the control ratings of my pitchers to get less accuracy. it has worked like a charm.

[JayhawkerStL]

I'd like to see the return of the three step gesture for pitching. While 2K9 had it as an option, it was never as well implemented as it was in 2K8. Obviously 2K elected to just eliminate it from 2K10.

I can't say that I can totally blame them. I think it would be hard to produces a balanced game for both methods, and three step pitching resulted in a ton of negative reactions from gamers. But it sure felt like the third step, where you hold the last gesture until the circle collapsed back to a certain point, created more variability. I would have preferred that they added a slider that eliminated or minimized the effect for the third step. They did this for hitting in 2K9, and it seemed to be a nice balance.

Overall, I can see much better arguments that 2K8 was a better game than 2K9. 2K10 is such an evolution of 2K9, I can't see how one would want to go back, even with the lack of errors and simplified fielding.

But 2K8 had some serious frame rate problem that really keeps it from being a good option. Even with the substantial improvements, there was still OF slowdown, and you were forced to turn off all cut scenes and replays. And it rendered online unplayable.

The one area 2K9 seems to be better is online play, however. They need to do some tweaking in order to get online play in 2K10 to be acceptable. I think it could be as simple as increasing the windows for contact in hitting. I feel like the lag s small enough to still read balls and strikes, but the decision when to swing is to tight. I still swing early as much as late.

[byobd4]

i play both they both are good games of basball with the right sliders

[ucat4]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeffy777

Graphics better in 2K9? Sorry, but I stopped reading there. 2K10 is much more solid overall. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go back. Plus I'm addicted to My Player mode

Some reviews said that 2k10 was a step back in the graphics department, I'm not so sure that I agree w/ that either. I haven't tried "my player" mode yet, maybe it pushes 2k10 past 2k9 - I don't know yet.

[ucat4]

Quote: Originally Posted by jayhawker

I agree. But he also claims 2K10 is also too easy i pinpoint his pitches. It may be, but it is exactly the same in 2K9.

It is NOT the same. Pitching is much more lenient in 2k10. A mistake in 2k9 is more punishable (for example, a pitch being thrown to the backstop as the result of a wild pitch).

Quote: Originally Posted by jayhawker

But the real dinger is why why he thinks hitting is better in 2K10, Fouling off pitches? Hitting is ridiculously better in 2K10, but it is about far more than the defensive swing. The LS is now implemented in a way that useful instead of game-breaking. Pushing up doesn't launch HR's, it actually costs you distance, but generates flyballs to bring that man from third home.

Hitting certainly is better in 2k10, no doubt about it. But - it doesn't take away from the lackluster fielding and pitching in 2k10.

Quote: Originally Posted by jayhawker

If I was going to go back to another version, it would be 2K8, where the pitching was much, much better. There was a lot I really liked about 2K8 that has not made it back into the game. 2K10 is such a hue step forward, that I cannot imagine going back to 2K9, even for the errors, which I do hope get patched into the game.

I didn't play 2k8. All I know is that 2k10 has some serious fielding issues, and pitching could be better.