MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

[Steve_OS]

StickSkills has posted their thoughts on the MLB 2K12 cover, as they talk about what the game used to bring to the table and what 2K Sports has recently released.

Back in 2006, when VORP was still thought of as a planet in Star Trek and the Rays were cramming three digits into their loss column, 2K Sports hired Ben Brinkman from EA’s MVP Baseball series as their executive producer/savior for MLB 2K7. One year after signing an exclusive third party licensing contract with Major League Baseball until 2012, the series was already struggling to stay afloat. Brinkman was determined to turn the ship around, however, and had come armed with a “three year plan” to polish up game’s graphics, gameplay, and array of features.

As it turns out, ambition doesn’t always equal fruition. And while 2K7 was praised for making some major visual strides, MLB 2K8 ran into a wall of bugs and glitch-filled gameplay and neither game moved the meter on sales. Afterwards, Brinkman was out as producer, and MLB 2K9 – the culmination of the three-year plan – continued the downward slide by adding new features often more broken than they were innovating or entertaining.

[peigone]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

This was not-so-subtly revealed in a 2010 Reuters Interview with Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two Interactive – the parent company of 2K Sports. Speaking about 2K’s license with Major League Baseball, Zelnick stated, “It’s a losing proposition and we don’t have any interest in pursuing losing propositions.”

...analysts have pegged the company as incurring a $40 million dollar loss – annually. In any economy, let alone this one, that’s a one way ticket to discontinuation...the game as a whole still seems to suggest a company that’s just keeping the lights on in the shop until the last customer leaves.


I was just saying this yesterday in another thread: it feels like 2K has lost interest in this game, and that the series will go the way of the NHL 2K Dodo after this year. Excellent article, everything many of us have been pointing out for a few years now.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

The only way 2k stops developing MLB Games is if they begin to develop Football Games. I doubt it wants to become a 1-trick pony with only developing NBA Games.

The other thing is how the writer claims the ball physics need over-hauling. Not sure what game he played but last years title had great ball physics. Balls came of the bat @ a realistic rate.

The ball left players hands in a realistic manner. The ball hit surfaces in a realistic manner....

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

MLB 2k7 was a very good game, but the tone of this article suggest that Brinkman led a development team that gave it its all and maybe shot too high, while recent installments have been no effort affairs that 2k has given up on.

I'm sorry, but thats ridiculous to me. MLB 2k8 and even moreso 2k9 were disasters. Just terrible and completely unplayable games (especially 2k9, 2k8 wasn't actually that bad, but it was a definite step in the wrong direction after 2k7).

The author acts like the development team has just given up, which is total bs imo. Sure, maybe the higher ups at Take Two have thrown them under the bus, but thats hardly equal to 2k sports throwing in the towel. 2k11 was BY FAR the best in the series, and if not for some frustrating issues (that lets face it, pretty much every 2k game has had them... thats the one part of the article I'll agree on... QUALITY CONTROL 2K, for the love of god, QUALITY CONTROL!), 2k11 would be considered a damn fine game.

The pitching is still way better than The Show (although some would disagree, its at least a point of contention), the hitter is solid (much improved ball physics after the patch, a very good camera angle that makes reading pitches as good in a video game as ever, etc), and frankly, I find the entire pitcher/batter battle fantastic in 2k11 (my biggest gripe is that there are too few foul balls out of the box).

Then you factor in the fact that fielding was hugely improved (it still suffers from clunky animations too often and personally I wish they'd return throwing to the 2k8 days, but overall, it was actually enjoyable most of the time in 2k11, which could not be said for previous iterations), and the end result is that the on the field experience is actually pretty damn good (and from where it was left in 2k9, it is so much better it isn't even funny).

Heck, many critics said if it weren't for a lack of polish and the superior game modes in The Show, 2k11 could have actually been the better game, since many thought on the field that 2k was just as, if not better than, The Show. Thats saying a lot imo.

So why now is this author coming out and saying garbage like, "Yet instead of taking a cue from Verlander and toeing the rubber for one final effort, 2K Sports seems more inspired by the indifference of Roger Dorn in Major League."

Really? Come on man, yeah 2k11 may have made you scratch your head at times because of some of the decisions and lack of polish, but I don't see how thats evidence that they aren't willing to "toe the rubber for one final effort". I just don't see how a game that was well improved over its predecessor (2k11 vs 2k10) would then make you come to the conclusion that this team has given up. Lets wait and at least hear some info on 2k12 before jumping ship and declaring this game a failure...

Of course, I also disagree that the cover looks good, I think it looks like crap! I don't need/want puffs of smoke and all that garbage, it makes the game look silly and arcadey. So I guess I'm just coming from a completely different mindset than this author.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

Now, if you want to argue that the 2k marketing team is a complete joke, or that the higher ups have given up, well then I'm all aboard. But that is VERY DIFFERENT than saying the development team has thrown in the towel.

[johnnyg713]

2k8 was the best baseball game of the 2k series. Ya the lag and bugs were unacceptable but the hitting, pitching, and fielding controls were the best implemented in any baseball game, ever. If they stuck with Brinkman for one more year and let him complete his 3 year plan I'm confident 2k would have the best baseball game around.

[Ollienyy]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

So we are basing what an upcoming game is going to be like based on the cover... I thought some of the posts in this forum were over the top but come on...

[Profit89]

Controls should be simplified.

[ILurk]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

The only way 2k stops developing MLB Games is if they begin to develop Football Games. I doubt it wants to become a 1-trick pony with only developing NBA Games.

The other thing is how the writer claims the ball physics need over-hauling. Not sure what game he played but last years title had great ball physics. Balls came of the bat @ a realistic rate.

The ball left players hands in a realistic manner. The ball hit surfaces in a realistic manner....

I played the PC version of 2K11 and I didn't see any realistic physics for grounders. The way the ground balls bounced looked predetermined. For instance, I never saw a grounder take a weird bounce off the pitcher's mound or anything like that.

As for batted balls, I thought it was better than 2K9 and 2K10.

[peigone]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

As for batted balls, I thought it was better than 2K9 and 2K10.

Agreed. The ball physics IMO have definitely taken a step back since VC took charge. When zone hitting was removed from the game, it seemed to also affect the ball physics programming. The timing-only hitting seems to create more of a canned, pre-determined feeling to physics and hit variety than was ever evident with the zone hitting. Not that the ball physics in 2K11 is awful, but it was noticably better in the past IMO.

[peigone]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

Controls should be simplified.

Heh, can't get any simpler than having only one hitting system to choose from, and one in which you don't even have to aim the bat! Head on down to your local batting cage, ignore where the ball is thrown and just swing the bat in the middle of the strikezone every time, and then come back and tell us how many pitches you actually made contact with. Won't be many, I can guarantee.

No, one problem with the game in fact is that the controls are too simplified already and, because of that, there's little sense of immersion, and of the effort and skill involved in playing the game of baseball.

[jeffy777]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

Agreed. The ball physics IMO have definitely taken a step back since VC took charge. When zone hitting was removed from the game, it seemed to also affect the ball physics programming. The timing-only hitting seems to create more of a canned, pre-determined feeling to physics and hit variety than was ever evident with the zone hitting. Not that the ball physics in 2K11 is awful, but it was noticably better in the past IMO.

I don't think this series ever had zone hitting until VC added it in 2K9 (but then removed it in 2K10).

I still own every current gen version of 2K baseball, going back to 2K7, and I agree with Joe that 2K11 has the best physics. Maybe grounders aren't the best, but overall the ball physics in 2K11 are the best they've ever been in this series, and they're pretty good.

[peigone]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

I don't think this series ever had zone hitting until VC added it in 2K9 (but then removed it in 2K10).

Zone hitting was in back in 2K5. It was definitely in the game when Kush was developing it, and it was definitely VC who removed it.

[jeffy777]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

Zone hitting was in back in 2K5. It was definitely in the game when Kush was developing it, and it was definitely VC who removed it.

2K7 had the step influence swing stick with the circle you could move to GUESS a pitch location (you had to set it before the pitch and it didn't aim your swing, but it just improved your hit if you guessed right).....but I don't remember any zone hitting. I could put the game back in to check, but I don't think it's there. It may have been in 2K5 though (I never played 2K5).

I know for a fact 2K9 had zone (cursor) hitting and it was a new feature that year, then they unfortunately took it out in 2K10.

[jeffy777]

Re: MLB 2K12’s Cover Is Everything The Game Should Be, But Likely Won’t (StickSkills)

MLB 2k7 was a very good game, but the tone of this article suggest that Brinkman led a development team that gave it its all and maybe shot too high, while recent installments have been no effort affairs that 2k has given up on.

I'm sorry, but thats ridiculous to me. MLB 2k8 and even moreso 2k9 were disasters. Just terrible and completely unplayable games (especially 2k9, 2k8 wasn't actually that bad, but it was a definite step in the wrong direction after 2k7).

The author acts like the development team has just given up, which is total bs imo. Sure, maybe the higher ups at Take Two have thrown them under the bus, but thats hardly equal to 2k sports throwing in the towel. 2k11 was BY FAR the best in the series, and if not for some frustrating issues (that lets face it, pretty much every 2k game has had them... thats the one part of the article I'll agree on... QUALITY CONTROL 2K, for the love of god, QUALITY CONTROL!), 2k11 would be considered a damn fine game.

The pitching is still way better than The Show (although some would disagree, its at least a point of contention), the hitter is solid (much improved ball physics after the patch, a very good camera angle that makes reading pitches as good in a video game as ever, etc), and frankly, I find the entire pitcher/batter battle fantastic in 2k11 (my biggest gripe is that there are too few foul balls out of the box).

Then you factor in the fact that fielding was hugely improved (it still suffers from clunky animations too often and personally I wish they'd return throwing to the 2k8 days, but overall, it was actually enjoyable most of the time in 2k11, which could not be said for previous iterations), and the end result is that the on the field experience is actually pretty damn good (and from where it was left in 2k9, it is so much better it isn't even funny).

Heck, many critics said if it weren't for a lack of polish and the superior game modes in The Show, 2k11 could have actually been the better game, since many thought on the field that 2k was just as, if not better than, The Show. Thats saying a lot imo.

So why now is this author coming out and saying garbage like, "Yet instead of taking a cue from Verlander and toeing the rubber for one final effort, 2K Sports seems more inspired by the indifference of Roger Dorn in Major League."

Really? Come on man, yeah 2k11 may have made you scratch your head at times because of some of the decisions and lack of polish, but I don't see how thats evidence that they aren't willing to "toe the rubber for one final effort". I just don't see how a game that was well improved over its predecessor (2k11 vs 2k10) would then make you come to the conclusion that this team has given up. Lets wait and at least hear some info on 2k12 before jumping ship and declaring this game a failure...

Of course, I also disagree that the cover looks good, I think it looks like crap! I don't need/want puffs of smoke and all that garbage, it makes the game look silly and arcadey. So I guess I'm just coming from a completely different mindset than this author.

I agree with you about 2K11. I think it is a much better game than a lot of people give it credit for (sure, it's not perfect, but it's still good), and the series has gotten progressively better since VC took over. If only 2K would tighten up their quality control, it would be a much better game.

The author seems to think 2K will stop making MLB games as soon as the license runs out. No one really knows.....but what we do know is that there are only 2 companies that make baseball games for us here in the U.S., so we should be cheering for both because we all know competition is good for any game genre, but especially sports games.