MLB 2K12 Demo Available Now, Post Impressions Here

[dodgerblue]

Not that I expect anyone to care, here are my impressions of the demo:

The good:
Animations are better than they were. They are not as good as they should be, but they are improved. It's not as herkey jerkey.
I like the new throwing meter depending on how set the fielder is. Very nice addition and very typical of 2k to innovate. I really like this.
Pitching has stayed about the same except for the new graphics and effectiveness. I really enjoy 2k pitching.
I think the "fun" factor is still in the game.

The not so good:
Graphically the game is not very pretty. I don't think it's as ugly as some say it is but I was hoping it would be better than last year.
There is some warping when throws are off line, hopefully this gets fixed.
The ball does something weird when it bounces, it flattens out after a hop or two and scoots along the outfield. Hopefully this gets fixed too.
The sound of the ball off the bat doesn't sound authentic.
The crowd and the base coaches still look like zombies.

It's about what I expected really not a big leap but a better version of last year. Really looking forward to MLB today season mode so hopefully it's not buggy.

[bigfnjoe96]

The game play does seem tighter, but for the game to still have frame rate issues especially during foul balls is very disappointing. I'm liking the hit variety I'm seeing. I really wish they would let customize the batting/fielding/pitching camera. I really believe this would help with the immersion of the Demo, but I believe it would allow the New Ball Physics to show more than they do now. It would also help with the Base Running Diamond getting in the way on the left side of the field when trying to field fly balls

Compared to 2k11 graphically you can see a difference. Animations in the field look better as do the swing animations. I'm torn with the these new base running animations. They look better than 2k11, but still look un-natural.

Real-Time Presentation is not that great. I've seen no real new aspect to it. It seems identical for the last 2 years which also is disappointing because 2K has always been Top-Notch in this area.

Hopefully the retail copy will be much more polished in the areas I just mentioned

[NINJAK2]

I wish LD2k could chime in on how old this build is.

[rman]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeagles5

Has anyone played both Demos from PS3 & Xbox360 to compare?

I played both, the PS3 looks much better this year. But, the frame rate was really bad for me. Most noticeable when hitting fouls. I liked the game play slightly better on the PS3, maybe because of the controller having a different feel while pitching. It was definitely easier to pitch on the PS3. The frame rate is a game killer for me on the PS3. As mentioned the xbox360 was sharper, but I feel the color was better on the PS3. I'll go with the PC version again this year. The mods will make the game look 100% better.

[jripper09]

after playing several 3 inning games the pitching is fun i like the way its done.
i like that hitting is simple and more realistic much easier to tell the pitches coming at you than the other game. like my wife says looks like a 3rd grader was in charge of graphics for this game. even the demo JAGGIES JAGGIES AND MORE JAGGIES! i didnt even know what those were till i came to this section of the forum. as some one said earlier the baserunners look like forrest gump! the gameplay is fine the hit variety is improved. The best part of this game wasnt in the demo the commentary and the loads of stats which i love! In all seriousness can someone explain to me how in this day and age that JAGGIES can be allover a game like this. I played nba 2k and wow that game is amazing! and every other game i have played ive never seen these except these baseball games! dont get it! http://www.operationsports.com/forum...s/lolabove.gif

[Randiesel75]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cardot

True, but isn't that the case with most sports games these days?

Exactely, most games (I will say the other baseball game and a hockey game I play) have very little tweaks each year. Why, because these other games are already solid and not in need of an overhaul. Sure, certain aspects am have grown stale, but I'll take that over any game that tries to overhaul each season when they are already dropping a stellar product.

[Behindshadows]

Been playing the demo for a while using the Rangers....

The more I look at it the more it just looks like 2k11, the graphics are horrible and so are the animations when running. Crowd is still same ole' polygons mess with lack of details. Whole game just looks cartoonish!

Lack of commentary makes it a snoozefest. Same intro and all of 2k11...

Really not seeing enough outside of pitching that has changed much. Controls remain solid and batting is still excellent.

But it doesn't feeling like a new game more like a patched previous version.

Graphics on faces have a 8% increase on details, bodies are proportioned differently, but that's about all I can see different.

I'll pass on consoles and get the cheaper PC version and wait on mods.

[Blzer]

I was really tired last night when I launched the demo after I realized it had finished downloading from the night before.

Anyway, I jumped in and only played an inning before having to jump out and sleep. To be honest though, if I were more attracted to the demo, I would have stayed up for a few more innings to finish it off.

But, like all 2K demos, I can't invest any time in them. They bore me to death. When I play baseball video games, my focus comes in when I can get a franchise going, play nine inning hardball, get the deep rich commentary, and customize the game to my liking. Obviously I can't get the first two in any demos really, but the fact remains that 2K demos, in any sport, have been awful since All Pro Football 2K8.

It's not the game that's awful, though. I just can't play this game which feels so much better to play when it includes commentary and you can change all out of the box controls. This includes anything from changing the batting camera view to lowering the volume of the umpire's calls.

Anyway, that's all I really have to say at this point. One inning in, I did like some things like a more varied strike zone and more pitches missed from their intended location, as well as the new ball physics and throwing system. I love the improvements that they make, but there are some things that make me go, "Why?" I understand the fielding camera angle while on offense, but I'd never prefer it if given the choice. I still need that option to turn off the pitching ball cursor.

The good news is that the PS3 version, while not as good as NBA 2K12 did this year, is starting to look closer to the 360 version. I think 2K is finally realizing how to do it, but the demo did have some stutter on balls going down the lines. If it always did that, it would be a problem. I have a feeling it won't for the retail version, but these things definitely need to be addressed first and foremost.

Anyway, I know what to expect out of the game, but this is a message for 2K: Sacrifice making your file size a couple gigs larger to include commentary, sliders, and other customizable options. Want to sell your game? The first one is a must.