Okay, so Blockbuster came through for me on the rental and I had a chance to play a couple games (Xbox 360).
For those of you that read my rediculously long impressions on the demo (the main one found here:
http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2039221552) I'll just say that my impressions haven't changed much.
Also, for those how want to skip on down to the point...lol...here's your chance. Last couple paragraphs summarize
Here are some thoughts (bear in mind this is all on default with NO slider adjustments...mileage, of course, may vary
):
Pickoffs are confirmed to be way to easy on default. For me: 7 Attempts, 7 outs...no exxageration. It's actually quite comical as I wasn't even trying on the last few. There is a slider for this though, so hopefully it works well.
I'm not seeing the fielding issues people keep bringing up. Now, I've only gotten in two full games and parts of two more, so maybe I've been fortunate. The thing people see with the last second adjustments messing your fielder up seems to me like it might be user generated. Meaning that the game auto adjusts your fielder at the last minute. If you press nothing, he'll adapt.
This is something I may just be used to from The Show as it does this as well. I don't particularly like the control being taken from me, but it's worse in this case as there is no trade-off for a smoother animation like in The Show. That said, it's a minor gripe and the fielding has functioned just fine for me...I actually like it overall.
Graphics are VERY hit and miss. The Red Sox alternates look washed out. the Blue road alt. is pretty bad IMO. Plus, logos, numbers, and lettering for almost all teams I've seen are generally too big across the board. this is minor stuff in the overall scheme, but it is noticeable.
Way too easy on default. CPU can't score, I can't stop. The end. Again, this isn't a shocker. It's on "Pro" on default and if you look at the sliders it's heavily slanted towards the user.
Animations are just as jerky and ehh as the demo.
Commentary and camera work will help carry this game for a lot of people. It helps mask some of the disappointments in other areas. Did hear a fair share of commentary quirks (wrong calls, misnamed players/teams, repeated statements, etc.) but that was to be expected and I'm still happy with the commentary overall.
Crowd is good overall in appearance. Not very exciteable (a 2K trademark over the years in baseball) at all.
Gameplay doens't feel much improved to me still. Now, controls are more responsive than 2K8, but when I talk about gameplay, I'm talking how the game plays relative to the sport it represents. Not great, IMO.
Still hold to my disapointment with signature styles overall. It's much more hit and miss, which is a shame because (as I said in the demo review) it's been a strong suit of the game to this point.
CPU doesn't chase as bad as in the demo, IMO. It's still too much, but at least bearable if you're willing to put in the effort.
I was able to draw some walks on default, so I think with adjustments, this aspect will be fine.
Overall, it's about what I expected. Honestly, while not surprised (based on early impressions here, overall) I'm a bit disappointed as it's not the type of game I can really get into more than in passing, I don't think. Unless some of the editing/franchise gripes are helped along, I'll likely take a pass...at least until later when I want a change of pace, perhaps.
To this point, this game isn't bad. So please don't take this as all negative. I'm just a bit more in-depth of a player. For what it is (which, IMHO, is an arcade leaning "pick up and play" type game) it can be fun. Controls are a blast, etc.
Simply put, If you are looking for a solid simulation and immersive baseball experience, you likely may be disappointed. If your looking for a fun, grab a buddy and fire it up kind of experience, you may be quite happy. Didn't check online (I don't play regularly), but I imagine that will be a strong suit too, from what I've heard.
I won't rate it (After all, it's been a couple full games and a smattering...lol) but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the more casual players really like it. I expect to continue to see very mixed reviews, to be honest.
Again, for the more emotionally invested among us...lol: I 100% acknowledge these are very preliminary "first impressions." I'm certainly not claiming anything definitive at this point.
EDIT: One more thing to add, as it just happened to me again in a game I was playing (only this time there was no recovery). I've had several incidents of a sharp play at the line or in fould territory where the game just locks up. The fielder I made the play with is frozen and everything's stuck.
Every other time, I just went into the pause menu and backed out and it cleared up. This time it stuck. Just something to watch for, I guess.