MLB 2K10 Retail First Impressions

[Boilerbuzz]

Re: MLB 2K10 Retail First Impressions

Right, but I'm just frustrated that we as consumers have to live with it too.

I totally understand your frustration man. I totally feel it too.

At least 2K stands to make money from their bad decisions, while we keep paying $60 each year for a game that we're sure will be really awesome next year.

But you're way off on the making money thing. Take Two has lost money on that MLB deal. Has been from Day 1. Last year was really bad because sales suffered. Realistically, it's hard to think that anyone could have expected the game to be awesome this year. I don't know of one game that made as much of a leap in quality in one year. Especially in a sports game. People think NFL2K5 was suddenly good. That's so not true. A lot of what it so good was in 2K4 if not 2K3.

We've been really patient--2K7 showed promise, 2K8 wasn't a huge improvement, 2K9 was an absolute disaster--and each year I feel like they keep telling us, "Gee, sorry about this crappy game you just bought--but just wait and see how great the next one will be!".

You're ignoring that the reset was 2K9. 2K7 and 2K8 were in Kush's hands. Kush imploded and left the remains for VC to clean up. VC has only a couple of months to put together 2K9 from what was left of 2K8.

I know that the developers want to make a good game, and that a "reboot" of the franchise really is a challenge--but if that's the case, why not take a year out of the cycle, spend two years building the right engine and game from the ground up, and come out with the best baseball game ever in 2012, rather than continuing to hobble along each year with a half-baked improvement over last year's crappy game?

Because the contract with the MLB would make it financially impossible to do that with very little gain. I would be willing to bet that there are MANY people in Take Two that wanted to do this. It's the nature of the sports video game business. If you miss a year, it almost kills your franchise. Period. Ask EA how close they came to killing Madden by missing 96. If it weren't for Sony dropping the ball and being only on 1 platform, the game would have been over.

They don't do it because they would lose the money the get from each annual release, so we just keep shelling out our money every year, hoping that we're finally getting a decent game of baseball instead of another "wait until next year".

They lose more than the lost sales. The MLB wants it's money. If they don't put out a title, they are essentially "fined" millions of MORE dollars.

Again, my friend, I don't disagree with what you're saying. I feel your frustration because I'm right there with you. I'm just saying it's not so black and white of a situation. It's not an easy situation for anyone involved frankly. There are no words to make you feel "better' about it either. Just try to see more of the positives. They HAVE to put out a game. They HAVE to show that they are putting in the work to make it a great game. I think that is happening. I think it's pretty clear that 2K10 is much better than 2K9. I have faith that the developers will want to continue to improve the game significantly as we move forward. There is hope and the difference between 2k10 and 2k9 is proof of that.

[Eski33]

I am one who looks at reviews as a gauge. Typically, I won't use one review to provide some sort of persuasion but several.

Usually, I disregard reviews altogether. However, I have purchased several games based on playing the demo teamed with the review to help me decide whether to buy or rent. Ultimately, it is up to the buyer and not the reviewer.

It is hard to read reviews that have a negative slant to a franchise that is liked by you (the readers and gamers). However we have to remember that the reviewer is offering their opinion. I don't pay much attention to the scores, I pay attention to the review itself and what the person found good and bad.

I actually bought Battlefield 2 based on reading numerous reviews. I wasn't a fan of the demo but the reviews are spot on about the game. It is incredible. Not as pretty as MW2 but the gameplay is outstanding.

When it comes to 2K baseball games, the biggest issue is consumer confidence. Those that are loyal to 2K or have been fans of the series WANT to read that the game is the best since 2K7 and / or that the game is a huge improvement over last year. Most reviewers, not just IGN, agree that the game is improved but isn't as good as it could / should be.

In the end, it is what you think of the game and whether or not it is worthy of a purchase. I still find it amazing how people defend a publisher / developer and slam those games not made by their favorite developers. I think the most important thing, to me, is to be a fan of good games.

As bad as 2K9 was last year, they added some quality stuff that is being replicated by The Show. This is why competition is good and why we want all games to be successful. I would rather have two great games from the same genre than one. It offers us choices and forces the developers to dig a little deeper.

In the end, gaming is entertainment, nothing more or less. Enjoy it....

[Eddie1967]

Re: MLB 2K10 Retail First Impressions

You're 100% correct as the decision lies with each individual gamer. To some, it's worth it to buy a PS3 for no other reason than to play The Show. And if you love digital baseball that much, that's the right choice for you.

My concern is on a broader level, I guess. I'm less concerned with whether this game is worth $60 to any given individual (as we all, depending on our relative circumstances, value a dollar or an hour of entertainment differently), and more concerned with at what point it stops being worth it for us as a large group of consumers to say enough is enough. When do we, as a group, stop buying games that are improved over last year's but still nowhere near what we have a right to expect? (Again, I haven't played 2K10 yet, and I hope it's awesome; I'm just basing this argument on the overall consensus among the reviews I've seen so far).

All of this talk and you haven't played the game yet. Your talking about boycotting something based on reviews none of which are negative by the way, instead of playing it for yourself. It's a worthless argument IMHO.