MLB 2K12 News Post

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

05:30 AM - January 4, 2012 by 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.

Quote:


	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.

Game: Major League Baseball 2K12 Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 12 - View All

Major League Baseball 2K12 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 econoodle @ 01/06/12 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkharsh33


	I felt 2K11 was a strong step forward in this series... Not sure what the author's point is. There is much to build on based upon the fun / simulation like experience I had. I got a set of sliders tweaked that game me EVERYTHING I've wanted in a baseball game since I played Tony LaRussa baseball back in my college days 20 years ago. Though not perfect, 2K11 was a great baseball gaming experience...

agreed.
am i the only one who is pumped for this game and there hasnt even been a morsel of info yet?
lol

it was SUCH a fresh experience last year.
I look forward to it again this year.
believe it or not, it was well worth the 60 bucks to me, glitches and all.

# 22 Knight165 @ 01/06/12 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96


	I totally believe this is the case also.

You guys may hope....but it's not the case.
Sorry.
It would be the best move EA could make though, but Madden it is for the man.

M.K.
Knight165

# 23 bigfnjoe96 @ 01/06/12 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	You guys may hope....but it's not the case. Sorry. It would be the best move EA could make though, but Madden it is for the man. M.K. Knight165

I'm not a big EA/MVP guy, so if it happens either way it is what it is.

Sent from Awesome Phone

# 24 nemesis04 @ 01/06/12 09:55 AM

The best thing that could happen to this series is that it got ripped down to the ground floor and built back up again by one development team. To me the series has been hurt by being passed around from one development team to another each having its own interpretation of what the game should be.

# 25 Money99 @ 01/06/12 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemesis04


	The best thing that could happen to this series is that it got ripped down to the ground floor and built back up again by one development team. To me the series has been hurt by being passed around from one development team to another each having its own interpretation of what the game should be.

That's exactly what happened to their NHL series.
It was great when Treyarch worked on it (2K2, 2K3), but then Treyarch was hired by Activision for it's Spiderman games so it was passed on to Kush (2K4-2K8).
They really hurt the series.
VC took over half-way through 2K9's development and things started to look up.
2K10 wasn't bad and 2K11 had solid gameplay.
But by then, it was only on the Wii and they canceled the entire series this past year.
It would be a shame if MLB2K suffered the same demise.

Take-Two is a big freakin' company. It has some massive IP's so I don't understand why they don't invest some money into their sports line.

I have a feeling they're going to reboot everything for next-gen consoles in 2014.
I hope that's the case. VC has a good track record and has shown it can turn projects around.
But like you said, it's tough to continuously recycle other people's work and try to make it your own.

# 26 econoodle @ 01/06/12 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Money99


	That's exactly what happened to their NHL series. It was great when Treyarch worked on it (2K2, 2K3), but then Treyarch was hired by Activision for it's Spiderman games so it was passed on to Kush (2K4-2K8). They really hurt the series. VC took over half-way through 2K9's development and things started to look up. 2K10 wasn't bad and 2K11 had solid gameplay. But by then, it was only on the Wii and they canceled the entire series this past year. It would be a shame if MLB2K suffered the same demise. Take-Two is a big freakin' company. It has some massive IP's so I don't understand why they don't invest some money into their sports line. I have a feeling they're going to reboot everything for next-gen consoles in 2014. I hope that's the case. VC has a good track record and has shown it can turn projects around. But like you said, it's tough to continuously recycle other people's work and try to make it your own.

nem and money are on the money.
next gen will bring a big reboot i think.
and hopefully some more competition will bring out the beast in them.

# 27 cmaley @ 01/06/12 01:25 PM

Take-Two's message towards MLB 2K12 is HERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS!. NOW HIT THE ROAD!

# 28 nbman @ 01/06/12 01:44 PM

2k Ronnie tweeted before the holidays that he will be returning to his office next Monday so we should be getting 2k12 info by this time next week.

# 29 foofighter2455 @ 01/06/12 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nbman


	2k Ronnie tweeted before the holidays that he will be returning to his office next Monday so we should be getting 2k12 info by this time next week.

Info = Photoshopped screen shot and some exciting data that MLB 2K12 will feature every team in the NL and AL this year.

# 30 bigfnjoe96 @ 01/06/12 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILurk


	I got a PS3 over 2 years ago cause I got tired of hoping, so you know I moved on.. but I'm a big fan of major league baseball, so I also check out what MLB 2K is like every year. That's alright, right ? Sent from Awesome PC

Your money, do as you please

# 31 jeffy777 @ 01/06/12 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foofighter2455


	Info = Photoshopped screen shot and some exciting data that MLB 2K12 will feature every team in the NL and AL this year.

Yeah, because that's all the info we got last year...

# 32 Ollienyy @ 01/07/12 06:32 PM

iLurk, for someone who seemingly hates this series so much, you sure post in this section a lot.

# 33 bigfnjoe96 @ 01/07/12 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILurk


	Some of that was lies and hype though. "Player body types have also received a complete overhaul." ? Where ? New hit types ? There's no infield flys in 2K11. They're just tellin' people what they wanna hear. I don't like the way they promote their game.

Please stop. Your making yourself look bad

Sent from Awesome Phone

# 34 rudyjuly2 @ 01/07/12 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILurk


	Some of that was lies and hype though. "Player body types have also received a complete overhaul." ? Where ? New hit types ? There's no infield flys in 2K11. They're just tellin' people what they wanna hear. I don't like the way they promote their game.

You must not have played 2K10 and/or 2K11 very much. The lower bodies of the players did receive a nice upgrade. Just go back and look at 2K10 and 2K11 players while batting. It is noticeable imo.

If you don't think the hit variety was improved then I don't know what to say. The hit variety was greatly improved in 2K11 over 2K10 (it was very weak in 2K10 imo) even if the infield flies were still very low (I do think I saw some though).

I'm not crazy about how they promote their game though either. I think the perfect game contest is a waste of money. 2K generally does a poor job with their demos that lack commentary and are usually from an early, rough build. I'd like to see more interaction with the forums. Ronnie2K needs to provide info when he says he'll have it instead of over promising and under delivering.

This forum is pretty good for discussing the pros and cons of this game but you have to be fair.

# 35 jeffy777 @ 01/07/12 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	You must not have played 2K10 and/or 2K11 very much. The lower bodies of the players did receive a nice upgrade. Just go back and look at 2K10 and 2K11 players while batting. It is noticeable imo. If you don't think the hit variety was improved then I don't know what to say. The hit variety was greatly improved in 2K11 over 2K10 (it was very weak in 2K10 imo) even if the infield flies were still very low (I do think I saw some though). I'm not crazy about how they promote their game though either. I think the perfect game contest is a waste of money. 2K generally does a poor job with their demos that lack commentary and are usually from an early, rough build. I'd like to see more interaction with the forums. Ronnie2K needs to provide info when he says he'll have it instead of over promising and under delivering. This forum is pretty good for discussing the pros and cons of this game but you have to be fair.

Rudy is correct, and I also question how much you actually played 2K10/11, ILurk....

In 2K10, there was very little difference between a big player such as Prince Fielder and a smaller guy like Pedroia. In 2K11, there was a big difference in body types and sizes...fat guys actually looked fat, etc...and the hit variety in 2K11 was much improved...it's pretty obvious to anyone who has actually spent times with both games....Bottom line is that 2K11 was a big improvement over 2K10, which is the info they gave us leading up to last year's release. Yes, 2K should do a better job with releasing their info, but as long as they improve the game like they did last year (and hopefully do a better job of ironing out the bugs), that's all that really matters.

# 36 mlblover15 @ 01/07/12 10:04 PM

I like others have wanted to have two GREAT GAMES to be able to play every year. I just don't understand the lack of desire from the development team to want to give out information on this game as Sony does.

They don't come to the boards, there are no early pics or info on what to expect from the game. I just don't understand what is going on. For me from what i have seen in limited time and i do mean limited time with this series, the graphics are still yet to come out of the ps2 in some area's.

Player models need a great deal of work. I feel they would benefit from a complete tear down and rebuild of their engine for the baseball game. People talk about how great everything is about the basketball game they have put out is.

Maybe they need to hire batting stance dude and put him in the studio to get the body mechanics right and get rid of the broken wrist and thin or skinny wrist thing.

all i know is that their are a great many problems with this game from what i have seen and heard from people on this board. I pray, that this company has actually done work on this game and not taken a year long vacation. I would love to have a game for each of my consoles.

I will be following this games progress through out the remainder of its time to release. I may even after seeing how it is received here on the boards. I will be checking out the pics and everything but until i see a GLOWING OH MY GOD WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE KEY TO HEAVEN reviews from you the fans of this game.

I also wish they would slim down the sliders from 0-100 to like 0-10 or so, just that much less to have to mess with.

I want to love this game as much as i do the other one but it has given me no reason to give in. I hope this is the year that it tugs at my heart strings just a little bit.

I guess just like the rest of you i will have to patiently wait and see how this all unfolds. See if this company actually gives a rats behind about this game or its fans... here is to hoping!!!

# 37 rudyjuly2 @ 01/08/12 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlblover15


	I also wish they would slim down the sliders from 0-100 to like 0-10 or so, just that much less to have to mess with.

I couldn't disagree more. If you think having a 100 point system is messy then you must hate sliders. 2K's games usually need tweaking and we need those tools to fix things. Only one sports game on the market uses such a weak 10 point slider system. It really limits how much you can adjust things. Having a slider system range over 100 is better although it is a bit deceptive in that most of the sliders in 2K11 were 5 point clicks (more of a 20 point system). A lot of games have gone to a true 100 point system giving us greater control. For me I had to max out some of the sliders in 2K11 completely. You scale that range down and it hurts the game, not helps it. As a person who loves sliders I simply would hate to see that happen.

I really don't think the player models are holding this game back. They aren't that bad. It's the animations that need work. Specifically running the bases. They don't round the bases well at all and it looks like an old school game in motion at times. That's where the work needs to be spent imo. The player faces for guys who aren't stars can be awful as well. While Justin Verlander may look good, the bottom of the rotation look closer to zombies.

# 38 jeffy777 @ 01/08/12 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	I couldn't disagree more. If you think having a 100 point system is messy then you must hate sliders. 2K's games usually need tweaking and we need those tools to fix things. Only one sports game on the market uses such a weak 10 point slider system. It really limits how much you can adjust things. Having a slider system range over 100 is better although it is a bit deceptive in that most of the sliders in 2K11 were 5 point clicks (more of a 20 point system). A lot of games have gone to a true 100 point system giving us greater control. For me I had to max out some of the sliders in 2K11 completely. You scale that range down and it hurts the game, not helps it. As a person who loves sliders I simply would hate to see that happen. I really don't think the player models are holding this game back. They aren't that bad. It's the animations that need work. Specifically running the bases. They don't round the bases well at all and it looks like an old school game in motion at times. That's where the work needs to be spent imo. The player faces for guys who aren't stars can be awful as well. While Justin Verlander may look good, the bottom of the rotation look closer to zombies.

Agreed on all points.

# 39 Super Glock @ 01/08/12 02:21 PM

Being a huge baseball fan, I am really excited for this game. I will definitely be making 2 baseball game purchases this year.

# 40 authentic @ 01/08/12 10:13 PM

Call me crazy but I'm going to try 2k11 again on PS3. I am just curious because I literally barely played it. Anybody know of any PS3 Minor League rosters out there?

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