Chase Becotte: Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in.

Most of my initial thoughts about MLB 2K11 can be found in the preview I wrote a couple days ago, but this demo basically serves to cement a lot of those impressions.

I gave up on MLB 2K10 shortly after picking it up last year, but right now I don't foresee the same thing happening this year. The big three of fielding, hitting and pitching all feel improved, and the subtraction of rocket-armed outfielders and the addition of more defined skill levels for fielders helps to extinguish a lot of the fielding criticisms I had last year. I'm also liking that the AI pitchers are actually walking batters, and when I'm on the mound, I feel like I can unintentionally walk batters as well.

To keep it simple, while I don't think this game is shaping up to be a masterpiece, it does feel like the folks working on the series are finally going downhill rather than uphill.

Christian McLeod: For once, I'm with Chase. If you can look past some of its rough graphical and animation edges, the MLB 2K11 demo plays a very solid game of hardball.

Based on multiple games with the 2K11 demo, it's great to see that the game's development team took many of 2K10's biggest issues to heart. Fielding is still not as enjoyable as it should be in a baseball game -- still a bit too automatic feeling for my liking -- but I am loving the new throw meter. To be honest, I think it may be the best throw meter I have used in a baseball game to date.

On the hitting side of things, one thing that immediately jumped out to me was the hit variety, displayed beautifully via the new camera angle. In all the time I spent with the demo, I don't think I witnessed the same hit more than a few times. I was most impressed with some of the ball physics I saw, particularly one where a ball flew into center field after it rocketed off the pitcher's mound.

Yes, Miguel Tejada's face looks like a potato, and yes, I was scratching my head when my players refused to deviate from their 90-degree angled route while rounding the bases. Even so, I quite enjoyed my time with the 2K11 demo. Let's just say I would not be completely surprised if this game sells well -- I think it's going to be a lot of fun to play.

Caley Roark: I'm with you guys: I think there is a fun game of baseball buried somewhere in 2K11. However, I'm not sure the demo reflects that. I saw too many flaws in the demo to truly say that 2K11 has improved a great deal over 2K10. (For the record, I thought 2K10 was much better than 2K9.)

First, we have to look past the crazy graphics to enjoy the way it plays. Normally, I'm ok with that, but, for me, the demo just had way too many graphical oddities. The aforementioned 90-degree turns on the basepaths; the alien hybrid that is Josh Hamilton; the slowdown every time I hit a ball deep; the way players sort of "jump" between animations as if they just remembered they had something important to do; and recycled animations, like the seemingly fast-forwarded stare down after an inside pitch.

I would not say these are deal breakers, but they are hard to overlook, at least in a demo. I'm hoping that they are fixed, or at least become less noticeable, in the final build.

Beyond that, I love the presentation graphics and can't wait to hear the dynamic commentary layered on top of them. I'm getting used to the batting camera, which does a good job of letting you track the pitch all the way to the catcher's mitt. Unlike Christian, I'm not digging the in-play "hit" camera. I'd rather use a regular broadcast camera, but that's just me.

I did notice some incorrect base-running AI as well. With no outs and a man on first and third, the computer decided not to score as I turned a double play (in a scoreless game). During the instant replay, it looked like the runner just sort of froze in his secondary lead.

Simply put, I'm not seeing, at least from the demo, the jump in quality that made me appreciate 2K10.

Chris Sanner: If you are not as into realism as a hardcore baseball guy is, and if you are willing to overlook some pretty dumb AI moves, I think MLB 2K11 is going to be your type of baseball game. The Show can be a bit overwhelming to the casual baseball player, and I think 2K has wisely tried not to copy The Show's success verbatim.

However, there are problems with the game that hardcore baseball types will not be able to overlook. For instance, the Giants pulled Lincecum in the second inning when I scored two quick runs -- though this may have had something to do with the shortened game. I also found hitting to be easy, but a bump up in skill levels will fix that. Nevertheless, the meat and potatoes of the game are improved over last year in every way. As my cohorts have pointed out, fielding, hitting and pitching are all different and improved in several little nuanced ways.

In short, the casual baseball fan who just wants a fun game of hardball will face an interesting decision for once this spring. MLB 2K11 is quite fun, and a lot of the issues from last year have been ironed out. While others will pop up I'm sure -- it's the series' mantra at this point -- MLB 2K11 should be a solid option for those who just want to play a fun game of baseball.