Major League Baseball 2K13 Review (XBox 360)

[Mt Oread]

Quote: Originally Posted by Baile

What did my post have to do with The Show? I don't play The Show and haven't for 5 years, because I consider 2K the better video baseball experience overall. That said, it's almost impossible for me to play 2K for longer than a few innings, I get bored with the simplistic hitting system. Hitting in 2K is like batting practice or playing homerun derby mode. I've played video baseball games since the early 90s, and 2K by far is the least difficult baseball game I've played from a hitting perspective. They removed zone, they removed step-influence, they removed the power swing in classic... the list goes on, it's plain ridiculous. And there is no connection between including more hitting options, and ruining the fun factor in the process. You yourself can continue playing with timing-only, it doesn't affect you. And people like me can use zone or k-zone or whatever we like. I don't understand your comment at all.

I'm jut pointing out, that while zone hitting has a nice vocal community of supporters, most people enjoy their baseball games without it. I'm also pointing out that having a bazillion modes can affect how different modes work and feel. None get the attention they deserves, and their is more effort into balancing them than perfecting them.

Timing is far less challenging than zone or cursor hitting. But it also mimics exactly the mindset I have when I play baseball in real life. I'm reading pitch, speed, and location, but aiming just happens.

And since, with current sliders, I'm getting realistic results of guys hitting from .250 to .350, I don't find it too easy. What it does is emphasize the risk/reward and playing of %'s that baseball is. I don't want to clutter that with twitch based hitting. And from thje looks of it, most gamers feel that way.

then it comes to the actual process of tuning the game to work with controls, and adding a scheme that most won't use complicates the process. I bring up The show, because I feel like the bajillion controls do hamper their overall gameplay, at least among those of us that prefer 2K.

But if zone hitting is your requirement, than 2K certainly is not the game for you. 2K's pitching mechanic is that way for me. There is a chance that in the next gen, if 2K is truly out of the game, no one will provide this pitching mechanic, and I may just skip baseball games for awhile.

And if games sell well without it, then the market spoke.

[Schmackity]

Very accurate review. Having originally played The Show and now owning an XBOX and playing the 2k Series, I feel it accurately describes how the game plays.

Thanks for it.

[dienissteeinda]

Baseball is a game fundamentals... You are taught the fundamentals as a child and they stay with you until you reach the big leagues. I knew back in the Dreamcast days when they failed to allow you to control your fielders that 2k baseball would have trouble down the line. This game is a fine example of when comfort and lack of creative control meet. From the very contact of the ball, you kind of have that instinct of knowing exactly whats going to happen. Almost like the script every scenario of the gameplay. The pitching analog gets quite annoying after awhile. The batting is as simple as ABC and the fielding elementary at best. I figured with the lack of information- this was either going to be the end-all-to-be-all baseball title or a bland reiteration of 2k12. I was thinking optimistically. That they went under the hood and created gold but kept it under wraps just to surprise us. Nah... that didn't happen. I haven't been this disappointed since Football 2k8 had the world at its beck and call and then 2 days before its release, it was revealed that they decided to not add a franchise mode because they felt gamers wanted them to focus on gameplay. I would like to know what focus study groups handle 2k products. The should be sued for improper representation. Even in talking to some of their reps.. It's like talking to a brick wall. Robots. They could simply strip the nfl name from 2k5, update the engine with a revamped 2k8 engine. Use the franchise template they used in 2k5. Allow full scale editing of teams and players. Within 2 weeks, some egg heads on the net will have created a full scale league. sell it for 29.99. and BLOW THEIR COMPETITION OUT OF THE WATER!!!! But no... mediocrity at best. Oh well...

[Baile]

Quote: Originally Posted by dienissteeinda

This game is a fine example of when comfort and lack of creative control meet. They could simply strip the nfl name from 2k5, update the engine with a revamped 2k8 engine. Use the franchise template they used in 2k5. Allow full scale editing of teams and players. Within 2 weeks, some egg heads on the net will have created a full scale league. sell it for 29.99. and BLOW THEIR COMPETITION OUT OF THE WATER!!!! But no... mediocrity at best. Oh well...

You're an old-school gamer obviously. Agree completely. Monkeys took over 2K after NFL 2K5. Sports video gaming hasn't been the same since.

[Baile]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mt Oread

I'm jut pointing out, that while zone hitting has a nice vocal community of supporters, most people enjoy their baseball games without it. I'm also pointing out that having a bazillion modes can affect how different modes work and feel.

Hard to say if more people like timing hitting. It's the only option offered so of course people use it. I still don't get your second point here. Can you maybe name a game in which the gameplay suffered because the game offered too many options and ways to play it? That might help.

[Baile]

Quote: Originally Posted by dienissteeinda

From the very contact of the ball, you kind of have that instinct of knowing exactly whats going to happen. Almost like the script every scenario of the gameplay.

This I don't agree with. I stuck with 2K baseball even when they switched to timing-only hitting because the one thing that separates 2K games from the games of other devs is: 1) Player ratings actually matter; and 2) The organic gameplay that results from the inclusion of effective sliders combined with the fact player ratings mean something. In other devs' games, ratings and sliders do nothing, and the gameplay feels scripted and unresponsive because of it. 2K sports games have always been way ahead of the competition in this regard.

BTW, that's my biggest complaint with game reviews on this site and others. I get the sense the guys who review games on internet sites are young people who never played the classic sim sports games from the 90s and early 2000s. None of these reviewers ever discuss player ratings and how they impact the gameplay, for example. That's why 2K scores a 4, because nobody bothers to delve into the nuts and bolts of the gameplay programming itself, which IMO is the most important aspect by far. I'm completely serious when I say that if game reviews were based on gameplay programming effectiveness, even the worst 2K games would get the highest review scores of any other sports games out there.

[pistolpete]

Yeah, I can't defend this series any longer. The more I play 2k13 the more it completely sucks. I believe it has ruined 2k11 and 2k12 for me as well.

[tvman]

Quote: Originally Posted by pistolpete

Yeah, I can't defend this series any longer. The more I play 2k13 the more it completely sucks. I believe it has ruined 2k11 and 2k12 for me as well.

Everything in general or what in particular?