Major League Baseball 2K8 360 Impressions

[ericdrum]

Quote: Originally Posted by Oldschool17

I’m still confused on how a game can look so bad but at the very least not play a smooth 60 fps???...What the heck did they do for a year on this game?

Because there's a problem with using the VIP at the same time. Software that inherently runs well, can be made to run poorly if something else on the system is causing problems. I've spent some time with both 'the show' now and 2k8. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I have more fun playing 2k8 than 'the show' even though the 'the show' looks a lot better. The gameplay just engages me more.

[myghty]

Quote: Originally Posted by babythug23

Anyone on ps3 likes this better then the show? I have yet to buy either

This year I played the demo of The Show 08 & went out to buy 2k8. The reason is that I've been playing The Show for the past 3 years now & its the same game every year with updated graphics. Not that its a bad thing because hands down The Show plays a better game of baseball & captures presentation perfectly, its just that for me it was getting repetitive. (If that makes any sense). Anyways, I like 2K8 and their new inovative way of pitching. Its tricky at times but its lots of fun where if you strike someone out it feels really satisfying. I have to get used to using the swing stick though as I suck right now but it has potential to being more fun when I get it down.

If you have liked The Show in the past & are happy with their same controls & presentations go for the Show. But if you want to try something new & IMO fun, give 2K8 a try. The demo for it is on the 360 & I'm willing to bet that it will be on the PSN tomorrow.

[Naednek]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but in the SF Giants field, there's a list of the all time HR records. Bonds record is not there this year, granted I know he's not licensed for any MLB games, but you'd think 2k would put in a dummy name. I actually thought it was funny.

[WaddupCouzin]

Played the demo and this game is taking a major step in the wrong direction! Play The Show for 5 minutes and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about!

[ericdrum]

Quote: Originally Posted by myghty

This year I played the demo of The Show 08 & went out to buy 2k8. The reason is that I've been playing The Show for the past 3 years now & its the same game every year with updated graphics. Not that its a bad thing because hands down The Show plays a better game of baseball & captures presentation perfectly, its just that for me it was getting repetitive. (If that makes any sense). Anyways, I like 2K8 and their new inovative way of pitching. Its tricky at times but its lots of fun where if you strike someone out it feels really satisfying. I have to get used to using the swing stick though as I suck right now but it has potential to being more fun when I get it down. If you have liked The Show in the past & are happy with their same controls & presentations go for the Show. But if you want to try something new & IMO fun, give 2K8 a try. The demo for it is on the 360 & I'm willing to bet that it will be on the PSN tomorrow.

That's a very good way to put it. I agree.

[CS10029]

Quote: Originally Posted by Oldschool17

Any game is “PLAYABLE” the word playable is relative to the person making the statement so what I say is unplayable is specific to me. I think this game is being looked at in a couple different ways. First you have people who have multiple consoles and options when it comes to their baseball fix. That being said anyone playing Sony’s baseball game won’t wast more than 30 minutes on this game. Then you have guys who it seems to me are the eternal optomists and will forgive a company even if they wrapped a piece of doo doo in a box and sold it. I know one thing if EA would have put anything out like this I’d almost guarantee that there would be a far more drastic public outcry of gamers claiming EA wronged them and are greedy, neglectful developers. fficeffice" />>> What 2K did IMO is inexcusable…The framerate is terrible and IMO not playable. I didn’t buy a next gen console to experience games that are the visual and gameplay quality of a game that was on Ps2 or Xbox.. One look at the grass tesxtures and overall ambience of the game is a complete turn off for anyone who even cares about visuals in the least bit. >> Anyone who encourages someone to buy this game is IMO irresponsible or just doesn’t care about the quality of sports games. If you like the game that’s fine and I can respect anyone who enjoys this sort of game..But to promote anyone buying it with a straight face is quite laughable. 2K tried to do some innovative things but at the end of the day they are failed. The basic nuts and bolts of the game are horrible. The pitching is needlessly difficult and moreover each missed pitch results in a homerun???...I just don’t get that…I don’t mind innovation and something new but this was something that IMO that was simply implemented poorly. >> I’m still confused on how a game can look so bad but at the very least not play a smooth 60 fps???...What the heck did they do for a year on this game?

No offense, but have you played that game for more than an hour or so. If anything the nuts and bolts of this game are close to flawless. If your referring to gameplay that is. Since I've goten this game I've experienced next to nothing for frame rate issues, some here and there but nothing to hurt the game. I'm honestly a few games away from feeling the same about this game as I did the last two MVP titles.

And to say the game is the same gameplay and graphical quality of a PS2 or Xbox game is rediculous. Have you ever played a game on either of those systems. They are good in there own right, but to compare the three is laughable.

[MikeB_20]

So I got home, downloaded the demo and played a few games. I have to say the fundamental gameplay is fantastic but the game is lacking in a few key areas.

As we all know the framerate is choppy quite a bit. The simple work around helps but it doesn't fix it. It's really a shame because this is clearly the only major problem with the game.

I've read that some people are saying the crowds don't react well to the on field action. I couldn't find this to be any further from the truth, they boo when the away team does well and go nuts for homeruns and great catches by their team.

I like Joe and John, it sounds like when I'm watching a game on TV. They might not be the most interesting people in the world but their broadcast feels authentic and well balanced.

The new analog controls, specifically pitching, are absolutely fantastic. It took me the first game to get used to what I was doing but by the second game I was striking out batters and making a lot of good pitches. I really, really like the pitching. The field also works well but I still screw it up every now and then. I end up pointing and throwing to the wrong base for whatever reason. Once again, this works really well and it quite fun. As for the swing stick 2.0, I think I sort of like 1.0 a little better since their were two ways to swing but I do like how you can fully influnence the ball with the right stick. If they mixed the two it would be perfect in my opinion. If you were to just swing for contact by pulling back and then letting go you wouldn't be able to influence the ball which would be a good thing. If you want to control the ball you need to do a full swing, I think that would work well.

All-in-all the analog controls are great and in my opinion the future of the sport. Just as the analog hockey stick and golf club swing of their respective genres changed how the game is played, the analog controls in 2K8 is certainly going to be the standard next year. It makes pressing buttons for pitching/batting/field a bit dull and unengaging.

It seems as though the fields have been scaled back but I'm not noticing any other major downgrades to the visuals. It sucks that 2K couldn't get a rock solid framerate as it would have made for a much more enjoyable game overall.

A good effort but being the 3rd year on the 360 I can see why fans and reviewers are growing tired of it's shortcomings.

[TopDog]

Quote: Originally Posted by WaddupCouzin

Played the demo and this game is taking a major step in the wrong direction! Play The Show for 5 minutes and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about!

Show, Show, Show, Show, Show......

....in a 2k8 thread. Over and over and over again.

I swear to god, do some of you people get paid each time you fellate Sony and their almighty game?