Major League Baseball 2K8 360 Impressions

[orion523]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

I thought you could change back to last year's...??

You know I only rented the game and after I played like 5 games and didn't like it I sent it back.I didn't even look at the options(I am a dope).What I'm going to do is wait for the patch to be released and if everyone is satisfied I give it another go.I want nothing more than this game to be good

[Artman22]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

Well, rented the finally... Past that, I don't quite know what to say or where to start. This game is so bad in so many ways. My copy of The Show 06 on the PS2 puts this game to shame. And rather than repeat what's already been said, I'll just recommend to anyone still on the fence: don't buy it. And don't even bother renting the game. I honestly feel I just threw $10 away.

Lmao!!! That was the same way I felt when I first played the game. I don't know man people are praising this game and some can't even play it(including myself). I feel like this game went backwards. If they would have gave me 2k7 with 60fps and better gameplay I would have been cool with that. I think they spent too much time on the pitching and batting this year. They should have worked on locking this game at 60fps before anything else.

[sportyguyfl31]

Am I the only one who doesnt care all that much about the visuals? This game looks plenty good..I care about the game being fun and engaging me..this game qualifies on both fronts.

The only 2 changes I really want to see as of right now is the CPU going for steals and I'd like to be able to work the count better. I dont want 1 game to take the length of a real game. I want to acutally PLAY the game..have a fun experience with enough realism so that I do not feel like I'm playing MLB Slugfest.

[Brophog]

Quote: Originally Posted by sportyguyfl31

Am I the only one who doesnt care all that much about the visuals? .

I agree, to an extent. I'm certainly not a big graphics person myself, being a big retro gamer, but the one thing I think a sports game, graphically, in this age needs to do is to let you know instantly who a player is.

2K nails that with the basketball games. I can fire that ball around the hoop and know without thinking which player it is, and therefore know what my next move should be. While this isn't nearly as vital in a baseball game, there is no reason I shouldn't get that same effect. I think far older games did this better than 2K8 does, and that's a shame.

Secondly, baseball is an immersion sport. They get this ok with the fans chants, and some with the PA, but they totally miss this with the announcing and the visuals. It feels overall a shallow experience. It attempts to do it, it just doesn't got that full mile.

[orion523]

Well,even after all of my criticism I bought the game anyway hoping the patch fixes the main issues with the framerate.Once I found out I was able to switch back to last years pitching mechanic,I was sold because the hitting is fantastic.Now its just a wait for the patch

[Brophog]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pared

I'm really liking the pitching the more I spend time with it, but as someone else said, it's still a meter. The only difference is the motions you're inputting. Still is a nice diversion from the norm. I still hate the meatball thing. I'm seeing the CPU throw a decent variety of balls/strikes but the lack of walks is killing me. Once you get the hang of the meter you can still pinpoint your pitches. Still needs heavy slider work, again.

That was me on the meter. At first, I was like, hey this is just the same thing, but with motions. It does grow on you, however, if for only the fact the gestures keep you engaged. The pitching is probably without a doubt my favorite part of this game.

I have two big complaints about the gameplay. The hitting just seems dull. The beautiful hits of baseball I am just not seeing. The choppers, the bounces, the slow rollers, etcetera. I don't feel like this ball is alive. It seems like it is more on rails. Lots of hits right smack up the middle, a few exactly down the line, etcetera. Nothing feels organic about the hitting process. The controls are engaging, but the end result feels very shallow.

Secondly, I'm not sure we're ever going to solve this AI pitching issue. The combination of the strike zone, the umpire, and the sliders is making it very difficult for me to feel like this is a representation of the game. Either the top pitchers turn into gods, or the average pitchers begin bouncing everything. I can get good ball numbers from average to below pitchers, but some of their pitches are so ridiculously far out of the strike zone as to be hilarious, (often resulting in passed balls) and even then, most of their strikes are still right at the corners. There doesn't seem to be that 5.0 ERA guy that is the bulk of the majors that has control issues but keeps it near the strike zone and just gets hit a lot.

I think post patch we can get a decent game of baseball for those that have a 360 only, but not without an exhaustive amount of work on the part of the user.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brophog

The hitting just seems dull. The beautiful hits of baseball I am just not seeing. The choppers, the bounces, the slow rollers, etcetera. I don't feel like this ball is alive. It seems like it is more on rails. Lots of hits right smack up the middle, a few exactly down the line, etcetera. Nothing feels organic about the hitting process. The controls are engaging, but the end result feels very shallow.

By far one of the biggest weaknesses with 2K baseball for at least 3 years. The problem is the players' hitting ratings are way too high in relation to the hitting engine programming. Take one team; lower the starting 8-9 players' hitting ratings (contact and power) by 50%. You'll see a huge improvement in the hit realism and variety. For one thing, no more fly balls outnumbering groundballs 3 to 1 or more.

[Pared]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brophog

I think post patch we can get a decent game of baseball for those that have a 360 only, but not without an exhaustive amount of work on the part of the user.

That's my biggest beef with games like this. People want to say "well with the right sliders it's great."

Why is the game not "great" out of the damn box? Did I not spend $400 on a gaming system and $60 on a game? Why should I have to do all this patchwork for the game to be solid.

I'm used to doing slider work but only to make a great game better. When you have to put in all this work to get the game under control it annoys me.