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MLB 2K8 News Post

Major League Baseball 2K8 360 Impressions

  01:24 AM - February 26, 2008 by Steve_OS
Matt Blumenthal had an opportunity to demo Major League Baseball 2K8 this afternoon. His official writeup of the event will be up later this week, but we wanted to get some quick thoughts up here for you guys.
  • This game looks beautiful, the player models have improved but the real leap is in the animations. The animations move silky smooth and there is no need to worry about herky jerky animations of the past anymore.
  • I'm impressed with how intuitive and fresh the analog controls are. The pitching takes a little time to get the hang of but the new mechanics add a whole new dimension to the pitching model.
  • The baseball cards feature is surprisingly cool, expect me to have more on that later on this week.
  • In-game saves are officially in the game this year.
  • Check swings don't seem to be a chore anymore. They are now accomplished by pulling back on the right analog stick - no more right trigger necessary.
  • Stadium-specific animations are in. The Yankee Roll Call was mentioned specifically.
  • There should be plenty of foul balls this year. I saw several in the few at-bats I played.
  • No spring training games this year.
  • I counted eight unlockable classic stadiums. I think more might be available by default as well.
  • No co-op play
  • You will have the option to make trades for CPU-controlled teams in franchise mode, but you won't be able to edit their rotations and lineups.
  • It was suggested to me that the demo is done and has been submitted. If that's the case, it's in Microsoft's hands now.
  • I will hit on a few of the big questions from the forum here.

Game: Major League Baseball 2K8Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 74 - View All
Member Comments
# 1141 jfsolo @ 03/04/08 08:59 PM
Maybe I just don't know what a "smooth" framerate is supposed to look like, or my eyes are just so bad that I can't tell, but I don't see any problems with the framerate. And I'm not "convincing" myself that it isn't that bad, I just flat out don't see anything wrong with it. period.

As to the game, after practicing about 50 pitches in the tutorial, the pitching clicked for me, and I didn't throw one meatball in the game. Now I hit two batters, walked 4 guys, threw 4 ball in in the dirt and had a wild pitch, but no meatballs. The Ump was squeezing me too When you throw a great pitch though, it is F'in sweet. Just after one game, its like the shot stick in the 2k basketball games, I would never want to go back to simple button presses of old.

Hitting is going to be harder for me to get down. I didn't play 2k7, so the step thing is wearing me out, Its probably going to take several(read 20) games for me to get the hang of it, but I like the way its implemented.

Fielding is great, the off line throws being based on use imput is nice. Baserunning is intuitive for a change.

I always turn off the commentary in EVERY sports game, because I feel more immersed hearing the sounds of the game. I cranked up the crowd chatter, umps, and all the other in game sounds, and I'm liking the atmosphere it creates very much.

Since Earl Weaver no baseball game has blown me away, and this game is no exception, but I can tell I'm going to enjoy this game very much, and it will stay in my rotation of games through the summer.
 
# 1142 CS10029 @ 03/04/08 09:05 PM
Any impressions on the implement of the cards?
 
# 1143 ezekiel55 @ 03/04/08 09:08 PM
I'm really diggin the game.

I've only played one game but it was a good one.

Cubs(me) vs. Reds(cpu) I won 6-5

To be honest my two biggest gripes are the frame rate and the atmosphere. Other than that it plays great. Hopefully there is some way to patch the framerate because that would put this games gameplay ahead of The shows by alot.

Cool thing that happened though. Zambrano was pitchin a perfect game through 5 and struck out the last batter of the inning and it cut to a cutscene of him looking at his finger and Pinella came out and he had to leave with finger blisters.
 
# 1144 K_GUN @ 03/04/08 09:09 PM
is this the same for a PS3 owner?


We'll guys I have basically CONFIRMED the problem is what I posted before. I took of my 360 HARD DRIVE to see if that would help & it did. The Choppiness & Studdering is basically non-existent. The games plays very fluid. The pause between cut-scenes is still there (looks like that's how it's programmed) but everything else is fine..

Here's hoping a fix will be upon us sooner than later
 
# 1145 Thadeus @ 03/04/08 09:12 PM
LOL at the people who say The Show is better and there's no debating this. That is your opinion. Many of us don't share it. Let us enjoy the game.
 
# 1146 bkrich83 @ 03/04/08 09:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thadeus
LOL at the people who say The Show is better and there's no debating this. That is your opinion. Many of us don't share it. Let us enjoy the game.
How does people saying the Show is better alter YOUR enjoyment of the game?
 
# 1147 bigball12 @ 03/04/08 09:17 PM
Wow! Just picked the game up! So excited for this day... this game sucks! It has very unrealistic gameplay, animations are dry, and graphics aren't all that good. Very disappointed, I guess I'll be playing my PS3 and The Show this year.
 
# 1148 bigfnjoe96 @ 03/04/08 09:18 PM
Guys go into OPTIONS, then PRESENTATION. Once in PRESENTATION turn every OPTION-OFF except for Replay Frequency. This should help with the choppiness some also
 
# 1149 Brophog @ 03/04/08 09:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pared
So you're justifying your comments this way?

Back to the impressions, PLEASE! I'd like to hear other's take on how this compares to NCAA MVP and what exactly is so innovative, aside from using the right stick for pitching. Let's cut the bashing of either game; This isn't the thread.

Actually, what I am seeing the most reading through all of these comments is how so many people aren't reading what each other are typing. The biggest problem, as it usually is in a forum, is a lot of insinuation and very little actual, bonafide, reading of what is written and addressing it in the right context.

As to The Show, MVP, Triple Play.....any of them. Why is it OK to compare to MVP and not The Show. Look, you have to face the fact right now that any new game is going to be compared to its predecessors and contemporaries, especially a game such as this one that only has 1 competitor. Its inevitable, and desirable if done in the right frame of mind. You can't just pick one game of the past like MVP 05 or Nascar 2003 or PES 6 or Inside Drive or any other "greatest ever for that sport" and limit yourself to those comparisons. Its hardly objective, and rarely all that useful. You need a bigger scope.

And if you have a problem with "fanboys", of which I am seeing very few real ones here, then stop replying to them! Real fanboys leave when you stop paying attention to them.

Now, back to the impressions, please. And if you have a real comparison with The Show, then please list that. A lot of people are debating on which title to get, and most aren't going to just get both of them. If you read the other forum, you'd know many of them are even debating if they need a PS3 just for the game. They just want a good game of baseball, and if they can't do that with their current setup, they'd like to know that.
 
# 1150 bowlerguy92 @ 03/04/08 09:20 PM
Hmmm.........is it a bad thing that I'm scoring almost all of my runs via the homerun?
 
# 1151 bkrich83 @ 03/04/08 09:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96
Guys go into OPTIONS, then PRESENTATION. Once in PRESENTATION turn every OPTION-OFF except for Replay Frequency. This should help with the choppiness some also
That sucks we have to do things like this to get it to perform near what it was advertised to do.
 
# 1152 The GIGGAS @ 03/04/08 09:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by K_GUN
is this the same for a PS3 owner?


We'll guys I have basically CONFIRMED the problem is what I posted before. I took of my 360 HARD DRIVE to see if that would help & it did. The Choppiness & Studdering is basically non-existent. The games plays very fluid. The pause between cut-scenes is still there (looks like that's how it's programmed) but everything else is fine..

Here's hoping a fix will be upon us sooner than later
Bah, lame...
 
# 1153 bluengold34_OS @ 03/04/08 09:24 PM
I know this has been said in this thread often, but I am going say it again.

The more I play this game, the more the framerate doesnt' really bother me, and the overall fun of the game is taking over. Had a great game against the tigers, where I lost 7-3. Justin just dominated on the mound and was bringing it in at 99 mph. I was lucky enough to hit a blast with Aram. and drive in another with Derosa. I gave up 3 bombs, and where I left them, they should have been hit.

I'm not here to discuss which one is better as I have both, but I know a FUN game when I se it, and this game( while not perfect ) is pretty damn fun.

Next year they iron out the framerate, tighten up a couple of other things, and keep the fun..........you have a pretty damn good game ball...IMO
 
# 1154 Damanjinx @ 03/04/08 09:24 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96
Guys go into OPTIONS, then PRESENTATION. Once in PRESENTATION turn every OPTION-OFF except for Replay Frequency. This should help with the choppiness some also
I dont have the game but what exactly by turning off everything in presentation is doing? Commentary, Ticker ect...?
 
# 1155 Motown @ 03/04/08 09:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierzynski 12
Good. Go enjoy The Show and have a nice night.
weak...& Old bro
 
# 1156 Brophog @ 03/04/08 09:30 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bowlerguy92
Hmmm.........is it a bad thing that I'm scoring almost all of my runs via the homerun?
Yep. Always a bad sign if the homeruns come out to either extreme. Seems to be one of the toughest things for a baseball game to get accurate.
 
# 1157 Motown @ 03/04/08 09:31 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96
Guys go into OPTIONS, then PRESENTATION. Once in PRESENTATION turn every OPTION-OFF except for Replay Frequency. This should help with the choppiness some also
lol...WHY should we resort to turning everything off man? you PAID 60+ dollas
to enjoy what was suppose to be 60fps...now you got to turn everything off?
i don't get it.
 
# 1158 ability @ 03/04/08 09:32 PM
Played a handful of games tonight and I like this game a lot. We all know it's not the the all mighty and all powerful, awe inspiring that is 'The Show' but 2K8 is VASTLYYYYYYYYYY improved over 2K7 in my opinion.
 
# 1159 Spear @ 03/04/08 09:38 PM
First of all of course it'd be nice to play The Show and have more baseball gaming options but some of us don't have PS3s...


Anyways, my impressions...

- Switched back to the pitching from last year since I didn't want to learn the new system just yet.

- Haven't seen a lot of home runs, or robbed home runs for that matter (played multiplayer on Pro...with lots of meat pitches and we didn't see a lot of HRs - maybe we suck, played the CPU on All-Star bunch of times and still didn't see as many HRs as last year.)

- Love the Swing Stick 2.0 being able to send the ball down the line like that is amazing. Base hits feel so rewarding.

- Way more hit variety than last year. I'm seeing doubles from balls hit hard into the gap, opposed to the types of doubles that I saw a lot last year which was deep fly balls off the wall.

- Crowds look like crap compared to last year, don't know what happened there.

- The aerial camera for fielding is sick, can't go back to anything else.

- Rogers Centre finally has the DOME CLOSED! THANK GOD!

- Love throwing to the bases with the stick

- Animations are much better..EXAMPLE: Playing my roommate (him yanks - me jays) I hit a hard ground ball down the third baseline, Arod goes down to attempt to backhand it and the ball hit his glove just slightly and allowed me to reach on the error. It sounds so simple, but it looked very smooth and realistic.

- Don't see the option to have a certain player come out to a certain custom soundtrack song. You can apply a list of songs to a certain stadium for the home team players to come out to.

- Really like the option to customize catchers equipment.

- I think the ball on bat sound is improved, forgot all about it.

- Need to play more games to make a final decision but I'm definitely not regretting purchasing it.
 
# 1160 sportsdude @ 03/04/08 09:39 PM
what's the deal with online games?

didn't appear choppy or anything or the ordinary, but I go to swing and I get no response from my hitter. Two more pitchers, two more times he didn't swing even when I told him to. Then I swung early by accident and it was good timing but a foul ball. Seems like there was some mad lag that you couldn't tell just by seeing the game. Anyway, it was unplayable online when I tried because I would time the pitch right and my guy wouldn't swing. Then I would swing very early on purpose and it appeared on time. I hope this gets ironed out because I was hoping to really delve into online play this year.
 


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