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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
# 1681 FlyerFanatic08 @ 03/13/08 09:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeePride
How to throw a fastball with maximum effort:

Press and hold down to begin your motion. A circle begins to expand. When the circle reaches it's largest point, move and hold the Right Analog Stick forward. Release the stick when the contracting circle reaches it's smallest point. If you release prior to this the margin of error increases by the size of the circle or becomes a meatball pitch.

How to throw a fastball with less effort:

Now that you know how to throw a maximum effort fastball, you might want to control your effort to conserve energy.

Press and hold down to begin your motion. A circle begins to expand. Move and hold the RAS stick up (Note: You can do this prior to the circle reaching it's largest point. The expanding circle is your effort.) The circle will continue to expand. Continue to hold the stick up. Release the stick when the contracting circle reaches it's smallest point.

Once you understand that then you can understand the other pitches. Follow the same steps. The first motion is always your effort. Your second motion is your accuracy. You must remember to always hold the second motion down until the circle reaches it's smallest point. Releasing early will result in a meatball pitch.

There is a tutorial in the pause screen to practice.

so i'm trying this and it still seems i cant figure it out. i am holding up..i see the circle expand, but i dont see any circle contracting...though most of the time the circle turns red and starts blinking which prob means i'm screwing up...what do i need to be looking for? like i said i see the circle expanding but not seeing any circle contracting...am i holding down too long?

i dont know..i'm practicing this in the tutorial but i still cant seem to figure it out. i wish the tutorial would take you through a pitc as in like saying hold down the stick, then when the circle hits the best place to freeze and say heres when you wanna hit the 2nd direction, then show how long to hold that...and then finally when to release, just to help you get an idea

i'm bordering selling this game...i cant say i'm to big of a fan of this pitching system yet...i'm sure theres a way to change it...think i read you could on some other threads...but online play will be this default...and if thats the case i'm screwed..whatever happened to just having A,B,X,Y as the diff pitches, you just choose a location. even mvp 03 had a great system hit the button to pitch hold and hit it again to get the pitch in a green area for the best pitch.

maybe its too realistic for me?? like i really dont feel i should have to go through the trouble of spending a couple hours trying to figure out how to pitch the ball..i mean how is this supposed to make it more realistic or add something to it? i mean i get they want to add new stuff to games each year to sell it..but the tutorial doesnt really help...

anymore suggestions?

edit: actually, i got it kind of figured out now...i wasnt holding the effort long enough...so now that i have that i can clearly see the circle contract...though i'm having problems throwing stuff other than fastballs. it seems like its way hard to throw a curve or something when you have to rotate the stick for its 2nd motion, cuz just barely moving it the wrong way or whatever screws it up. any ideas?
 
# 1682 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 03:15 AM
Im really trying to like this game i love the pitching and hitting and running, but all the little things are aggrevating me too much and i think we got a demo of a game. Here is a list i compilied of problems i noticed.

Gameplay Problems.

1) When fielding the the game does not let me control my guy fast enough so he just stands there and i cant even get a dive off.

2) Fielders running right through balls, ground balls hit and i charge and run right threw it without even a attempt

3) Throwing double plays if my left stick is moved ever soo slightly my 2nd basman will run instead of throwing the ball even though it shows the meter filling up.

4) Still dont really have total control of were to try to hit the ball grounder or popfly

5) i cant stress this enough and i hope its been talked about I charge up the meter perfect meter after i charge the ball and he lobs it over so damn slow not only that but my 1st baseman doesnt even stretch for the ball at all and the runner is called safe.

6) AI is ABSOLUTELY GARBAGE on default pro.... freakn hitting corners by and missing by the INCH and comp doesnt hack wich is alright but ALL THE TIME its either i have to depend on the variable ump or the Batters DO NOT swing at the balls, and if i throw a strike and its a close game BOOM homerun not only that but there PULLING balls the are on the black outside that turn to be homeruns WTF?!?!

Sound:

1) About 80% of the time they will get what is going on the screen right. Pre game freaking rediculous cancelling each other out skipping names ect..

2) Crowd noise done a little better then last year but that wasnt saying much at all

3) Organ music is stupid gets sooo old its been in since the beggining of the damn series TAKE IT OUT YOU MORONS....

4) The damn inning chaning music im sick of it can we please get a new one.

Graphics :

1) Glitches all over the place, people coming in and out

2) Game is to dark overall i feel some stadiums dont look like they even put the lights on i actually hate playing 4 o clock games because the game looks to dark for so long

3) Faces are HORRIBLE really bad

4) Grass is ugly when pitching not to bad when in play, crowd looks rediculous with no seats and they move up and down at will and every 3rd guy looks and moves the same way

And overall Comments even with the quick fix it still doesnt run at 60fps, the cutscenes take to much time to skip, the 7th inning winning perentage is the stupidest thing they could of put in. There is random flashes on the screen ALOT when playing raining games that i cant play it cause it actually starts bothering me. White faces no loading jerky motions, HOME RUN CAM could of been better implemented, blah blah man.

Thought this game was trash when i first played it, then with the quick fix it ran better but then i started seeing all these things happening constantly, and thank god i rented it cause honeslty i would be bored with quicker then 2k7. This game shouldnt of been released, there making you pay 60$ for a prototype, a freakn demo. 2k should be a shame of themesleves, I hope the MLB pulls there contract from you morons and everyone will be able to make a baseball game again. Well i think i rambled, well those are my thoughts good luck to anyone that can get by all that.
 
# 1683 CMH @ 03/14/08 10:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damanjinx

Gameplay Problems.

2) Fielders running right through balls, ground balls hit and i charge and run right threw it without even a attempt
This happened to me a few times in the beginning. I think you have to make sure that if you are running left to right you get your player in position to place his glove. If the ball ends up by his feet, he won't field it. Annoying, I know. Once you get the hang of it you'll be fine.

Quote:

5) i cant stress this enough and i hope its been talked about I charge up the meter perfect meter after i charge the ball and he lobs it over so damn slow not only that but my 1st baseman doesnt even stretch for the ball at all and the runner is called safe.
Never had this happen. Are you sure the meter is green when you release?

Quote:
6) AI is ABSOLUTELY GARBAGE on default pro....
Yes, it is.
 
# 1684 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 11:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeePride

Never had this happen. Are you sure the meter is green when you release?
Yea... watch your 1st baseman very close they do not stretch alot of the time, maybe i have to hold it till the red or something when throwing over to get theball faster but that will cause it to go in the dirt, but the stretching from the 1st baseman is lame, he shouldnt be letting rutine groundballs cut it close cause he doesnt want to reach.
 
# 1685 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 11:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by michaeldu
I played 2k7 all the way up until Jan. 08. I find myself forcing this game into my 360 and trying to enjoy it, only to get frustrated and turning it off. This patch better be magic. If not, than yes, Major League Baseball should look into tearing up the contract with 2k. I would be embarassed if I was a MLB exec. and this was the game put out to replicate the company I work for. There is no excuse for how sloppy this game was put together. I wonder if they are working on the patch or working on 2k9?
And thats what i am trying to do as well, I love baseball i have been playing baseball games since freakn atari, and since this is the only game on the 360 ill be damned to buy a ps3 for one game. I feel that im trying to look over all the bad things to make out something good and beleive me i tried in this game but when the glitches happen i roll my eyes and then i just shut it off cause it pisses me off too much.
 
# 1686 soldaderyan @ 03/14/08 12:44 PM
i got this game yesterday and i love it
 
# 1687 Skyboxer @ 03/14/08 01:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damanjinx
3) Organ music is stupid gets sooo old its been in since the beggining of the damn series TAKE IT OUT YOU MORONS....
Yeah. That will help.
 
# 1688 Cardot @ 03/14/08 01:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by michaeldu
This patch better be magic. If not, than yes, Major League Baseball should look into tearing up the contract with 2k. I would be embarassed if I was a MLB exec. and this was the game put out to replicate the company I work for.
Just like the NFL, MLB doesn't really care how the game looks or plays. They just care about the check from 2k clearing at the bank. Execs aren't gamers.
 
# 1689 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 01:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardot
Just like the NFL, MLB doesn't really care how the game looks or plays. They just care about the check from 2k clearing at the bank. Execs aren't gamers.
In one way i agree but, i think negative feedback, i mean real negative feedback like the one this game is getting will have some relation to MLB. I think MLB wants a good quality game and they are not getting it, wasnt the MLB mad about 2k6? I think they should be just as mad about this game.
 
# 1690 ZB9 @ 03/14/08 02:17 PM
personally, i dont understand all the b****ing and complaining. This game is great imo. It's probably the best baseball game ive played.
 
# 1691 tswells @ 03/14/08 02:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZB9
personally, i dont understand all the b****ing and complaining. This game is great imo. It's probably the best baseball game ive played.
Agreed, I think the game is fantastic.
 
# 1692 Cardot @ 03/14/08 02:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damanjinx
In one way i agree but, i think negative feedback, i mean real negative feedback like the one this game is getting will have some relation to MLB. I think MLB wants a good quality game and they are not getting it, wasnt the MLB mad about 2k6? I think they should be just as mad about this game.
I am certainly not happy about it, but those are the economics of the matter. The Madden deal has show us that gamers will still buy the game even though they know it could be better. There are plenty who really enjoy EA's NFL offering which is great, but there are plenty of others who admit to buying it because they need their "NFL fix". The same applies to MLB and these companies know it.

If gamers could resist the games they think are subpar, it would effect the profits and the stock which inturn would motivate the execs. It would also make developers think a bit more about engaging in expensive exclusive deals.
 
# 1693 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 03:06 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZB9
personally, i dont understand all the b****ing and complaining. This game is great imo. It's probably the best baseball game ive played.
Im sorry but cmon, to say you dont understand why people are mad about this game is rediculous. There are pages and pages of things people and i have saw that makes it hard to play the game.
 
# 1694 spankdatazz22 @ 03/14/08 03:18 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damanjinx
In one way i agree but, i think negative feedback, i mean real negative feedback like the one this game is getting will have some relation to MLB. I think MLB wants a good quality game and they are not getting it, wasnt the MLB mad about 2k6? I think they should be just as mad about this game.
The MLB2K6 thing was IGN hinting that that was the case (Jon Robinson I think) - far from actual fact. And if this game is so bad, there's apparently a great one in The Show that's available. If the MLB isn't making money on number of units sold, why would they care? They're getting their money up front. The NFL is the largest sports entity out there and they apparently don't have a problem with the dissatisfaction people have expressed on the forums
 
# 1695 Damanjinx @ 03/14/08 03:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by spankdatazz22
The MLB2K6 thing was IGN hinting that that was the case (Jon Robinson I think) - far from actual fact. And if this game is so bad, there's apparently a great one in The Show that's available. If the MLB isn't making money on number of units sold, why would they care? They're getting their money up front. The NFL is the largest sports entity out there and they apparently don't have a problem with the dissatisfaction people have expressed on the forums
Your right...its a shame.... it really is that mediocrity is accepted and people continue to buy games just for the sake of it. In a perfect world we can get all games on all systems and get the competitive nature back and bring sports gaming back to what it once was. Ahhh memories.
 
# 1696 Cardot @ 03/14/08 03:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damanjinx
Your right...its a shame.... it really is that mediocrity is accepted and people continue to buy games just for the sake of it.
Agreed. Unfortunately, I think that consumers in general have become a bit weak. Despite sky rocketing gas prices, we still can't part with our SUV's, or organize into car pools. It is the same with video games.
 
# 1697 FlyerFanatic08 @ 03/15/08 01:05 AM
so i'm getting the pitching down which is making the game more enjoyable...now i gotta practice hitting...i've gotten runners on and into scoring positions, yet to score a run yet. i had a homer robbed from me when i thought i was going to finally get a run.
 
# 1698 ability @ 03/15/08 04:02 PM
Finally getting to total control pitching down which makes the game a lot more enjoyable and adds a little more difficulty to it. Just need that damn patch to start my franchise up.
 
# 1699 CMH @ 03/15/08 04:41 PM
Am I missing something or are player highlights not in the game anymore?

I'm not talking about inning highlights at the end of an inning. But say Fielder hit a shot in the 2nd inning and he comes up in the 7th, a replay showing him hit that homerun in the 2nd.

I have not seen anything like this since I got the game. It was in 2k7 and we have an option to turn it On or Off in 2k8. Anyone seen it?
 
# 1700 Kramer5150 @ 03/15/08 05:06 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeePride
Am I missing something or are player highlights not in the game anymore?

I'm not talking about inning highlights at the end of an inning. But say Fielder hit a shot in the 2nd inning and he comes up in the 7th, a replay showing him hit that homerun in the 2nd.

I have not seen anything like this since I got the game. It was in 2k7 and we have an option to turn it On or Off in 2k8. Anyone seen it?
Whewwww...lol glad I'm not the only one not seeing this. I thought I was going . I know what you're talking about,I remember it being in last year as well,but this year I haven't seen it at all.
 


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