MLB 2K9 News Post

MLB 2K9 - Five Important Steps Towards Rebuilding

10:51 AM - November 21, 2008 by RaychelSnr

A sequel should, in theory, improve upon all aspects of the previous game in the series. Unfortunately, MLB 2K8 was unable to accomplish that goal in 2008. Presently, there isn’t as much competition as there was a few years ago, but 2K Sports’ rival title, MLB 08: The Show, provides more than enough competition on its own.

Nevertheless, there are a number of ways that MLB 2K8 can be improved, both on-and-off the field. So, without further delay, here is my MLB 2K9 wish list -- in no particular order.

Read More: MLB 2K9 - Five Important Steps Towards Rebuilding

Game: Major League Baseball 2K9Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 38 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 texbuk84 @ 11/21/08 11:31 AM

i hope this game is good this year. they made it to complicated.

# 2 orthostud23 @ 11/21/08 11:33 AM

Nice write up. After playing MLB 2k7 and 2k8 this game is LIGHT YEARS behind the "SHOW". I think they are at least 2 installments out before they are up to snuff IMO.

# 3 asu666 @ 11/21/08 11:56 AM

The Show is the King. The Japanese Pro series is second. MLB Power Pros is third. In a very distant fourth is MLB 2K. I usually love 2K Sports game, but MLB is a mess. I had a lot of hope for it when they got the producer of MVP away from EA and put a three year plan in place. I thought that sounded a lot like what Ea was doing with MVP and that worked out well. This is year year of the plan so I expect big improvements. There's too many other great games to waste time or so-so ones. MLB 2K isn't even the best baseball game 2K distributes.

# 4 Trevytrev11 @ 11/21/08 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwil5050


	i hope this game is good this year. they made it to complicated.

The options to make it simple are there, so I don't see the problem with it also offering a more challenging system for those that want it. You have classic button pressing hitting, pitching and fielding options available.

I think you have as many, if not more people asking for a more complex zone hitting system in this game, to give the user more control when at the plate.

# 5 jwmw9207 @ 11/21/08 02:15 PM

The show kicks butt...... 2k could go along way with a single player mode.... I just hope they add this or else i will not buy 2k9....

# 6 Blzer @ 11/21/08 02:34 PM

Let's just hope they keep defense the way it was. Defense was definitely the high point of 2K8.

# 7 asu666 @ 11/21/08 05:08 PM

I think The Show is the best sports game available today so MLB 2K has a steep hill to climb out of the basement.

# 8 rjmfigurelli @ 11/21/08 05:53 PM

It's too bad The Show is not made for X-box 360.

rjmf

# 9 jkra0512 @ 11/21/08 06:03 PM

MLB 2k8 was atrocious. It took two very big steps backwards after a great showing with 2k7. There was nothing about 2k8 I could walk away smiling about. 2k was just being lazy, pure and simple, sure you add the new pitching options but like Jack wrote meatballs were too plentiful. Now, I know it usually takes a year or so to fine tune a new game-changing feature, but 2k missed the first time by making it too difficult.

I have to agree, wholeheartedly, with the poor commentary. Jon & Joe need to go away. I hate them on ESPN and they are even worse in the game. I wish they could get Mike Patrick and Orel Hershiser in the box, i think that would be a decent team...

# 10 SoxFan01605 @ 11/22/08 02:58 AM

Hitting: I think swing stick, as currently constituted is beyond "off"...it's terrible. The timing (which is really all it focuses on anyway) is bad. The hit variety is still lacking. The sound of the ball hitting the bat...uggh.

Pitching: Same problems as hitting, in a way. Responsiveness is bad. Some motions are far too similar causing issues. Walks, wild pitches, "chin music," etc are all too infrequent. what do you ger instead? Meatballs. Every bad pitch is a meatball and nearly every meatball is a homerun (another area plagueing the 2K brand of baseball). Leave the meatballs were they belong...Italian restaurants

Fieldings: IMO, the strongest gameplay aspect of 2K baseball. I actually enjoyed fielding mostly (minus the framerate hiccups that nagged all aspects of their game). Tweak it and tune it. DO NOT do what you always do 2K and overhual it for the sake of it. This is part of the problem. For every positive you screw with it so much it becomes another negative.

controls: This is where it seems 90% of the resources go. Over the last few years we've had full blown interface changes each year. ENOUGH! Tune what you have, leave options in for what you used to, and move on.

Graphics: 2K7 models/looks with 2K8 animations (plus some tweaks) and your fine for now.

Presentation: commentary is bad as everyone knows. What's almost as bad is the way the lead ins and cutaways were so mistimed in 2K8. 2K's primary selling point in it's sports games has been presentation. This should be pretty easy for these guys, IMO.

What's so d*mn frustrating about 2K's game is there is something solid lurking under all their crap. There are times when I think I'm playing a good game only to look up and see David Ortiz in his nice maroon uniform, hitting balls that defy laws of physics.

what's worse for me? As a franchise player, I see all the potential in 2K. Some of the stat tracking for careers, records, and scouting are head and shoulders above The Show. Some of the franchise options are as well. You've actually got a pretty good front end that makes you want to get in there and mix it up. It's close in a lot of areas. There are just so many problems that the good gets overshadowed by a lot. Sigh...here's hoping for a good 2K9, so there's actually a reasonable choice this year.

# 11 BoDontThinkSo @ 11/22/08 03:15 AM

I dont know if you other 360 owners agree, but I would pay $80 for the show, maybe more, if it were made compatible with the 360. The game is just that good and I had a fit after my ps3 broke and figured out i couldnt play the show anymore. 2k9 defenitely has the potential to make a great baseball game, but i dont think well see one of these for a year or two down the road.

# 12 SoxFan01605 @ 11/22/08 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoDontThinkSo


	I dont know if you other 360 owners agree, but I would pay $80 for the show, maybe more, if it were made compatible with the 360. The game is just that good and I had a fit after my ps3 broke and figured out i couldnt play the show anymore. 2k9 defenitely has the potential to make a great baseball game, but i dont think well see one of these for a year or two down the road.

Well, hopefully the shutting down of 2KLA/Kush, control of the game will be put into better hands. I don't hate Brinkman, but to be honest he is kind of like the Peter Molyneux (Fable) of the sports world...over promise, under deliver

I still remember him going on and on for like 20 minutes about how he always hated the stiff, straight hats in many baseball games. He wanted the user to have tons of options for accessories and be able to choose how they wanted to wear their hats. He spent all that time talking and you couldn't do anything with hats. He had bigger false promise blunders as well, but the fact he was spending so much time interviewing about hats amused me. The irony of there not being any options for it come release made me literally laugh out loud

Anyway, I honestly believe the games in better hands with him gone.

EDIT: And I didn't mean to imply that he was let go, in case that's how it reads to some. I understand he left for family reasons.

# 13 K_GUN @ 11/22/08 07:15 AM

seems like yesterday we all had faith in Ben Brinkman and his 3 year plan

my how times have changed

# 14 EnigmaNemesis @ 11/22/08 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_GUN


	seems like yesterday we all had faith in Ben Brinkman and his 3 year plan my how times have changed

So true ... he talked a big game, but unfortunately fell flat. Sad too, because 2K7 was in the right direction.

# 15 nemesis04 @ 11/22/08 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnigmaNemesis


	So true ... he talked a big game, but unfortunately fell flat. Sad too, because 2K7 was in the right direction.

I think his intent was there. He was basically working on something that was already created and tried to retro fit it so to speak. The game realistically should have been totally scrapped and started over. You saw better results and strides with MVP because they took it from the ground up. From the sounds of things he started on the 50th floor with the 2k series.

You guys are right though he did over promise!

# 16 bigfnjoe96 @ 11/22/08 09:57 AM

The series is in good hands right now. The reality is MLB 2K8 isn't too far from being a great baseball game.

1. Frame Rate, Frame Rate, Frame Rate

2. Tighten the Game play. This includes the Analog Stick Controls.

3. Totally redo the Graphics including the Lighting. The game was just too DARK

4. Presentation (Nobody does this better than Visual Concepts)

5. My own personal peeve (FIX THE STATS ENGINE) I'm getting tired of the same old over-rated player system they use.

Address these issues & you will have a great MLB title for 09

# 17 Blzer @ 11/22/08 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjmfigurelli


	It's too bad The Show is not made for X-box 360. rjmf

The dual-layer discs couldn't handle all of the content on The Show, mostly in the commentary department.

Besides, if it was on the 360, it would be violating the license of only first-party developers (except 2K) allowed to make MLB licensed baseball games.

# 18 DJ @ 11/22/08 01:32 PM

I think MLB 2k has potential to be a really good baseball title

I like the analog pitching controls. Just eliminate the meatball pitches and in its place, have those pitches wind up either outside the zone, low or high depending on where you release it.

Analog fielding, I actually think this helps make fielding more challenging. The Show is great, but it's too easy to make plays in the field and you never see throwing errors.

The swing stick needs work but they have the right idea.

# 19 OliDegu2008 @ 11/22/08 07:09 PM

Just get back to the basics and make a baseball game that is next gen worthy. That is all we ask!!

# 20 mwjr @ 11/22/08 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7stringking


	The pitching and hitting interfaces are far more advanced than The Show.I like both games, but I feel like The Show gets too much of a pass on its antiquated hitting and pitching interfaces.Of course they make up for this by delivering a more authentic baseball experience than MLB2k.

I don't mind the Show's INterfaces at all. For me, it's all about the gameplay, and, in my opinion, the 2K series has been falling behind the Show each and every year.

My perfect game:
> The Show's Career Mode and GM/Franchise Mode
> 2K's Pitching Interface (with some tweaking)
> A combination of the Show's traditional hitting interface and 2K's swing stick (I like the old fashioned way, but I see the merit in the Swing Stick), with The Show's "Guess the Pitch Feature" (again, all with some tweaking)
> 2K8's Base-running interface

And most importantly...
> High Heat's gameplay. Plain and simple, no one's ever been able to come close to it, IMO.

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