The MLB 2K11 demo is available now. Add it to your download queue right here.
Please play a few games and post your impressions here.
*UPDATE: PS3 demo is available now.
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"Begin your quest for perfection on the baseball diamond with the Major League Baseball 2K11 demo, available now for download. Play a three inning game with the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers at AT&T Park and get an early taste of 2K11’s Revamped Fielding System and improved Total Control Pitching & Hitting. Perfect YOUR game with Major League Baseball 2K11, in stores March 8!"
I played a three inning game last night and I'm just not feeling it this year.
I thought last year's game just needed these improvements. I supported it, bought it and basically only complained about pitching being too easy and the lack of extra base hits. Sure there were some things that didn't work out great like fielding and those ugly soft line drives to infielders, but I could stomach it for the most part.
I can't stomach it any longer. The soft line drives are still there and while it's a nice option in terms of hit variety, it's too frequent to be realistic. You just don't see that kind of contact in a real baseball game. It's nearly impossible for a ball to remain afloat that long low to the ground for that distance.
The pitching mechanic is still the best in the business, but I now find myself not caring for it as much. I just want to throw the darn pitch. And that's a problem for 2K with me because the best thing it has going for it is something I just don't want to do anymore. It's not because it's not amazing or anything. I just don't want to use it anymore.
I don't necessarily have a problem with the graphics on the PS3. I think they are fine enough for me. I can live with them. The jaggies on shadows are downright ugly, but it's not killing the game. However, despite all that, I just can't look at these batting stances anymore. They remind me of that guy that thinks he knows how to do everyone's batting stance and ESPN threw into our faces because he became an internet sensation. The guy is a joke. His batting stances are awful. Cartoonish. That's what I get from MLB 2K. The stances look like they should be right, but they are done so over the top. If a guy's bat wiggles, then he wiggles too much. If he crouches, then he crouches too much. It's excessive and looks like a kid attempted them.
The strength behind pitches, the hammer drop from arm up to follow through is still beautiful. I love the follow through on pitches. I wish more of the animations fit that same motion.
But everything in the game seems too big. Everything is larger than life. The graphics are over done. The flashes are too rapid, too frequent. The stances are extreme. The ball marker looks too big. The arrows displaying the ball's movement are too big. Everything is just too much in your face for me. I wish the game would just let me breathe a bit from the sensory overload.
I guess the thing that I didn't let bother me before are bothering me now. I'm happy the development team has made such huge strides because they really have. I can tell from contact that the gameplay is improved. There are still from random things like a 1B not tagging the baserunner on an errant throw despite being a foot away and instead attempting to step on the bag first - that just shouldn't happen. Guys have to know what's going on - but overall the game is much much improved.
The little things, however, are getting to me now. They are like that person you meet for the first time that everyone tells you is annoying. At first, you're like: "It's cool. They are a bit obnoxious but I can deal with it. That's just their personality." And then you hang out with them and little by little you start seeing more of these annoying habits. You start peeling away at the core and the things that are in your face become that thing which the person stands for in your opinion. And Finally, it's no longer about how nice the person talks to you, or what cool things they can do, but instead about the little annoying things that just crawl in your skin and begin to annoy you so much you can't deal with it anymore.
That's how I feel with MLB 2K now. I just can't do it anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DickDalewood
Man, you just summed things up much better than I've been able to. I was the same as you last year, and now that same as you this year.
Oh well I guess.
I agree with both of you guys. Last year , it seemed like if they'd just fix what was wrong they'd have a replayable game.
This year, to me, I think they've tried, but the product isn't compelling. I've said this before, but with all the line drives and popups, and fast fielders it still feels like it plays like softball, or at least very very arcade.
Where are all the jaggies and awful graphics at there? It didn't look as good as the 360 vid I saw but I'm not seeing the big mess?
I played it on SD, it looks fine...playing it on HD really stood out last year...on the ps3. I'm not seeing the graphics hit from this year to last, but I'm on SD. I can only say last year I was amazed at how poor the ps3 version looked HD, when I was at a relative's house. I thought people were exaggerating, but they werent
I agree with both of you guys. Last year , it seemed like if they'd just fix what was wrong they'd have a replayable game.
This year, to me, I think they've tried, but the product isn't compelling. I've said this before, but with all the line drives and popups, and fast fielders it still feels like it plays like softball, or at least very very arcade.
Very very arcade? I have to disagree. It's not like this is The Bigs 2 or something like that. I don't see the softball comparison either. Maybe with the pitch speed, but that can be turned up. As for line drives and popups, the majority of base hits in real baseball come from line drives and soft bloopers, so I don't see the problem. I see plenty of power hitting and gappers in the demo too, as well as grounders and choppers.......Yeah the infielders are kind of fast, but that can be adjusted with sliders too. You have to keep in mind that the difficulty is on an easy setting, and some folks have already said that when they change the default game profile difficulty to hard, the fielders don't react nearly as quickly. Personally I think some of the outfielders seem a bit too slow even on the default setting.
Where are all the jaggies and awful graphics at there? It didn't look as good as the 360 vid I saw but I'm not seeing the big mess?
You're really going to compare what is being seen on 40+ inch TVs to a YOUTUBE video??? You make a lot of stretches Goh, but this takes the cake. We have no reason to make these things up. The jaggies and muddy textures are there, plain and simple.
I was excited about this game for twoknths, thought I'd finally have two good titles to play... the demo has shown me otherwise, and yes, it's because it looks much worse than last years on PS3.
You're really going to compare what is being seen on 40+ inch TVs to a YOUTUBE video??? You make a lot of stretches Goh, but this takes the cake. We have no reason to make these things up. The jaggies and muddy textures are there, plain and simple.
I was excited about this game for twoknths, thought I'd finally have two good titles to play... the demo has shown me otherwise, and yes, it's because it looks much worse than last years on PS3.
Lol... A YouTube video... Classic.
Also what they did for Josh Hamilton (or didnt do for that matter) blows me away. He looks nothing like his real life counterpart. Adrian Beltre STILL has a generic closed stance although when you edit it it will say he has his sig style just liek last year which leads me to believe that soriano and cantu's are the same as well. The hitting cam is crap, although i know this can be adjusted so no harm here. THe big thing is...and I will wait until real reviews come in, if the game is this bad in terms of framerate on the retail copy...this game will never make it. Oh well...look like I will buy the other game which for me isnt bad news considering the analog implementation.
Also as a side rant...the fact that the coaches who wear glasses in real life wear these crappy "shooter" glasses in the game is a real bummer for me. I absolutley hate seeing ron wash, and maddon wear their rimington shooter specs when its very easy for the artwork guy to either draw simple glasses or hey, maybe jsut nothing is better than the mess they have! I mean there is so much more that its not fair and not worth the clutter.
I do like the way the hitting cam stays in place for a bit so you can see the ball off the bat but seriously can anyone see the ball in the air on high fly's to the outfield?
Maybe it's just me but i can't even see the darn thing once it's gone very far. I play PYS a lot and 2K needs to implement what they do on fly balls and that is have a ball shadow on the field so you have some idea where it is heading.
I thought it played alright. Then again, I didn't pick up 2k10 last year since the game has consistently sucked. So when I played it last night, it seemed like they made significant improvements.
Pitching - It was fun to pitch. I like the analog controls. I also felt like the pitches were realistic.
Batting - This was hard for me since I felt like my timing was off. I kept on trying to do zone hitting. Habit from The Show I guess.
Fielding - Not too much experience. I was frustrated that the wrong OF seemed to get picked to chase down a gapper.
Graphics. Faces still suck. There was this generic face on a pitcher in this game and the camera just zoomed in on him. He was emotionless and seemed to be talking or chewing gum or something. Everything else looked good but I felt like I was playing with a bunch of mannequins.
I feel like I'm playing an entirely different game than everyone else.
I'm getting ROCKED in pitching. I lost 14-1 in my first game with Zito on the mound. Seventeen hits in three innings? I know Zito sucks, but come on. On an 0-2 count, Borbon lines an outside slider into right for a double? Really? Derrek Holland capped off a list of 5 straight singles. In my second game, Brandon Webb bunted for a base hit. I feel like the 2K series had an issue in the past where the AI would just suddenly decide it was going to rattle off a ridiculous rally. I've had to have a mound visit during 5 of the 6 innings I've played so far. Andrus also dragged a bunt on me, the throw beat him easily with Huff standing on the bag, and he was called safe.
Outfielder selection is horrible. I had a fly ball hit into the gap between Burrell and Torres. The ball wasn't more than 15-20 feet from Burrell, and Torres wasn't even on the screen, yet I was given default control of Torres, so it landed for a ground-rule double.
I've also seen the glitch that someone mentioned earlier. Cody Ross fielded a ball off the wall, and the game treated it like a dead ball. The runner couldn't advance, and I couldn't throw the ball back in.
Burrell "warped" to a fly ball. Not got sucked into an animation. Disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared on the yellow circle.
I don't feel like I have ANY time to make a play in the infield, and double play animations feel like they lag. Get the damn ball out of your mitt, Tejada.
I'm seeing framerate issues, too. The people saying they're sure 2K fixed it before the final build are a lot more optimistic than I am.
The default batting camera is bad. The pitcher looks like he's standing behind the mound, and I can't stand how the overlay covers the top of my hitters.
One time, the swing analyzer claimed I had a "very late swing," but I was way out in front of a pitch. In fact, I think the only feedback I'm getting is "late swing," yet I'm almost always out in front.
Is there a check swing?
And, yes, there are DEFINITELY jaggies on the players' shadows, as someone already mentioned. It's clear as day on close-ups of the pitcher.
I REALLY want to like this game, as this is one of the few series that makes it a reasonable effort to be able to draw walks. But I'm terribly disappointed. I'm sure this is going to generate a lot of "SUCK LESS" responses, but I've played the 2K series forever, and I can't get anyone out.
I was frustrated that the wrong OF seemed to get picked to chase down a gapper.
How "wrong" was it? Was it where one guy was on screen and the other guy was (no pun intended) way out in left field? Or did one just seem closer than the other and you thought that closer one should have been chosen?
Because I remember in 2K4 (and it carried over for at least the Kush titles since then), Blue Shift implemented a certain "logic" on which guy to choose, based on who they thought could get to the ball first and catch it with the most ability based on their ratings, not just their proximity. Are you sure it maybe wasn't just this?
Why is it that i am able to move the dark circle on the k zone with my L stick while i'm batting and what exactly is that circle for, i know it has something to do with batters eye as it came on when i selected that option.
Why is it that i am able to move the dark circle on the k zone with my L stick while i'm batting and what exactly is that circle for, i know it has something to do with batters eye as it came on when i selected that option.
I thought the left stick was used to influence a hit, no? Speaking of analog by the way.
Why is it that i am able to move the dark circle on the k zone with my L stick while i'm batting and what exactly is that circle for, i know it has something to do with batters eye as it came on when i selected that option.
Yes, it's the batter's eye. What's your question again?
Quote:
Originally Posted by nemesis04
I thought the left stick was used to influence a hit, no? Speaking of analog by the way.
And speaking of which, I think influenced hitting is backwards again this year. As in, to lift the ball aim the stick downward, and to go oppo as a righty aim to the left.
I feel like I'm playing an entirely different game than everyone else.
I'm getting ROCKED in pitching. I lost 14-1 in my first game with Zito on the mound. Seventeen hits in three innings? I know Zito sucks, but come on. On an 0-2 count, Borbon lines an outside slider into right for a double? Really? Derrek Holland capped off a list of 5 straight singles. In my second game, Brandon Webb bunted for a base hit. I feel like the 2K series had an issue in the past where the AI would just suddenly decide it was going to rattle off a ridiculous rally. I've had to have a mound visit during 5 of the 6 innings I've played so far. Andrus also dragged a bunt on me, the throw beat him easily with Huff standing on the bag, and he was called safe.
Outfielder selection is horrible. I had a fly ball hit into the gap between Burrell and Torres. The ball wasn't more than 15-20 feet from Burrell, and Torres wasn't even on the screen, yet I was given default control of Torres, so it landed for a ground-rule double.
I've also seen the glitch that someone mentioned earlier. Cody Ross fielded a ball off the wall, and the game treated it like a dead ball. The runner couldn't advance, and I couldn't throw the ball back in.
Burrell "warped" to a fly ball. Not got sucked into an animation. Disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared on the yellow circle.
I don't feel like I have ANY time to make a play in the infield, and double play animations feel like they lag. Get the damn ball out of your mitt, Tejada.
I'm seeing framerate issues, too. The people saying they're sure 2K fixed it before the final build are a lot more optimistic than I am.
The default batting camera is bad. The pitcher looks like he's standing behind the mound, and I can't stand how the overlay covers the top of my hitters.
One time, the swing analyzer claimed I had a "very late swing," but I was way out in front of a pitch. In fact, I think the only feedback I'm getting is "late swing," yet I'm almost always out in front.
Is there a check swing?
And, yes, there are DEFINITELY jaggies on the players' shadows, as someone already mentioned. It's clear as day on close-ups of the pitcher.
I REALLY want to like this game, as this is one of the few series that makes it a reasonable effort to be able to draw walks. But I'm terribly disappointed. I'm sure this is going to generate a lot of "SUCK LESS" responses, but I've played the 2K series forever, and I can't get anyone out.
Wow, I don't know what to say. I have been playing the game like crazyyyy last night. Even went as far as just pitching fastball right down the middle! I wanted to try the new fielding mechanics and I STILL struck a few people out even looking! The game was tied 0-0 though lol. Maybe, you have your in game default on the 360( assuming you have the 360) on hard. I will try that tonight. I heard many people say it is like night and day!
Yes, it's the batter's eye. What's your question again?
And speaking of which, I think influenced hitting is backwards again this year. As in, to lift the ball aim the stick downward, and to go oppo as a righty aim to the left.
Ok so L stick influences hit direction but what is the dark circle when i enable batters eye and what is reason for me being able to move it around, i don't understand.
On a side note why is Tejada white ?? Let me refrace that, when did he turn white.
And speaking of which, I think influenced hitting is backwards again this year. As in, to lift the ball aim the stick downward, and to go oppo as a righty aim to the left.
Are you sure? I'm positive it wasn't like that last year.
Are you sure? I'm positive it wasn't like that last year.
I only influenced like three hits, but this was with Classic hitting. All of them "confirmed" my hypothesis, but these could have been small sample sizes.
I only influenced like three hits, but this was with Classic hitting. All of them "confirmed" my hypothesis, but these could have been small sample sizes.