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.
Quote:
"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!"
1. I was pitching with Cain, and his line was 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 Ks.
2. I had a couple pitches while pitching and batting that nicked the black of the strike zone and got called for balls (last year if it hit the black it was a strike 100% of the time).
3. I also had 3 hits through the 2 innings, all singles. It seems to be more realistic in that all 3 of my hits were fastballs that i was ahead of and pulled over the IF with a line drive. Last year it seemed like the majority of my hits were opposite field.
4. Very first groundball to 3B ate up Sandoval, and he wasn't able to recover in time to throw the guy out at first. It's cool to see, but i hope it isn't too obvious. Last i checked Sandoval isn't a 25% fielder, so he should still make the majority of plays.
5. I like the way the camera after the hit works, but there is no ball indicator, so it makes it hard to figure out if your ball is going to land, get into the gap, etc... Will take some getting used to.
6. I can't comment on fielding too much. It seemed like it was easier to react to grounders in the IF and try to make a play (dove for a ball between SS and 3B but missed, in 2K10 i hardly ever had time to dive).
7. They never hit a flyball in the 2 innings i've played so far, so i can't comment on that.
8. I gave up 2 singles to start the game, and Cain was rattled. Vibrated a little, but it's not like it was impossible to hit the zone. You just can't be as precise on the corners, but i was able to strikeout Hamilton.
9. Took a walk in my second AB, and worked several counts to 3 balls. Personally that's why i like having the pitcher farther away, it gives me more time to react and judge pitches. I've never been good at working counts and taking walks in other games (until MLB2K10).
Overall i'm really excited for the game. I don't own a PS3 (and i refuse to buy one for one game) so i can't compare it to the Show, but i really enjoyed MLB2K10 (despite its flaws), and i'm even more excited for MLB2K11.
The pitching interface is also well done too. Very rewarding. I just wish everyone didn't look like zombies and move like robots. Solid gameplay, hopefully 2k can clean up the gfx for next year
How is the batting? The main reason I stayed away from 2k10 was because they took away Cursor Hitting. Simply pulling the hit stick back and forth, and using only timing didn't sound like fun or realism to me.
Is that how the batting is this year? What are the changes, specific to batting in this years game?
Batting is the same, just pull back and push forward. No zone batting. At least on the demo. I may be wrong though, but the batting seemed the exact same to me
How is baserunning looking? I'm particularly interested in the CPU baserunners. Are they retreating to the bag on 2-out hits? Are they advancing when appropriate? Did the rounding of the bag when running the bases improve?
I hear people complain/compliment about things like the catcher throwing back to the pitcher, the pitcher walking around the mound, batters stepping out, etc... I'm just curious how many people actually leave that stuff turned on. Personally i just want to play the game. I always turn on the hurry up mode. I don't want a 9 inning game to take 2+ hours (or even an hour for that matter). To me that's what makes High Heat one the best baseball games ever. You could play a whole game in 20 minutes! If the pitcher/batter interface is good, there is realism (injuries, errors, etc...) and fielding is good i'm happy.
Co-sign! That extra stuff is nice, but I'd rather just be playing the game.
This game is FUN! Let me get my negative impressions out of the way first from the demo build: 1).The graphics while improved are not on the same level as the other game. 2). the transitional animations still need work. 3). Swings are still to quick in some instances. 4). Players still need more life to them- can be zombie like at times.
Now the good stuff! 1). The cameras all around are a thing of beauty! 2). Fielding is the best in a BB game I have ever played! 3). The bat off the ball for the most part feels like that is where it should go! 4). The cpu steals and I threw them out on all three of their attempts! 5). The new tag animations are really cool. 6). You can really tell the difference between fielders. 7). The added subtle emotions to the game that really add to the suspense of the play. I can see how they are on to something there!
Over all the demo is pretty basic unlike the other game but to me besides not looking or animating quite as good, this game is just really fun. I think this is the one I run with this year! Looking forward to MLB today games and maybe a short franchise and some my player.
This is a much improved game and if they get the graphics and transitions ironed out this game will be REALLY good!
I really disliked the demo...Oh course no commentary so no immersion factor....So much for "real pitch counts" as the CPU swings at ANYTHING close to the plate....I threw 7 pitches in two 1-2-3 innings vs the Rangers....Very disappointed
Ive had completely the opposite experience. Rarely have I seen the CPU chase balls that were even just slightly off the corners.
My take:
Overall, I love it. Let's keep in mind folks that this is just a demo. Quit complaining about no subs and no commentary. The point of this demo is to highlight gameplay. Hitting is taking some getting used to. I use classic batting and Ive yet to make real good contact on a ball, but I think default pitch speed is a bit different from last year so it just comes down to me having to adjust.
Love the new camera after a hit ball by the user controlled team. The updated fielding is also very well done. Ive already had an error because of me getting the throwing meter in the red. I'm also really liking the new way the outfield plays.
Pitching is great. I thought 2k10 was a bit too accurate, and this fixes that. You can still be accurate but not be absolute pinpoint which I think is unrealistic. Also, the analog stick inputs for pitches seem to be more accurate than last year. I remember that I would get bad gestures even when pitches were thrown correctly. Not so this year.
Downsides? Shadows are a bit jagged and sometimes after an inning or something the players dont seem to know where they are going in some instances. But honestly, this could just be a byproduct of this being a demo. Overall, this demo makes me feel confident that the final version is gonna be very well executed.
Iyo. Imo and many others after the first few games all the walk ups and "pagentry" as you refer to it becomes boring and useless.
I want a game that plays baseball and is fun that keeps me coming back for more. The"oither" game is slow and plodding and does not keep me personally coming back for more.
The being able to skip the pagentry quickly and complete a game in 30 to 40 min is a big part of what makes 2k the better game to me rather than 60 to near 90 min in the "other" game. That along with a much better pitcher batter interface. Again Imo
I would agree. It's nice that they take the time to put those things into the game, and it's cool to look at them in the beginning, or every once in a while take a game slow to take in all of the "little things" they've added, but the overwhelming majority of the time when I'm playing a game, I'm skipping stuff like that.
1) The batting camera - When I read in the OS hands on preview that the developers found some kind of magic angle that was perfect I didn't really believe it. However, after playing the demo five times I have to say the angle is perfect for me. I can really see pitches now and my itchy swing finger is able to lay off on balls. I am a bit twitchy and quite frankly at 40 my eye sight isn't as good as it once was. There are plenty of times when I get fooled in the show demo by pitches wayyyy out of the strike zone. Using 2Ks camera I was able to put together a few hits and take more balls. It made it more enjoyable for me.
2) In the first game I played I made quite a few poor pitches, not just by messing up the motions, but by being repetitive and putting the ball in places that were red in the zone. I got lit up for five runs in that inning. I liked the fact that the AI took advantage of my stupidity.
3) I wish they had play by play for the demo so I could hear how it sounds.
4) Fielding was nice. I like the meter better than the rings. It's a little easier for me to gague it. Also the fielding camera was neat...and slow guys like Pat Burrell were slow in the field (and Pat I still hate your a** from the Rays so I will hit you every time).
5) Graphics - I don't mind the animations as much as other people, but it is challenging going from the beauty of the Show to the 2K. It's not that they are terrible, it's just not as good as it could be.
6) I like analog hitting better when I have to press up for a hit. I do not like having to coil by pressing down and then release. It's fine for a power hit, but the ability to just press up to swing is appealing to me.
Because I have played the Show for the past few years..and the batting camera...and I still enjoy the analog 2K pitching mechanic...I may go with this game this year.
- Variable strike zone is great. nibbling the corners is risky now
- Pitches move to the plate much more realistically than last year. Fastballs don't have an arc anymore.
- Even with default settings, pitching is not as easy to pinpoint. Even with an ace like Timmy, I had some of my fastballs catch more of the plate than I intended, and other pitches miss the zone.
- Broadcast camera is spot on.
- Rally towels are cool and the crowd looks good overall. Sounds good too.
- Defensive shift notifications are a nice touch.
- Ball physics seem improved.
- Throwing meter is good and it's challenging to hit the sweet spot with a lot of guys, which is good.
- Hitting camera is still the best I've seen in a baseball game for reading pitches and working the count. Looking forward to being able to zoom it in though.
- Plenty of foul balls.
- AI pitches intelligently, and throws plenty of balls out of the zone. You can definitely work a walk if you're patient, even on default settings which is nice.
- I like the view after you make contact. Has a nice flow to it.
- Baserunning animations are certainly smoother.
- Stealing seems improved, but need to try it more.
- Game seems smoother all around.
Negatives:
- The framerate does dip on contact sometimes (mostly on foul balls), but it's not that bad. Definitely not a game breaker, and like others have said it's an early build (Chase didn't notice it in his preview time)
- I would've liked to have seen the overlays get a fresh coat of paint, but at least they still look good.
- Shadows are still a bit jaggy on the 360, but probably won't be on the PC version if you have a good video card.
- Graphics in general aren't top notch, some animations are jerky, but I can live with this as gameplay is more important to me.
Overall, I really like it. A good improvement over 2K10 and no glaring issues so far. Looking forward to March 8th