MLB 2k12

[Lancer]

I'll try to DL it tonight, but if it's the same game, then I'll pass. I liked the game last year, but I really don't want to keep playing the same thing.

I liked that whole My Player mode 2 years ago when it was new, and then last year they kept it pretty much the same. I wonder if they enhanced it at all this year. That's the only selling point for me.

[tjung0831]

Played one game, it was 3 innings not 2 by the way and I thought the game looks nice but I walked away feeling kind of meh about it. I ended up playing the FIFA Street demo for about 2 hours afterwards, and wow that will be a day one purchase for me. For baseball I'll be sticking with the Show 12.

[sportdan30]

Played one game, it was 3 innings not 2 by the way and I thought the game looks nice but I walked away feeling kind of meh about it. I ended up playing the FIFA Street demo for about 2 hours afterwards, and wow that will be a day one purchase for me. For baseball I'll be sticking with the Show 12.

Felt the same Tjung. I honestly couldn't even get through the demo, and it was the Cardinals! It just seemed a bit too robotic to me.

I couldn't agree more about the Fifa Street demo. Great fun!

[dbdynsty25]

How anyone can play this game over The Show (if you've got a PS3) is absolutely beyond me. The animations alone pissed me off about three or four times an inning. It's like you're running in sand in the outfield and the animations are ridiculously clunky. Ugh. Looks pretty tho.

[Lancer]

played one game, and noticed how bland the player models were. It's a demo but last year at least the player body had some definition.

too bad it's the only thing on 360.


and it's got some annoying song from FIFA or Madden, can't remember which. Maybe even NFL.

[MizzouRah]

I think it's the way you really feel involved in the pitching.. it's not bad by any means.

Like DB said though.. after I play The Show soon, I doubt I would ever play this again.

[Teal]

I don't have a PS3, and baseball is not a system seller by any means for me, so I don't care about The Show.

And this one has saved me some money, because I think, if I need to scratch a baseball itch, I'll just repurchase 2K11. I haven't seen any real discernable difference between this one and last year. Not that that's a terrible thing, because last years game was very good. Just don't see a 60 dollar reason to get the new one.

[Aristo]

I think this game is going to drop in price really, really soon. Unless there are contratual obligations to sell for a higher price for longer, 2K seems to want to aggressively deal this game. That may be a good sign for a 2K13, as they may want to view this last year with an exclusive as just a time to get this game into as many hands as possible before possibly facing EA next year. Which is smart, if the game comes off well.

I do love baseball games, and I don't have a PS3. So this was a first day purchase already. But I'm getting the Combo Pack with NBA 2KA 12 for $70. Since I was going to pick up the basketball game anyway, and probably before now, this turns out to be a good deal for me.

I played 2K11 up until last week. I really love what 2K has created, even if the animations and player models look like caveman drawings compared to what the show produces.

That said, there are few possible reasons to appreciate what 2K has done here, but they will take some time with the full game to bear out.

1) 2K has said that AI management of the bullpen has been drastically improved, and that was necessary. I'd say in 10% of my games, the CPU would let pitchers bat in obvious pinch hitting situations, and not really nail down the lefty/righty match-ups very well at all.

2) 2K11 did not balance power vs. contact well. Sliders helped, but it still seemed like too much feat or famine. This feels like they may have finally nailed that.

3) The MLB Today Season mode looks like it could be awesome. It feels like the perfect upgrade to my favorite pick-up and play mode in any sports game. By replacing real-life sats with what you produce over the course of a season, I think it will be even more immersive. The caveat is that it may also come off weird. If the Cardinals are struggling in real life, they may deal guys like Furcal and Berkman at the trade deadline. The team really needs to rebuild instead of reload, in my opinion. But if I am playing, and the Cardinals in first, or in a tight playoff race, there is no way I'm trading those guys. But MLB Today break my immersion by tanking my team. So agin, we'll see how this works in theory.

4) I think variable pitch ratings based on how a guy does each game could be awesome or go horribly wrong. Same with restricting you to only throwing pitches with the same % as guys did in real life. That NEEDS to be able to be turned off. While I like that they are forcing you to mix-up your pitches more, you might get dinged when facing a team of guys that can't hit curve balls. If Chris Carpenter throws 30% curves, that means he might throw 45-50% in some games, and 10-15% in others, based on the match-ups. this system doesn't seem to take that into account.

Because I do love baseball games, I will enjoy just playing the game and seeing how it works. So even if 2K totally dorks these changes, I will get some value from playing. But I think there is also a decent chance that 2K may knock this out of the park.

[Gurantsu]

I thought the demo felt a lot like 2K11. For me that's not a bad thing, I've always like the 2K game. I like the idea of overusing pitches, and there did seem to be a few new things the ball did.

So I'll be getting it on PC I'm sure, but I think this year I'll be passing on both The Show and 2K12 on consoles. Just too much the same to warrant the purchase for me.

[Teal]

I'm a big Braves fan, lifelong, yet I still don't get into the x's and o's of the sport too terribly much, but I wind up biting on the newest baseball game every year, and every year, just like I used to do with NASCAR games, I'd play a bit, and then it'd sit there. I'm not going to buy into the pull this year, unless 2k12 drops like a stone in price. Don't have as much time to play all the stuff I'd like to play that I used to...and that's a good thing.

[pk500]

I'm not a baseball fan at all, but I enjoy baseball games. Same with golf.

But all I could think of was a heavily modded version of MVP 2005 as I played the 2K12 demo last night. That's a pretty good indication that it would be foolish for me to drop more than $30 on 2K12.

[Aristo]

I'm not a baseball fan at all, but I enjoy baseball games. Same with golf.

But all I could think of was a heavily modded version of MVP 2005 as I played the 2K12 demo last night. That's a pretty good indication that it would be foolish for me to drop more than $30 on 2K12.

I think that is a really fair assessment. While I have not regretted the time I put into 2K10 and 2K11, I don't think I would be able to recommend either as full priced game to anyone other than PS3less videogame baseball fanatics. When you consider how many people will buy the MLB/NBA combo, I gotta believe there will be cheap copies of MLB 2K12 out there by opening day, or at least by the end of May.

And mkharsh33 over at OS has up-to-date rosters up on 2K Share for the 2K11 games. So even if you just need a fresh roster fix, there are cheaper options.

But personally, I can't wait to put the new game through its paces.

[matthewk]

Yeah, I'm beyond DB.

As one of the dozen PS3 owners who prefers 2k to the Show, the best reason I can give is that the Show has felt boring the past couple years, while 2k has kept me interested in the game. I think part of it is the controls (I love the pitching in 2k and didn't care for the new thumb stick pitching in the Show) and part is the announcers. For some reason it feels like summer when listening to the 2k crew, while Versagen(?) puts me to sleep.

I'm not sure what to do this year. There are some good updated rosters for 2k11, and I'm not sure if the changes in 2k12 will be worth the upgrade price. Plus, 2k11 was patched into a pretty solid game. I'm afraid 2k12 will present new problems that will scream for a patch of its own. Not spending $300 for the Show and a Vita.

[Lancer]

There are pluses/minuses with me and The Show.

The biggest minus is the experience is basically the same for me as the ps2 days. I borrowed a ps3 last year and rented The Show. The game is fabulous, but also has a big been there done that feel. They need to just do something to make the game more exciting.

But the biggest pluses for me, and this is why I would still buy it, is the hitting system. It follows the HH system and it's the only game out there that does. I've always found that is the most realistic system in games. I hate the 2k system which is based off the MVP Baseball system. I got use to it, but if you've ever played baseball even in the backyard as a kid, you know how unrealistic the hitting system is.

The Show : Ball is high, you swing low, you miss the ball. Like real life.
2K : Ball is high, swing low, you still hit the ball. WTF is that!?!?

I never understood why 2K never adopted the Show type of hitting.

Only thing I do like about 2K hitting is using the Stick.

The other big plus for me for THE SHOW is how fast you can get games done on fastest mode. 20 min for a 9 inn baseball game is awesome.

Is it still worth it to buy a ps3 just soley to get the show?

[FifaInspected]

i've played a couple of game this morning and see some of the improvements mentioned above. I also saw a lethal line drive off my bat to the 3rd baseman who snagged it almost in self defense. All in all.. pretty nice.

However

Despite the improvements, 2k still suffers from technical glitches that drive me crazy.. That brief pause as the ball hits the bat, the brief slowdown as the ball crosses the infield. These may not bother some people, but for me it's little details like that, that kill the game for me.

[FifaInspected]

per above.. Is it still worth it to buy a PS3 for The Show.. After playing a couple of games of the 2k Demo this morning I put in The Show... Yep.. still very much a system seller.

[dbdynsty25]

Is it still worth it to buy a ps3 just soley to get the show?

I literally play two games per year on my PS3...the Uncharted series and The Show. And yes...those two games, plus the fantastic blu-ray player (very underrated IMO) make the PS3 a worthwhile investment.

[AJColossal]

per above.. Is it still worth it to buy a PS3 for The Show

That's what I did 4 years or so ago, and it was totally worth it for me. Along with the Blu Ray, Uncharted, etc.

Suppose it comes down to how much you like baseball games, and how important it is to play arguably the greatest console baseball series ever.

Since baseball games are my favorite video games, I'm glad I did it.

[Danimal]

I may get this only because I don't have NBA 2k12 and there is that combo pack of both games for $69.99

[Aristo]

But the biggest pluses for me, and this is why I would still buy it, is the hitting system. It follows the HH system and it's the only game out there that does. I've always found that is the most realistic system in games. I hate the 2k system which is based off the MVP Baseball system. I got use to it, but if you've ever played baseball even in the backyard as a kid, you know how unrealistic the hitting system is.

The Show : Ball is high, you swing low, you miss the ball. Like real life.
2K : Ball is high, swing low, you still hit the ball. WTF is that!?!?

I never understood why 2K never adopted the Show type of hitting.

Only thing I do like about 2K hitting is using the Stick.

I undertand the idea about what you speak, but it just doesn't ring true to me at all. I played baseball through high school, and aiming was never ever and issue when hitting. I just don't think your mind works that way. If you master the form, your hands take you to the ball every time.

It's legitimate that adding a zone or cursor hitting model adds difficulty and depth to hitting. But I absolutely hate the extra step in thinking that just never occurs when I hit in real life. It's more how a robot would hit.

Part of 2K's problem is that they do a piss poor job of explaining just what the intent of their system is. But what I find is that if you use the LS to aim inside or outside, you will make more solid contact than if you don't. It's like opening up on n inside pitch or keeping your shoulder in on an outside pitch.

I will sometimes push up on the LS to attempt a Sac Fly, but I've found that the decrease in contact window leads to pop-ups and shallow flyballs.

What drives my at-bats in 2K is reading pitch types and location to decide if I should swing, not where. Chris Carpenter may throw his curveball for a strike, but I'm not swinging at it unless I have one strike, and sometimes two. If I hit is, it's going to be a weak ground ball to often.

But where 2K really drops the ball is in how they use contact, power, and defensive swings. There is no indication as when each should be used, or by who. Some people use power until they get two strikes. Some use contact until they get 2-0 and 3-1 counts. Some use power with power hitters, and contact with contact hitters. Sliders can't account for all of this.

Last year, because the check swing was dorked, i went to classic button hitting, and I found that the developers do tune the game to produce great results. sing classic, the game decided power, contact, or defensive. And it really seemed to work better. But it is still unclear what is being used all of the time. You occasionally get audio clues that a power swing or defensive swing was used, but not enough to get a read on what their pattern is.

I'm hoping that I can match what the developers intend using the swing stick, since it is by far the best way to produce realistic check swings.

All that being said, The Show gets credit for having a lot of different methods, so everybody can play their own way.

But I'm addicted to the pitcher/batter duels in 2K. It's probably among my favorite video game challenges. It has made dealing with a lot of other BS totally worth it the last few years.

[FifaInspected]

I may get this only because I don't have NBA 2k12 and there is that combo pack of both games for $69.99

If I didn't have a PS3 i'd be all over that combo pack. I think it's a brilliant idea on 2K's part.

[Diablo25]

How anyone can play this game over The Show (if you've got a PS3) is absolutely beyond me. The animations alone pissed me off about three or four times an inning. It's like you're running in sand in the outfield and the animations are ridiculously clunky. Ugh. Looks pretty tho.

ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY. The animations are my bugaboo EVERY year. Thank god for The Show.

[MizzouRah]

Good review...

http://www.oxmonline.com/major-league-b ... k12-review

If I didn't have a ps3, I would probably pick this up.

[MizzouRah]

Been playing the demo quite a bit since I don't have much going on today and The Show has no demo... I do believe there is a lot to like here.

I think for those 360 only owners who wanted a MLB 2k11 with even more enhanced pitching and bugs fixed, AI improved, etc.. have the game they wanted.

I don't like the pause on high pop up foul balls.. and since I can't change pitchers or pinch hit, I'm losing quite a bit in those 3 innings, but it plays a good game of baseball.

Fielding is fun, we all know the pitching is top notch (and well may be worth the price if I could snag it for $30) and I've always like the swing stick, especially when using batter's eye. I've walked quite a few times and have walked the CPU hitters plenty of times. It is odd that I can have a mound visit and completly calm down my pitcher, but it was the 3rd inning, so that may have something to do with it.

After reading the developer diary #3 on audio, seems like they have added more of their excellent commentary as well.

I can't wait to read impressions for those of you who get this on Tuesday.

[backbreaker]

Pasta Padre Not impressed so far of this years iteration of the game. Funny HR scene and what is up with the graphics damn 2012 and this looks like 2006 no exaggeration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdYgVWygas