I've been thinking about it for quite a while, and reading all of the great impressions of Toca you guys have posted here was the final straw.
Toca - What can I say that hasn't already been said? Except maybe "WOW!"
ESPN Baseball - I'm trying really hard to like this game, but so far I'm not having the same positive experiences some of you guys are having with it. But I haven't given up on it yet.
Looking forward to checking out Links and the old Xbox version of HH.
Good for you, man! What other games did you get? Highly recommend Halo -- a brilliant game. Sounds like Rallisport 2 might be a good game for fun and also to show the graphical muscle of the system.
Regarding ESPN Baseball, are you using Snate's sliders? The game is very good out of the box, but Snate's superb sliders bring the game to a new level with just a few tweaks.
Enjoy!
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Yeah PK, I started with snate's sliders and made a few minor tweaks. I'm also using "fast" instead of "real" pitch speed, like you suggested. I'm just fumbling around too much with the fielding and baserunning especially. I'm so used to HH, I just need more practice. Plus the fact that I'm playing with a lame team like the Tribe isn't helping.
ESPN and Toca are the only games I've got so far. I'll definitely give Halo a shot.
Welcome to the world of Xbox! I got mine last summer, it was KOTOR that got me. Getting on live however has completely changed my gaming 100% Xbox live is what really separates the MS console from the others.
I also got a cheap copy of Halo a while ago, and that game really is a good one. But the Xbox library is much more healthy and diverse than even when I got mine, less than a year ago. So there are high-quality examples for the Xbox of nearly every type of game; there may not be 10 good RPGs like may be true for the PS2, for example, but there are 2 or 3 top-notch ones for the Xbox.
I too have settled on ESPN, efter trying out MVP and MLB on the PS2. I had TONS of trouble with the base running, but I turned the auto-round bases and the other semi-auto baserunning aids, and that seems to help a lot. I am now getting the hang of it; basically they behave the way they should, and then you can tell them to go that extra base or time the run on the tag-up or whatever, so you have some control, but you don't have to micro-manage the baserunners with those aids turned on. It's more like being in control of the base coach rather than the runner, which is how I like it.
Otherwise, I am really appreciating this game more and more. The visuals are a big turn-off, both the player models and many of the animations (especially the swings). Like that double-play turn, the poor guy's arm seems to separate from his body on the throw! And what makes it worse is they highlight that poor animation with a slow-mo replay every time you turn 2!
But much like HH, the visuals do not get in the way of some great baseball gameplay. I still can't hit too well, but once I hit my first "True Aim" home run, I've been having tons of fun. (I too am on fast pitch speed). It really has that "one more game" feel for me, but that just might be because I keep losing!
I guess I am saying that I too had all kinds of problems adjusting to the game, but the more I play it the more I am liking it. So stick with it, it might grow on you! I've had all the same "I can't believe it!" type of games as everyone else here. A 1-0 pitchers duel in one game, a 10-8 homer fest the next. Great stuff.
Thanks Z. I'll try making the baserunning more automatic. With all of the options available in this game I know there's got to be an enjoyable game of baseball in there somewhere, I just haven't found it yet. But I'm gonna keep looking.
It was just weird that with my first two XBox games, one felt very alien (ESPN) and one felt instantly like I had been playing it for years (Toca).
Picked one up too. I purchased the Halo special addition. Also picked up Toca 2 and RallySport 2 and ESPN Baseball. Now all I have to do is wait for my wife to agree to DSL to play online. Hopefully this can be done before XBOX 2 is released.
lexbur wrote:
ESPN Baseball - I'm trying really hard to like this game, but so far I'm not having the same positive experiences some of you guys are having with it. But I haven't given up on it yet.
.
me too. i just can't tell the difference between a fly and a grounder. any ideas.....
Sudz wrote:me too. i just can't tell the difference between a fly and a grounder. any ideas.....
Umm...watch the ball? The only time you can't really tell is on the line drives...some of them actually went off the ground right in front of the plate so you can't tell if it's a grounder. I basically play every line drive like it's a grounder. You don't get penalized for that if you handle it that way at least.
