MLB 2K8 interview

[sportdan30]

7 pages with a lot of focus on the PS3. Gotta admit I'm cautiously optimistic.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/841/841745p1.html

[MizzouRah]

Thank you for that!!

Definitely excited for this title, and I'm really happy it's at 60fps this year.

A preorder for sure.

[TheGamer]

good interview, although it seems he's only talking in general terms as not to disclose too much info about any new features or actual changes being made. I'm really looking forward to 2k8 as 2k7 is still heavy in the gaming rotation with College Hoops. Winter time is the best time for video game baseball for me, as I'm normally optimistic about the moves the Cubs make (usually only lasts until May) and I always update the rosters as each team signs free agents and make trades.

[FatPitcher]

This interview reads like every interview every year for every baseball game. Hope the tuning on all the systems they redid goes well. Didn't All-Star Baseball do a trading card unlocking thing one year?

It's also interesting that this guy is the producer now instead of the lead designer.

[snaz16]

It's also interesting that this guy is the producer now instead of the lead designer.

Is that a good thing or bad ?

Sounds like they can get a lot more into the game on the Ps3 as opposed to the 360 if they wanted to.
If all goes as planned, we should have to great titles to play this spring.

[FatPitcher]

It's also interesting that this guy is the producer now instead of the lead designer.

Is that a good thing or bad ?

Sounds like they can get a lot more into the game on the Ps3 as opposed to the 360 if they wanted to.

Generally, producers don't do much hands-on design, so things like tuning get left to other people (which can be bad if you don't have the right people in the design positions). On the other hand, producers have more power and can adjust development priorities, so it is good to have someone with good design sense (which this guy seems to have) in that position. If you have a poor producer, it doesn't matter how good the designer is, because the producer will have them working on silly and useless features. This series has had non-designers in the producer position starting with the 2004 release, and it has showed.

I'm not so sure that anything extra will go into the PS3 version as a result of the extra disc space. Theoretically, it could allow more art and sound data (higher resolution textures, more commentary would probably be the 2 things that consume the most disc space), but since the Xbox 360 is still the lead SKU, and they are probably limited by RAM anyway, it is unlikely that they're doing anything like that. Instead, it probably just makes development easier (and perhaps loading slightly faster) because they don't need to compress/decompress data stored on the disc. I'd be shocked if there was any significant reason to get the PS3 version over the Xbox 360 version--I think the reasons he talks up the PS3 version are 1) it's an interview for IGN PS3 and 2) he wants to spread the word that the PS3 version is not as ghetto as last year's.

[macsomjrr]

Great interview. Brinkman seems to really care about making this game as great as it can be which as a 2K fan I really appreciate. The changes that have been made in fielding sounds cool, as well as the batter/pitcher duel which is the most important part of the real-life game. One big thing I'm looking for is the ability to review each pitch and by able to call in replays of how the pitcher is pitching at will. They would occasionally throw in these fantastic pitch and location replays in 2K7 but they were very random.

Minor leagues! Woo hoo! Go Storm!

[Inuyasha]

This interview reads like every interview every year for every baseball game.

Thats what I was thinking too. I think I'm jaded when it comes to developer interviews for upcoming games. They are still the same PR bs and you really don't know if the changes they claim actually work until you play the game for yourself.

But, it's the only MLB game we got on the market so I guess I should be optimistic.

[macsomjrr]

This interview reads like every interview every year for every baseball game.

Thats what I was thinking too. I think I'm jaded when it comes to developer interviews for upcoming games. They are still the same PR bs and you really don't know if the changes they claim actually work until you play the game for yourself.

But, it's the only MLB game we got on the market so I guess I should be optimistic.

I agree but you have to read between the lines. A lot of what Brinkman is saying could be considered kinda fluffy, but considering the difference between 2K6 (terrible) and 2K7 (vastly improved, my "sports game of the year") I think this guy does have a lot of credibility in the baseball console gaming world. Also, things like addition of minor leagues are a big deal to some and it's nice to hear about the changes in fielding and such that were pretty nasty downers in this years game.

[Diablo25]

I though 2K7 was vastly improved but it fell way short of expectations for me. That being said, the series has progressed and I look forward to giving it a go.

[GameSeven]

New 2 page Brinkman Q&A:

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/ ... id=6184600

[Slumberland]

I've been waiting for right analog pitching for a while... I hope it's good.

[Brando70]

Good interview. He gets into some nice details about how they addressed the pitching and hitting issues. If the post-patch 2k7 had been the game that originally was released, it would have gotten a much better reception. I don't think I've seen a console patch yet that made such an impact on gameplay.

It could suck, of course, but Brinkman at least seems to understand the goals and what "realism" should actually be in a baseball game. Compare to say what David Ortiz regurgitates every year with Madden and it sounds much more savvy.

[spooky157]

"Basically we took the power swings from the swing stick and made them the default way to swing, minus the loft and power boost. "

That's what I wanted from the swing stick last year.

Now that I have a PS3 I know I will be tempted to pick up the Show. But I really loved post patch 2K7 and got bored with the Show 06 on PS2 a couple of years back so it's going to be tough for me to decide.

[Rodster]

I like what i'm reading. It looks like i'll be picking this up along with the Show for the 360. What has me really intrigued more than the 360 version is MLB 2K8 on the Wii. If they can nail down the controls like Nintendo has on Wii Sports Baseball we could have a killer game. I hope the Wii version turns out great and it includes online play.

[MizzouRah]

spooky, I like this cut as well..

Basically we took the power swings from the swing stick and made them the default way to swing, minus the loft and power boost. We think it makes swings far more responsive, rewarding. and natural. Everything from going the other way with an outside pitch to checking your swing feels natural. My favorite is ripping that pitch in down the line. There is just something extremely satisfying about that!

Excellent read, thank you for that!

This one is already on pre-order, can't wait!!

[sportdan30]

The thing that concerns me with their innovative new controls is that 2K's track record is a little spotty when it comes to trying new control schemes (i.e. NHL 2K8). I'm not saying this doesn't have potential, but at least we have the option to use the buttons. I do think the game play is going to be tons better than it was last year.

I'm definitely excited for the demo in early February! Having two baseball game choices on the PS3 is a very very good thing. Looks like a great year for both games.

[MizzouRah]

The thing that concerns me with their innovative new controls is that 2K's track record is a little spotty when it comes to trying new control schemes (i.e. NHL 2K8). I'm not saying this doesn't have potential, but at least we have the option to use the buttons. I do think the game play is going to be tons better than it was last year.

I'm definitely excited for the demo in early February! Having two baseball game choices on the PS3 is a very very good thing. Looks like a great year for both games.

NHL 2k8's scheme is not THAT bad and I think they will refine it next year. I still can't get over how much NHL 08 on AS pisses me off and makes me want to throw the controller down the hall. Warts and all 2k8 is more fun for me, just like MLB 2k7 was compared to The Show on the ps2.

I'm in the minority on that one, but I loved MLB 2k7 and I think we are really in for a treat this year with 2k8. With baseball I only have time for one game anyhow... guess that's good because I only have one choice.

[macsomjrr]

The thing that concerns me with their innovative new controls is that 2K's track record is a little spotty when it comes to trying new control schemes (i.e. NHL 2K8). I'm not saying this doesn't have potential, but at least we have the option to use the buttons. I do think the game play is going to be tons better than it was last year.

I'm definitely excited for the demo in early February! Having two baseball game choices on the PS3 is a very very good thing. Looks like a great year for both games.

I agree but Brinkman and the rest of the 2K team has done an exceptional job turning this franchise around so far. The swing stick last year left a lot to be desired, in fact I never use it now so like you I'm cautiously optimistic about this year. The new pitching interface sounds fan-freakin-tastic and I'm itching to get my hands on it. Making it more difficult to throw perfect strikes alone will be a HUGE upgrade to the batter-pitcher battle. In general though the 2K6 to 2K7 jump was massive even with the shortened development cycle. 2K8 in contrast has had a full cycle which can only mean good things!

[skinsfan]

This interview reads like every interview every year for every baseball game.

Thats what I was thinking too. I think I'm jaded when it comes to developer interviews for upcoming games. They are still the same PR bs and you really don't know if the changes they claim actually work until you play the game for yourself.

But, it's the only MLB game we got on the market so I guess I should be optimistic.

The only MLB game if you only have a 360.
There are 2 choices on PS3 and PS2.

[snaz16]

I believe these are some new screens for the ps3...
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/majo ... mages.html

[kevinpars]

I finally got around to reading both of the linked interviews and it does sound promising. At least on paper Brinkman talks about all of the issues that I had with the game - particularly the ease of hitting your spots while pitching and the overabundance of HRs and singles. And having the minor leagues in the game is a big plus for me.

My major gripe with the MVP series was that when you made a mistake pitching it was too often a fat pitch over the plate and I hope with the new mechanic in 2K that it leads to more balls and unintentional walks - or hits that result from having to come over the plate on 2-0 and 3-1 counts.

[sportdan30]

I believe these are some new screens for the ps3...
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/majo ... mages.html

Very nice!

[snaz16]

My major gripe with the MVP series was that when you made a mistake pitching it was too often a fat pitch over the plate and I hope with the new mechanic in 2K that it leads to more balls and unintentional walks - or hits that result from having to come over the plate on 2-0 and 3-1 counts.

Amen to that. That was probably the best thing I remember when playing the High Heat series,just missing the corners,going down in the count,sliding your pitcher to one side or the other on the rubber,hoping to nick the corners. A lot of games did a lot of things better than High Heat,but the pitcher-batter confrontation in it is still unmatched IMO.

[TheGamer]

demo impressions

http://vetzballin.com/modules.php?name= ... cle&sid=85

"Upon finding out that I had played MLB 2K7 extensively last year, the first thing one of the developers for 2K Sports' MLB 2K8 asked me after sitting down in the conference room where the demo was being shown was, "what issues bothered you most about last year's game?". I responded "too many homeruns, an over abundance of homerun robbing catches and a less than desired physics engine in relation to the ball coming off the bat." After hearing my response he nodded his head in agreement and assured me that those things were among the many issues that were addressed this year.




Although I only had about 10-15 minutes with the demo, I saw enough to come away encouraged that MLB 2K8 has made some strides compared to last year. The swing stick is one of the first things that has been enhanced. Contact and power swings are no longer tied into the face buttons as they have been scrapped entirely. Instead swinging has been designed to mimic the simplest of concepts: see the ball, hit the ball. Everything else is dictated by timing, the caliber of player who's doing the hitting and their individual attributes. It also seemed a bit easier to hit using the swing stick as the step and swing motions felt a lot tighter. And since the power swings have been eliminated, it seems like you'll no longer be able to just press up and jack homeruns at will.

Another thing that has been refined is the pitching system. Now, all the pitches in a pitcher's repertoire are tied into the right analog stick instead of the face buttons like years past. Each pitch is tied to a particular command that requires specific movements of the right analog stick. The accuracy and speed of the pitch is dictated by how successfully you can emulate the move required. For example a fastball might simply require you to pull down, hold, and then push upward and release the stick. When the pitcher is going into his motion you'll notice a circular target in front of the catcher. Inside that target is a circle that expands outward with the goal being to release the ball at the circle's maximum width. As I said before, the closer you get to correctly nailing the move, the better the accuracy and effectiveness of the pitch. You'll have a little bit more wiggle room when controlling the elite pitchers as far as mimicking the command required to throw a pitch, as ratings also come into play. Average and lower tier pitchers will require you to get at as close as possible to the right stick movements required of a particular pitch as possible. Some pitches require you to move the right stick in a half circular motion so it will be an adjustment for most people. After you throw the pitch, you'll notice an icon showing you a percentage of how close you came to pulling the move off. Admittedly so, I struggled at first throwing any pitches with great effectiveness and I walked my share of batters, but so far I love the system. Previously, it was just too easy to pick a spot, press a button and have a pitch go anywhere you wanted it. I've always felt the user had an edge when it came to pitching because you could throw with amazing pinpoint control with just about any pitcher in the game. I found this system will make pitching more unpredictable and rewarding when you did throw a great pitch

The enhancements didn't stop there as the way you'll run and throw the ball to the bases has also changed. Again, no longer will the face buttons be required (starting to see a trend here yet?) to throw to a particular base. Instead, the corresponding bases are tied into right analog stick movements. You'll have to press to the right to throw the ball to first base, up for second, left for third and down for home plate. A throwing meter will also appear next to each fielder as he retrieves the ball and you'll have to release the ball when the icon fills up to the green area for a most accurate throw. Charging throws will be possible as you can point in the direction of the base you want to throw to before the fielder actually picks up the ball.
Running the bases seemed a bit more intuitive as the sometimes cumbersome use of the left and right bumpers to control the base runners has been scaled back to a more simplified approach. When you have a base runner on, you'll notice that a number corresponds to each base. With first base being the 'B' button (#1), second base 'Y' (#2), third base 'X' (#3) and home 'A'(#4). If you have a runner on 2nd base and you smoke a hit up the middle, you'd simply press the 'X' to advance him to 3rd. If you wanted him to retreat to 2nd you'd simply press the "Y' button. The thing I liked about this system is, say that runner you had on 2nd base you wanted to send him home. You can bypass pressing 3rd base completely and just press the 'A' button and the runner will round third base and head home without stopping. Taking control of a particular runner requires you to press the left analog stick in the direction of the runner. Using that same guy on 2nd base as the example, upon the hitter putting the ball into play, I simply pressed upward with the left stick to assume control of him. You'll see a glowing icon under the runner to indicate he's under user control and then you'll be able to command what base you want him to advance or retreat to. On paper this may seem like a lot of steps, but I got a handle on it pretty quickly and thought it to be an improvement over using the bumpers. The bumpers still come in handy if you have multiple runners on and you need to advance everyone at once, but you are no longer just limited to their use.


Another cool edition added this year, are the new player cards. Each player card comes with a particular in-game task assigned to unlock them. To unlock a Jose Reyes card, you might be required to steal 4 bases in a game with a player. There are also legend player cards and bonus stadiums that can be unlocked. Taking it even a step further users can take a team constructed solely of acquired player cards online for competing against others. Trading player cards online with other users will also be possible.


The minor leagues have also been expanded boasting 90 teams all playable in exhibition and franchise modes. All the modes from last year like GM remain intact except they have been condensed under the franchise mode. Graphically the game is looking as good as ever.


If first impressions count for anything, I came away encouraged about the improvements made and the direction the game is headed. 2K seemed to realize that MLB 2K7 was a decent effort, but a few major flaws held the game from reaching it's potential. This year the theme for MLB 2K8 seemed to build upon the foundation laid last year. Vetz will have more in-depth info on MLB in the coming weeks, so stay tuned."