RIP MLB2K SERIES

[Inuyasha]

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mlb-2k ... 0-6416967/


Their heydey was back on the original XB. Some of those 2k games back then were very innovative.

[Danimal]

Good riddance.

Lets see if anyone picks up the license.

[dbdynsty25]

Could have sworn it died on the dreamcast when they didn't allow you to control the defenders.

I certainly don't wish peace on that series. It can burn in hell for all I care.

[MizzouRah]

That sucks.. was hoping to see it on XB1.

[Danimal]

[Aristo]

Sorry, but the last game in the series (which they released twice) was a great game of baseball. I get why folks didn't like it, but they were wrong.

I would take a port for the XB1 and new rosters. Sorry to see it go.

[FifaInspected]

As a MLB the Show guys I admit the 2k games played a fun game of baseball.

[pk500]

As someone who works in sports PR and licensing, it's not good for Major League Baseball to have its only licensed game available on just one console. Not good virtual exposure for the brand, the league, its players and clubs.

Can you imagine the only NFL, NHL or NBA game being console-exclusive? Me, neither.

[dbdynsty25]

As someone who works in sports PR and licensing, it's not good for Major League Baseball to have its only licensed game available on just one console. Not good virtual exposure for the brand, the league, its players and clubs.

Can you imagine the only NFL, NHL or NBA game being console-exclusive? Me, neither.

The turd that was MLB 2k...only brought negative PR to the game/brand. Sure, some might say, negative pub is better than no pub, but still...MLB has been console monogamous for years essentially.

[sportdan30]

Could have sworn it died on the dreamcast when they didn't allow you to control the defenders.

I still remember buying that game and screaming "WTF!!!!" when I had no control over my fielders. The game had been hyped big time at the time. That was probably the most disappointed I've ever been with a sports video game in my life.

Admittedly, I liked how they implemented the pitching interface and broadcast presentation, but everything else about that game was just a disaster when compared to The Show.

[Murph]

The important thing is The Show is still coming out on PS4, so .....

[Inuyasha]

I played that 2k game, didn't mind the cpu controlled fielders. I remember graphics for that game at the time were terrific.

Maybe MVP can come back now into play.

But the problem is these baseball games take way too long to play. Even with THE SHOW, I'm sure it'll be great, but I think I'll probably play it for a week or two and then just lose interest. Maybe it's not the game but the sport of baseball itself.

[sportdan30]

But the problem is these baseball games take way too long to play. Even with THE SHOW, I'm sure it'll be great, but I think I'll probably play it for a week or two and then just lose interest. Maybe it's not the game but the sport of baseball itself.

Generated pitch counts will make a significant difference this year on The Show! The games will go much quicker.

[Danimal]

I wrote a long post and deleted it. The problem is baseball games don't sell. In fact based on sales figures from the last 5 years, one could argue there are only 3 profitable sports franchises: FIFA, NBA 2K and Madden.

I don't think you will see someone snap up an exclusive license for the MLB nor do I think it makes sense for anyone else to get in the baseball business for the XB unless Microsoft plans to do it.

[Inuyasha]

I wrote a long post and deleted it. The problem is baseball games don't sell. In fact based on sales figures from the last 5 years, one could argue there are only 3 profitable sports franchises: FIFA, NBA 2K and Madden.

I don't think you will see someone snap up an exclusive license for the MLB nor do I think it makes sense for anyone else to get in the baseball business for the XB unless Microsoft plans to do it.

That's correct. I think The Show last year only sold like 500K units. NHL around the same. I remember back when you had so many studios developing sports games back during the PS1/PS2 era (989, Konami, EA, 2K, Sony Studios, Microsoft, etc..). Now it's like 2 companies and that's it.

If someone was looking to buy next gen systems just for sports games, I'd tell them to hold onto their money and wait.

[pk500]

As someone who works in sports PR and licensing, it's not good for Major League Baseball to have its only licensed game available on just one console. Not good virtual exposure for the brand, the league, its players and clubs.

Can you imagine the only NFL, NHL or NBA game being console-exclusive? Me, neither.

The turd that was MLB 2k...only brought negative PR to the game/brand. Sure, some might say, negative pub is better than no pub, but still...MLB has been console monogamous for years essentially.

You're looking at it from the perspective of a hardcore gamer. I'm looking at it from the perspective of lemmings who just want a licensed baseball game to play on their system, which forms the bulk of the MLB viewing and attending audience.

No bueno for a major league sport to have its licensed game on just one platform.

[pk500]

I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft provides MLB 2K13 free for XBL Gold subscribers in February and trumpets it as some sort of big exclusive.

[Brando70]

The ESPN version, which would have been 2k4, was a great baseball game and I think better than anything that was released on the PS2/XBox generation. 2k7 was also really good after they patched it, although I recall that didn't happen for a long time after release. But there just was no contest between The Show and 2k the last few years.

[Inuyasha]

2K4 was excellent. I remember it well. Back in 2003-2004 time frame, we had quality baseball titles to choose from, 2K, High Heat, and some can argue ASB series.

[MizzouRah]

I think it was 2k7 I loved.. the one where the jerseys flapped like they were in a wind storm.. lol...

[sportdan30]

I think it was 2k7 I loved.. the one where the jerseys flapped like they were in a wind storm.. lol...

That was a pretty enjoyable game despite the wind storm jerseys!

[sportdan30]

The Show may not ever break a million in sales, but I bet it exceeds 500,000 by a pretty good margin with a few years. I doubt it'll happen this year because there are still many people who haven't switched over to next gen. However, I'd bet there's a pretty good number of former Xbox 360 baseball enthusiasts who have switched over to the PS4 so they have a baseball option.

[dbdynsty25]

The Show may not ever break a million in sales, but I bet it exceeds 500,000 by a pretty good margin with a few years. I doubt it'll happen this year because there are still many people who haven't switched over to next gen. However, I'd bet there's a pretty good number of former Xbox 360 baseball enthusiasts who have switched over to the PS4 so they have a baseball option.

I think they may even sell more because of this fact. No baseball on the Xbox One, so you get a PS4 if you go next gen and that's important. So you have the base of users on the PS3 who haven't switched, then all of the PS4 guys who did switch and you likely have an even bigger user base than simply just the PS3.

[Aristo]

I just wish Show users didn't settle for crappy gameplay with stunning visuals. It's beyond hilarious to see how many people just let the CPU do the work for them. Next year, you no longer have to work counts, the game will do that for you to! World Series Baseball rightfully gets dinged here for not letting the User play defense, while Show users use auto defense in mass.

2K baseball floundered and failed for a lot of reasons, but its gameplay was not one of them. The chief reason was playing for a ridiculous exclusive deal to hurt EA, but which let Sony make a game for much less. Then they overreacted to the sorry state 2K8 was released in, which set the franchise back again. But by 2K11, the game was solid, and 2K12 and 2K13 (the same game, essentially) were great. They weren't without issues, but they were fun to play, strategic, and replicated real life attributes and performance incredibly well in a game where you actually controlled the players.

I quit on console baseball games for years because the gameplay was so bad. Even High Heat and MVP 05 failed to deliver realistic pitch counts and battles at the plate. They were trying, but the truth was, to make those games work, you had to accept that walks really weren't part of the game. And controlling base runners was a joke. All I see in the Show is more acceptance of this as the norm because it is so purty.

[dbdynsty25]

I just wish Show users didn't settle for crappy gameplay with stunning visuals. It's beyond hilarious to see how many people just let the CPU do the work for them. Next year, you no longer have to work counts, the game will do that for you to! World Series Baseball rightfully gets dinged here for not letting the User play defense, while Show users use auto defense in mass.

2K baseball floundered and failed for a lot of reasons, but its gameplay was not one of them. The chief reason was playing for a ridiculous exclusive deal to hurt EA, but which let Sony make a game for much less. Then they overreacted to the sorry state 2K8 was released in, which set the franchise back again. But by 2K11, the game was solid, and 2K12 and 2K13 (the same game, essentially) were great. They weren't without issues, but they were fun to play, strategic, and replicated real life attributes and performance incredibly well in a game where you actually controlled the players.

I quit on console baseball games for years because the gameplay was so bad. Even High Heat and MVP 05 failed to deliver realistic pitch counts and battles at the plate. They were trying, but the truth was, to make those games work, you had to accept that walks really weren't part of the game. And controlling base runners was a joke. All I see in the Show is more acceptance of this as the norm because it is so purty.

It is really simple. If 2k was half the game on the field that The Show was, it would have destroyed them year in and year out since it was on two different systems with over twice as many potential buyers (well actually more than that, but two main systems). It didn't...and that pretty much tells you all you need to know. Visuals or not, the bugs in 2k were significantly worse than anything you'd see in The Show and that's ultimately what destroyed it. Crappy QA. Yes, the game was fun to play (arguably more so than The Show)...but with all of the scoring bugs, guys sliding back to first on pick off throws feet first, and crap like that...it is just too much to overcome in a sport that much of the real life appeal comes from the stats, and the accuracy of those stats is extremely important in a game simulating the sport.