MLB 2K11 Preview (Destructoid)

[Flaxseed Oil]

Destructoid has just posted their Major League Baseball 2K11 preview.

Quote:

"Another change that looks to help fielding is the introduction of new animations. The increased variety, especially for bobbled balls, makes the game more fluid and realistic. It’s not 100% there yet -- I saw inconsistencies like a big step and a laser-like throw from a fielder who was maybe ten feet from his first baseman, which really pulled me out of the action -- but I’m hoping that such nagging issues can be ironed out between now and the release date. I found the game’s visuals to be alternately impressive and off-putting. Many of the player faces are accurate, while others are off -- this remains an issue across most sports games -- and all of them suffer from dead eyes and stiff mouths, irregularities that scream “uncanny valley.” Numbers on the backs of jerseys are textured to stand out from the shirts themselves, but there’s a strange upward distortion of text on players’ chests. Team-specific camera angles for the behind-the-pitcher view are a nice touch, and the revamped player models look great. C.C. Sabathia is a hulking brute on the mound, just as he should be."

[rudyjuly2]

Loved how they said pitching will be harder plus variable strike zones. The outfield defense intrigues me.

[tmac55]

The pitching and fielding changes are important to me. Also, the animations mentioned should be interesting too as everything on the ground was pretty playable last year in the infield. Hopefully this leads to errors, which by the sound of it (throwing meter changes), it could.

Overall, this is intriguing and if they fixed franchise mode and progression, their approach of improving last year's effort over innovating could pay off.

[hitstreak13]

I'm so excited about pitching being more difficult. The fielding is what gets me excited. Can't wait to read more reviews.

[jeffy777]

Quote:

This year, Visual Concepts is aiming to improve on the solid foundation of MLB 2K10, polishing what’s there by addressing underlying issues. I played a few innings of Major League Baseball 2K11 earlier this week, and from my hands-on time, I can say that the studio is on the right track.

Quote:

Another change that looks to help fielding is the introduction of new animations. The increased variety, especially for bobbled balls, makes the game more fluid and realistic.

Quote:

Team-specific camera angles for the behind-the-pitcher view are a nice touch, and the revamped player models look great. C.C. Sabathia is a hulking brute on the mound, just as he should be.

Quote:

On the pitching front, subtle changes seem like they’ll provide a ramped-up challenge. In MLB 2K10, it was way too easy to pitch with pinpoint accuracy -- even with sub-par hurlers -- once you got good enough. Visual Concepts has introduced variance for missed analog-stick gestures, so even if your gesture is off in a particular manner each time, you won’t be able to easily predict the behavior of the pitch: it might break more or less. Real pitchers can’t simply aim a pitch at a particular spot and get it there every time, and even MLB 2K pros won’t have that luxury anymore. There’s now a variable strike zone, too, which brings in the time-honored “human element” of umpires.

YEAH!

[bigfnjoe96]

Nice read. Thanks Flaxseed. Some things that stood out for me:

Quote:

This year, Visual Concepts is aiming to improve on the solid foundation of MLB 2K10, polishing what’s there by addressing underlying issues. I played a few innings of Major League Baseball 2K11 earlier this week, and from my hands-on time, I can say that the studio is on the right track.

Quote:

Visual Concepts has introduced variance for missed analog-stick gestures, so even if your gesture is off in a particular manner each time, you won’t be able to easily predict the behavior of the pitch: it might break more or less. Real pitchers can’t simply aim a pitch at a particular spot and get it there every time, and even MLB 2K pros won’t have that luxury anymore. There’s now a variable strike zone, too, which brings in the time-honored “human element” of umpires.

Quote:

Ratings now play a more significant role in the game, thanks to a tweaked throwing meter and a new method for catching fly balls.

Quote:

Another change that looks to help fielding is the introduction of new animations. The increased variety, especially for bobbled balls, makes the game more fluid and realistic.

Quote:

Team-specific camera angles for the behind-the-pitcher view are a nice touch, and the revamped player models look great.

[jeffy777]

Man, this is like music to my ears. It sounds like VC is making some great progress.

[Flaxseed Oil]

I do like the idea of a variable strikezone finally....pitching in 2k10 got too easy. I went 25-2 with My Player once.