MLB 2K9 News Post

Major League Baseball 2K9 Video: Cardinals @ Cubs Top 1st

01:57 AM - February 13, 2009 by Steve_OS

OK, here is the very first gameplay video from Major League Baseball 2K9. Pay no attention to my sliding skills (or lack thereof), while trying to swipe second... Pushed the wrong analog stick, the wrong way...

Anyways, the bottom of the 1st will be posted in the morning, along with some franchise screenshots. We'll have plenty of videos to come tonight and over the weekend as well. Remember to keep conversation on topic, please.

Game: Major League Baseball 2K9Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 38 - View All

Major League Baseball 2K9 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 Knight165 @ 02/13/09 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarryTheWeight


	Anyone else notice that the transition from the walk-in to the batting stance is missing a few frames? It seems that Pujols and Ankiel pull their bats up into their stances too quickly.

Man...I don't want to be the guy..but yeah.
I'm seeing a lot of hitching.

Two things...I'm tired...
...and this is an old build....

I'll watch again tomorrow.

M.K.
Knight165

# 22 phillyfan23 @ 02/13/09 02:26 AM

first impressions:

no framerate issues...big big plus

I'm digging the bat-boy.....very big or baseball atmosphere....

thorne/phillips ....2 thumbs up

graphics while not jaw dropping are good, and the baseball feel is there....

bat sounds are horrible.......i'm guessing that mlb 2k12 when it's on xbox 720 the bat sounds will be fixed

batting animations are not smooth,hopefully we will see more polish in the retail

so far so good!

# 23 SoxFan01605 @ 02/13/09 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarryTheWeight


	Anyone else notice that the transition from the walk-in to the batting stance is missing a few frames? It seems that Pujols and Ankiel pull their bats up into their stances too quickly.

I saw that, but there were also a couple cutaways that did that too. I'm wondering if someone just skipped throught a couple transitions (meaning pressed "A")? I would be surprised if that happened in the final build (at least that bad).

# 24 Blzer @ 02/13/09 02:28 AM

Okay, I'll just lay out my personal positives and negatives.

+ Real-time is simply glorious.
+ Commentary is beyond amazing, keeping up the tempo between pitches, but there may be a negative with it...
+ All unique batting stances.
+ All of the camera angles look like something that you would see on TV (sans gameplay cams).
+ The crowd looks great.
+ Strike zones are nice and fit, they all represent the player's stance.
+ Player models are spot on, body proportions correct and what not.
+ Cloud movement is in. I'm still waiting to see on that time of day progression thing.

- Bat sounds are abysmal. Enough said.
- Fielding camera angle is hit or miss. I can see why some people would like it, but it starts to get too overhead for my personal taste.
- This game is a sim at heart, but with them starting over and such I can feel a lot of "arcade" in it. Again, I'm sure it plays sim and tries its best to be sim, but fielder, runner, and throwing speed are all kind of off the charts at the moment.
- Again this may be a negative, but commentary is so specific, I wonder how long it will be until we start hearing those same repeats over and over and over again? Let's pray that there is a lot of commentary in this game.
- Animations just aren't looking fluid. You can see it when Pujols prepares for his stance then gets into it... something's just weird about it.
- There's also something very weird about the replays. They try and use the blur, then go full speed then slow-motion, zoom and then you lose the ball, small "whoosh" sounds on contact... just sort of weird.
- This is only a negative if you're a Cubs fan. I hope you don't mind seeing that large State Farm sign/building out in center field for all of your home games.

- I sort of wish that the heads up display would just stay on screen all of the time. I understand because it could interfere with something in play, but I wish they could do something about that. I don't know what.

? Time of day progression.
? Crowd audio for home team.
? Repetitive commentary.
? Pitching ease.
? Zone hitting fundamentals.

# 25 Badboy49er @ 02/13/09 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blzer


	This game is definitely looking rough around the edges. So far the only really impressive thing is the real time. I think 2K10 is the game that we're looking for. Either way, this could deliver solidly, in a sort of ugly way.

You know Blzer thats exactly what i was thinking. When VC has another year with this game it should be phenomenal. Loving the real time stuff. For this year though i feel it will at the least be a solid title. Looks like no frame rate hitches so thats good.

# 26 PVarck31 @ 02/13/09 02:30 AM

Yeah, the bat sounds are still bad. Thought for sure that would have been fixed. O well, I can live with it. Game looks very solid to me.

# 27 Smitty730 @ 02/13/09 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shakedowncapo


	+Smooth framerate all the way through +Thorne and Phillips sound great...Awesome job there VC. How come they cant do this for NBA?! +Like most of the fielding throws...Look good. -Batting stances, especially Pujols looks absolutely terrible. -The atmosphere seems kinda meh but I could be wrong. -That damn organ.. -Bat sounds...Come on VC. Really?!

I respectfully disagree, regarding the atmosphere.It's only footage of one-half an inning, but I feel immersed. The numerous real-time shots are amazing, although hitchy in some spots. What I really enjoy is the chattering of the fans. It has a "first-inning" feel to it, and like I said, I was immersed.

# 28 Shakedowncapo @ 02/13/09 02:35 AM

Game really does look solid...Im sure they did their best to build it back up. 360 owners seem to have a solid baseball title on the way. I'll for sure give this a look when the roster guys fix it up!

Thumbs up to the 2k crew.*

# 29 kumala @ 02/13/09 02:37 AM

game reminds me of 2k3. batting stances and gameplay. pujols stance looks okay but different from last.

# 30 Artman22 @ 02/13/09 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjv31


	Yeah, the bat sounds are still bad. Thought for sure that would have been fixed. O well, I can live with it. Game looks very solid to me.

well tomorrow at 2k forums. The Devs will be answering questions. I hope someone can please bring this up about the bat sounds. What's so hard about changing the bat sounds?

# 31 phillyfan23 @ 02/13/09 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badboy49er


	You know Blzer thats exactly what i was thinking. When VC has another year with this game it should be phenomenal. Loving the real time stuff. For this year though i feel it will at the least be a solid title. Looks like no frame rate hitches so thats good.

that's exactly what people are saying about nhl 2k9.....3 years of horrendous performances by KUSH, last year was the first year back for VC and the gameplay got a big facelift....fell short of the finish line, but I think will have a great chance to be hockey's best game next year.

I''m hoping MLB 2k9 can rival the show this year....

but I'm big on the hitting/pitching game and that bat sounds is just a killer. The bad sound takes away the great feel of hitting if u ask me....

for example the pujols foul out, it sounded as if he got good wood on it. In the show, when you connect, you KNOW you connect by the sound.

I'm really hoping they add better sounds before release....

After watching the video again:

real time IS great as blzer said

crowd very lively

I actually LIKE the organs.....

The in between pitch is really sweet with Zambrano and his mannerisms

I didn;t like how Zambrano fielded that pop up in the infield though...

I really dig the double....and the whole angle of the play while ball in mid air...nice touch.

2k.....PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.....FIX THE BAT SOUND

# 32 Artman22 @ 02/13/09 02:41 AM

The running aniamtions need some work as well. They seemed robotic. If they can smooth them out a bit, that would be great. This is the first attemp for VC at baseball and it looks way better then last years. Looks like ill be having 2 baseball games this year.

# 33 videobastard @ 02/13/09 02:42 AM

The commentary is alive this year... but i dont understand how they cant fix the bat sounds. It seems like it would be something basic to do. Some of the animations still have a robotic look to them which makes this game not as fluid as the other baseball title.

# 34 EnigmaNemesis @ 02/13/09 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateprop


	Is the bat sound that serious????, does it affect the gameplay or does it throw you off when you hit the ball. I know it make you ears bleed so bad you have to the go to the emergency room right.

It does effect gameplay, because it sounds unnatural, and sounds like you hit moonshots with a piece of bamboo. So when you hear it all the time for a liner, a grounder, a foul, a tip or a pop-up, just feels,well again, arcady.

# 35 phillyfan23 @ 02/13/09 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateprop


	Is the bat sound that serious????, does it affect the gameplay or does it throw you off when you hit the ball. I know it make you ears bleed so bad you have to the go to the emergency room right.

to you it obviously isn't.....

to me it obviously is.....

anymore questions ??

# 36 bwiggy33 @ 02/13/09 02:51 AM

The videos look very good to me especially for the fact that there is still some touching up to do before the game is released.

Thorne and Phillips sound dang good so that is big. I really like Steve Phillips insight. I know a lot of people hate the guy but I like him and he sounds pretty good in this game.

One thing people really aren't talking much about is Wrigley Field. This is one of the best stadium models I have seen n a video game no doubt. The ivy looks great this year. The scoreboard looks perfect (someone correct me if I'm wrong). The buildings in the background look terrific and not to mention the fact that you can basically see every seat in the stadium. Wrigley looks huge which is great because if you were standing at home plate theres no doubt the field would look gigantic from your level. 2k did a good job capturing it.

The last thing to do with Wrigley and I'm sure was changed in every stadium is the grass and dirt. In 2k8 the grass was dead the entire season or they were trying to make it look like dirt was going onto the grass because the field was being used. I don't think that was the case though because you could see it ifrom the first pitch of the game. In 2k9 however the grass is completely green and just looks awesome. It's freshly cut and you can actually tell where the dirt ends and where the grass starts.

The live background is awesome as well as it feels real. Obviously there are parts that need to be cleaned up a bit but I'd have to say it looks good so far. As for the guy on Gamespot who said there was no Around the Horn he is incorrect. When Schumaker got thrown out at second you could see it in the background while they showed a closeup of him. Hopefully the gamespot guy will be incorrect on the progressive lighting issue as well.

So far this is a very good start and I am very hopefull that some of the animations and what not will be cleaned up.

# 37 Artman22 @ 02/13/09 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ill pill


	What is everyone comparing the bat sounds too when they say 2k's suck?

to a real life bat sound or the show

# 38 stiflr @ 02/13/09 02:58 AM

Ball seems like it's coming of the bat legitimately. Even noticed it in Pujols pop-out.

# 39 phillyfan23 @ 02/13/09 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateprop


	No cause i really dont care about the bat sound but if it affect my gameplay which it hasnt since i play 2k baseball. its at the bottom on my list of concerns. The only thing i dont like so far is the diamond icon with the horrible baserunner icon on it. Why they have to touch it was fine. Now that can affect my gameplay when im caught trying to steal or baserunning. That wasnt broken why they touch it.

I always put gameplay on top...but ambiance/atmosphere is number two for me, especially if it affects the hitting feel.

I mean, let's just make the uniforms say a red st. louis and a blue chicago.....doesn't affect gameplay right??

Immerison is huuuuge in a baseball game for me ...It's such a rewarding feeling when you make that contact with the bat and you know you connected as soon as you hit it....right now that feel is not present in 2k's game...why?? bat sounds.....

it's not just the sound it's affecting, it's affecting the whole hitting feel, u lose the visceral aspect of hitting experience....

# 40 EnigmaNemesis @ 02/13/09 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillyfan23


	I always put gameplay on top...but ambiance/atmosphere is number two for me, especially if it affects the hitting feel. I mean, let's just make the uniforms say a red st. louis and a blue chicago.....doesn't affect gameplay right?? Immerison is huuuuge in a baseball game for me ...It's such a rewarding feeling when you make that contact with the bat and you know you connected as soon as you hit it....right now that feel is not present in 2k's game...why?? bat sounds..... it's not just the sound it's affecting, it's affecting the whole hitting feel, u lose the visceral aspect of hitting experience....

My feelings exactly.

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