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MLB 2K9 News Post

The Major League Baseball 2K9 is now available. Please post your impressions here.

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Game: Major League Baseball 2K9Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 38 - View All
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Member Comments
# 641 Pared @ 02/25/09 01:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baa7
We're talking about the demo, not console systems coming out in 2012, lol. Stop with the curt generalizing.
I get it; I called your comments curt so you used it right back at me.

BRILLIANT!

coachpars, you and me both. Unfortunately it will only get worse come release day.
 
# 642 jeffy777 @ 02/25/09 01:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baa7
We're talking about the demo, not console systems coming out in 2012, lol. Stop with the curt generalizing.
This thread is for impressions, but you're having a debate about control methods, when one of the methods being defended/criticized isn't even IN the demo.
 
# 643 JT30 @ 02/25/09 01:55 PM
My impression... I'm not impressed by this trainwreck of a demo
 
# 644 RogueHominid @ 02/25/09 01:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by kGinGreen
So does anyone have any impressions? I've never seen so much mindless banter back and forth in my life. I realize the demo is pretty lackluster and there isnt a whole lot to it. There's only so much peopel can say i guess.
Word. This board is full of vitriol.

I actually had fun with the demo. There were some wonky things, but I think that the basics are there. If sliders can help provide realistic pitch counts, and if the stats engine is good, I'm okay with where the game is at.

I find the pitching mechanic very immeersive, and I find it more challenging than other systems. I was throwing balls unintentionally and I wasn't even really nibbling. I can tell that they really changed the way the game interprets a mis-timed pitch gesture. If you're throwing a curve low and away and miss, it's further down and further away and will wind up being a 58-footer. I like that.

And I see what people are saying with the bat and ball collision detection issues, but for the most part, I feel like the ball goes an appropriate direction for when and where I swung.
 
# 645 Pared @ 02/25/09 02:01 PM
The only thing I would have to say that the engine has pretty solid is the size of the fields. I love how there are hits in areas that the fielders can't seem to get to.
 
# 646 jeffy777 @ 02/25/09 02:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Autumn Wind
Word. This board is full of vitriol.

I actually had fun with the demo. There were some wonky things, but I think that the basics are there. If sliders can help provide realistic pitch counts, and if the stats engine is good, I'm okay with where the game is at.

I find the pitching mechanic very immeersive, and I find it more challenging than other systems. I was throwing balls unintentionally and I wasn't even really nibbling. I can tell that they really changed the way the game interprets a mis-timed pitch gesture. If you're throwing a curve low and away and miss, it's further down and further away and will wind up being a 58-footer. I like that.

And I see what people are saying with the bat and ball collision detection issues, but for the most part, I feel like the ball goes an appropriate direction for when and where I swung.
Good post
 
# 647 kromo50 @ 02/25/09 02:57 PM
i am lost on the pitching, no idea how to do it. i miss last years pitching i hope it is in the final game, but please someone help me out with the pitching on this game, they say it is only 2 steps lost??????????
 
# 648 jeffy777 @ 02/25/09 03:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by kromo50
i am lost on the pitching, no idea how to do it. i miss last years pitching i hope it is in the final game, but please someone help me out with the pitching on this game, they say it is only 2 steps lost??????????
It's the same as last year's pitching except you don't need to release the 2nd motion at any specific time. For instance, if you want to pitch a fastball, you pull down on the right stick until the circle fills up, the you push up. The difference this year is that it doesn't matter when you let go of the up motion.

However, you can turn the release step on in the options in the full game, so it can essentially be the same as last year's pitching if you want it to be.
 
# 649 Chitown1211 @ 02/25/09 03:34 PM
I must have played a different demo because I like what I see. Someone called it a "trainwreck" above??? I dont get that at all. You can not like it, but a trainwreck? Come on.


Looks like I might enjoy a baseball game since 2k4. My issues seem to be solved.


The game is smooth. I didnt notice any stuttering at all.
The crowd and stadiums look great.
The fielding cam is great.
The sounds are greatly improved. Especially glove sounds.
CPU batters take pitches and swing at bad ones.
Overall the game engine is just way tighter than it used to be.


I dont get how anyone could be disgusted by this demo.
 
# 650 sroz39 @ 02/25/09 03:37 PM
This game takes ALOT of heat for not being The Show...and I just don't get it. What's the point of having two of the same game?

I appreciate what 2K tried to do with this game. Even last year's game made me lose interest within a few games, but just this demo alone I've played for hours. Reason? It's FUN. I think alot of people lose sight of what's fun in video games these days. To me, the pitching mechanic is lots of fun, the hitting mechanic is straightforward and alot of fun and brings back fond memories of the MVP series' simple but versatile hitting system.

I'll be the first to admit that there's things that need improvement in this game and things that no amount of slider tweaking will improve enough to put it on par with The Show. The fielding is erratic, the animations aren't quite there yet and the stadiums don't come close to matching The Show's level of detail. But you know what? Aside from the fielding, which still needs work, the rest of the stuff isn't bad..it's just not The Show.

Things like pitch speed, computer always swinging at strikes, home run frequency and a host of other things that I've heard people complain about in almost 400 pages of posts can ALL be fixed with sliders.

I'm tired of listening to constant whining about The Show this and The Show that. The Show is probably the greatest sports game ever made. But there is no reason why we can't have two baseball games that can be enjoyed and I think for maybe the first time ever, this is the year where that happens. Take your Show-coloured glasses off and appreciate the things this game does well. There's lots to enjoy for the first time in a long time with a 2K baseball game. Don't miss out because you're brand loyal.
 
# 651 jeffy777 @ 02/25/09 04:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffy777
It's the same as last year's pitching except you don't need to release the 2nd motion at any specific time. For instance, if you want to pitch a fastball, you pull down on the right stick until the circle fills up, the you push up. The difference this year is that it doesn't matter when you let go of the up motion.

However, you can turn the release step on in the options in the full game, so it can essentially be the same as last year's pitching if you want it to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MastorofPuppetz
Sigh, why post something when yuo have the wrong info, it DOES matter when you release, the smaller the circle gets, the less power and accuracy the pitch gets, and moe likely to get hit, this has been confirmed on the 2k boards. I swear half the complainst with the game are simply user know how. They got rid of the third motion, there are still 2.
Maybe you didn't read my post carefully, but what I said is correct....

I said it doesn't matter when you release the 2ND MOTION. The 2nd motion has nothing to do with how big the circle gets. The first motion determines how big the circle gets and you aren't even supposed to start the 2nd motion until the circle is filled, after you release the first motion.

So my post was correct........the timing of the first motion release is all that matters.
 
# 652 MillerTyme @ 02/25/09 05:08 PM
i DLed the demo last night and played about 4 3-inning games
to preface, i enjoyed 2k8 (and 2k7), and i probably played a few hundred games among different franchises, however that game had some very big flaws IMO.
(Note i am only doing so i can address how/if 2k9 demo fixes any of these flaws)
Probably the 4 main problems i would say were
1. Homeruns - there was way too many of them, and to use an example lets say in all my 2k8 games combined i scored 1000 runs, probably > 850 of them (not exaggerating) came from homeruns.
2. Hit variety - after tweaking nonstop, i still ended up with more HRs hit than singles, doubles, and triples combined. Furthermore i think i saw one chopper up the middle and zero bloop hits in all the games i have played. Everything was either a weak ground ball, a hard ground ball (that never got past the IF), or a homerun or caught flyball.
3. the framerate/choppiness - obvious/well documented
4. pitch recognition - in fairness i am a very aggresive hitter and tend to swing more often than not, but no matter what i did w/the camera or pitch speed i could not take a walk to save my life.

So now how did 2k9 (demo at least) address these?
1. well i have not hit HR yet in 4 games, so i consider that a good sign
2. this is probably the biggest area of improvement, i have had 3-4 hits per "game" (no HRs) and have gotten a few fly balls to drop in the OF (felt like AI caught every fly ball in 2k8), i got a bloop single, i had a broken bat single, i had a hard line drive that went through the hole....etc...etc..
3. game plays very smooth
4. idk if its the change in camera or the new default pitch speed setting, but even without trying i found myself laying off pitches, b/c they looked like they would be outside.
The rest of the positives
+ the much-discussed commentary
+ the fielding (people hate it, and its by no means great), IMO the biggest beneficial change in the fielding the AI infield defense. I hit a hot shot back to 3b that pedro feliz jumped to sno cone and it ricotched off his glove into foul territory for a hit. I also pulled a few hard line drives through the hole. In 2k8 it was nearly impossible to get a hit through the hole, the CPU infielders regardless of skill all played out of this world, with insane stops on everything.

And the negatives
- the cpu AI swings at (mostly) everything, they just need to take more pitches overall, and especially need to stop chasing the offspeed stuff outside the zone
- the graphics are probably = 2k8, no real change/improvement
- i dont like the new baserunning controls (i loved 2k8s)
- the sig stances are ugly and it seems to be way too many generic ones
- im not sure if this is in my head or not, but it seems as if the swing stick is now just straight back down and straight up. In 2k8 you pulled back then either pushed up, or rolled it (like a fireball motion) left or right to try to pull or go opposite field. I liked the way this felt, it felt natural, from what i read apparently this will now be done with the left stick, i will have to spend some time w/it to see if i learn to like it.

Overall i am excited b/c IMO the majority of my main "core" gameplay complaints appear to be fixed, couple this with what looks to be a great franchise mode and i should be very satisfied. But what do i know, i liked 2k8 :P
 
# 653 Phobia @ 02/25/09 05:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sroz39
This game takes ALOT of heat for not being The Show...and I just don't get it. What's the point of having two of the same game?

I appreciate what 2K tried to do with this game. Even last year's game made me lose interest within a few games, but just this demo alone I've played for hours. Reason? It's FUN. I think alot of people lose sight of what's fun in video games these days. To me, the pitching mechanic is lots of fun, the hitting mechanic is straightforward and alot of fun and brings back fond memories of the MVP series' simple but versatile hitting system.

I'll be the first to admit that there's things that need improvement in this game and things that no amount of slider tweaking will improve enough to put it on par with The Show. The fielding is erratic, the animations aren't quite there yet and the stadiums don't come close to matching The Show's level of detail. But you know what? Aside from the fielding, which still needs work, the rest of the stuff isn't bad..it's just not The Show.

Things like pitch speed, computer always swinging at strikes, home run frequency and a host of other things that I've heard people complain about in almost 400 pages of posts can ALL be fixed with sliders.

I'm tired of listening to constant whining about The Show this and The Show that. The Show is probably the greatest sports game ever made. But there is no reason why we can't have two baseball games that can be enjoyed and I think for maybe the first time ever, this is the year where that happens. Take your Show-coloured glasses off and appreciate the things this game does well. There's lots to enjoy for the first time in a long time with a 2K baseball game. Don't miss out because you're brand loyal.
Great post bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
# 654 ronnyballgame @ 02/25/09 05:57 PM
Any idea if they are going to have an update for when the game releases?

Btw, this demo is definitely sweet, it is so much better than I hoped and expected!
 
# 655 RunN1st @ 02/25/09 06:06 PM
I enjoyed this demo! I liked the controls but not too impressed with the graphics. (If you sit about 20 ft away, this game looks awesome, on a 42 inch Plasma! Kinda like a Monet!)
 
# 656 notasenator @ 02/25/09 06:54 PM
So I really like this demo, but I just ran into a bug.

Bottom of the third, runner on second, down by one, I drove one deep into the gap. While I was happy because the runner on second would score to tie it up, the ball apparently got stuck at the bottom of the wall and the center fielder repeated the "picking up the ball" animation over and over again while the batter ran the bases and eventually scored, winning the game for me.

The other three games have been smooth and fun. This is such an important step up from 2k8.
 
# 657 Tatz666 @ 02/25/09 07:24 PM
now im a guy who has both a 360 and a ps3 and i prefer to play the show....and im not a guy who feels the need to compare the two games, i just play the one i like. but above all of this, i am a baseball fan, so i downloaded the 2k9 demo before and played a quick game......i must say that my initial impression is good. even though its a very small sample to judge, it seems like an accurate representation of baseball. i like the presentation and the overall atmosphere. could be a game that grows on you the more you play it.....guess only time will tell.

its a good time to be a baseball fan
 
# 658 riDIRKulous41 @ 02/25/09 08:14 PM
First inning of the game runners on 1st and 3rd for Philly with 1 out and Ibanez does a freakin' suicide squeeze...WTF
 
# 659 jeffy777 @ 02/25/09 08:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by riDIRKulous41
First inning of the game runners on 1st and 2nd for Philly with 1 out and Ibanez does a freakin' suicide squeeze...WTF
It's not a suicide squeeze unless the runner is on 3rd.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeeze_play_(baseball)
 
# 660 riDIRKulous41 @ 02/25/09 10:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffy777
It's not a suicide squeeze unless the runner is on 3rd.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeeze_play_(baseball)
My bad i meant first and 3rd with one out and Ibanez whiffed the bunt attempt but thanks for the wiki reference
 


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