Mlb 2k9 Screenshots, Info, Etc.

[Thome25]

lol, Nice one Sony.

Yeah I noticed that too.

[maddux31]

That is one of the funniest errors I have seen in quite awhile...They must be eagerly awaiting the game too!

[The Big O]

I have played 2K9 demo for the PS3 and I have come to these conclusions:

• The hitting/pitching is just too silly. It's annoying having to pull the stick back and push it forawrd to hit. Ingenious? No just stupid.
  
• The graphics, which do matter to me (this is 2009 for gosh sake), are horrible. I wold agree with Raptor that they are better than MVP 05 out of the box. I would say the faces are worse, stadiums are better, uniforms are worse, and models are slightly better than the modded 08 MVP.
  
• The controls are simple enough in the field, that is a plus.
  
• The camera view when fielding makes the game look and feel like a Super Nintendo game.
  
• The field looks horrible.
  
• The animations are atrocious.
  
• The AI is stupid. I had an easy double play ball hit up the middle. My shortstop runs over and grabs it. It would take him just a second to stick out his toe and touch second but he instead waits inches from the bag for the second baseman to come over. By the time he underhhand tosses it to the second baseman both runners are safe. That's just bad programming.
  

I found nothing redeeming about this game. In the end I think PC gamers will be happier with a modded MVP. I will be sticking with the Show. I won't buy the PC version, not even to mod if it's possible.

I don't know man, there are so many things about MLB 2K graphically and in the presentation that are better than MVP

For instance:

-Animated bullpens, you can actually see relievers warming up during the game

-Active LED boards

-3D animated crowd, something that was missing from MVP and that had to be painstakingly added via modding is OOTB for 2K9.

-Better models for the stadiums OOTB than MVP with a few exceptions

-CitiField and new Yankee Stadium

For $20 it's pretty hard to pass on this game.

[fenway389]

I don't know man, there are so many things about MLB 2K graphically and in the presentation that are better than MVP

For instance:

-Animated bullpens, you can actually see relievers warming up during the game

-Active LED boards

-3D animated crowd, something that was missing from MVP and that had to be painstakingly added via modding is OOTB for 2K9.

-Better models for the stadiums OOTB than MVP with a few exceptions

-CitiField and new Yankee Stadium

For $20 it's pretty hard to pass on this game.

I agree. I have to give this game a chance. If the game ends up being as bad as I'm hearing, I can only hope that some of the problems will be fixed with patches and/or modding. And if the game still sucks, then the worst that can happen is I'm out 20 bucks and I appreciate MVP and all the modding that's been done even more.

[WinnieThaPujols]

I'm going to vehemently disagree with Pirate with just about everything in this topic.

First of all, some background information: I've been playing MVP Baseball 2005 since it came out in 2005. I haven't played any other baseball games since then. Simply put, I didn't have any reason to! MVP blew everything else available out of the water for me. Nothing compared.

I haven't played 2K9 yet. Instead, my cousin and I rented 2K8 on 360, and since Thursday, I've played about 10 total games.

Here are my thoughts:

- presentation-wise, the 2K games blow MVP out of the water. It feels so much more organic and lively. Just little things... after recording an out, the players will throw the ball around the horn. Players seem like they're actually alive, instead of just feeling like lifeless dummies.

- fielding is exponentially better. Players will actually square themselves up to the ball before they field it. They plant their feet and throw. This is a very refreshing and much-needed change.

- hitting isn't that much different. I didn't ever play the college baseball game EA came out with, so I have no idea how well the hit stick worked in that game. I wouldn't say it's a significant change from just hitting a button, but it is pretty neat.

One feature I do like is the Hitter's Eye. MVP implemented this poorly. Why would every player in the league see pitches the exact same way? In 2K, the better of an eye your hitter has, the more likely it is he'll be able to see what pitch is coming. This is an unbelievably awesome feature, and is executed much better than MVP's system (I turned MVP's off altogether).

- pitching is absolutely awesome for two reasons: first, the composure effect. This kicks ***. I like trying to put a rating on something intangible like "composure," because it's something that penalizes you for using young players. There needs to be more incentive to use veterans in video games!

The other thing I like is the way that pitches are executed. Breaking balls are more difficult to throw than other pitches... if it's a situation where you need to get a pitch over, chances are you're going to want to go to something that's easier to throw! It's more than just your control of a certain pitch -- how difficult it is to execute also plays a role.

I was very impressed with the game. In fact, I tried to pop in a modded MVP after playing it, and it felt ridiculously archaic and was basically unplayable to me. With all due respect to the modders who have allowed this game to survive for four more years than it should have, it's just not something I can play anymore. I guess everyone has their own opinion, but to say that 2K8 is only a marginal improvement over a modded MVP is a borderline hyperbole (at least from my standpoint).

I, for one, am REALLY excited for 2K9.

[kazmatsui10]

just throwing something out from left field here:

anyone care to tell me since when did longoria use no batting gloves?

[maddux31]

Guys go over to the 2K boards. All of their mods have gotten the game (full version) early and have threads dedicated to Q and A's for the full verison...Lots of great stuff in there..

[maddux31]

http://2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208896

LINK TO THREAD FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THE FINAL RELEASE EARLY AND ARE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO ASK!!

[maddux31]

THIS IS A REVIEW FROM A MOD AT 2K WHO HAS A FULL BUILD RELEASE OF 2K9...THERE IS ALSO A PATCH SET FOR THE RELEASE DATE ON TUESDAY..

I'll be honest and say that my first impression of this game was not a positive one. The more time that i spent with the game the more i started to enjoy it. It's actually quite addicting. When I am playing it, I don't want to put it down. When i am stopped, that's all i want to do is go back to it. I guess that's what addicting means.

Keep in mind that Visual Concepts did not have a full productions schedule to be able to develop this game and what they inherited was a great concept with a lot of missing and broken pieces that they had to solve or start over from.

With that said:

Pitching

I absolutely love the pitching in this game. This is the first time that the battle between the pitcher and batter has been fully captured. You actually have to have a strategy when facing each hitter if you intend to strike them out. The AI swings at strikes and watches balls go by. This is not to say that they only swing at strikes or that they only watch balls, but that if the pitch looks good, they are swinging.

If you are not mixing up the pitches by speed, location, and variety the comp. will make regular contact against you. You have to throw balls, you have to set up the hitters to get the strike out.

This is definitely by far the best pitching experience that I have ever had. The most amount of strikeouts that i was able to get against the computer on the hardest level of difficulty was 11. I had to work my butt off to get those 11. My pitcher threw almost 100 pitches in that game and only allowed 5 hits.

Pitching: A+

Hitting

The hitting in this game as a user is finally very realistic. Unlike previous years where a batter would somehow be able to pull a pitch that was low and away, the contact made is realistic to the outcome. So if i hit a pitch low and away, it will go to the opposite field and tail away from the fielder. The variety of hits as well is unreal.

There are a handful of different ways that the user can bat and each one gets more and more difficult. I have started with using the total control hitting with batters eye and zone hitting off. You still have the ability to try to influence your hits by going up on the LS for a flyball and down on the LS for a groundball. This started to get too easy as it was only about timing.

I then turned on batters eye and now things became much more difficult. This is where I am at now, trying to get used to making sure that my batter is "looking" in the correct spot for the pitch and then trying to time it out properly. If you are looking low and the pitch comes in high and you swing, you will miss the ball even if you timed it perfectly. It's the way it should be. It finally feel right, perfect.

Hitting: A+

Fielding

Fielding this year has a couple of hiccups but overall is better than last year. Some of the buttons are different this year in comparison to last and that takes some getting used to. Personally, I prefer how the fielding was set-up last year over this year, but maybe that's because im still getting used to this year's. Im not sure.

A frustration in fielding is that your guys can't turn on a dime. If you are coming in on a ball and realize that you have over ran it or for some other reason you have to change your direction, the fielder has to slow down from his original direction and then change his course. This has cost me a couple of inside the park homeruns because im used to the unrealistic turn on a dime with an outfielder if i needed to. That's not the case anymore as you have to be cautious in the approach you take to field the ball.

Fielding: B

Baserunning

In their effort to simplify the game this year, i think that they made baserunning much more difficult than it needs to be. Baserunning last year, in my opinion, was almost perfect. This year brings a whole different feel and look to it that I just don't care for. But that's me.

The little graphic in the lower corner representing the diamond and where your guys are on it isn't very accurate and is very frustrating. There have been several times that I have had guys thrown out returning to their base after i had sent them to advance because the graphic had not shown them to be moving so i cancelled the order to advance only to realize when it is too late that the runner was about 1/3 of his way to the next base. Pretty frustrating.

What I do like about it though is that if you want to steal a base, you have to decide when to run. It's no longer a matter of hitting a button to tell the computer to send your guy, it's now on your shoulders to get a good job or risk getting picked off. I love that.

I wish they would have kept the baserunning from last year.

Baserunning: C (would have been lower if it wasn't for basestealing being what it is)

Presentation and "little" things

The presentation this year is unbelievable! The commentary is a much welcomed change.

The fans going for foul balls and homeruns is nice, but it really ends there. They will get a little louder sometimes in key situations, but not enough to really take notice or to get your own adrenaline pumping.

The players reaction to what is going on on the field is mixed. You will see them all stand in the dugout when their guy hits a homerun, but i would have liked to seen more especially in a walk-off situation. If a guy hits a walk-off homerun, there should be a mob waiting for him at homeplate. During the game, we should see the guys in the clubhouse giving him high-fives and stuff, even a curtain call would be cool (which i actually think that i have seen) if the fans sounded like they wanted one.

Other "little" things that go a looong way is variable strikezones by the umpires and scoreboards that actually show something relevant and not just blank or showing the batter's season total without updating it based on his performance during that game, weather being a factor (where's the rain delays?), and if I am playing in a stadium that has a convetible roof then i should have the option in a play it now mode to have it either open or closed not fixed for me with no way of changing it.

I like how they have included team records with real players names and not fake ones. Plus they have all the big records in this year unlike last year where they omitted the homerun record. That single season homerun record is 70 by Big Mac and the career is Hank Aaron.

If you do an in-game save, you have to quit it to save it. So no saving your progress as you go because you are nervous about the game freezing or something. The nice thing when you are loading up a saved game in progress is that the reload times are short and you don't have to sit through the same pre-game nonscence as before. It's just bam! you are right back into the game.

I don't think the graphics are bad but to me they look a little more computer generated and cartoonish versus life-like.

Presentation: C+

Trading Cards

The trading cards feature is really nice this year. Personally they don't mean too much to me but i was really impressed with how they were implemented this year. You don't have to try to play with every player in this game to unlock them as you can earn a certain player's card by playing against them.

With C.C. Sabathia you can earn his card by either striking out 12 hitters with him or hitting four homeruns off of him. (don't quote me on the numbers, they are just being used as an example). Plus there are cards that you can unlock as you continue to play the game of hall of fame legends. When you hit 20 homeruns for your user profile, you unlock the Paul Molitor card. Then when you hit a total of 40 homeruns, you unlock another player's card. Samething with strikeouts and rbi's.

This year it is really well done.

Trading Cards: A+

Franchise

Even with the bugs worked out of it, the franchise for this year is a major disappointment. Other than the option to control all 30 teams, there isn't much attraction to it and I'm a huge franchise guy.

You can't even set the ticket prices this year. This may be because they had to completely rebuild the franchise from the ground up so they are just trying to make sure the core system is in place and working before they add to it. Oh well, there's always next year.

Franchise: D

Create-A-Player/Player Editing

The depth of create a player is very comparable to NBA 2K9. You can even edit player contracts in terms of money and years. No options.

The killer for many is the inability to give or change signature batting stances or pitching wind-ups and stretches. That is a huge miss for this year. Plus not being able to edit a pitcher's pitches or their effectiveness is not well received either.

Create-A-Player/Player Editing: D-

Overall

All things taken into consideration and remembering what i said at the outset about this being a rebuilding year, again, for this title, I would give this game a solid B.

There is a big learning curve when it comes to playing this game, but it does have appeal and the desire to keep playing it. If you are unsure as to if you should buy it or not, I strongly suggest that you rent it for at least a week. One or two days isn't going to do it.

At first i didn't care for it too much but the game is actually entertaining me and keeps drawing me back for more. This game is now a building block for future growth and there are many areas where it can grow.

The "extras" in the game is where most of the problems are, but the core gameplay is rock solid strong. In the end, that's what we really want, a game that plays like it does in real-life and you will find that in MLB 2K9.

[rolie]

I have played 2K9 demo for the PS3 and I have come to these conclusions:

• The hitting/pitching is just too silly. It's annoying having to pull the stick back and push it forawrd to hit. Ingenious? No just stupid.
  
• The graphics, which do matter to me (this is 2009 for gosh sake), are horrible. I wold agree with Raptor that they are better than MVP 05 out of the box. I would say the faces are worse, stadiums are better, uniforms are worse, and models are slightly better than the modded 08 MVP.
  
• The controls are simple enough in the field, that is a plus.
  
• The camera view when fielding makes the game look and feel like a Super Nintendo game.
  
• The field looks horrible.
  
• The animations are atrocious.
  
• The AI is stupid. I had an easy double play ball hit up the middle. My shortstop runs over and grabs it. It would take him just a second to stick out his toe and touch second but he instead waits inches from the bag for the second baseman to come over. By the time he underhhand tosses it to the second baseman both runners are safe. That's just bad programming.
  

I found nothing redeeming about this game. In the end I think PC gamers will be happier with a modded MVP. I will be sticking with the Show. I won't buy the PC version, not even to mod if it's possible.

Not even worth a measly 20 bucks? I figured the Ai would be kinda stupid but I thought that graphics should be up to par. I guess I should wait for the pc demo before I buy it. You can't even preorder the pc game at gamestep or ebgames. I guess it wasn't high enough a profit margin for those piggies.

[Pirate]

Not even worth a measly 20 bucks? I figured the Ai would be kinda stupid but I thought that graphics should be up to par. I guess I should wait for the pc demo before I buy it. You can't even preorder the pc game at gamestep or ebgames. I guess it wasn't high enough a profit margin for those piggies.

It's horrible.

[maddux31]

Pirate,

I am not trying to sound like a fanboy or whatever you would call it. I have been reading over at OS and 2K boards for quite some time trying to get an objective opinion based from people that have the "final version" and so far the final version sounds alot stronger than the demo they put out which was a soft-build....Just saying, check out some the reviews and impressions over there..

[Sharpshooter]

I preordered yesterday from gamestop (pc version). I actually had it in my hands until the guy told me I could not buy it yet. He had gotten the very only copy from the back.

Despite all I've read, this is why it's worth the $20 for me.

I usually play one season anyway. I actually play around 90-100 games from the time I buy a baseball game to around January of the following year. I sim the other games. I sim most of the NL Central games since the Cubs play so many against those teams anyway.

I try to download a very accurate roster before starting my one and only season. It amazes me why so many want accurate rosters when they claim that they love to play a franchise with multiple years. I don't get it, rosters will get messed up after one season. Right?

I only create two players, myself and my son and we both play for our Cubbies. Goodbye Reed Johnson and Aaron Miles. :-)

I don't do console baseball nor online gaming at all. My son does have an Xbox 360, but he normally plays Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

I am 34. I have have 4 kids and I do play when everyone is mostly asleep. I play to relax after a long day at work, and with hectic schedules for the kids that involve basketball practices and dance lessons and soon, baseball/softball. I've played MVP on the PC for about 5 years and loved it. Played the entire High Heat series before that. Baseball is relaxing. I don't need stress about free agents, salaries, or ticket prices..

I really don't know how many people who are anticipating the release of 2k9 for the PC are dads like me. I respect everyone's opinion.

[RaptorQuiz]

An employee of the company gives the Franchise mode a D, and the Create-A-Player/Player Editing function a D- ???

And somehow gives the game a B, overall?

Uh - hi, the franchise mode is all I play in MVP, and the dude rated it a "D" for 2K9.

Another nail in 2K9's coffin.

[Pirate]

Pirate,

I am not trying to sound like a fanboy or whatever you would call it. I have been reading over at OS and 2K boards for quite some time trying to get an objective opinion based from people that have the "final version" and so far the final version sounds alot stronger than the demo they put out which was a soft-build....Just saying, check out some the reviews and impressions over there..

I think your three posts in row have you covered in the fanboy arena... and I have read the posts at OS, I have played the game, and 2K will only provide a bias, so i think I am good.

I think the 2K game is an insult to baseball gaming. If this game is a step forward then last year should have resulted in a refund of everyone's money and a personal appology from Jose Reyes because he was on the cover.

[el_jefe061]

The hitting/pitching is just too silly. It's annoying having to pull the stick back and push it forawrd to hit. Ingenious? No just stupid.

In the options, you can change it to the MVP style of hitting.

[maddux31]

Yeah the D for franchise is a little..scary. :(

[JP_Frost]

Yeah the D for franchise is a little..scary.

It's more than just scary ... it basically means that this game has very little replay value. Just the fact that you can't change a player's batting stance/delivery or edit a pitcher's arsenal is mindblowing. There's no excuse for not having those options --- even if the game had amazing graphics or gameplay (which it doesn't). If the franchise mode is the same as MVP's, I'd still be dissapointed, because we haven't been waiting for 4 years to see no progress whatsoever. Some of the reported bugs are simply unforgivable -- the stadium issues, bad franchise mode, silly AI, animation glitches. Add to that some extremely poor faces and perhaps an arcade style gameplay ... well, let's just say that I'll keep those 20 bucks in my pocket.

I'm still willing to give this game a chance for the simple reason that it's finally something new, but I certainly won't go out of my way to get it and I'm pretty sure that I'll be playing MVP again real soon.

[maddux31]

I only thing we can hope for is that the team at VC says there are taking this game very seriously. There is an opening day patch release to correct some of those issues. A mod at OS or 2K? said that he spoke with a guy from VC who says they will continue to fine tune their 2k9 game. I guess part of the other issue is they had a very small amount of time to perfect it before release since they are new to the series, but like the guy said they are taking this game very seriously...So all we can do is hope?

[JP_Frost]

well, perhaps they shouldn't release the game in early March, but in April instead to fix some of these issues.

I could live with a solid, but unspectacular game knowing they'd improve on it next year, however, some options that aren't in this game now were already used by EA 4 years ago. There's just no excuse for that. I really feel that EA could've made 2k9 as MVP Baseball 2007 or something, so I think 2k and VC are so far behind on their progress that I don't have much faith in them delivering the game we're supposed to get.

[Pirate]

well, perhaps they shouldn't release the game in early March, but in April instead to fix some of these issues.

I could live with a solid, but unspectacular game knowing they'd improve on it next year, however, some options that aren't in this game now were already used by EA 4 years ago. There's just no excuse for that. I really feel that EA could've made 2k9 as MVP Baseball 2007 or something, so I think 2k and VC are so far behind on their progress that I don't have much faith in them delivering the game we're supposed to get.

That's an excellent post to sum up my feelings. I am extremely disappointed. The NBA 2K9 games was good, but this is so far behind the competition and a game that game out four years ago, that I am not sure they can turn it around.

I only thing we can hope for is that the team at VC says there are taking this game very seriously. There is an opening day patch release to correct some of those issues. A mod at OS or 2K? said that he spoke with a guy from VC who says they will continue to fine tune their 2k9 game. I guess part of the other issue is they had a very small amount of time to perfect it before release since they are new to the series, but like the guy said they are taking this game very seriously...So all we can do is hope?

If you polish a turd it's still a turd.

That's the last of my debating this game's worth. I promise. I will now wait to see the reaction of the people here.

[jhoff80]

An employee of the company gives the Franchise mode a D, and the Create-A-Player/Player Editing function a D- ???

And somehow gives the game a B, overall?

Uh - hi, the franchise mode is all I play in MVP, and the dude rated it a "D" for 2K9.

Another nail in 2K9's coffin.

To be fair... I'm pretty sure he's not technically an employee for the company, just a moderator for the forum. The actual employees seem to have a badge beside their names.

Also, I've played the 360 demo a few more times, and I do agree that if the difficulty is increased on the final game, the pitching and hitting itself seem to be pretty solid. I don't like the feel of the fielding at all though, that's been one of my biggest complaints for the last 5 or so years.

[Pixelated]

I didn't see this until today! I'm so excited. Then again if it's anything like NBA2K9 was for the PC was then I'll be pissed. God I hope it's not another crappy port and hope it doesn't only use Steam.

[JP_Frost]

taken from a review by a 2k forum mod:

"The other major miss is the inability to adjust your fielders. Unless I am missing something, you have the option by pressing up on the d-pad to see where and how your fielders are aligned. That's it. You cannot adjust them. If you have a feeling that the comp. is going to try and bunt the runner over and you defense is set-up in the "normal" defense, you cannot adjust it to play for the bunt. I have tried everything i could think of and nothing worked to adjust those guys."

that's insane.

[WinnieThaPujols]

That review from earlier was updated:

I can no longer excuse the fielding as being a couple of hiccups.

I have spent considerable time with this game since originally writing my review and the more time i spend, the more irritated and disgusted i get with the fielding.

In the last game I jsut played, Brewers @ Giants. I had two inside the park homeruns. The first one was because the AI outfielder ran through and then got stuck inside the wall. The second one was because an outfielder decided to keep running at the wall and the other guy that came over to "assist" was somehow unable to pick up the ball at his feet dispite his repeated attempts.

Even the user fielding is not good. I am playing on Legend difficulty where the default sliders are set with user errors at 60. That's insane! The lowest setting you can put it at and still earn cards is 40 which is still a whole lot of errors. As a team, I am averaging 2 errors a game. I should have had more but i was somehow able to get the ball in the dudes hands and have him fire off a laser toward the bag in time for the out.

These are not errors where i was at fault with the throw stick. It is my guys dropping pop-fly catches for no apparent reason. They are set up under them and then for whatever reason they will take off running or not attempt to catch it. Im sure if i would put the slider at 10, where it is set for the comp. on default, the chances of that happening would be minimal. But i like this cards this year as they are nicely done.

The other major miss is the inability to adjust your fielders. Unless I am missing something, you have the option by pressing up on the d-pad to see where and how your fielders are aligned. That's it. You cannot adjust them. If you have a feeling that the comp. is going to try and bunt the runner over and you defense is set-up in the "normal" defense, you cannot adjust it to play for the bunt. I have tried everything i could think of and nothing worked to adjust those guys.

Adjusted Fielding grade: D-

Sliders, misc., adjusted overall grade

The other thing that should be noted but i wasn't able to in my previous post was the use of the sliders. In times past, the owner's manual was pretty detailed and you could learn pretty much everything you wanted to from reading that manual.

Then for whatever reason, probably money, companies got away from that, and started to put only the controls, xbox live information, and all the legal stuff in the manuals while providing in-game tutorials and help menus in the game to help you along.

Not this year! There is no help to be found in this game. All the sliders that we were used to from previous years have been combined into only a handful of sliders but there is nothing telling you what those sliders control. So it's going to be an issue of trial and error to find the right balance.

This game is enjoyable to play despite it's many, many issues. In all honesty though, it is not worth the $60 price tag. It might be worth half of that. MIGHT! I feel as if this series has lost it's "sim-like feel" to it and is just a toned down version of "The Bigs". Hopefully that is only for this year, but in light of what I am learning about this game the more I play it, the more I have to strongly reccommend that you rent it first.

The fantastic, strategic pitching, it's life-like hitting, and well-done trading cards are not enough to carry this title. At least not for this year. I don't know if a patch could be big enough to fix the things that we all want and need fixed. This title definitely shows promise now though, a promise that we will have to wait another year.

Adjusted overall grade: C-

Maybe it's time to shell out some money for a PS3 so I can get The Show...