My MLB 2k7 early review

[pergesu]

Picked it up from Gamestop today, was really excited. I've only played two games so far but I want to give my initial impressions. Got it for ps3 btw.

First of all the graphics. Some people have said they're amazing, I don't agree. It's really weird, the graphics are hit or miss. Sometimes it's gorgeous and other times it looks "bad." There'll be jagged edges on the player uniforms and stuff. However it still looks better than basically any other baseball game of course...my girlfriend walked in and said, "eww baseball season started already?" Still the graphics just aren't as crisp as I had expected.

Max resolution 720p. Gimme a break. NBA 2k7 was 1080p, this should be too. Don't know why they didn't.

Now on to the important stuff, gameplay.

Pitching: Pitching is FUN in this game. It's way more fun than any pitching system I've used. However I've never played the mlb 2k series before so I don't know what's different. Anyway the catcher gets into a position and a pitch type blinks. That's pretty cool, just like real life the pitcher suggests the pitch type and location. The actual delivery of pitches is very intuitive. Press and hold the button to power up, and then press the button again when the target narrows to keep it accurate.

There's this thing called payoff pitches, where making a good pitch really pays off. When you've got two strikes on the batter. Bases loaded. A guy on third with two outs. Make the pitch and you'll probably get the result you want. You also get a stat increase to that particular pitch type. This happens even if you hit the zone but the batter hits it.

It's really satisfying to really power up a pitch and then get good accuracy.

The power and accuracy meters have different tempos depending on the pitcher. They're also not steady...for example the accuracy ring may start off reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaal slow and then speed up super quickly as it gets closer to the center. And again the tempo as well as tempo change are different for each pitcher it seems.

Finally the computer WILL punish you for bad pitches. That said, it's forgiving in necessary situations. For example I pressed X to move past some animations, and it actually pitched the ball. I thought oh crap because I had a 76 MPH fastball with no accuracy on it. The computer laid off instead of jacking it. That was cool.

Wow that's a lot just about pitching. Seriously, it's fun [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Batting: The batting system is good in this. To bat you thrust the controller forward. Pretty cool. That harder you push it the harder you'll hit it. Batting was a lot more difficult for me to get a handle on in this game. You really don't have a lot of time to react. The difference between a good fastball and a good changeup is really big. In MVP I always had plenty of time to determine the speed of the pitch as it came. In 2k7 there's a lot less time. I'm sure I'll get better as time goes on...but bottom line is that it's not cake (for me) so hitting the ball feels pretty good.

One thing I noticed is that the hit frequency didn't seem altogether realistic. Most of the time ballplayers make contact they'll knock it foul or it's an easy out. In 2k7 there's an abnormally high % of hits. I hit a lot of bloopers to the gap. I can understand not having lots of foul balls - I'd hate to hit 5 fouls in a row - but I think most hits should still end up as groundouts or flyouts.

I had trouble with the Hitter Eye. Sometimes I can position it, sometimes I can't. Usually I can't lock it in place. Maybe I should read the manual.

Oh that brings up the help tips...there are in game tips that pop up. They're VERY helpful, popping up at just the right situation. They're not annoying at all, they provide helpful detailed information. I loved that. A lot of tip systems just get in your way.

Fielding: This is intuitive as well. A lot of the times when a ball is hit, a little grayed mini menu will appear over a player. Hard to explain. But it'll say something like "R - Dive," suggesting that you might want to dive in this situation. Some people might think that sounds too easy, but it's really not...the plays occur very quickly so nothing is a gimme. In fact it seems almost like a real ball player - they'll know what to do in a particular situation, the only thing is whether they have a good enough reaction to execute.

Fielding so far has been the toughest part to really get a handle on. I suspect it might be the most in depth part of the game. Even if it's not it's very in-depth. For example, in a lot of games if you have a double play opportunity then you can hold triangle before the ball reaches your shortstop, and he'll preload the throw and toss it to second as soon as he scoops it up. Not so in 2k7...if you've got a slow 2nd baseman and throw the ball before he gets there, you'll toss it right past him. Makes sense, there's nobody there to throw it to. So timing is very important in making plays like that, just like in real life. I thought that was very very cool.

Sometimes you'll have to dig a grounder on the run. In those cases you have the choice to throw it on the run or to stop and step into the throw. It really comes down to how the player executes those types of plays in real life. If you're fielding with Jeff Kent you're happy to throw on the run - it'll be accurate and strong enough to get there. With other guys it might be worth it to stop and set up.

All around the fielding feels very realistic. In MVP I remember the computer making ridiculous diving saves all throughout the game. Bothered me for a bit but then I got used to it. This game is nothing like that. You'll see the occasional great defensive play but nothing unbelievable and miraculous. In my first game I hit a grounder and Kahlil Green made a diving stop and threw from his knees to get me out. It didn't bother me at all, in fact I was delighted - I see him do that at least twice a week on Sportscenter.

Okay so that's all the gameplay stuff, now I want to talk about attention to detail. First off is the commentary. It is just really, really good. So far it hasn't gotten repetitive like it can in other games. I'm sure that'll end eventually but at least it's not annoying after a couple games.

When players come up to bat they'll show highlights of that player from earlier in the game - both offensive and defensive. The announcers will talk about stats. These aren't general either...they don't just talk about how many RBIs a guy had last season, they'll say how many RBIs he had against the team he's playing right now. That's pretty cool.

During the game you'll hear lots of heckling. The first one that really caught my attention was "The Padres stink!" Kinda weak, but still cool. I'm sure people at Dodger Stadium say things that 2ksports can't include in the game. I also heard someone say "You'll never hack it in the majors."

There was a big moment in the game, a runner on second with two outs in like the eighth inning, I'm down by one. I had a payoff pitch opportunity and was lining up. I was really getting into it, trying to calm myself and everything. And then the batter called time. HOLY CRAP! I've never seen anything like that in a baseball game before. First of all I've never seen a batter call time ever. And then to do it at that moment, right when basically every major league batter would call time...that's really, really cool.

I hit a deep fly ball and the Padres outfielders ran into each other and fell down. Told you it was realistic [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] They got up rubbing their heads looking hurt. Pretty funny.

The game over all plays very, very realistically. You actually get some kind of emotional investment in the action. Batting isn't just a boring exercise. You actually feel good about hitting the ball. Same for pitching. Most comes down to a simple position and timing exercise. I guess technically pitching is the same in 2k7, but the execution is different. It just feels a lot different. It takes just enough effort and attention that it's not mind-numbingly easy. But it's not difficult either.

In my first game I was losing by one run in the bottom of the 9th. Two outs, a dude on base, Nomar at the plate. Man I really, really, really wanted a walkoff homer. No love, I sent a liner to third base and game over. This game really drew me into it, like very few games can. This probably has a lot to do with the AI. The game never got out of hand...I never felt like it was really easy and I also never felt like I didn't have a chance. The AI matched up really well to me and it was a genuine challenge. I could just suck at video games though [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Bottom line is that this game is a lot of fun. If you're into baseball at all then you really should get it. At least rent it to give it a shot. To be honest I think the most disappointing thing in the whole game for me was the graphics. I saw some videos and it looked amazing...but I can't say that's the case. Still it looks good. Ultimately it comes down to gameplay, and this is where 2k7 shines. So far the gameplay appears flawless. I'm sure as I get accustomed to it I'll find things to complain about...but how often do you play a game and have no complaints with the gameplay at all on the first day? I don't think I ever have really.

The gameplay is amazing and it's just downright fun. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

[battschr]

My early review: This game is the balls. 9/10

[4 High]

Maybe i will have to check it out. Ive hated the past 2 years of 2K, but i loved 2K3 and 2k4. I also hated the MVP series and one of the forces behind that is now behind this. The Show has been my game for the past 2 years. Ill have to decide between both for PS3.

[Soul Daddy]

I'm insanely jealous. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[JaredL]

Is the batting moving a target to where you think the ball will go?

I have played a couple games with that and didn't like it at all. I love the system of moving the stick/pad where you want the guy to swing and push a button to swing. Old school obviously, but I think it's actually better and more realistic. Not sure about lately, but at least 4 or 5 years ago high heat was by far the best game and a lot of it was that it used this hitting system.

[pergesu]

The PS3 has the sixaxis controller, so you actually use that to bat. Just move it forward to swing. Tilt it up to hit a fly ball, down for a grounder. You can aim left and right by rotating the controller to the left or right. It also has classic batting (press the X button) and stick batting. I think you pull the stick down and release to swing, pull down and push up to power it, push up to just make contact...

As far as guessing where the ball will go, the system is called Batter's Eye. Basically each batter has a round zone where they can look at. You can position the zone anywhere before the pitcher delivers the pitch. It locks in once he winds up, and if the pitch is going somewhere in the zone a little ball will indicate that. So basically if you guess where it's going to be, it lets you know that and also boosts the hit a little. Usually more power and more likely to go into a gap. Different batters have different sized zones...Pujols has a huge zone and most pitchers' zones are only the size of the ball.

[Ribsauce]

I played the xbox demo today. The pitching is awesome but I cannot grab a hit to save my life. any advice?

[THAY3R]

Got it for 360 today, seems cool so far. I also am having difficulty hitting.

The Online leagues look pretty cool, I joined a 162 game league, will be interesting to see how that works out.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
I played the xbox demo today. The pitching is awesome but I cannot grab a hit to save my life. any advice?

[/ QUOTE ]

I got the Xbox demo too, and at first it was hard, because I was so used to the delivery of the MVP series on PS2. A little bit of practice and it was like a damn home run derby. Just give it some practice. This might be #2 on my "to get" list behind Oblivion now.

[THAY3R]

Also, I've heard the 360 version looks alot better than PS3. 360 is in 1080p, and the graphics are cleaner/crisper.