MLB 2k10

It has been just over four weeks since MLB 2k10 came out for Xbox 360. I reported some of my first impressions back then, but now I am here to weigh in with my official review. I wrote this article off-and-on (like Ross and Rachel - Friends references are cool, right?) over the last several days. It may be a little uneven, and it's definitely a little long-winded, but whenever I read reviews of video games I always find myself wishing they were longer, so... Anyway, here's the official review:

GAMEPLAY - BATTING
I consider this to be one of the two most important elements of any baseball video game. The hitting statistics in baseball video games are very important to me. The most outstanding thing about 2k10 that I can see so far is the battle between pitcher and hitter during every plate appearance.

Probably the most irritating and enduring tradition in previous baseball games is the complete absence of the base on balls. Drawing a free pass has traditionally walked a fine line between impossible and possible only if the computer decides it wants to issue you ball four. In 2k10, as the batter, the "batting eye" feature helps you read whether a pitch will be up, down, inside or outside by lighting up a portion of the strike zone with a blue line. The entire zone will be outlined in blue for pitches down the middle. At the same time, the type of pitch will be indicated on the screen: fastball (sinker, cutter, splitter are all read off the hand the same way, though), breaking ball or changeup. Wouldn't knowing whether a changeup or fastball is coming make the changeup a completely useless pitch? Well, yes, but the pitch location and type don't appear on the screen on every pitch. Instead, the frequency of these hints is based on a player's batting eye rating. Jason Giambi, for example, has a much better eye than Felix Pie. Pie might only read one or two pitches a game, whereas Giambi will likely know what's coming on three pitches per plate appearance. All of this information aids you in making the all important decision whether or not to swing at the pitch. Unlike some games, even without the batting eye's hints, watching the pitch carefully you can usually tell about where a pitch is going to be in the zone. I very rarely swing and miss at pitches low and away. I don't strike out on pitches in the dirt and have to endure the five-times-a-game "It's in the dirt, strike three but he's running to first! Oh my! You don't see this every day!" hoopla. So, for the most part, I feel like I'm controlling the strike zone fairly well during a typical plate appearance. The defensive swing feature is also very helpful for fouling off pitches that are close enough that you're not comfortable watching them go by. Fouling off pitches and ratcheting up pitch counts is a welcome, fresh feature for a baseball game. It's not uncommon to fight off several pitches to ultimately draw ball four. I've had eight and ten-pitch at-bats on several occasions. Evidence of the plate discipline that is achievable: In 44 games of My Player mode, I was able to draw 26 walks (which would be about 96 per 162 games), a solid number for that stat category. *Update* I continue to love the battles between pitcher and hitter in this game. I drew three walks in one game in My Player mode last night. And whenever you draw walks in this mode you are commended by your agent/helper for your discipline. (You also get bonus points towards improving attributes just by being patient. 15 skill points for working a full count, 25 skill points for a nine-pitch plate appearance.)

In addition to being able to draw walks, the aforementioned aspects of batting (the eye, defensive swings, etc.) can also help you to hit better pitches. I get legitimately angry when I swing and miss at a pitch out of the strike zone. If you were in the next room, you would hear me cursing every time it happens. But because they have made determining the difference between balls and strikes more realistic, you can do things like sit on the fastball, get yourself into a hitter's count, and "wait for yours". I'd say 66% or better of the balls I put in play are in or close to the strike zone. And if you're hacking at pitches that aren't in the zone, your success rate is going to seriously be affected.

Quickly, the bad. Extra-base hits are tough to get. A double is a major rarity in my experiences thus far in My Player mode. They have been a bit more prevalent in games I've played against LA Keyes, but hitting line drives into the gaps for extra bases is something I have not yet mastered. I can't think of another batting drawback. I think this element is absolutely great.
Score: A


GAMEPLAY - PITCHING
Important element number two, pitching seems to be very similar to what 2k Sports instituted in MLB 2k8, right analog motions to determine pitches and their effectiveness. Unlike the last two seasons of this method, now you can actually select your pitch beforehand, so the game is judging your motion against the pitch you are trying to throw. Previously, if you did your swirling motion on the analog intending to hurl a slider, but your motion was off you'd throw a totally different pitch. Let's face it, realism goes out the window if a pitcher can "accidentally" throw a curveball instead of a fastball. So, that has been corrected, and now if you are completely off on your motions you're just going to throw a real crappy version of the pitch you chose. Altogether, a definite improvement, and I enjoy the analog swirling method of pitching more than a simple button hold-and-press.

The bad. Pitching against the computer hasn't shown much improvement over prior entries into the series. The AI won't be very effective at driving up your pitch counts, and it's fairly routine for my starter to have thrown 55 pitches through seven innings. I'll admit, I haven't pitched many games against the computer, though, so maybe once I begin my franchise mode (which I plan to do soon, once my fantasy baseball draft is complete and I can begin the nerdy process of changing all the rosters to mirror our fantasy teams) I'll have a better idea about things. I will note that, on the other end of the spectrum, opposing computer-controlled pitchers throw WAY too many pitches. In My Player mode recently I stepped into the batter's box to face a pitcher who was about to throw his 150th (!) pitch. Now, that is ridiculous. There's a slider that is supposedly used to regulate pitcher fatigue (unlabeled, though, of course; so, I don't know if increasing the gauge to 85 makes him tire easier or gives him more stamina...), but I haven't noticed much of a difference. It is quite aggravating when I'm up there for the fourth time and I've really been working on driving up a pitch count but the guy is closer to 200 pitches than 100.
Score: B-


GAMEPLAY - FIELDING
The videos and reviews I have read about MLB 2k9 all mention the outlandish/horrible fielding. My brother sold his Xbox 360 because first basemen wouldn't stand on the bag when taking throws from the other infielders. Try to imagine if real life ballplayers refused to tag first until after they'd caught the ball. Ridiculous. Meanwhile, I've watched videos online of outfielders having fly balls bounce off their heads, an entire defense ignoring a bunt and letting the batter who laid it down notch a homer on it, etc. Thankfully, these problems appear to have been remedied. I'm very concerned that there was some over-compensation going on, though. I can't remember seeing a fielding error. Not one. A couple of throwing errors on my part, possibly, but definitely no flubbed grounders or miscues in the outfield or anything like that.

This is a good section to talk about the fielding in My Player mode, too. Do NOT ever start My Player mode as a catcher. I thought that being a catcher would be great. I get to pick a color scheme for my shin guards and helmet! Will I get to call the game? Will I catch every pitch? Will I take throws for plays at the plate? No, no and no. Near as I can tell, fielding situations that arise when you're the catcher are limited to bunts (which the pitcher almost always reacts to more quickly and handles himself) and foul pop-ups (which are always hit behind you and by the time you've figured out where it is and the camera has spun to the point where you can see where you're going, the ball has landed and the opportunity is gone). Long story short, this position was the pits. I had to change positions (which totally blew because I'd spent ALL of my fielding attribute points on Call Game, a useless talent for a newly-converted first baseman). First base was almost as dull, as you didn't get to take throws from anyone and the fielding situations were primarily grounders where you had to decide between flipping to the pitcher or taking it yourself. I finally settled on making my character a third baseman. Third and short are way more fun than any other spots on the diamond. I'm definitely going to stick to one of those spots in My Player. *Update* Turning a double play in My Player mode is impossible, and I'm reducing the grade accordingly.
Score: B


GAMEPLAY - BASERUNNING
When I played The Show at my brother's house, I was comparing the game to my experiences with 2k10, obv. My brother doesn't even run the bases in The Show because it is too annoying or difficult. So, I guess I should feel grateful that I can at least leave manual baserunning on. And for the most part, the baserunners are with it enough that they don't need to be told to try and score from second on a single. This is helpful.

The bad news. Rundowns seem to be plentiful. I think this is primarily due to 2k Sports being too ambitious/stupid with the baserunning mechanics. To send the selected runner to the next base, hit the left trigger. To send all the runners an extra base, hit the left bumper. Simple. But apparently, we need another method to do exactly the same thing! The right analog stick pushed in the direction of a base will send your selected player to that base. This is not helpful at any point in any game. In fact, here is what has happened to me an infuriating number of times so far. The left analog stick is in charge of sliding (up for head first, down for feet first, left/right to the respective side of the bag). So, there is a close play coming up at third. I'm trying to slide into the base to the right side of the bag to avoid a sweep tag from the third baseman. In this intense situation I hit the right analog stick, for just a hair of a second because I forgot which damn analog makes me slide. Now my guy is going back to first! What? Come on! Then I'm mashing on the triggers screaming out loud at the guy to get to third! Of course, by now, my chances of being safe are nil, so I try sending him back to second. Then comes the rundown, which I can typically stay alive in until I get bored, give up entirely and pound my fist into the seat of the couch.

This bad news section isn't over yet. Stealing bases. Beyond difficult. A number of factors have to go incredibly right for you to have even a breath of a chance to steal a base. Maybe this makes sense and is realistic, but having to time your jump absolutely perfectly (especially while controlling the hitter at the plate) while simultaneously hoping that the pitcher isn't throwing a fastball is pretty tough. And if you let go of the button a nanosecond before the pitcher has kicked to throw the pitch? That's right, rundown!

Finally, the last major bad news. Pitches in the dirt. Okay, you have a runner on base, the pitcher throws the ball low and it bounces in front of the plate. The ball is only about two feet in front of the catcher. No-brainer, right? Get your ass back to the damn bag. Nope. It couldn't be that easy. Whenever this happens, and it's often enough to be a major issue, it's as though your baserunner has no idea what's happening. Oh no, Joe Mauer briefly forgot how to play baseball and he's frozen in fear three steps away from the base! Go back, Joe, go back. But no, he won't do a thing unless you, the player, hit the right trigger to remind him that you can't be tagged out if you're standing on second. And the chances are very high that by the time you've realized what's happening, it's too late and you're about to be out (or, as likely, it's rundown time). So, the first couple of times this happened, I'd figure out what was going on and hit the right trigger immediately. One time when I did this, the runner was already heading back to the base and when I told him, "Hey, get back to that base," he paused for an entire second and then proceeded to go back. By then, it was too late. Another time, I said, "Okay, the guy was going back on his own before, so this time I won't hit a single button and I won't run into this silly hesitation thing again." So, I set the paddle down and watched, in horror, as my runner stood motionless two steps from the base without even an attempt to return to it safely. Basically, a pitch in the dirt is a major disaster if you have any runners on base, no matter what you do.
Score: D+


GRAPHICS
The ranting and raving about good graphics that I did a few weeks ago may have been a little premature. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are exceptional, but I've reneged on the great facial models. Joakim Soria, Nomar Garciaparra, J.D. Drew, these guys all still look awesome. But there are as many or more guys whose faces are pretty suspect. Other than that, the graphics remain pretty solid, though not up to The Show's level. Also, graphics seems like a good place to address the Chris Davis situation. He is the absolute homeliest character I've seen in The Show and he's almost as hideous in 2k10. What's the deal?
Score: B-


GAME MODES - MY PLAYER
I just wanted to try it at first, but now I'm really into it. I scrapped the JMR from the previous review (the second baseman with the .290 slugging percentage). I toyed with the idea of making a new character who was a pitcher, but ultimately decided that I'd be a catcher instead. I explained above in the fielding section how Jesse's career behind the plate went. One thing that I was trying to accomplish in the newly-begun version of my career was drawing more walks and hitting more dingers. I gave My Player mode a good once-over already in my previous post, and as much as I would love to lambaste everyone with stats and stories from the 80 games or so that I've played. But I will resist the temptation to bore you to tears. As opposed to the original character's career, 3B Jesse managed to draw plenty of walks, hit a handful of home runs and generally succeed on a daily basis enough that his attributes steadily increased. In just 44 games, I had achieved what I wanted to and been called up to the big club, the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, I was blocked at third by Pablo Sandoval and they moved me to shortstop as a replacement for Edgar Renteria. I tore up the league for about 12 games, hitting .390ish with an OBP north of .500. And the games felt like they were a lot more meaningful (in my last post I mentioned the lack of teamy feeling) now that I was a major leaguer. Playing alongside actual guys, facing real pitchers, seeing all the classic ballparks all make My Player mode shine even brighter than I originally thought it would. Of course, I was worried after a dozen games as a big leaguer that I'd mastered hitting and my success would be unrealistic. Ha. I wish I still had THOSE worries. The precipitous fall of my batting average squelched that idea. My ability to draw walks and my ability to not strike out have both declined since I started facing more capable pitchers (just like a real rookie, I suspect). So, all in all, I'm finding the My Player experience to be quite rewarding so far, and I'm excited to finish up my abbreviated rookie season and move on to the next one. *Update* During the writing of this review, I've since embarked on my first full season on the Giants. I hit a walk-off home run in extra innings yesterday and it was one of the most awesome baseball video game moments ever. Also, I was on pace to draw 100 walks in the 2011 season the last time I checked (to go with the 170 whiffs I'm trending towards). Nice.
Score: A


GAME MODES - FRANCHISE
Stay tuned for this one. Like I mentioned earlier, I plan to do a season with Momaw Navaughn, my fantasy baseball team. I imagine that the mode is satisfactory, but there is always the possibility that the game freezes when you try to advance from the regular season to the playoffs and you can never actually get past the first year.
Score: Incomplete


PRESENTATION/DETAILS/INTANGIBLES
I must admit, The Show really seems to kill in this department. Not that 2k10 falls flat, but you can tell that 2k Sports didn't spend a ton of time programming the little intricate details that Sony did for The Show. Believe me, I'm happy that they focused on improving the gameplay over last season's game, very happy. Still, hearing the announcing team say the same thing over and over and over continues to be rough. But, looking at the bright side again, at least Joe Morgan and Jon Miller are gloriously absent. Here are some things that I'd like to point out that I found either interesting/hilarious:

End of the inning, where am I going? - If an infielder catches a pop fly or a line drive to end an inning, he'll start trotting off in some random direction like he's a stud for having just made a play. Inevitably, some kind of internal compass will tell him after a few seconds that he's running in the opposite direction of his own dugout and he will suddenly veer off towards the right direction. It's pretty comical.

Extra-perfect game? - I was in My Player mode, checking out statistics and team records and such (all evidence of Bonds has been pulled from the record books, too, which I love). That's when I noticed that at some point in 2010, during the simulated season that was occurring while I was still playing for the AA-affiliate Flying Squirrels, Jered Weaver set a new MLB record by striking out 27 players in one game! Jered Weaver!

Socks? - Whenever a sports game comes up with its own fictional players and makes up names for them, you're bound to get some good laughs. My favorite so far? I recently squared off against made-up pitcher Socks Campanella. Awesome.

Prospects? Don't talk about prospects! You kiddin' me?! Prospects?! - 2k10 scores a major goose egg in this department. They can't even make reasonable facsimiles of the biggest name prospects in baseball? No Devon Jaeger (in the place of Desmond Jennings)? No Christian Steinbach (for Carlos Santana)? More infuriating is that I was able to find a few cheap knock-offs. There's a clear Lars Anderson prospect (and when you edit the player to change his name, the birth date is Anderson's actual birth date). Lars Anderson! There's a fictitious version of Kila Ka'aihue and one of Jesus Montero (identical DOBs, heights, weights, jersey numbers). Maybe this seems like a minor problem, but if you were playing a season with your team and you knew that you were supposed to have these great prospects in the minors and instead you've got vaguely Asian-looking slap hitters, well, it sucks. That makes it a major problem (or perhaps a minors problem?).
Score: C-


OVERALL
Pending an analysis of the Franchise Mode, I'm enjoying this game immensely. And it doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself to play it just because I like baseball, either. That was certainly the case in 2k8. So, I feel hopeful for 2k Sports' future in baseball games. They need to add some flavor/spice, without a doubt. There are dozens of things that have occurred to me while playing that they should have included. Check swings. A reaction besides literally puffing out the chest when a batter almost gets beaned. A second style of running to the dugout after an inning so that it doesn't look like Pablo Sandoval and I are as well-rehearsed at each step or flick of the arm as a synchronized swimming team might be. You get the idea.

All things considered, would I recommend this year's MLB 2k10 game to a gamer who only owns a 360? Yes, I absolutely would.

FINAL GRADE: B+