09 Baseball Titles Need to Improve Online Play
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As I covered extensively last year neither MLB 2K8 nor MLB 08: The Show provided a sufficient online experience. 2K8 was arguably the worst online sports title ever while The Show was very inconsistent in its own right. My full online report on both games can be found here along with an update a week later here.
While it was the performance that primarily dragged them down last year both titles also lacked some basic options that would’ve been beneficial. SCEA does deserve credit for the weekly roster updates and website functionality. I suspect we’ll be seeing that same support from 2K this year. NHL 2K9 likely provides a good idea of what to expect out of MLB 2K9.
While MLB 08: The Show was highly regarded last year it ran very hit or miss online. The support was there with weekly roster updates and a website with some really nice tracking features but in many cases the lag was very bad. It did seem to improve over time though there continued to be the occasional unplayable game. Their online league system was also structured in a very odd way that made it more difficult then it should have been to participate. Actually not even I would have been able to be the commissioner of a league due to the restrictions they had in place.
The disaster that MLB 2K8 was online is well known. Most disconcerting is that it was never addressed. Having to swing the bat before the pitch is released defeats the entire purpose and skill involved in baseball, and that completely negates anything else 2K offered such as their leagues. Sadly 2K8 was the only choice for those with just a 360 and 2K didn’t show much concern for the consumers. Hopefully that changes this year as the studio move is a sign that they did at least identify the series was in need of new focus and direction.
MLB 2K8 was followed by Prizefighter and NBA 2K9 which, as their terrible online experiences will attest to, doesn’t exactly bode well for MLB 2K9. SCEA has a history of online related trouble with The Show series. So we really need to see an effort in this area from these two companies.
Under the right circumstances baseball gaming can be one of the most enjoyable sports titles. But if the online performance is off even slightly it can ruin everything. We’ve seen other sports games innovating with their online offerings as well as improving the performance provided, so lets hope that trend continues with the baseball titles. I’m not sure I can go through another online deficient year without losing a great deal of interest in the baseball games going forward.
November 25, 2008 at 7:16 am
I'm still upset at the way 2K treated the situation. No question it was the worst online play at least this generation of consoles.
November 25, 2008 at 7:52 am
i like the show it needs online dynasty eh
November 25, 2008 at 8:38 am
if UR not 4TH UR LAST
HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA
November 25, 2008 at 8:38 am
Cmon people, what do you expect from 2k. When has 2k EVER addressed a problem with there games. They have always had the attitude that once its out the door, its out the door.
I think the writing is on the wall with 2k sports and TTI in general. The EA buyout failed, but do you really think TTI can stave off the problems they have. 2k sports and TTI are doomed. It only "the when" that is uncertain at this point. EA is rapidly improving all there titles in big and imaginative ways and 2k isn't.
November 25, 2008 at 9:02 am
I don't know how that could be done though, with so many games in a season. Maybe if each owner had a series open to play instead of just a single game?
November 25, 2008 at 9:29 am
Too bad EA isn't rapidly improving their gameplay though. Last time I checked gameplay was most important. It amazes me how you guys, Pasta included, continue to deem a game as complete trash just because of online issues. I'm not knocking people who play online but a game can still be good without stellar online play. I have NBA 2K9 & I love that game.
November 25, 2008 at 9:39 am
I for one could care less about online play.
Give me a good solid game, with good gameplay and not any horrible glitches and bugs, and I am happy.
I also hate how a game can get downgraded by people just if online sucks, and the rest is great.
November 25, 2008 at 9:42 am
MLB2K8 was horrible OFFLINE too people!!! The framerate sucked and the visuals took a nasty hit. MLB2K7's graphics were leagues ahead of 2K8's as well……just an all-around bad experience except for the throwing controls when fielding. If the Show can fix online and maybe add a little more visuals…9.5?
November 25, 2008 at 9:49 am
Cosigned Rondoman! Great minds think alike! Lol
November 25, 2008 at 11:25 am
The framerate did suck, even though they said there's many more frames you can hit the ball in then there was in 2K7. I still continued to see most balls hit to the 2nd baseman or SS on the ground, and to LCF and RCF in the air. Most hits were doubles to the LCF and RCF gaps. This is the second sports game in a while i'm thinking about passing completely (Pro Evolution 2009 with horrible online is the other)
November 25, 2008 at 11:36 am
My 2 favorite games are MLB 08 The Show and NBA 2K9.
I play neither online but I play them all the time. They are both exceptional games and online may be lacking but to me, I could care less.
Those 2 games have amazing gameplay and that is what is #1 in my book.
November 25, 2008 at 11:49 am
NBA 2k9 is just fine for me online. Im in NYC, and I've never had a lag filled game. I do have to get two tries to find an opponent, but I never had a bad internet experience. PrizeFighter, in the few games I tried, didn't lag either. Maybe I have a great connection, but I don't experience all this lag you all talk about.
November 25, 2008 at 12:13 pm
woooooooooo
November 26, 2008 at 2:47 am
I only played about 4 games of the Show 08 online because the lag is really bad.
I play Madden and NHL 09 online only but baseball is probably the only sports game that I can enjoy offline so it wont be a game killer for me if the Show 09 is laggy online again.
November 26, 2008 at 3:15 am
im in the camp of i couldnt care less about online play, all i know is the baseball games better deliever more realism this year with everything, hitting, pitching ,etc and environment and stradium detail etc, its next gen and time for these companies to deliever.
November 26, 2008 at 5:35 am
I hit 68 home runs with Brian McCann in MLB 2k8, I would say the "game play" in the 2K baseball titles is pretty much CLOWN SHOES! NUFF SAID!
November 26, 2008 at 6:11 am
9 on 9 baby
November 26, 2008 at 6:31 am
I agree 60 bucks is way too much for a game…I dont care if development costs are up you better put up or shut up at 60 bucks. or lower your price if your gonna half ass it like EA does with madden every year. They spend more time on marketing then research and development.
November 26, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Online is for people without friends. offline games are for people who are popular and have a **** load of friends.
November 26, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I am a self admitted and unapologetic 2K Fanboy, but I will attest to the unstable online experience that plague most sports games, including Madden (the most untimely disconnects ever!), NBA 2K9 (Annoyingly takes several tries before you can get a ranked game, although single player is lag free), and the aforementioned MLB 2K8, and other sports titles that Pasta rightfully mentioned. Although I sense a bit of glee in Pasta's thoughts at any opportunity that affords him the ability rip 2K games in general, his criticism of the online experience is valid and true all the same. For those of you relics who still cherish offline play, try stepping up your game and match wits and skill with other humans online. Why would you prefer playing the AI, which is essentially, a bunch of code, over other human beings whose gaming instincts and habits mimic yours, hence the inherent strategy of online sports gaming. There is no greater thrill than battling out hotly contested games in both online league games and random quick rank matches, save for those insidious cheesers that are determined to ruin your online experience with all kinds of bullshit tactics that render the game unplayable. Fine, I understand your gripes with online lobby vermin, but that doesnt preclude you from finding well run, organized, and active simulation leagues that enforce rules aimed at detterring the aforementioned uber cheese that often result in an inane amount of frustration. It is this reason that it will be imperative for MLB 2K9 and The Show to deliver a reliable and fun online experience next spring. Anything less than that will result in decreased sales, I promise you. Word of mouth spreads so quick that I am convinced that NBA 2K10 will suffer next year in terms of sales after the bitter taste that the online experience has left with the hundreds of thousands of new people that purchased this game based on word of mouth about its unrivaled gameplay. These new converts to the 2K series were expecting among other things, a venerable 5 v 5 Online Team Play mode that didnt lag and crash incessantly. Online leagues and online gaming are the future of sports gaming, not the relic of franchise modes and dynasties. Few have the time to dedicate to the long season modes against the boring AI, when they could be competing for a league championship that consists of other human beings who they can interact with and such. Pasta, keep holding these companies accountable for what they promise with regards to online play. Alot of reviewers inexplicably leave that component of the game out of their reviews for some reason, when it is arguably amongs the most important aspect of the game to many purchasers.
March 13, 2009 at 3:48 am
costs expence