MLB 2K9 Conference Call Recap

by pastapadre
Posted February 20th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

mlb2k90220c

Earlier this afternoon I had the opportunity to participate in the media conference call for MLB 2K9 with Lead Features Designer Erick Boenisch and Gameplay Producer Jonathan Rivera. Along with Chase from OS we live blogged the call. You can catch the transcript here.

I also wanted to write up a recap to go accompany the live blog. These calls usually provide a good overview of the game as some of the attendees have not followed the pre-release progress and the questions reflect that. Still there is always a good deal to discuss after them. Continue on to read my full recap.

First to get the biggest news out of the way they stated that the demo will be out next week. There was no further clarification as to the dates or what the demo entails. So it could be next Tuesday for the 360 and Thursday for the PS3, or they may both end up getting it on Thursday.

The studio move to Visual Concepts has been a highly discussed topic and a reason for optimism. They stated that they didn’t feel any pressure, that it was more excitement at getting to take over the title and implement their ideas into it. What they focused on was centrally the gameplay but also making the game more accessible, fixing the framerate, franchise mode, and the presentation. Their aim was for authenticity.

The framerate was stated to be at 60fps, and they were much more confident in their statements regarding this than last year. I don’t have the feeling that the framerate will negatively affect the actual gameplay as they specifically stated 60fps when the ball was in play. Last year when the claim of 60fps was made it was much more general and the tone gave away that there was a problem looming.

VC started over with the franchise mode making sure they had a good base to work from. After that they were able to incorporate things such as an all new player progression system, more realistic stats, and player ambitions (some examples being playing time, money, location, team prestige, winning).

The topic of “meatballs” came up and they seemed to be as frustrated with that element as everyone else was. So those are out. I don’t believe I remember them detailing what a mistake pitch now does though. It won’t be the meatball situation regardless where you are severely punished for any mistake made.

What is it about MLB 2K9 that separates it from the competition? According to them it is the pitching and hitting controls that use the right analog stick. I enjoyed some aspects of the right analog pitching, though my main issue still will probably be having my hand out of position when I need to react quickly to a ball in play. I’ve never been a fan of the swing stick but at least they did remove the pull back timing requirement. What concerns me is check swinging, which they stated is not changed from last year and would remain very difficult to do.

The real time presentation came up at different points, everyone is probably familiar with what that is all about after watching gameplay videos. Other areas mentioned that tie into it are the dynamic crowd which will react to specific situations and the new commentary team that provides a fresh feel to the game.

The Inside Edge feature that has been in the game for a couple years was mentioned and I got the impression that this was how they were explaining off the complaints about the CPU swinging at every strike. As I stated in the live blog I don’t know how everyone will feel about that as the reasoning behind it or as a potential way to attack a CPU batter and see them taking pitches.

2K8′s online play was arguably the worst performance wise of any sports title this generation. Naturally this was brought up and they believe that online will run close to the experience offline in most cases. I can’t help but remain pessimistic before playing myself though since they discussed all the improvements that had supposedly been made in the conference call for NBA 2K9′s online and we know how that one turned out. All of 2K’s titles have really struggled in the last year with online play so they’ll need to break that cycle before anyone can feel confident about it. I do think that the improved framerate in general will probably be a factor in better performance though.

Online leagues have been improved with the return of flex schedules (one example) as well as the MLB.com interface. I’m also glad that they got the video highlights and screenshot uploading in too. However the complaints about having no ranked lobbies has not been addressed as they’ve kept the same structure that NBA and NHL 2K9 had due to the Team 2K competition. Overall though If they get the lag worked out I like the potential of this being a fun head-to-head game.

MLB 2K9 follows the NBA franchise by introducing Living Rosters. This is being completed in the same manner as the NBA 2K9. Updates will come the same day in cases of big transactions, and less frequently (maybe weekly?) when there has not been any major transactions. With the number of players in MLB vs NBA, the constant shifting of lineups, frequent trips to/from the DL list, and the movement between the majors and minors this appears to be a much larger undertaking. It’ll be interesting to see how well it is handled.

The trading cards were talked about on a couple occasions.I actually like the cards for what they attempt to do, whether they succeeded with the improvements they made this year vs last we shall see but they did address many of the complaints with them. You can take card teams online but can’t use them for leagues.

While MLB 2K9 had the World Baseball Classic included, 2K9 does not. The definitive no didn’t provide much hope for it to be offered as downloadable content either.

The PC version was asked about and it is similar to NBA 2K9. It is a 360 port and doesn’t have any online elements to it. For $20 anyone who enjoys gaming on the PC would probably be able to get good value out of it. The goal is to grow the baseball gaming market and it was something they were able to produce relatively easily.

In probably the most awkward moment of the call a question regarding the Wii version was posed. After a few seconds of silence it was stated that Visual Concepts does not develop the Wii version and they had no idea of anything about it. Obviously that isn’t a good sign for anyone who was hoping that the Wii would be getting a quality offering this year.

Coming out of the call I think that we’re looking at a much improved product. I enjoy the flow that is being provided by the real time presentation and the gameplay looks to have the fun factor back. Obvious concerns right now would be the CPU swinging at every strike and online performance. The demo next week is one of the most intriguing ones I can remember considering the circumstances and will play a big part in how confident consumers feel about the product as we near release.

Tags: latest news

http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

What I don't understand is why EA wouldn't make a college baseball game. The game would sell, especially on the 360 which has no competition.

Also, I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't make first party sports titles. Links 2004 was a great golf game and they would be able to create a MLB game since it would be first party….Opportunities lost, in my opinion….

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Very little interest in college baseball. They tried it with 06 and 07 and the games didn't sell. The cost of developing a new baseball engine is probably too much to justify for a college game. Peter Moore just recently stated they have nothing in the works for baseball. I was hoping they'd do something, even if on the PC, that could be a more customizable or MMO type game.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Very little interest in college baseball. They tried it with 06 and 07 and the games didn't sell. The cost of developing a new baseball engine is probably too much to justify for a college game. Peter Moore just recently stated they have nothing in the works for baseball. I was hoping they'd do something, even if on the PC, that could be a more customizable or MMO type game.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they won't be using from the Arena Football game. I'll chip in $20 to get them started….
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they won't be using from the Arena Football game. I'll chip in $20 to get them started….

http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

What I don't understand is why EA wouldn't make a college baseball game. The game would sell, especially on the 360 which has no competition.

Also, I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't make first party sports titles. Links 2004 was a great golf game and they would be able to create a MLB game since it would be first party….Opportunities lost, in my opinion….
http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

What I don't understand is why EA wouldn't make a college baseball game. The game would sell, especially on the 360 which has no competition.

Also, I don't understand why Microsoft doesn't make first party sports titles. Links 2004 was a great golf game and they would be able to create a MLB game since it would be first party….Opportunities lost, in my opinion….

http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

Very little interest in college baseball. They tried it with 06 and 07 and the games didn't sell. The cost of developing a new baseball engine is probably too much to justify for a college game. Peter Moore just recently stated they have nothing in the works for baseball. I was hoping they'd do something, even if on the PC, that could be a more customizable or MMO type game.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they are using from the Arena Football game.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

The reason there was little interest, in my opinion, is that the games were not up to the standards of MVP. I didn't think the graphics engine was the best. I know the game was supposed to be like MVP but it wasn't close.

If EA created a new college game with an engine that could be used as a stepping stone for future MVP titles (When the 2K contract expires with the MLB, I would find it hard to believe that EA would not step up to at least get some type of deal done, exclusive or not, to create baseball games again). Not to mention, it would provide competition on the 360 and with EA's success in baseball games it would sell.

If EA put effort into getting the top conferences with the real stadiums plus The College World Series it would pay off. Again, it would have to be done correctly. They can use the money that they won't be using from the Arena Football game. I'll chip in $20 to get them started….

http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

That is a crazy glitch. I played over 300 games of The Show and never experienced any glitches.

I don't believe any game is perfect however The Show, in my opinion, does everything better than 2K.

Now, this is said without having played 2K9. I agree that the framerate issue will be squashed this year. The videos I saw were pretty smooth.

In talking of NBA 2K9, the game had glitches and, again in my opinion, 2K has recycled the game since 2K6 which isn't necessarily bad. If it ain't broke don't fix it fits the bill here.

I think MLB 2K8 hurt 2K in that it took a huge step backward from 2K7, which was a sweet game. It just seems that 2K overall has been struggling with quality. All-Pro Football was terrible and Don King was crap. The only concern I have with 2K9 is the missing details and uniform inaccuracies.

Things I have seen from the vids:

1) Boston's logo on the hat is way too big (Think old Madden versions of the Cowboys star)
2) Number placement on jerseys (Reds alternate is a big one)
3) Fonts of last names the same for every team (2K was one of the first companies to get this right so I have no idea why they wouldn't get it right now)
4) The obvious ad placement and stadium adjustments made to fit these ads
5) The outfielders cro-hop every time they throw the ball, regardless of the situation

People can say that these are small gripes but these detract from the immersion…Things I like from the vids:

1) The camera — The cam behind the pitcher looks like a broadcast and the view when the ball is hit to the outfield. These cams are sweet
2) The frame rate looks much better
3) Pitcher animations look real good

I like the HR Derby but haven't been a fan of this game mode for the simple reason once you get the hang of it, hitting HRs gets too easy. To have a HR Derby it should include fatigue and other things that make hitting HRs more challenging. You ask any major league player, hitting HRs in a Home Run Derby is the difficult because there is added pressure….
http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

That is a crazy glitch. I played over 300 games of The Show and never experienced any glitches.

I don't believe any game is perfect however The Show, in my opinion, does everything better than 2K.

Now, this is said without having played 2K9. I agree that the framerate issue will be squashed this year. The videos I saw were pretty smooth.

In talking of NBA 2K9, the game had glitches and, again in my opinion, 2K has recycled the game since 2K6 which isn't necessarily bad. If it ain't broke don't fix it fits the bill here.

I think MLB 2K8 hurt 2K in that it took a huge step backward from 2K7, which was a sweet game. It just seems that 2K overall has been struggling with quality. All-Pro Football was terrible and Don King was crap. The only concern I have with 2K9 is the missing details and uniform inaccuracies.

Things I have seen from the vids:

1) Boston's logo on the hat is way too big (Think old Madden versions of the Cowboys star)
2) Number placement on jerseys (Reds alternate is a big one)
3) Fonts of last names the same for every team (2K was one of the first companies to get this right so I have no idea why they wouldn't get it right now)
4) The obvious ad placement and stadium adjustments made to fit these ads
5) The outfielders cro-hop every time they throw the ball, regardless of the situation

People can say that these are small gripes but these detract from the immersion…Things I like from the vids:

1) The camera — The cam behind the pitcher looks like a broadcast and the view when the ball is hit to the outfield. These cams are sweet
2) The frame rate looks much better
3) Pitcher animations look real good

I like the HR Derby but haven't been a fan of this game mode for the simple reason once you get the hang of it, hitting HRs gets too easy. To have a HR Derby it should include fatigue and other things that make hitting HRs more challenging. You ask any major league player, hitting HRs in a Home Run Derby is the difficult because there is added pressure….
http://intensedebate.com/people/Skihawks Skihawks

That is a crazy glitch. I played over 300 games of The Show and never experienced any glitches.

I don't believe any game is perfect however The Show, in my opinion, does everything better than 2K.

Now, this is said without having played 2K9. I agree that the framerate issue will be squashed this year. The videos I saw were pretty smooth.

In talking of NBA 2K9, the game had glitches and, again in my opinion, 2K has recycled the game since 2K6 which isn't necessarily bad. If it ain't broke don't fix it fits the bill here.

I think MLB 2K8 hurt 2K in that it took a huge step backward from 2K7, which was a sweet game. It just seems that 2K overall has been struggling with quality. All-Pro Football was terrible and Don King was crap. The only concern I have with 2K9 is the missing details and uniform inaccuracies.

Things I have seen from the vids:

1) Boston's logo on the hat is way too big (Think old Madden versions of the Cowboys star)
2) Number placement on jerseys (Reds alternate is a big one)
3) Fonts of last names the same for every team (2K was one of the first companies to get this right so I have no idea why they wouldn't get it right now)
4) The obvious ad placement and stadium adjustments made to fit these ads
5) The outfielders cro-hop every time they throw the ball, regardless of the situation

People can say that these are small gripes but these detract from the immersion…Things I like from the vids:

1) The camera — The cam behind the pitcher looks like a broadcast and the view when the ball is hit to the outfield. These cams are sweet
2) The frame rate looks much better
3) Pitcher animations look real good

I like the HR Derby but haven't been a fan of this game mode for the simple reason once you get the hang of it, hitting HRs gets too easy. To have a HR Derby it should include fatigue and other things that make hitting HRs more challenging. You ask any major league player, hitting HRs in a Home Run Derby is the difficult because there is added pressure….
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I think the comments section is valuable, but alas it is just comments. I'd recommend you check out the forum if you want to have deeper discussions. That might be more of what you're looking for.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I think the comments section is valuable, but alas it is just comments. I'd recommend you check out the forum if you want to have deeper discussions. That might be more of what you're looking for.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pastapadre pastapadre

I think the comments section is valuable, but alas it is just comments. I'd recommend you check out the forum if you want to have deeper discussions. That might be more of what you're looking for.
Quality Control

Dear Mister Woods,

You said you laugh at The Show's player models. Well, I've been laughin' everytime I watch MLB 2K9's player models walk like hunchbacks with no confidence who just shit themselves. You criticize The Show for their player models and the control scheme, but I doubt 5% of human beings with normal or above normal intelligence would agree with you, which is fine, but obviously slightly delusional. Cross your fingers that MLB 2K9 lives up to the hype surrounding it..
Quality Control

Dear Mister Woods,

You said you laugh at The Show's player models. Well, I've been laughin' everytime I watch MLB 2K9's player models walk like hunchbacks with no confidence who just shit themselves. You criticize The Show for their player models and the control scheme, but I doubt 5% of human beings with normal or above normal intelligence would agree with you, which is fine, but obviously slightly delusional. Cross your fingers that MLB 2K9 lives up to the hype surrounding it..
Quality Control

Dear Mister Woods,

You said you laugh at The Show's player models. Well, I've been laughin' everytime I watch MLB 2K9's player models walk like hunchbacks with no confidence who just shit themselves. You criticize The Show for their player models and the control scheme, but I doubt 5% of human beings with normal or above normal intelligence would agree with you, which is fine, but obviously slightly delusional. Cross your fingers that MLB 2K9 lives up to the hype surrounding it..
Quality Control

*you're obviously slightly delusional.*
Quality Control

*you're obviously slightly delusional.*
Quality Control

*you're obviously slightly delusional.*
http://www.gamestooge.com/ Jonah Falcon

"I don’t believe I remember them detailing what a mistake pitch now does though."

During the X-Play preview, they stated that when a pitcher throws a mistake, the pitch is more hittable in context. That is, curves hang, fastballs straighten, etc.
http://www.gamestooge.com/ Jonah Falcon

"I don’t believe I remember them detailing what a mistake pitch now does though."

During the X-Play preview, they stated that when a pitcher throws a mistake, the pitch is more hittable in context. That is, curves hang, fastballs straighten, etc.
http://www.gamestooge.com Jonah Falcon

"I don’t believe I remember them detailing what a mistake pitch now does though."

During the X-Play preview, they stated that when a pitcher throws a mistake, the pitch is more hittable in context. That is, curves hang, fastballs straighten, etc.
Pierre

MLB2k9 couldnt even ad World Baseball Classic to this year.Thats unacceptable!They had it in MLB2k6 and it was tossed together with fake players and without the proper Tournament setup!, but they still had it.Being that I bought a PS3 because I know of 2ks unprofessionalism with baseball.Come on thats lammmmmmmme that they couldnt ad The World Cup of Baseball.Being that they have exclusive rights and all!That really disgust me!I would bought 2k if they had The Classic, but they dont!So I guess I'll just stick to The Show again!
Pierre

MLB2k9 couldnt even ad World Baseball Classic to this year.Thats unacceptable!They had it in MLB2k6 and it was tossed together with fake players and without the proper Tournament setup!, but they still had it.Being that I bought a PS3 because I know of 2ks unprofessionalism with baseball.Come on thats lammmmmmmme that they couldnt ad The World Cup of Baseball.Being that they have exclusive rights and all!That really disgust me!I would bought 2k if they had The Classic, but they dont!So I guess I'll just stick to The Show again!
Pierre

MLB2k9 couldnt even ad World Baseball Classic to this year.Thats unacceptable!They had it in MLB2k6 and it was tossed together with fake players and without the proper Tournament setup!, but they still had it.Being that I bought a PS3 because I know of 2ks unprofessionalism with baseball.Come on thats lammmmmmmme that they couldnt ad The World Cup of Baseball.Being that they have exclusive rights and all!That really disgust me!I would bought 2k if they had The Classic, but they dont!So I guess I'll just stick to The Show again!
Mets09

Well I played past years MLB the show and the guys seemed too blocky and the game play really wasn't too much of a baseball feel, the little things matter more in a video baseball game to make it feel more like baseball, so all the in depth real time feel and extra details here and there will make or break the feel of the game. 2nd of all any big gamer knows PS is geared towards the everyday just wanna have fun gamer and Xbox more towards the top competitive gamers, and that's not just talking about sport games. Although I'm not bashing PS3 because it is a top notch system and has many games that are better then some xbox, I'm just saying to come and say The Show blows it out of the water is just dumb and seeing the Exclusively for PS makes many of the PS3 owners think its awesome.
Mets09

Well I played past years MLB the show and the guys seemed too blocky and the game play really wasn't too much of a baseball feel, the little things matter more in a video baseball game to make it feel more like baseball, so all the in depth real time feel and extra details here and there will make or break the feel of the game. 2nd of all any big gamer knows PS is geared towards the everyday just wanna have fun gamer and Xbox more towards the top competitive gamers, and that's not just talking about sport games. Although I'm not bashing PS3 because it is a top notch system and has many games that are better then some xbox, I'm just saying to come and say The Show blows it out of the water is just dumb and seeing the Exclusively for PS makes many of the PS3 owners think its awesome.
Mets09

Well I played past years MLB the show and the guys seemed too blocky and the game play really wasn't too much of a baseball feel, the little things matter more in a video baseball game to make it feel more like baseball, so all the in depth real time feel and extra details here and there will make or break the feel of the game. 2nd of all any big gamer knows PS is geared towards the everyday just wanna have fun gamer and Xbox more towards the top competitive gamers, and that's not just talking about sport games. Although I'm not bashing PS3 because it is a top notch system and has many games that are better then some xbox, I'm just saying to come and say The Show blows it out of the water is just dumb and seeing the Exclusively for PS makes many of the PS3 owners think its awesome.