MLB 2K8 pitching poll
March 10, 2008 by pastapadre
One of the biggest topics in regards to MLB 2K8 has been the revamping of the pitching mechanics. Total Control Pitching rests solely on the right analog gestures and the timing of release.
I think 2K had the best of intentions with this and appreciate the effort that was put into it. However the motions have to be so precise and even being off just slightly can be devastating. The whole concept of the “Meatball” is flawed and ultimately that is the cause of most concern. A pitch that is off even slightly will end up in the strike zone and will be crushed if any contact is made. There are times where it doesn’t reflect the actual motion that was completed which is frustrating. I’ve also found that it is easier to do some motions (curveball, slider) than the ones that are supposed to be the most basic (fastball, changeup).
Even after learning the system and becoming comfortable with it I have continued to struggle as the CPU or user opponent hits an inordinate amount of home runs and doubles. Take the game online with the lag issues and the problems with the system are magnified.
I’ve likened it to the Madden Vision Cone in that it was meant to be sim feature but ultimately wasn’t necessary and just made the game more complicated and less enjoyable. Now I feel as if I’m throwing not pitching. The main concern has become to avoid the “Meatball” and not to pitch a good game. The complete overhaul of the pitching just wasn’t necessary to begin with but it was an interesting concept. If the rest of the game flowed better, the hitting system improved, and the “Meatball” wasn’t an automatic HR or 2B I may have felt completely differently though.
So what do you think of Total Control Pitching? Vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments.
I just use classic controls
Overall I really like the total control pitching controls, it keeps your concentration for every pitch. Sometimes it doesn’t register the correct motion so with this tuned up it would be ideal. I have thrown a good of amount of meatballs that have NOT been crushed, the cpu either doesn’t swing or they swing and miss. Sure some have been crushed but I think it is a good balance. IF and when the framerate is fixed this game will be very enjoyable. Pasta will you be the first to know when they have a patch ready? Would you please make a posting when it is. Great Articles on the games, thanks.
XBL demoben10
When can we expect more DLC?
Ben wrote:
2K doesn’t really put out info like that to the community. I’m sure they’re working on a patch but I wouldn’t expect it at least for a couple weeks. It took something like 3 weeks for them to patch 2K6, which had a even more severe issue in that no one could even get past the 3rd inning without it freezing.
Da Birthday Boy wrote:
Probably not for quite a while, maybe around all-star break time would be a good guess. Other than more card packs they haven’t really mentioned DLC. They haven’t even bothered to put up the league website yet.
More stadiums and jerseys could come
All the content mentioned that didn’t fit on the game why wouldn’t you expect more?
I think its a great new feature.
I switched back to the old controls because I found it to be more fun and more realistic. Game scores are 6-5, 4-3…not 12-3. I still use the right stick for fielding which i think is a great new addition. To be honest when I use the old button scheme for pitching I really enjoy MLB 2k8.
Can someone explain the classic control pitching. I haven’t played a baseball game since mvp 05 and the game only talks about the total control.
I havent really noticed the pitching sticks being to sensitive or not registering the right motions. I throw maybe one meatball every 3 innings. I love it and hope they keep it.
The results of this poll ought to be taken with a grain of salt. I’d venture to say that the majority of people voting in this poll haven’t even played 2K8 and used the mechanic yet!
Everyone with 2K8 join my league 16 teams and 82 games league name is MVP Baseball 08, pasta check your invites too, we can start this weekend so everyone go ahead and join asap.
I think that fastballs and change ups are easier. But that’s just me.
the difficulty sliders saved me from giving up on it all together. I didn’t make too easy, however, just allowed a little room for error. I’m getting realistic scores and my team stats are right in line with the rest of the league. I like the feature, but it does need fine tuning. As does the fielding and hit stick 2.0.
I like the system. The post-pitch feedback is excellent.
This is one innovation I hope becomes a norm with baseball games. The great thing is developers are including any “classic” controls as optional as to not leave out those gamers who don’t want to take the time to learn new controls.
I think I made Madden Vision Cone analogies early on - even on this site I believe. My first 4-5 games were brutal. Now, I couldn’t imagine ever going back to 1-Button style
Hopefully they address the choppiness in offline for cosmetic purposes and the lag issue online, as that’s where the HR fests seem to be occuring on some levels, and they’ll be good to go.
I notice that i hit a lot more homeruns when playing online compared to offline. Anyone else notice this. Some people say the game has too many homeruns but i only feel that is true during online play.
Ben - I totally concur - not sure if it’s the lag issue or what, but the HR fest type games is pretty much exclusively online - my franchise games are very legit scores and gameplay
I love the new pitching mechanic. I couldn’t return to the old button system now. It took me a couple of innings at first to feel the thing but once i got the twist, i was able to really pitch like it should look like in real life. I played online last weekend and didn’t experience any lag or anything wrong with the network. I played 3 games and they were all low scoring affairs (3-1, 4-2 and 4-3).
I’m not giving that much homeruns… online or offline. When you learn how to spot your pitches and throw balls on the outside to have the hitter to fish a bit, you learn really fast how to get out of the jams. The problem i think is that most of the people are trying to throw strikes before mixing their pitches speed. Try to go deeper in the counts and work the corners… but not use the fast ball everytime. Try mixing your pitches and use the offspeed stuff to finish batters.
I also find out that relying to heavy on the slider or the curveball will affect your pitcher stamina. So i use them in key situations in the count.
That’s what this new pitching mechanic is all about. They want you to pitch… not simply throwing strikes. I played an exhibition game last night with the LA Angels and had KRod work for 2 innings in the 9th and 10th… I had such a great time to work the hitters with his power curve and slider… This pitching system is amazing!
Learn how to pitch… and not simply throw. You will see, you will not give up that much homerun and your game appreciation will increase… for those of you who are still doubting!
The new pitching control is excellent. But when the pitchers (user and AI) pitch into the late innings, meatballs become more prevalent, which is realistic IMO. The only thing I don’t like is the CPU decided that I was going to throw a meatball before the first right stick motion was even registered. This only happened when my pitcher was up on pitch count, but if there’s a comeback AI built into this game, I think that’s how it would get you. The alternative pitching control (Precision COntrol) got some tweaks also. It’s now harder to time the meter’s collapse, therefore we no longer can spot pitches precisely like in 2K7.
Ben wrote:
Thats because online makes it harder to time your pitches because of the lag compared to offline where it is easier to be accurate with your pitches because there is no lag.
of the new fielding, throwing and baserunning, I actually thought that pitching needed the most retooling. Now after many games, I like it the best of all the new stuff. Longer learning curve than most people will give. I just don’t like Swing 2.0 of the five things. Need to fix check swings somehow and also I don’t like how the step feels. Maybe they should do the step automatically and you can “load” your swing for more power. Shorter loads for contact??? Game is really fun tho…
madden cone?
What i like about this 2K8 game is that they improved all aspect of the gameplay and good pitching is now rewarded. It’s way better than to press a button… which is so easy and basic now.
The pitching mechanic with the anlog stick is one of the best improvement they could have made in a baseball game.
I agree with the other person saying that the swing stick 2.0 needs some improvement. I would like the step forward to be done automatically so that we could concentrate on the contact with the ball itself while the pitch is coming.
But i like the fact that there is no more power stroke to the movement of the stick anymore. That way, you hit a homerun when the timing is perfect with the pitch… not simply because you moved the stick upward… like it was the case with last year’s version of the game.
as for the power/contact, they could reward the hitter who is just trying to choke n’ poke to put the ball in play as opposed to a more natural “full” swing…power. The risk for a full swing would be less frames to make contact with or something. Just put the classic control’s auto step with an analog pullback for a load for a specific hitting approach…….just a thought.
These pitching controls are great!And easy to.I only throw a meatball maybe once every two games on average.
Pasta I’m sorry but I dont think it is the Vision Cone or just a new feature to have a new feature.It really makes pitching realistic!You are throwing the pitch,Not every pitch is going to be perfect,If you slip up and mess up your gonna get hit like real life.No more spotting the ball on the corner without trying.
You can do it with ease with these controls but you have to actually try and get better with each game.
I don’t understand what all of you guys are saying. First, it is fairly easy to keep away from throwing a meatball if you actually focus like in the real baseball. I only throw about 2-3 meatballs a game. Maybe 1 of these gets belted. Of the pitches where I throw with a gesture from 50-70, which is about 10 times a game, maybe 6-7 get hit hard, but at the most only 1 is a home run. The system is challenging, but not as impossible as everyone makes it out to be. I LOVE THIS NEW SYSTEM. All 2k must do now is work on the faces in the game, and the bugs that continue to hamper reviewers opinions of the game.
The new system separates the men from the boys….(The Josh Becketts from the Jon Garlands)