MLB 2k10 Impressions

Originally posted by TedSGN

   Played half an exhibition game and half of a dynasty game on pro with no slider changes.

Looks different from 2k9.  Not better or worse to me, just the player models are a little different.  They changed the menu system.  The old one took me awhile to adjust to so now I have to learn another obtuse system.

The cameras I liked to use are still in the game so I was really happy with that because I believe the camera settings I used were an integral part of why I enjoyed 2k9 so much.

The play is a bit more hurried than 2k9 which I dislike, but I know the majority of gamers will be happy about.  Instead of having the entire throw back to the pitcher animated from throw to getting set on the mound again the ball just gets thrown back and there is a little flash and the pitcher is set.  On hurry up baseball it is even faster with the pitcher getting set right after the pitch and there are no batter walk ups or stats overlays.  

The pitching is probably better than last year due to the emphasis of the gesture, but I don't think it is nearly as fluid as last year.  Last year you did everything from the right stick.  This year they add a button press which makes it feel more like playing a game and less like you are in the game.  Also, I was disappointed to see that you can no longer aim the pitch and then press right trigger to lock in your aim point before starting your motion.  Now you have to aim the whole time.  This causes some problems when throwing to a base to hold a runner.

The crowd going for foul balls has been removed.....boo.

They added John Kruk to the color staff.  He's all right to me, but not adding anything that Steve Phillips doesn't already bring.  I know the whole real life Steve Phillips debacle, but I actually enjoyed listening to him and Gary converse in 2k9.  So now there is three.

Dynasty has added spring training games so now you can play all of those too.  Also the roster expands to 40 man for the spring which is a great addition.

Team ratings go from 97 for NYY and 96 for BOS down to 69 for poor PIT.  Most teams are 79 to 84 it seems.  Seattle is an 80.

Batting is way different this year.  More than pitching.  Not only do you get to swing three different ways (full swing, contact, and defensive), but it seems they have shrunk the strike zone a bit and (I haven't quite figured out what triggers this) you also get (at times) the kind of pitch that is coming, the general area of the pitch (inside, outside), whether it is going to be a definite strike or ball, and sometimes nothing so you don't know what is coming.  I can't tell if it is triggered by skill, pitch count, something else, or a combination of all three.  It's definitely interesting and it can be turned off simply by turning off the visible strike zone while batting.  You can also turn off the strike zone while pitching too which I do because it helps me avoid fudging my aim to try and throw a strike.  I just pitch where the catcher tells me and live with the results.

You can have swing and pitch analysis on every pitch if you so desire.

If you completely flub a pitch you throw a wild pitch, not a meatball.....good.  On pro it is a good enough challenge to throw with high power all the time.  Most of my pitches are 75 percent power.

I played 2k9 with a very specific slider set that I loved so it is always hard for me to change games and takes awhile for me to get used to the new game.  I was happy to see that the default pro sliders was resulting in good pitch counts and strikes to balls ratios.  In my first game I had a 1:1 strike/ball ratio with Cliff Lee and the computer had a 1:2 with their starter (forgot who).  Then in dynasty Oakland's starter had a 2:1 and I had a 1:2 with Felix Hernandez.  In four inning I struck out three with Felix with now walks despite the 1:2 ratio.  I drew two walks on my side of the plate.

Fielding doesn't seem quite as fun as in 2k9.  It doesn't feel as fluid.  Throwing seems the same.

Frame rate is good so far.  I didn't have any framerate issues in 2k9 except at a few parks and usually only when men were on base while I was batting.

So far pretty decent.  I have a hard time switching baseball games, but I think this may grow on me.