George Carlin said baseball was known as America's national pastime because "it takes so damn long to play a game." He was right. Never is this more clear than in playing simulated baseball in a videogame. While it does often retain the fun and excitement of being at the ballpark, it can also unintentionally include the tedium as well.

Guess what MLB 2K12 includes?

MLB 2K12 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Games
Released: March 6, 2012
MSRP: $59.99

Let me get this out of the way right now: if you've played last year's iteration of the game (or even 2K10), this year's MLB 2K remains virtually unchanged from previous versions. With the exceptions of a few coats of polish, updated rosters, and some other minor tweaks here and there, it's the same ballgame from before.

That said, while the majority of the framework remains the same, graphically there have been better touches throughout making character models more realistic (though somehow more dead-eyed than usual), and everything seems brighter and more vibrant. Animations still have some stagger and hiccup, but nothing I hadn't seen in previous years. The menu presentation, however, will make you wonder if you'd accidentally purchased last year's game.

However, when it gets down to gameplay we finally see some improvements, but to be fair, they are minor. Pitching now comes with a caveat: throw the same pitch over and over, despite your catcher's suggestions, and the hitters get wise and start anticipating what you'll throw. Switching up your pitches is now more important than ever, as batters will hone in on what you've thrown and make you pay for it with a base hit.

It's with these hits that suddenly, gameplay falls apart again. Fielding here now seems unnecessarily tough, with meters appearing to determine whether or not your throw will reach the base with enough power, or even at all. Sadly, even without these meters, your fielder may not be sure where to throw or how, as they stutter through animations and allow runners to score before finally deciding to throw to where the runner used to be. Evidently, it's all determined by whether or not the fielder's feet are both planted before he throws, but when charging a ball and trying to stop a runner from scoring, who has the time to wait for a fielder to stop moving?

If you've never played an MLB 2K game, this can be very frustrating, as the game itself gives no coaching to newbies. There are a few training drills, but they're slipshod and don't detail enough of the controls. The same can be said for pitching and hitting: while throws and hits were usually done with flicks of the right analog stick, I had to eventually switch to the "classic" mode of "press button to throw/swing" as the drills provided no marked improvement to my game. The analog stick movements may have awarded a bit more precision and immersion into the simulation, but overall I found them to be more of a nuisance than anything.

The other gameplay modes also end up being carbon copies of previous years. My Franchise and My Player are back, and while My Player tricks you into thinking you're setting up a unique player with specified skills (a heavy hitter or a strong-arm pitcher, for example) with the point distribution suggesting how to improve your stats, the layout and feel are still the same as before. And while it may be deep, unless you want to live out your Moneyball fantasies, My Franchise is the RPG of baseball simulations and is perhaps best avoided for fear of yawning yourself to death. There is at least one new feature to the game called MLB Today Season, where players can select a team and compare their stats as they play alongside the real-life version of that team in a day-to-day, game-to-game season.

Despite the overall sameness, at least the color commentary has changed. The announcers all seem to actually be watching the game you're playing, and their comments all seem fresh and real. I never once heard the same remark twice, and they followed along with stats and plays so well, I thought it was a live feed coming from the Internet.

Speaking of online, there's the matter of playing MLB 2K12 with people other than those on your couch with you. There are a few instances of lag, but nothing game-breaking. However, animation frames still seem to jump and hiccup, and during the opposing team's pitch is when you don't want to have that. Searching for games online is confusing, and trying to focus your search by number of innings, skill, or difficulty level seems futile due to the same confusing menu system from last year's game (controlled by the right analog stick).

When it comes down to it, MLB 2K12 isn't a terrible game. But if you've played it before...well, you've played it before. If you haven't played it before, it's not a very good jumping-on point due to little to no in-game tutorials, and the animations won't win any new fans either. For baseball to be the "national sport," it takes a nation to love said sport. I just can't see how they can love what MLB 2K12 delivers.

Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)

JetSetRadioForever

Have to agree. MLB 2K series just gets worse and worse every year, much like Madden. Maybe 2K and EA should switch sports for 5 year stretches.

Agent9

i never liked sports games and have to say the score doesn't surprise me. if you want baseball get ur but up and go outside

Zepinephrine

Next year's review should just be a link to this one.

Coafi

Woah, where's Samit?

Gorescream

shovelware.bmp

Lydeck

2K needs to drop their stupid obsession with shitty fucking baseball and go back to making College Hoops 2K, or EVEN BETTER, go make a college football game that'll beat that piece of shit EA releases every year.

Joe Ess

@lydeck

I think because of the license they signed with the MLB they legally have to shit one of these games out every year. Like every year in their earnings calls they always talk about how this series loses money for them but their hands are tied.

I think they would be just happy to only release NBA games (since those seem to be only ones that seem to make them money and they are competent at making) if it was their choice.

wanderjahr

Samit should have done this review.

TheLupineOne

They all look so dead-eyed.

Shippoyasha

Playing baseball for real or in fantasy has their place. World Series on Sega Saturn were all time gaming classics too.

Colt Lookado

I couldn't disagree with this review more if I tried. Sounds like you played the game for a few minutes and brushed it off as another roster update.

Hitting and pitching are not that complicated. 2K11 was the first baseball sim I've played since Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run on SNES (and calling that a sim is a stretch) and I caught on immediately.

The new throwing mechanics are also not that complicated. The throwing meter has four segments, 2 are red, 1 yellow and 1 green. Holding the button of the base you want to throw to charges the meter, landing in either red zone means your throw is off target and weak, yellow means it's less off target and week while green is the sweet spot resulting in a strong, accurate throw. The new "feet plant" mechanic is also cool since that's how it works in real life. It's easier to make a strong and accurate throw from a standing position, not while moving. It's strategy, cue up the throw while moving and risk a bad throw or wait to steady yourself while risking letting the runner get on base. Again, it's not that complicated.

It seems very obvious that you are not a baseball fan, so why even review this game? Sounds like you should have passed on this assignment because you obviously had no interest in playing the games main mode, Franchise. Also, I have not experienced any of the problems you've described after dumping well over 20 hours into the game so far. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but it just seems like this is a mail in review.

Dynamic Sheep

commenting in a sports game thread.

KtMack23

I luk sporz

Kanten

Thumbs down for Angels Pujols in header.

Sin Nombre

Weird how bad this series has been then looking at 2K's NBA games and seeing how awesome those are

Brian Raney

I have to agree with Colt Lookado. Why even offer up a review of a game you're already biased towards disliking?

You even started the review off with a quote on how boring baseball is.

Osaka

Sport Sarkar!

Which rhymes with Parkar!

It's a play on woids!

brownjohn

My favorite mode in sports games is the My Player mode, or RTTS in The Show. In this game, My Player does not work very well. During the game, the action is broken up constantly with a new goal, and you never really get a good rhythm in game. In contrast, RTTS doesn't break up the action to give you a new goal during game.

I prefer pitching in the 2k series, but everything else works better in The Show.

Ian Bonds

@Colt Lookado and @Brian Raney

Please don't misconstrue. I love baseball. I always have. I watch it, I play it, I enjoy the sport. That said, yes, it can be tedious, and the quote was meant to show that while the real thing can occasionally be tedious, this game is almost NOTHING BUT tedium.

I played the game for a solid week and had numerous graphical glitches, dropped frames of animation and poor control. My review (and many others) reflect this. Obviously, game reviews are one person's opinion, so your mileage may vary. You're welcome to like this game. I, however, did not.

Colt Lookado

@Ian Bonds

Yeah I'm just saying that I personally have enjoyed the game while experiencing the occasional hiccup graphically but nothing like what it seems you have experienced gameplay/framerate wise.

I also think that 2K has been consistently better every year since 10 while The Show remained stagnate and is now on a slight decline. I've really enjoyed the analog pitching and hitting once I got used to it, after initially writing it off as a gimmick. I fell it helps replicate the actual stress a pitcher would experience. You have that bug in the back of your head, knowing that if you screw up your motion on this pitch that could be the game, similar to a real pitcher not executing their release point or grip properly.

Last year's addition of pitcher fatigue spanning several games added a nice layer of strategy with the possibility of being severely hampered if you burned up the bullpen the day before (The Show may have had this, I'm not sure). I also really like this year's addition of dynamic pitch rating, again adding more strategy if your best pitch is starting to get hit reducing its effectiveness. Again, like the new feet plant, that's something that really happens in baseball. Some days you've got the stuff, some you don't.

I think the only thing the Show has over 2K is the following and the polish. A lot of people have the preconceived notion that the Show is better evey year just because it's the Show. I think 2K replicates playing the game better, but the Show replicates its presentation better.

This is all just my opinion of course, just like your review. As a big baseball fan who doesn't play many sports games I think it's a damn good baseball sim. I mean yeah it has problems no doubt but I prefer it to the Show just because to me this game is more fun to actually play because of the gameplay mechanics.

Khronikos

I'm sorry man I have played both games very much and to say in any context at this point that 2K is even close is just moronic in its inception. The Show has better graphics, player models, and the modes are a crap ton better in 12. Have you even played 12 because I think I have seen you comment before. It doesn't even seem like you own a PS3. To say The Show is stagnant this year is beyond comprehension and makes you look slightly like a fool. They have TOTALLY redone their animation and the game plays 10x smoother than past versions because of this. Add to this real Physx and the game has become completely different in this regard to past years. The animations alone have made it a brand new game. Even the commentary in 12 is better and decent these days. 2k has always been good in this department and they have always been good with some small stadium details here and there. At least for my home team stadium, Target Field, I have given the members at Operation Sports forums feedback for community day and they bring it to the devs who made TONS of changes to the stadiums this year based on user feedback. This is a huge community feature that 2k could only dream about having because their devs don't do it nearly as much.

As for certain things like Uni's The Show still gets a few things wrong here and there and I think 2k does this very well. But what I don't like IS THE gameplay of 2k. It just doesn't do it for me and The Show has jumped past it this year. I WILL concede that 11 was getting stale and I did not even buy it but I sure as hell did not buy 2k either. Graphics and presentation do matter in a sports game.

Khronikos

I'm sorry man I have played both games very much and to say in any context at this point that 2K is even close is just moronic in its inception. The Show has better graphics, player models, and the modes are a crap ton better in 12. Have you even played 12 because I think I have seen you comment before. It doesn't even seem like you own a PS3. To say The Show is stagnant this year is beyond comprehension and makes you look slightly like a fool. They have TOTALLY redone their animation and the game plays 10x smoother than past versions because of this. Add to this real Physx and the game has become completely different in this regard to past years. The animations alone have made it a brand new game. Even the commentary in 12 is better and decent these days. 2k has always been good in this department and they have always been good with some small stadium details here and there. At least for my home team stadium, Target Field, I have given the members at Operation Sports forums feedback for community day and they bring it to the devs who made TONS of changes to the stadiums this year based on user feedback. This is a huge community feature that 2k could only dream about having because their devs don't do it nearly as much.

As for certain things like Uni's The Show still gets a few things wrong here and there and I think 2k does this very well. But what I don't like IS THE gameplay of 2k. It just doesn't do it for me and The Show has jumped past it this year. I WILL concede that 11 was getting stale and I did not even buy it but I sure as hell did not buy 2k either. Graphics and presentation do matter in a sports game.

Khronikos

I'm sorry man I have played both games very much and to say in any context at this point that 2K is even close is just a bit on the crazy end. The Show has better graphics, player models, and the modes are a crap ton better in 12. Have you even played 12 because I think I have seen you comment before. Do you own a PS3. I will not even play 2k on my PC lol.

To say The Show is stagnant this year is beyond comprehension and makes you look slightly like a fool. They have TOTALLY redone their animation and the game plays 10x smoother than past versions because of this. Add to this real Physx and the game has become completely different in this regard to past years. The animations alone have made it a brand new game. Even the commentary in 12 is better and decent these days. 2k has always been good in this department and they have always been good with some small stadium details here and there. At least for my home team stadium, Target Field, I have given the members at Operation Sports forums feedback for community day and they bring it to the devs who made TONS of changes to the stadiums this year based on user feedback. This is a huge community feature that 2k could only dream about having because their devs don't do it nearly as much.

As for certain things like Uni's The Show still gets a few things wrong here and there and I think 2k does this very well. But what I don't like IS THE gameplay of 2k. It just doesn't do it for me and The Show has jumped past it this year. I WILL concede that 11 was getting stale and I did not even buy it but I sure as hell did not buy 2k either. Graphics and presentation do matter in a sports game.

Khronikos

I am sorry man I have played both games very much and to say in any context at this point that 2K is even close is just a bit on the crazy end. The Show has better graphics, player models, and the modes are a crap ton better in 12. Have you even played 12 because I think I have seen you comment before. Do you own a PS3. I will not even play 2k on my PC lol.

To say The Show is stagnant this year is beyond comprehension and makes you look slightly like a fool. They have TOTALLY redone and added to their animations and the game plays 10x smoother than past versions because of this. Add to this real ball physics and the game has become completely different in this regard to past years. The animations alone have made it a brand new game. Even the commentary in 12 is better and decent these days. 2k has always been good in this department and they have always been good with some small stadium details here and there.

At least for my home team stadium, Target Field, I have given the members at Operation Sports forums feedback for community day and they bring it to the devs who made TONS of changes to the stadiums this year based on user feedback. This is a huge community feature that 2k could only dream about having because their devs don't do it nearly as much.

As for certain things like Uni's The Show still gets a few things wrong here and there and I think 2k does this very well. But what I don't like IS THE gameplay of 2k. It just doesn't do it for me and The Show has jumped past it this year. I WILL concede that 11 was getting stale and I did not even buy it but I sure as hell did not buy 2k either. Graphics and presentation do matter in a sports game.

The Show leads in this department by miles.