I don’t think I’ll understand why game companies release baseball games a full month before the actual season starts. In some states, snow is still on the ground. It’s not exactly baseball weather. On the other hand, maybe it has something to do with building hype for the upcoming season and getting baseball players ready for the 2011 season. So I suppose I can understand that. With that, we have Major League Baseball 2K11, now available in stores. Now, there’s something about this year’s baseball games that really say, “Been here, done that.” (And I’m relating to both MLB 2K11 and MLB 11: The Show, a PlayStation 3 exclusive.) That’s because neither game has really changed that much, sticking, for the most part, to the features that worked so well last year. That’s not entirely a bad thing, as there’s a certain familiarity that comes with the product.
But it might leave some people feeling burned that they’ve spent $60 on essentially a repeat package. Then again, doesn’t it seem that way with most sports games nowadays? Anyhow, Major League Baseball 2K11 has plenty of features in the gameplay department. When it comes to pitching, instead of relying on a wonky power meter and pressing a button for a pitch, you instead perform a Street Fighter-like analog motion as the circle meter opens up. It’s actually a good system, save for the weird pitches that will leave the ball flying way outside the strike zone. And if the batter catches wind and ends up on a base, you’ll feel the effects of the pitcher being rattled, including a faster meter and occasional rumble in your controller. Overall, though, we like it. As for batting, it’s a matter of timing and going between contact and power hits, as well as defensive swings (outside the zone) and bunts. It’s effective, as you use either the right analog stick or button presses to execute your swing. We didn’t have a problem hitting the ball, though some folks might need to get used to the timing. (Just get some batting practice in and you’ll be fine.)
Then there’s fielding, and it’s solid. Not amazing, as there are still dropped balls and occasional misreads by your AI teammates, but when it comes to hurling the ball towards your intended base, the controls work as needed. Base-running still needs a little work (especially when it comes to stolen bases), but we can’t complain too much. We were pulling off double plays with the San Francisco Giants like champs. The biggest problem lies with the game’s AI. Like we said, our own players make some errors we would’ve easily avoided, and the opposing team has a habit of hitting your pitches too often, even if you throw exactly what and where your pitcher commands. You can tweak the settings, though, if something’s a little too much for its own good. And, of course, there’s the joy of taking on fellow human players, either locally or online through Xbox Live. Online play works just fine, and there’s plenty of MLB Today features to take advantage of. Granted, they haven’t entirely launched yet since, well, we’re not in the season just yet. But from what we’ve seen, the match-ups and features load with no problem. You’ll find plenty to do as you count down to the season starter. In addition to regular match-ups, you can also jump into Franchise and My Player, holdovers from MLB 2K10.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our final thoughts on Major League Baseball 2K11.
