GLB Review Series: MLB 2K10

A few days ago, I got my hot little hands on MLB 2K10 for Xbox 360 after doing a fair bit of research before buying. Let me first state that this review only applies to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Apparently, the Wii version is just terrible, an unfortunate trend with sports simulations ported to the Wii. 

Also, as can be expected, I've played with the Padres almost exclusively, so this review will definitely have a Padres-centric slant. Not that that would be unwelcome here, but it's worth mentioning anyway.

The last baseball game I owned for my 360 was MLB 2K7, which I gave up on after a few weeks due to unrealistic game play (and having my franchise file become corrupted didn't help things either). Basically, pitching was too easy and clutch hitting was impossible. So have the ails of past 2K baseball games been cured by MLB 2K10? Find out after the jump! (Note my confidence that this will be on the front page.)

I'll begin with the game play. For the most part, the bugs that ran rampant in the 2K9 iteration have mostly been addressed. You do still see the occasional unrealistic animation or use of physics. Several times a game an outfielder will make a running shoestring catch, only the ball lands about a foot in front of his glove while suspended about 6 inches over the grass and slides conveniently into the glove. But whatever, I was no physics major in college. For all I know that's possible. I will also say that 2K Sports has promised several patches to address stuff like that over the next few months.

Game play is improved as well, but it's still not perfect. I held a team to 2 runs on 15 hits the other day, for example. The primary problem is that double plays come way too easy on the standard slider settings. Stealing bases is almost impossible--only the really fast guys like Everth can semi-consistently steal. I've never successfully stolen a bag with TGJr., the second fastest guy on the major league roster. On the other hand, fielders are lightning quick--Adrian can beat Ichiro to the bag. Errors are also extremely rare (or I'm just a great fielder).

My created player with subtle GLB shout-out.

There are some very good things about the game play. Taking walks is easier now if you are patient. You can also spoil off pitches to work a pitch count or wait for your pitch. If you are too aggressive, the AI will throw you junk. Remain patient and you'll get some pitches to hit. It's not always ideal to have "taking walks is easier" as a selling point, but I really go for realistic simulations and working counts is a good thing. Home runs have been scaled back so they come at a more realistic clip. Clutch hitting is not as hard because the pitcher gets rattled and can miss on location. The pitching system has been completely revamped so that you need to time your delivery and cleanly execute a specific joystick movement to hit your spots with maximum velocity and movement.

A few more points before I break down the Padres experience. The new My Player mode is pretty awesome. This is similar to the MLB 10 The Show, in which you create a player, pick a position, select an organization and try to work your way to the bigs. Let me recommend pitching. Fielders have to do a lot of mundane stuff like baserunning and fielding, while my closer is constantly thrown into tough spots and is always involved in the action. As you achieve goals you are rewarded with points to improve your skills so as to break into the big leagues and have a long career. Just two quibbles with this: a.) in attempts to get my pitcher into long outings, my AI manager will often send a light-hitting rookie reliever to the plate in a tie game late with runners in scoring position. Kind of detracts from the realism. b.) MLB 2K10 had the Astros beating the Royals in this years World Series. Pfffft.

The announcing by Gary Thorne, Steve Phillips and John Kruk is outstanding (I know, I know). If you're playing a franchise they make references to your previous games, saying things to the extent of, "The Padres are coming off an extra-innings loss to the Marlins," and "Gonzalez is leading the National League West in batting average." Of course, you will hear some of the same lines about Padres trading Jake Peavy or Chase Headley's power struggles over and over again if you play all 162 games, but there's nothing you can really do about that.

Now for the Padres. The player ratings are all over the place. For example, Everth has the power of a common pitcher, which is a little extreme. He also has a cannon. Luke Gregerson is very good, Mat Latos is pretty poor. Will Venable is white. The sand uniform is still in existence, though to be fair I'm not sure anyway really knows what's going on there (if they switch to road greys I'd think a patch would be released). The camouflage jersey is really bright and especially ugly, plus it's worn with white pants. That's the same problem with the alternate blue top: it's only worn with white pants. 

Alan's Division Champs 05 and 06!

Petco Park looks great for the most part. A game in Petco Park plays a lot differently than Minute Maid Field. The fences are finally blue. For a long time the fences were inexplicably green, so it's good to have that changed (I'm not sure when that fix happened, but it was green for several years). They also did a great job with the skyline. I've noticed a few things that only us Petco veterans would pick out.  The aisle between the front row and the wall in foul territory is a little spacious. Like stage-a-Jason-Bourne-car-chase spacious. The right field power alley is erroneously still listed as 411 feet. And I guess they couldn't get the rights to Western Metal Supply Co. either.

In conclusion, I really enjoy MLB 2K10, maybe because I realize a baseball game is never going to be perfect. If you were turned off majorly by MLB 2K9, give this a shot by renting it or playing at a friend's house. You may be made a believer again. If you have a Wii, avoid. If you have a PS3, you should probably still stick with MLB 10 The Show. I give it 33 thumbs up out of 39.