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Absolutely horrible STAY FAR AWAY

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Absolutely the worst baseball game I have ever played. HORRID graphics, choppy animations, poor player animations, player faces that look like zombies. Don't even get me started on the game play. Players not tagging up, people not covering the base, fielders not chasing the ball, pitchers batting cleanup in the lineup. What an absolute mess. There's literally nothing good about this game. If you have a PS2, get MLB 06 The Show (which happens to be excellent), if you don't have a PS2, don't buy a MLB game this year because there are no good ones. Complete and utter disappointement!

There should be a rating for NO stars.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: April 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I shan't complain about the batting controls as others have because they can be changed to be more suitable. Not the baserunning controls, mind you. Those are beyond horrible.

I shan't complain about the graphics as they are adequate. I won't even bicker about rosters not being updated or commentary being flawed. The gameplay, on the other hand, is atrocious. Since when does Randy Johnson, a fastball pitcher, throw four wild pitches in a row when attempting to throw a fastball straight down the middle?

For those who might ask, the pitchers do in fact get tired but that wasn't the case here. Any pitcher I chose if I tried anything creative the pitch would go wild, and sometimes if I did nothing creative at all. That aside, let me count the ways this game is terrible:

1) Randomly for no apparent reason the catcher will have the opportunity to, and automatically will attempt to, pick off a baserunner at first after a pitch. This does not seem to have any relation to whether or not that runner extended his lead and whether or not the runner gets back to the bag in time seems to be up to the software. It's like a cutscene neither player has control over, but can result in an out for no apparent reason. Bonus point: This can happen after a strike makes the third out. Apparently the game designers forgot how many outs were in an inning.

2) The game freezes, occasionally crashes, and is generally slow to load and sometimes horribly sluggish. I suspect it was written in COBOL.

3) With one pitcher I kept using his slider and literally after every single pitch one of the announcers made the exact same comment. Over and over. This was annoying, but I chalk it right up on the board next to other fun bugs like "HOME RUN DISTANCE: 0 FEET".

4) The music reminds me of Super Nintendo. This is not a slur on SNES, rather a statement that the parts of this game that aren't completely awful would have been considered "pretty good" a decade ago.

5) I like to try little experiments so my friend and I were playing the home run derby both using the same players. We managed 33 and 28 HR respectively at Yankee Stadium and then proceeded to Coors Field, which the game ranks as the best "Hitters Park" and proceeded to be baffled by getting only a third as many HR. We then went back to Yankee Stadium and did even worse. Now, if it was only me I'd say that maybe I just went all funny in the head and forgot how to play, but since this was happening to both of us I suspect the game is the one that went a little funny, especially with all other things considered.

6) All of that aside, I've experienced multitudes of line drives that are caught, but looked like they were ground balls from the initial angle; Clear and obvious fielding errors where a throw is made and the ball isn't caught by the receiving party, but it's ruled as a base hit; pitches that are JUST outside the strike zone are ruled as a ball and then the same exact pitch thrown two seconds later slightly FURTHER outside the strike zone is ruled as a strike; Announcers announcing that the lead-off batter is coming to the plate right after he's been thrown out at first, etc.

In summary, if you like games where players consistantly make errors beyond your control, where some of those errors are not even ruled as errors, where the announcers often sound a little off and occasionally sound as if they're doing some heavy-duty hallucinogens and the umpires seem to be sneaking some of the drugs out of the announcer's booth, this game may be for you.

If you like games that are designed counter-intuitively, have mediocre graphics and still manage to tax the processor, have outdated music and poor game mechanics, this might be the basball game of your dreams.

If you like to see fielders sprinting vigorously into walls every time a ball is hit foul, enjoy your star pitcher having the coordination of a drunken infant, prefer to hit two different buttons at the same time to instruct ONE runner to advance, and repeat the process with different buttons for each additional runner you want to try for extra bases in the middle of a play that takes five seconds, if you want the game to occasionally and automatically have the catcher throw runners out who weren't even supposed to be leading, without you having the slightest bit of control over the situation, BUY THIS GAME NOW. You will love it.

a big letdown

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

i am not a dedicated game player. the only electronic game i enjoy is baseball. last year i received as a Father's Day gift a Play Station 2 game platform, along with 2K5 ML Baseball game. this replaced a PS1 and a 3DO High Heat ML baseball game.once i began using the PS2 and 2K5 baseball game, i never went back to the old game system. the gameplay on the PS2 was vastly superior. i really enjoyed playing one or two baseball games daily. i edited myself onto the Mets and enjoyed the fantasy of being in the "bigs".the 2K5 game was a lot of fun for me. when i first started using it, my wife walked by and thought i was watching an actual baseball game in progress.this is not to say the 2K5 game was perfect. there were several glaring glitches, such as the constant wild pitches, which were always called strikes even though they bounced at the plate. there were other "typo" type of errors, but for the price of $19.95, i felt that despite the bugs, the 2K5 was really an enjoyable game.in February, i started reading about the next generation of my baseball game called the 2K6. the first thing i noticed was that the price had doubled to $39.95. since there were so many promises of upgrades for the 2K6, the higher price didn't deter me, and i waited impatiently for the 2K6s introduction. i kept calling local stores to check on its availibility. and when Target confirmed it would be on sale the next day, my wife was there to pick it up for me.when i opened the package, loaded the disc to set it up for play, i began to notice that the promised upgrades were promises, not fact. in no particular order, this is what i found:the replay system was terrible. most replays start when the play shown is more then half over. you don't see the ball being hit, only the ball rolling into the outfield, and precious little base running. the final out of the inning cannot be replayed at all. this refers to your choice of replays. if you're waiting for game induced instant replays, there are hardly any of those, unlike the 2K5. when at bat, there is rarely any identification of the batter. sometimes it's mentioned who's at bat, for a split second. most times, you have to guess. the game announcers seem to make up previous at bats, most times as run scoring doubles, no matter what the batter's game histories are. the same is true of the game history on the menu.despite the promises of replay highlights and batters replay highlights, there are none, no matter that these controls are marked on.actual game play is too bad, but not really better the the 2K5. graphics leave a lot to be desired.the players seem to react either like something from the original body snatchers film, or like the Keystone Kops, complete with herkey jerkey movments. some funny aspects are when an outfielder goes back on a homerun, he takes his frustration of not being able to catch it, by "kicking" at the wall. a player running to first base will sometimes continue to run down the baseline almost to the right field foul pole. maybe he's trying to escape. on page 17 of the 2K6 owners manual, reference is made to an ONSCREEN GAME MANUAL in the EXTRA SECTION of the game menu section. this has to be the stealth version of the ONSCREEN GAME MANUAL, because it isn't there, unlike the 2K5 baseball game.i e-mailed 2K Sports, with copies to both Tech Support and Customer Service, with reference to the points covered here and asked for comments and assistance. perhaps i may have a defective game disc. wishful thinking. so far i have received no reply from 2K Sports.i waited for some time for the 2K6 baseball game, and willingly paid the inflated $40 price.. i am very disappointed with the "new improved" version of the 2K5 that i really enjoyed. the improved game does not live up to its hype. the graphics are a step backwards, as well as the gameplay. the replays are not as well done as the 2K5. the stadiums are not represented as well as on the 2K5. i feel as is i wasted my purchase price. i really only needed a roster update, but even in that, the 2K6 fails to live up to the advance hype. i can only hope 2K Sports anwers, and tells me i have defective 2K6 game disc, but after reading the reviews shown on this site, i do not think there is much chance of that. all the reviewers seem to have come to the same conclusion. 2K Sports, you produced a CLUNKER!

Fun, but...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is a very good baseball game packed with tons of options and features, but...if you don't read the manual the game will seem like it doesn't function right. Without knowing how to pitch, you will throw wild pitches. etc. Many of the negative reviews are from people who played the game for an hour and didn't bother to learn about the controls. I ghaven't thrown a wild pitch since reading the manaul. This is a great baseball game for those wanting games and a sim.

Not as good as 2k5

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: April 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's not nearly as good as 2k5. But that is just my first impression. With time, and adjusting to the new and more advanced controller system, it might have potential. Graphics are a step down from last year too. My suggestion, rent it first and play a couple of games of it. You'll probably want to change the default camera settings

Avoid all other reviews

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm scanning this board reading the reviews, and I realize half the people haven't taken the time to figure out the things that are bothering them about the game before coming online and smearing it. Are there flaws? Yes. Not as bad as what's being reported though.

There's plenty of game modes, but they're all fairly similiar. Franchise and GM have all the same options with the exception of four or five manageable goals if you enter GM mode. Completing goals raises your GM grade and increases budget. The other negligable difference is that Franchise mode allows you to force trades through with the computer controlled teams, GM mode makes you use the "Fair Trade" system. Which is hardly ever fair, even if you're trying to deal outside of your rival teams. Both GM and franchise allow you to look at team pulse and measure team chemistry, which can make players better or worse. You can call team meetings and choose your appropriate response to your teams recent play (note: It's not a good idea to make fun of all your player's mothers on the first day of the season, but the option is there). Depending on the meeting and player, his morale will go up or down. In both Franchise and GM mode, you can buy scouting reports on players/teams for a chunk of money. Depending on the team, it can get pricey. There's also a home-run derby you can play, a manager mode (which consists of watching a screen, picking how you'd manage the game in a drop-down menu, and watching the results...zzz...), and a situation game. Want to put your guy up in the bottom of the ninth with two men out, the bases juiced, and a full count? Here's your shot.

There's a LOT of detail in this game, however they were very sloppy about several details. A home opener in Milwaukee has the chance of rain. This is all and well, except Miller Park has a retractable roof. Maybe I'm nitpicking. Players fall over if they collide on-field or into the walls. This is extremely frustrating when you run down a ball in center field only to fall over from hitting the wall, even though it never would've happened in the majors. Players overlap first, and get thrown out on a late relay. If there's a runner safe on third, and you have the ball at home, a simple throw to third will get the computer to try for home 50-60% of the time. Easy out, but very unrealistic.

Batting is an improvement, the swing stick makes hitting the ball easier than ever. The L-stick is your hitters eye, line it up with where you think the pitch is going and if the pitch goes there, it helps you out when you swing. If you pick the wrong area, everyone in the stadium laughs at you. You pull back on the R-stick when the pitcher releases and let go for contact. If you're a purist you can choose to push or pull the ball by going left/right on the R-stick. Pushing all the way forward is a power swing. You can choose to use all of this, or use none of it and have X be your swing button. Be warned, the game will also freeze periodically during the pitch. That tenth of a second is enough to really mess up the timing. It is rare, but it does happen (especially online).

Baserunning frustrated me to no end until I realized in 2K's quest to simplify everything, they made it more complex. Directional pad left tells all your runners to advance one base, DP right is to return. The computer will tell your runners what to do if you do not. You do not want this to happen. I recommend selecting each runner individually with X, O, triangle, and square and use L1 to advance them ahead, or R1 to retreat them back. This is still highly irregular and nowhere near the perfection of the MVP series.

Pitching is the most accurate part of the game. You have to set a breaking point for your pitches with movement in order to compensate for the break of the ball. After two strikes, or in a pitching jam, you're given the option of throwing a payoff pitch. If you hit the target that's lit up on the screen, the pitch rating increases the rest of the game. You do not want to miss it, though.

The thing that single most bothers me about the game, however, is the player rating system. ESPN prides the game on being based on three years of statisics, then does injustices to each player in it by insulting them with their rating system. It's obvious they're playing favorites with a team like the Yankees, and throwing guesses to the rest of the teams around the league. Before you play, you might want to readjust the attributes to everyone on your team. I wish I was kidding.

This is the price of one companies monopoly on sports licensing. You get inferior products because they know you can't buy anything else. I'm not going to say it's a great game, but it's not horrible either. With outside competition, however, it would've been a lot better. 3/5

Not Worth all the wait

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: April 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Got this game yesterday and all I can say is today im Trading it in. For all the wait so unimpressed. The graphics look faded, the animation labored. Yo u can only control up too 4 teams which means you cant make roster adjustments on other teams. For example Mike Piazza is on the free agents list. Unless you choose the Padres as one of your 4 teams thats where he will set. Him and a few others. Onee again that glitch from last year returns. In he one game i played i had 7 wild pitches even after i set the bar to 0. Also ESPN does not do the covereage its FOX. but john miller and joe morgan are stll the announcers. Not sure how they did that. Overall i was very unhappy and going to try MLB the show.

The Biggest Letdown in Years

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

With EA Sports sadly selling the MLB rights to this 2K crapola, we have seen the downfall of MLB games till whenever the contract with Take 2 ends (please let it be soon). Last year's MVP game was brilliant, so I wexpected this 2K game to be somewhat close, but boy was I wrong. This is a huge, huge step backwards. All the new stuff that they presumably added suck. Lets just ron dowm a list of the cons to the game:

1.) Graphics: Utterly Terrible. The field and stadiums are O.K., but the players faces all look like they are defected. They all look nothing like what they actually do. If you bough MVP 2005 last year, you remember the deatail that were in those faces (remember the beard of Damon), this is the exact opposite.

2.) Gameplay: Once again, Utterly terrible. Baserunning is damnly complex, adn the new "Swing stick" is hard to understand and use. Pitching is just as bad. However you try to pitch the ball will almost certainly not end uo where you intended it to be. Finally fielding is only decent, but really ladies and gentlemen, it sucks.

3.) Commentary: This is the only decent thing onm the game. Jon Miller andm Joe Morgan do a good job. Of course, it gets repetitive, b ut it always will.

And for good measure, a few more things that make the game worse than say Ken Griffey Jr. games for N64:

1.) It rains ion Houston, and Toronto, and Milwaukee, and any other retractable roof stadium. THey never close the roof, it just rains!!

2.) The game quite frequently lags.

3.) The Cardinals play at Busch Stadium, the old one!!

Well that just about sums up this piece of junk. All these 2K games are a joke. The only good one was NFL 2K5, which led to EA buying out the football rights. Well 2K better get baseball right, or they might be forced to sell thbe baseball rights.

2K6 is a disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: April 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are decent but majority of the players DO NOT look what they look like in real life. The roster is not updated even though this game came out after the season started. For example, Coco Crisp is traded to Boston but they still have him as an Indian. This game also mess up the pitching rotation order. For example, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Buerhle are the #1 starters for Indians and White Sox, this game have Lee and Garland.

Game play is hard, both pitching and hitting. It doesn't have the pitch meter like MVP Baseball 2005 and only allows you to set the breaking point for a pitch, that's it. When you hit you need to pull your analog stick back and forward kind of like the hitting motion, which the timing is tough to master. Also, every player have exaclty the same kind of home run swing, not to mention it looks pretty awkward.

There are a couple of cool things about this game, in between innings, it usually asks you a trivia question regarding your team, graphics are decent (but not relastic as far as players goes)

I do not recommend this game mainly because the game play is lame and hard to master. Now I learn the lesson, always borrow or rent a game before you buy.

Waste of money

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: April 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm not going to provide a long-winded review of this game. Save that for other reviewers who have already given great insight into the problems associated with this title. Simply, this is the worst baseball game I have played - EVER. I go back to the days of Bases Loaded, RBI Baseball, and others on NES -- and this game is so badly made it's almost comical. The graphics look like they were designed for the original Playstation, the controls are tedious, the action is boring, the commentary is flawed, the players don't look "natural," and the load times take forever. AVOID. I just traded mine in...

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