Yep, that’s Alabama man up there, but not the man who one $1 million dollars playing MLB2K10. That guy up there in the picture is the one who says “I’m gonna smack you bitch!” and “Get back in the freakin’ kitchen!”. Those are just a few of the notable quotes found from the action figure “Alabama Man” featured in a previous South Park episode. Another quote to add to the repertoire of Alabama Man is “WOOHOO!” as 24 year-old Wade McGilberry (an Alabama man from Semmes that isn’t anything like South Park’s rendition) pitched a perfect game in 2K Sports’ MLB2K10.
Baseball season kicked off last night and will continue to do so today. The best thing about Opening Day is that everyone is tied for first and has a chance to fulfill their goals. (Even the Pirates and Royals can say they are in it for another week or so. ) MLB2K10 had two major goals this baseball season. First, close the gap between itself and The Show because it will forever be compared as long as the two are on the market. Second, improve the glitches and bugs that have plagued prior releases. I truly feel that they have accomplished both here.
Welcome back to another episode of Twisted Gamer Radio. On today’s show we help the elderly with depression instead of the Wii, we chat about the Activision vs. Infinity Ward beef, as well as cover the PSN bug that hit last week and how it affects the Playstation Network. Plus, a great new infomercial for Zoobooks in Sound Clip Corner.
Sometimes it is okay to admit you are losing in a fight. The battle for NHL gaming dominance has been such a one-sided affair, it borders on the absurd. EA has developed arguably the two best console hockey sims ever made the last two years while the NHL2K games have been decent at best. 2K will not be developing a NHL title for 360 or PS3 in 2011, though there will be a Wii version as of right now. NBA2K has been a very good series and more than rivals EA’s NBA Live. I hope the temporary and probably permanent dismissal of hockey will result into a concerted effort to make MLB2K a worthy advesary to The Show as 360 owners only have one choice when it comes to America’s pastime.
After playing the MLB 2K10 demo about ten times on my Xbox 360, I’m pleasantly surprised. I haven’t enjoyed the past few iterations of the series at all, but 2K10 looks like a nice step forward. Yesterday afternoon I had a chance to speak with some of the development team at 2K about the game, with discussions ranging from their thoughts on 2K9 to the improvements to the core engine this year.
First and foremost, the team was not happy with MLB 2K9. It was the first year the MLB game was transitioned from Kush Games to 2K’s internal Visual Concepts studio and as such, it wasn’t afforded a full development cycle. Learning and integrating the new code base took much of team’s time, so this year, they were able to focus more on integrating new features, such as a completely rewritten physics engine. After playing the demo extensively, I feel they did a good job here. There are a few quirks I’ve seen in the demo, but they could be addressed in the final retail build, so I’ll hold off judgment on those for a bit.
I’m looking forward to getting my hands of the full game early next week to try out the new modes and play a complete 9 inning game. It’ll be interesting to compare the final product of MLB 2K10 with MLB 10 The Show. It’s going to be a closer race than I had imagined.
Is this what it’s going to come down to? Offering a $1 million prize to try to get people to play MLB 2K10 instead of MLB 10 The Show? Every year, we hear about the game being revamped. Every year, we get disappointed by the gameplay and stick with the superior offering from Sony. I’m not holding my breath.
In case you don’t own a PS3 and continue to support 2K’s baseball endeavors on other platforms, try throwing a perfect game. The first person to do so on a game that can be verified will win $1 million. Wanna read the official rules and regulations? Straight from the mouths of 2K’s PR people:
To compete, gamers must play in MLB Today mode, select from any of the available matchups, and then choose the option to participate in the ‘Major League Baseball 2K10 contest’ that will automatically default to the proper gameplay settings according to the official gameplay rules. Entries must be recorded via camera or digital video recorder in compliance with guidelines provided by 2K in the Official Rules, and all eligible entrants must submit a copy of their recording in its entirety for verification. Submissions will only be accepted on DVD. To ensure accuracy in the verification and submission process, 2K Sports has partnered with Twin Galaxies International, the worldwide authority on video game world records, and provider of scores to Guinness World Records that are published in the Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition.
I’m willing to bet this gets accomplished day 1. Some astounding gamer will get the money and then blow it all on Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew Gamer Fuel. Either way, I’m playing The Show.
It’s safe to say that the MLB 2K series has been a disappointment. Sony’s MLB The Show series has trumped 2K every year, but that doesn’t stop the exclusive multiplatform license holder to keep up the talk. Being the 10th anniversary of the MLB 2K series, I’m hoping 2K Sports goes balls out and brings the pain with this year’s title. Sadly, I’m expecting it be not much better than last year. There’s a long way to go and not a lot of time to get it done. We’ll see in March, though. It’s less than 6 weeks until pitchers and catchers report and I can’t wait.
Hockey season is almost here, so getting ready for the long haul of the 82 game regular season is a big deal for fans. I myself am a fan of the sport of hockey first, THEN I am a fan of the Dallas Stars (my local NHL hockey team). I might celebrate a great highlight goal or sick move, but I’ll hate the team that player plays for with a passion. I ultimately just want to spread the gospel of hockey so it can have a larger following, as well as a bigger showing on ESPN not ESPN 8 - The Ocho. This led me to dabble in rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks last year for their exciting and talented young hockey team. I started this when I needed a team to get behind and cheer for since that club actually made it to the playoffs (*cough* My Stars didn’t! *cough*). So which one of the two hockey games being released this year are going to tickle my jock strap and get me in the mood for the hockey season? Find out after the jump as I review 2K Sports NHL 2K10.
When motion controls first hit the scene a few years back, playing a baseball game where you can actually swing was what I wanted most. Many gamers preferred the light saber fantasy, but I am more of an athlete than a mathlete. Anyway, the baseball game to play this season not on Sony hardware is The Bigs 2. This is like baseball on steroids, no pun intended. The game is a hybrid of a baseball sim and NFL Blitz. The Wii version is different from the other console versions making it a clean single as opposed to a walk-off home run.
During a recent 2K media day, we got a chance to take a look at The Bigs 2 on the Wii. The sequel to 2007’s arcade baseball title adds a few new modes and tweaks to turn up the fun factor. With the Wii version being the best selling edition of the original, 2K chose to show off this version of the game.
The first thing that hit me was how well The Bigs 2 looked on the Wii. Character and stadium models (while tweaked to look extreme) are terrific on the platform. Things look even better on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but based on controls, the Wii version may be the one to pick up. Pitching and hitting with the Wii Remote are very fluid and not over-done or gimmicky, so you’ll definitely enjoy it.
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