The adage of the once-great star being overshadowed by a young up-and-comer is ever-present in sports. You'll find no better real world example of this phenomenon than what's happening with the current state of baseball games. The old and wise MLB 2K series has been totally usurped by Sony's MLB: The Show, which only recently broke onto the scene. Every year we wait and see if 2K is going to be able to keep pace with what Sony brings to the table, and every year we walk away disappointed. While MLB 2K10 takes small steps towards fixing the problems that made last year's game such a disappointment, it still doesn't come close to delivering the definitive baseball experience that we all want from the oldest baseball franchise around.
If you've been watching any of our coverage leading up to the launch of MLB 2K10, it should be clear that 2K Sports is putting a large focus on the hitter vs. pitcher duel that is inherent to the game of baseball. The authenticity that 2K Sports has been able to capture when you step to the plate or hurl the ball across it is probably the single best achievement in MLB 2K10. It's something that other games have gotten right in the past, but 2K10 finally seems to have mastered the AI that drives these conflicts. If you swing at everything thrown your way, you'll absolutely never get a hittable pitch. It's up to you to display discipline and patience in waiting for a pitch to hit, much like players do in reality. It seemed like neither the hitter nor the pitcher had an advantage with the newly refined mechanic, something that was a worry when I first played MLB 2K10.
Sadly, it's the hitter vs. batter interaction that's really the only shining achievement for this year's game. Everything else has one problem or another that keeps it from being great or, in some cases, good. Take the new My Player mode, for instance. It's 2K Sports' first effort at delivering a career mode in their baseball franchise and, at least at first, it seems like they might have nailed it. But the more time you sink into the mode, the more its design and technical failings become apparent.
Things begin with the requisite player creation. It's just as detailed as any in the sports genre and even brings new last names for Gary Thorne and company to say such as "Ahearn." From there, you're off to your first game which, regardless of your position, is a bottom-of-the-ninth clutch moment for you to be either the hero or the zero. After that, it's up to you to build up your player through good in-game play and training drills.
Your fun factor in My Player is largely dependent on which position you play as the experiences differ quite a bit. If you're playing as a pitcher you're going to obviously be confined to the rubber with few chances to hit the ball. You're inundated with pitching points that you'll be able to distribute as you see fit. Other stats fall by the wayside, but that's understandable if you're a closer or a middle-reliever. Playing as a pitcher provided the most fun for me in My Player. The hitter vs. pitcher altercations are strong; even when in the minors, striking guys out is as satisfying as ever. I would've appreciated the ability to develop a pitcher that can also hit, but that's so rare it almost doesn't make sense to include it.
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