Major League Baseball 2K11 is the next iteration in the 2K baseball series.
Release Date: Mar 8, 2011
Pitching kind of sucks. But it doesn't suck any more. And hey, if you liked it already, then you might love this.
Major League Baseball 2K11 Review: Most people love hitting homeruns, cranking out that runner-advancing single, making incredible plays in the field and every other aspect of baseball in video games more than they enjoy pitching. Yes, you have to do it, and you have to learn to do it well, but it is just … blah! And I know I speak for the majority of sports gamers when I say that. That is why I was amazed that MLB 2K11, also going by the names Major League Baseball 2K11, Major League Baseball 2011, and 2K Sports Major League Baseball 2011, actually had me dying to pitch because of the unique pitching mechanics that are involved in this new game.
Pitching just hasn’t changed very much the last few years. Game developers know that the vast majority of gamers much prefer offense to defense, so they make pitching easier to hit, and ramp up players’ offensive prowess. But serious game developers like Visual Concepts believe in providing reality to the games they make. Yes, 500 foot homers are nice, but 5 a game is really stretching it. Enter MLB 2K11, due to hit the street on March 8.
Usually, all baseball games have three elements in pitching. You choose the type of pitch, the target area, and then press a button when the pitching gauge gets where you want it. That’s it, and that is so unrealistic it is a joke. It is amazing it has taken so many developers and so many years to come up with a new pitching system, but Visual Concepts was brave enough to do just that.
What you do to pitch in MLB 2K11 is use your control stick to enact a windup motion and pitch just like a real baseball player would. It helps if you have ever played baseball before, but if not, the system still feels natural and you pick it up quickly. Throwing a heater? Pull straight back, and then thrust forward quickly and you are slinging a fastball. Want to follow that up with a baffling curve? You perform a swinging move around the bottom of an onscreen circle (circle, curve, get it?), and you want to try and time your delivery as soon as the circle, which fills as you go through your windup, fills completely.
Don’t get me wrong, this game is not all pitching. There is plenty of offense, and play-making galore, but the pitching feature is truly enjoyable. Does this feature all by itself convince you to enjoy pitching more and set this baseball game apart from the competition? Actually, it does, and come March 8th, you can see for yourself.
Regardless of which gaming system gets your blood pumping, you’ll be able to enjoy Major League Baseball 2K11, which is available for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and your PC.
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