MLB 2K10

This is a sad day for baseball...

Posted 3 years ago By - Jay Acevedo

If you read my PSP review of MLB 10 The Show, you already know that I’ve played this game first. Why, you might ask? Maybe because I was expecting 2K Sports and Visual Concepts to surprise me or because, after playing MLB 2K10 on the Xbox 360, I saw a developer capable of improving things. I knew about the limitations of the PSP and since I’d never tried a baseball game on a handheld before, my expectations were low.

Unsurprisingly, the PSP version of Major League Baseball 2K10 was a disappointment. However, after seeing what Sony was able to pull-off, I had to come back to 2K10 just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Not only is Major League Baseball 2K10 for the PSP horrendous; it’s shameful to the point where you wonder if the goal was to develop a completely average game.

Gameplay

The control scheme in MLB 2K10 isn’t much different from MLB 10 The Show. This game suffers from the inadequate PSP analog stick. However, Sony managed to make it feasible and responsive, especially when it came to the pitching mechanic. In MLB 2K10, however, the aiming is far from easy. Most of my pitches were completely off the strike zone. Things were so much easier for the A.I though. He was throwing strikes like crazy. Usually, when that happens, you find yourself taking advantage of the situation and start hitting the ball quite easily. Sadly, the batting system will having you swearing a whole lot. Hoping to get a decent hit in an inning and actually build-up on it is like saying the Washington Nationals will win the World Series next year. Fielding is just as frustrating. Fun fact: someone at Visual Concepts/2K China (yes, apparently the game needed TWO development teams) decided to make “X” the default button for diving, which is also used to throw the ball home. When I tell you that this game is a mess, I mean it.

In terms of gameplay modes, MLB 2K10 lets you play games as an MLB team and also as a minor-leaguer through the “Farm” mode. There are other modes available but, honestly, the whole experience is so frustrating that not one of these modes will make you forget the painful experience. I thought that the Home Run Derby might give me a few hours of random fun but, since trying to hit a decent run is almost impossible to pull-off in a regular game, you can imagine how unfun trying to hit a homer is. Now, if you are into managing and stats, you might have a tiny bit of fun with the GM Career mode. Then again, for the price of this game (around $30), you can get MLB Front Office Manager for the Xbox 360, PC or PS3, if you already own one of those platforms.

Graphics & Audio

If you checked out the screenshots I put alongside this review, I needn’t waste my breath. Nothing looks good. It’s like having a DS game on your UMD. The ball parks, player animations and models; everything is just ugly. After seeing this, I don’t even want to imagine how bad 2K9 was. And the audio isn’t better. Both the in-game commentary and the environmental sounds are drab, repetitive and uninspired.

Value

It may be $10 cheaper than MLB 10 The Show but this game has no value whatsoever. Even if you see it at $10 in a few months with a big red tag in a bargain bin, Sony’s game could be at the same price. Look for it.

Conclusion

This is one of the reasons why I refuse to play sports games on any handheld. I like them with working controls and nice looking. However, I like to see a developer try something and not just stick to one platform. I’m no developer but I think that Visual Concepts and 2K China could have done something SO much better. Believe the hype because it is possible to do a decent baseball game on the PSP. If you aren’t going to put an effort, don’t even bother releasing it.

Don’t let your love for 2K Sports blind you. What they did on consoles is light years ahead of this. Do you want a nice and fun baseball game for your PSP? Do yourself a big favor and go with The Show.