robnyack
02-16-2004, 07:48 PM
This is the time of the year I always get so excited. The new baseball games are just weeks away from coming out. Unfortunately, about 5 weeks from now is right about the time all my hopes and prayers are once again stomped on with, yet again, another mediocre batch of baseball games.
It happens every year. Can this year possibly be the year that someone FINALLY comes out with a GREAT baseball game.....PLEASE????
For me, last years WSB2k3 was a dismal failure. The franchise mode was as deep as a mud puddle and the graphics and the game overall just felt too sterile. There was absolutely no baseball feel to the game.
Surprisingly ASB 04 became my fave baseball game. Not that it was great, but they did do a great job of creating the atmosphere of baseball. That game felt like baseball. And the franchise mode was MAD deep. However, the gameplay was not all that great.
What will make a GREAT baseball game? I wish someone would ask me!!!
1) gameplay. obviously, the number one key. You have to have a game that is challenging yet not so hard you can't get a hit.
a) You want to be able to work a walk
b) you want to be able to hit the ball the other way or pull the ball.
c) You want to be able to run the bases without it being to complicated
d) you want starting pitchers who cannot pitch a complete game everytime out!!!!!
e) you want to be the fielding to be challenging but learnable.
f) managing during the game...you need to be able to manage!!
2) Atmosphere. This game is all about ambiance and atmosphere.
a) Crowd. The crowd is so important, and yet almost always overlooked. You want the crowd on it's feet and cheering for their team as loud as ever when it's the bottom of the ninth and the game is on the line for the. You want team and player specific chants and heckles. The crowd needs to be noticible...either they are bored, excited, happy, pissed, whatever, but they need to be there.
b) the ballparks obviously have to look great. Most games have gotten this down.
c) the players. you need to see them in the clubhouse doing what ball players do.
3) Stats. This game is also all about stats.
a) easily readable relavent stats.
b) stats to help you manage. Almost every game has stats up the butt when you are not in the game, but once you are in the game, key stats are not avaiable to you.
c) Right/lefty stats MUST be available for you in the game for both pitchers and hitters. Player ratings need to be available too....and they need to be meaingful...if a player ratings say he hits lefties better than righties or a pitcher throws to lefties better than righties it need to be true in the game!!!
4) DEEP franchise mode. Absolute 100% must....not just a so-so franchise mode but a DEEP franchise mode.
a) first and foremost....you must have a COMPLETE farm system. None of this WSB2k3 crap where they give you a handful of players in your minors and call that a minor league system. That is not a deep franchise. If you don't have a complete minor league farm system, then you might as well stop right there. Game sucks.
b) minor league players generate stats as the season goes on.
5) Graphics. obviously, it's 2004, no game can be complete without good graphics.
a) The times for faceless expressionless players is over. No longer acceptable.
b) good player models with good animations and lots of them
Now, if any one of the upcoming games can meet these criterea, then they will have created a GREAT baseball game. Does anyone have any detailed info on any of the upcoming games?
By the way, notice I did not mention LIVE play? Why? because if they meet all of the above, live play is not even needed. Franchiose mode would be all I needed to play.
I am hoping and praying....PLEASE let this be the year.
It happens every year. Can this year possibly be the year that someone FINALLY comes out with a GREAT baseball game.....PLEASE????
For me, last years WSB2k3 was a dismal failure. The franchise mode was as deep as a mud puddle and the graphics and the game overall just felt too sterile. There was absolutely no baseball feel to the game.
Surprisingly ASB 04 became my fave baseball game. Not that it was great, but they did do a great job of creating the atmosphere of baseball. That game felt like baseball. And the franchise mode was MAD deep. However, the gameplay was not all that great.
What will make a GREAT baseball game? I wish someone would ask me!!!
1) gameplay. obviously, the number one key. You have to have a game that is challenging yet not so hard you can't get a hit.
a) You want to be able to work a walk
b) you want to be able to hit the ball the other way or pull the ball.
c) You want to be able to run the bases without it being to complicated
d) you want starting pitchers who cannot pitch a complete game everytime out!!!!!
e) you want to be the fielding to be challenging but learnable.
f) managing during the game...you need to be able to manage!!
2) Atmosphere. This game is all about ambiance and atmosphere.
a) Crowd. The crowd is so important, and yet almost always overlooked. You want the crowd on it's feet and cheering for their team as loud as ever when it's the bottom of the ninth and the game is on the line for the. You want team and player specific chants and heckles. The crowd needs to be noticible...either they are bored, excited, happy, pissed, whatever, but they need to be there.
b) the ballparks obviously have to look great. Most games have gotten this down.
c) the players. you need to see them in the clubhouse doing what ball players do.
3) Stats. This game is also all about stats.
a) easily readable relavent stats.
b) stats to help you manage. Almost every game has stats up the butt when you are not in the game, but once you are in the game, key stats are not avaiable to you.
c) Right/lefty stats MUST be available for you in the game for both pitchers and hitters. Player ratings need to be available too....and they need to be meaingful...if a player ratings say he hits lefties better than righties or a pitcher throws to lefties better than righties it need to be true in the game!!!
4) DEEP franchise mode. Absolute 100% must....not just a so-so franchise mode but a DEEP franchise mode.
a) first and foremost....you must have a COMPLETE farm system. None of this WSB2k3 crap where they give you a handful of players in your minors and call that a minor league system. That is not a deep franchise. If you don't have a complete minor league farm system, then you might as well stop right there. Game sucks.
b) minor league players generate stats as the season goes on.
5) Graphics. obviously, it's 2004, no game can be complete without good graphics.
a) The times for faceless expressionless players is over. No longer acceptable.
b) good player models with good animations and lots of them
Now, if any one of the upcoming games can meet these criterea, then they will have created a GREAT baseball game. Does anyone have any detailed info on any of the upcoming games?
By the way, notice I did not mention LIVE play? Why? because if they meet all of the above, live play is not even needed. Franchiose mode would be all I needed to play.
I am hoping and praying....PLEASE let this be the year.