Major League Baseball 2K11

Major League Baseball 2K11
Roy Halladay, the Cover Athlete for MLB 2K11
Developer(s)	Visual Concepts
Publisher(s)	2K Sports
Platform(s)	Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Wii Nintendo DS Microsoft Windows[1]
Release date(s)	March 8, 2011
Genre(s)	Sports (Professional baseball)
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everybody
Media/distribution	DVD, Blu-ray

Major League Baseball 2K11 or, in short, MLB 2K11, is an MLB licensed baseball simulation video game published by 2K Sports. MLB 2K11 is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Wii.^[1]

Commentators

The commentary is delivered by the trio of Steve Phillips, Gary Thorne, and John Kruk.

New Features

PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

The "main" version of MLB 2K11, the game retains the features of Major League Baseball 2K10, but adds new content. Some of the new features include the Dynamic Player Rating System (DPRS), which updates a players ability with the last four weeks of a real player's activity, which will include slumps and hot streaks. The DPRS will only affect hitting and pitching; it will not affect a player's fielding ability. There will be no option to play without the DRPS turned on, however, and the DPRS do not affect trades, due to the DPRS being a short term value. Franchise modes will reflect player values based on franchise stats, not real life. The My Player career mode has similarly been improved and tweaked.^[2]

The umpires will now have a more random strike zone, while pitch ratings affect ability to locate pitches. The game will feature more AI gameplay sliders than any MLB 2K game before, and for the first time, tweaking sliders will not affect achievements. Poor fielders will be "locked out" of good animations, and the fielding rating will affect how close to the ball the fielder must be to reach it. Base stealing has been revamped, and will take into account many variables such as the speed of the runner, type of pitch, lead, and the catcher's arm.^[2]

Wii

The Wii has its own unique features, including the Mini-Diamond, a new multiplayer mode set in fantasy venues, such as a low gravity Space ballpark to a Circus environment, while the Total Control Pitching and Hitting feature utilizes the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii version also retains the Franchise, Tournament and Home Run Derby modes of the main version.^[1] There is no "My Player" career mode for the Wii.

PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions are less feature-rich than the main version, but they still feature Franchise and Season play, the Home Run Derby and a unique Manager Showdown feature in which a player sets up a lineup and a starting pitcher and plays the game strictly from the manager's role as strategist. The PSP version adds The Farm, which allows the player to engage in Minor League Baseball games.^[1]

Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS version features both a Season Mode and a Postseason Mode, as well as utilizing the touch screen for the Total Control Pitching and Hitting Feature. The game also features 250 collectible virtual trading cards.^[1]

Promotion

In January, game publisher 2K Sports announced that they would continue a contest from the previous year. Players had a chance to win USD$1,000,000 for pitching a perfect game on the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game. The contest began on April 1, 2011. This caused controversy as former WWE Wrestler, Stevie Richards had done this before and tried to claim the Million dollars for the Perfect Game he had pitched but had done it before the contest officially began.^[3] Brian Kingrey, a music teacher from Hammond, Louisiana, claimed the prize by throwing a perfect game with Roy Halladay within two hours of the start of the contest.^[4]

Reception

Reception for the game has been mixed. IGN rated both the Xbox 360 and Play Station 3 versions with a 7.0 while the readers favored the 360 version of the game over the PS3 ranging from a 7.3 out of 10 for the 360 to a 6.5 out of 10 for the PS3. The 360 version of the game ran at a smoother frame rate according to most reviews. ^[5] GameZone gave the game a 7/10, stating "Overall, it is still a unique baseball experience, but unfortunately, after playing it for a little while, you will want an improved product. Let’s hope for something even better in 2012."^[6] GameSpot gave the game a 7.5/10, praising its online mode improvements but criticizing its lack of significant changes from last year's version of the game.^[7]

Soundtrack

1. Pearl Jam "Rearviewmirror"
2. Shout Out Louds "Please Please Please"
3. Joan Jett "Bad Reputation"
4. The Willowz "Repetition"
5. TAB the Band "Bought and Sold"
6. Trenchtown "Pourin' Rain"
7. Trenchtown "Unpaid Holiday"
8. Corroded "Come On In"
9. Five Finger Death Punch "Hard to See"
10. The Wolfmen "Better Days"
11. double0zero "The Hi Hi's"
12. We Are Scientists "You Should Learn"
13. USS "Anti-Venom"

References

Travis Jones. B-Cove, N.L

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Official 2k Sports MLB 2K11 Website". 2K Sports. http://2ksports.com/games/mlb2k11. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "MLB 2K11 Conference Call". Sportsgamerblog. http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/2011/02/23/mlb-2k11-conference-call/. 
3. ^ "MLB 2K1 Million Dollar Contest returns". New Game Network. http://www.newgamenetwork.com/news/2234/mlb-2k-million-dollar-contest-returns/. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
4. ^ Morris, Chris (26 May 2011). "MLB 2K11 makes Louisiana man a millionaire". Yahoo! Games. http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/709-mlb-2k11-makes-louisiana-man-a-millionaire/. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
5. ^ http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/093/093324.html
6. ^ http://xbox.gamezone.com/reviews/item/mlb_2k11/
7. ^ GameSpot review

See also

• MLB 11: The Show