I hope you guys enjoyed this video! It’s meant to be a brief overview of the MLB 2K series and its fall. If you want me to go more in depth on a specific title and its features & gameplay, let me know and I’ll add it to my list of retrospectives to work on!
What about Madden 10 Softdrink? Everyone talks about 12 being the the best one on the PS3 but I feel like 10 is the best gameplay and presentation wise and replay ability.
And Kobe Bryant's basketball games I can't even remember the name now I still have a memory to this day from 6:00 or 7 years old of hitting a three-pointer to win the game with Shaq back when I recorded clips by my system yellow white blue cord being plugged in to the VCR and the VCR plugged into the cable to the TV and setting the second tape insertion in with a blank tape running a replay on the game and hitting a record on the VCR like I was going to record a movie Man wish I had some of those tapes I would literally have a player montage for Madden NCAA for a whole career college to pro way before anybody else was really doing it had a spike pass interception still might be the greatest play I've ever seen
What about MLB Pennant Race? That preceded MLB 98 from 989 Studios. It was so hyped and got delayed numerous times. I just remember how slow it played and you could cheese a hit with a bunt every time.
Agree with everything you say, especially about the show. The fact that a company has shown it is capable of greatness each year yet does not fully deliver on it without any competition says a lot. Even great developers need that motivation
MLB The Show USED to be great, but like Madden they have failed to be innovative due to lack of competition. Now they too just trot out the same mess every year with minimal to no improvements. Thanks to lemmings that accept whatever mess they give them
If you've ever played them, it'd be cool if you did a retrospective for "The Bigs" series. Was a refreshing brief return of great arcade style baseball that we unfortunately haven't seen since.
It's interesting because The Bigs series is what actually got me into the game of baseball. That and MLB Slugfest. Imagine a modern version of The Bigs or MLB Slugfest! That would bring in a lot more competition since MLB The Show is really all we have. If The Show is all we're gonna have for awhile in terms of actual gameplay, then it better improve soon because it's been getting more bland for awhile now. I'd love to see MLB2K and MVP Baseball make a comeback someday fr 💯🙏 Even All Star Baseball would be interesting to see make a comeback 💯🙏
My friend and I used to go at it in mlb 2k. Specifically 2k10, 11, and 12. We would do fantasy drafts and use the first 25 option, which allowed user controlled teams to draft 25 players each before the computer could draft. Basically each of us had all star teams. And they would perform as such. We’d sim the whole season and play each other in the World Series every year. Things were really competitive until 2k12 when I guess I figured it all out. I had something like 24 titles compared to his one in 2k12. But that never stopped him from trying. Lefty pitchers were essentially useless in that game besides Chapman and his 105 mph fastball. And then I didn’t play another mlb game til the show came to Xbox. Good times regardless.
MLB 2k 13 was one of my first video games, and as an Xbox user and baseball fan I will always see it positively with nostalgia. Tough to look back on it like this
"Chase-Chase Utley (Chase)" MLB 2K was always my favorite baseball game franchise. I believe I still have MLB 2K10. I was soooo frustrated it wasn't backwards compatible (until The Show came to Xbox last year, that is. Though I'd STILL take MLB 2K over it in a friggin second! Any day of the mutha lovin' week!).
I had trouble tracking pitches when batting in the mid-2000's 2K series games. The framerate just wasn't there compared to MVP. MLB The Show did finally catch up, but it took a while. But the funny thing is, most of the gameplay features from MVP are now in MLB The Show.
MLB 2k10 is easily the game I have played most in my whole life. I find myself going back to it every year. Home runs are so satisfying and the my player mode is amazing. And somehow it’s animations are better than mlb the show 21.
Smooth I created 4 teams Dominican Republic Venezuela USA I did 2 teams an all black American team had Adam jones cc sabathia price and a all white team
Triple Play 2001 was one of the most fun games I've ever played. I don't know why he said it was not that good. I played that game all day and all night.
Brooooo, how did you not talk about 2K giving away a million dollars for being the first to throw a perfect game when the game launched? They did this for a number of years.
2K started going downhill once the graphics dipped in 09, I just can’t believe the look of the last five games could be so bad compared to what 2K basketball, Madden, NHL, FIFA, and MLB The Show was already looking like from 09-13
MLB 2k5 was great! I used to play that over the newer mlb games for awhile, but they ended up pulling the madden strategy and didn’t put any money to improve the game. The show always had the upper hand in realistic in game play aspect.
As much as I wanted to enjoy MLB 2K series, it just couldn’t compete with the show long term, 2K5 was one of my favorites, one of the few games I played a full 162 game season in. While many adore MVP 2005, the game was boring compared to MLB 2K5 to me, presentation and commentary were great and they always did a fantastic job in that department, MLB 2K series probably still has the best commentary in any baseball game, but once I MLB 06 came out, the first one they called the show, it was a wrap for 2K, hitting felt better and overall foundation was solid, 2K did some things better, but it was never a complete package and The Show always remain a better representation of the sport, in both gameplay and experience. While people might criticize the show now, it’s at the peak of baseball video games, much like NBA 2K. MLB 22 will probably be the best version of all of them, and there’s no reason to play earlier version. They do some many things right, it’s hard to criticize them. It’s just overall super solid game, while updates seem to be less and less ever year. Now it’s a completely different story with football games, but that’s another tangent.
@@KrisVic91 while Sony did have a football game series (NFL gameday), my football comment is in reference to the state of football games today, NBA 2K is solid basketball experience, MLB The Show is a solid baseball experience, but football as been a lost cause for 15 years.
First video game I EVER had was World Series Baseball '95 when it was on Sega. and then went to triple play 98 on the ps and then to All Star Baseball on the N64 because it was better than triple play. I played both of those at the same time. Next was world series baseball 2k1 on the Dreamcast and then all star baseball again on the xbox. Then to 2K and then finally MLB the show. I'd never go back. I've finally found my home. I bought my Dreamcast just for world series baseball and for NFL and NHL. NFL was good! I got a playstation 3 just for mlb the show. And I never went back to Xbox. MLB the show is amazing.
Surprised "All Star Baseball" wasn't mentioned in this, that said I am GLAD you mentioned about sports competition games. I think that's what made the older Madden titles, the 2K basketball/football games, along with the Live titles were so great because of simply competition. Now we don't have that so we get the same copy and paste stuff with Madden, 2K and even now with The Show. It's a real shame, but hey solid content per usual man.
It did get a brief mention when I talked about the peak of competition around 2005. I’ll eventually make a video on the series or a retrospective on some of the titles in the future
Acclaim's baseball game had so many innovations, and exclusive deals killed what that could have become, such a shame. Now MLB The Show is a copy and paste game the last 3 years and will soon have the 'madden tag' on them for disguising child gambling as card collecting.
My list of retrospectives I want you to do: 1. NASCAR Dirt to Daytona 2. NASCAR Thunder 2004 3. NASCAR Racing 2003 season 4. Madden NFL 2003 5. NBA 2k13
Never played 2K13 however did play 2K12 and I loved the game I never played EA’s MVP and Show still seems to be missing something I miss the 2K games and also the Slugfest games because I loved them as well
It's too bad I actually really liked 2k I was fine with it being the more arcadey option in terms of realism probably best one was 2k7 2k 12 I enjoyed one thing I wish the show would do which 2k did first was highlight pitcher stats at beginning of game like this pitcher leads in k or wins
2k should have never stopped making ml2k. And kept improving and putting things their fans ask for. Sooner or latter people would grow tired of mlb the show. Which happened . All 2k needed was to fix all the bugs and smoothed out the animation. But they canceled the game and then chose to release with a roster update and just added presentation overlays. They could have just said. Ok let add transition animations & squashed all the bugs they had the experience from Nfl2k5 fixing animations
@Softdrinktv 7:50 what are you talking about?! People LOVE Triple Play Baseball 2001 I think you are referring to Triple Play Baseball. The only game without a number
Monopolies will always kill competition; Playstation studios shouldn't get a pass to monopolize the baseball sim market just because their game doesn't have predatory microtransactions. We need competition in every sports sim out there period.
Now that the Show is on everything, get ready for the slow decline for that one. Or maybe not. But I’ll light a candle for RBI Baseball. It was good until it wasn’t.
Sports gaming as a whole has gone completely down hill. I was starting to think I was just being negative. You should do a video on the rise and fall of Tiger Woods PGA tour games or golf games as a whole. I remember getting so excited about Rory McElroy PGA Tour and it was complete junk. EA has became a brand instead of making great games. Thanks for the good content!
It used to be perfectly possible to put out good games in a year like GTA3 to VC. Those days are long gone and good yearly releases from a single studio are impossible but sports games haven't evolved to deal with this fact.
I personally believe it’s because none of the big sports games have like any competition, Nfl only has madden, basketball only has 2k and the same with other sportd
MLB The Show was great at first, but like Madden they have failed to be innovative due to lack of competition. Now they too just trot out the same mess every year with minimal to no improvements. Downhill indeed
I'd love to see a retrospective on the short lived MLB Power Pros series. While cartoony and arcadey, it was a blast. I put so many hours into MLB Power Pros 2008 back in the day.
only the MLB version was short lived, the NPB version has been going since the Super Famicom and is still being released bi-yearly in Japan. I would also love to hear about Pawapuro/Power Pros, Konami's arcade-y, super-deformed baseball game franchise.
Success mode and MLB Life had one of the best created player modes in sports gaming history. You could buy a house, get a hobby, buy vehicles, befriend teammates, even get married and have kids in MLB Life.
I'd like to see an overall video on the 2003-2005 series of sports video games. When EA, 2K, Sony, and even others were all fiercely competing in NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL at once. It was a golden era.
I didn't play much of those games growing up as I'm brazilian, but I'm a soccer fan and this time was actually pretty great for soccer too. Fifa had fierce competition with Winning Eleven at the time and heck, people still play modded Winning Eleven 9/PES 5 to this day in Brazil. Original Fifa Street was great and followed the path of NBA Street, which was really fun. I've grown to love baseball and played most mlb the show since '15 (skipped '19 and '21) and the game really feels stagnated. For real, MVP 2005 is the pinnacle of baseball games and I have more fun with it than The Show, despite not having nostalgic attachments to it. I miss ps2 days and companies competing with good products.
12:58 The team at Kush Games that developed MLB 2K7 was actually led by the lead developer of MVP Baseball 2005 (Ben Brinkman) for that release, which is why the game feels and plays different, and reviewed higher vs MLB 2K6, which was universally panned the year prior. MLB 2K7 was part of a planned three year overhaul for the series with Brinkman leading the team, but unfortunately Kush was no longer involved with the development of MLB 2K by the time 2K9 was released in favor of Visual Concepts, which is why 2K8 and 2K9 look and feel different. The series ended up being fully developed by a separate team at Visual Concepts (who makes the NBA 2K games) moving forward until MLB 2K13. I think Kush initially brought Ben on board after 2K made their deal with MLB to be the exclusive third party developer for MLB licensed titles, and EA was stuck with making NCAA Baseball 06 and 07. I'm of the firm belief that had Brinkman been able to fully realize his team's 3 year roadmap that he started with 2K7, the MLB 2K brand would have been saved. Brinkman now works at EA (full circle, right?) under Respawn working on Apex Legends.
@@judah_macabe normally those guys are just joke easter egg players but I remember in one of my MLB 2K8 saves Eric Ravenscroft broke out and became a genuinely useable 9-hole CF a-la Craig Gentry
@@poofpiff3195 it's 2022 now. I haven't made such a video since last year. I don't plan on making another until it feels necessary, which shouldn't be until Madden 23 releases at the earliest. .... also I thought my subs liked those videos. They get the most views! Pleasing an audience is confusing and hard man. I'm trying my best
@@SOFTDRINKTV i didn’t mean it in a mean way, i love the vids and have been subscribed for years, i just feel like sometimes you fall into the madden bad trope and some of your videos i find them repetitive. love your channel though, and think you’re really good at making videos i just would be interested in seeing more different sports games
Growing up with a 360 during those MLB games from 2k6-2k11 is pure nostalgia. One of the biggest turn offs I had with MLB 2k was in 2k9 big FAs would hit the market in franchise mode and would remain unsigned due to teams not having the cap space.
Mlb 2k12 wasn’t too bad. I actually think it was pretty good and had great graphics for the time that still look good by today’s standards, also not to mention the great commentary team with a great game day atmosphere and presentation.
I still think 2005 had the best sports games. MVP baseball 05, espn 2k5, madden 05 and even allstar baseball are still my favorite sports games. World series baseball 96 was my favorite for a long time
Personally, I always liked 2k and the show for different reasons, it's a shame 2k pretty much gave up at the end. After MVP Baseball ended (05 is still my favorite baseball game ever), I tried mlb 2k5 and the show 06. The show had and has always had better gameplay. In my opinion though, 2k always had the better presentation and unlockables. The show made me feel like I was playing real baseball that had the MLB in it. 2k, especially early on, felt like a better MLB game even if the baseball gameplay was slightly more arcadey. Idk if that makes sense but I hope it does. Made me sad to see 2k go. I'm glad the show has improved so much since then, I don't miss it as much now, but I have so many memories on those ps2 2k games. I always preferred to play 2k on the ps2 even though the show was fun as well.
I been stuck at home with Covid for over a week so whipped out the ole PS2 and fired up 2k5, so great!! And the nostalgia with those players from that era was the cherry on top!!
I was ready to get a Dreamcast just for 2K1 until they announced no fielding and then noped out huge when they announced no fielding. Ended up going PS2 instead, so thanks? I guess to the morons who made that decision and saved me getting 2 consoles that generation.
It did take away a little bit from the game but that game was extremely fun for the time. Hitting and pitching were very sharp. One of the first baseball games I enjoyed
It was an arcade game called World Series 99 that got ported over.....most Dreamcast games were arcade ports......NBA 2K was known as Virtua NBA in the arcades.......Virtua Tennis was.....Virtua Tennis.....but it was definitely a system that excelled in arcade style games. I personally loved it, but many others craved something deeper.
You should do “the fall of Mlb the show” while you’re at it. The game is following the Madden model with very limited improvement year over year. But some would argue that it’s just wonderful because there’s a few new trading cards with a cool design and 115 pwr/r
Am I the only one who enjoyed MLB 2k(specifically 12) more than mlb the show at the time? The archetype system which was similar to nba2ks my career was pretty fun. I hate that mlb the show took out the actual archetype system this year.
I won a Sega Genesis console and World Series Baseball in a contest in '94. Can't tell you how many hours I've spent on it as a young teen. I don't game anymore and I feel kinda bummed out to learn that such a great game went down the drain over the years...
_All-Star Baseball 2005_ was actually for the 2004 season, and the last in that series. By the time 2005 rolled around, Acclaim was already bankrupt and out of business. Speaking of Ben Brinkman, he was a (key) producer for EA's _MVP Baseball_ series. 2K Sports brought him in July 2006 as an executive producer for their baseball franchise. He, however, only lasted until March 2008, around the time _MLB 2K8_ was released. After a solid outing with _MLB 2K7_ and starting that 3 year plan off pretty well, _MLB 2K8_ lacked a consistent vision of what it wanted to accomplish and wasn't polished anywhere near the quality the previous game was. It was at that point, I think, 2K already had one of their feet out the door and just wanted their exclusive 3rd party license with MLB to end. _MLB 2K9_ was an unfinished, broken mess. (Kush Games was removed as developers for _2K9_ in favor of a team at Visual Concepts; and the final product reflected that.) The final 4 games, even if Visual Concepts cleaned up the game from the disaster that was the 2009 edition, were best remembered as the games that allowed someone to win a million dollars if they were the first to pitch a perfect game. Even _MLB 2K13_ was an "11th hour" decision. 2K renewed their license for one year, and released something less than a roster update; that game removed online leagues! Regardless, great video once again!
Personally I loved the all-star games, they weren't easy to get in the UK but worth it for the amount of detail, baseball history and love poured into them even if they were flawed they were close to virtual museums and dripping nostalgia and atmosphere.
@@jdevlin1910 I have been playing ASB 2003 regularly for the last year or so and would say that even despite years of playing 2K, MVP, the Show, etc nothing comes close for me. It goes well beyond the nostalgia of The Natural theme music, the stadium tours, and players of that timeframe - the reward when you master the hitting rivals few things I've ever experienced in video games. The hitting and pitching AI is excellent in terms of being able to pick up on pitchers and their patterns for pitch sequence, places they attack the zone, etc. Some small bugs in gameplay here and there on defense, but animations in terms of swings, windups, running etc are all so great compared to what I just watched above for a 2K game made 10 years later. You're also 100% right about the love they poured into their games - I think it's so cool how they provided so much info about the devs and producers behind the game via the special features section, so you knew just how passionate they were about both baseball and the project itself. It truly surprised me that it wasn't just nostalgia that fueled my love for that game when I fired it up again after all these years, and for a series that has largely been forgotten with time, was nice to see your comment and know someone else had an appreciation for it.
With the current state of Pro Evolution Soccer (also known as Winning Eleven, though now known as eFootball), maybe a video on the fall of that series could be documented as well? Their recent release seemed to be the nail in the coffin for that series, with FIFA 22 seeming like a masterpiece compared to it.
Very sad that Konami won't be using their engine for their Pro Evolution Soccer games. I believe the same probably applies to their Pro Yakyuu Spirits baseball game which feel more better/realistic than any other current baseball game and the crowd is awesome too.
Mlb 2k was not that bad, they had statistics and better player tracker for awards and stuff. MLB the show stopped innovating after they stopped making mlb 2k
MLB games aren't huge sellers really. Not compared to Basketball and football. I miss the days of having 3+ options at every sport game, plus another few arcadey titles. Back in the day when you had like 6 baseball games and stuff, video game developing wasn't as expensive as it is now but with technology being what is now, it just costs a lot more to make a game especially with the MLB and NFL licenses. The MLB 2k games weren't very good but they were fun they still have the best commentary and presentation of any baseball game it's still way ahead of the show in this department. I think 2K would not be interested in MLB and would stick to Basketball where they actually make a decent game that everyone buys. I'd be interested to see EA try to get back into Baseball, but they seem to shy away when they don't have exclusivity (other than FIFA which makes them a kajillion dollars). It's a shame because I want to see another simulation baseball game on the market so the Show doesn't get too comfortable and slack off. Competition is a good thing. But Baseball is too much of a niche market these days unfortunately.
I remember thinking at the time, “He’ll yeah 2K, take that MLB from EA after they screwed us from your football games!” Little did I know what the outcome would be 20 years later
I remember loving 2K8. Not always for the gameplay but the atmosphere, commentary, deep rosters, soundtrack, and franchise. I would rename all the fake named prospects every time even if the save got halted halfway through. I continued that tradition on through 2K12 and had a good amount of fun with franchise. I remember it being interesting with the morale things in 2K8 and dynamic ratings/potential in 2K11 or so. But I always did wanna try The Show and it was clear by the end that us XBOX players were missing out. The graphics were OK for the time but always looked a little goofy or arcadey, and the sliding or ball into glove glitches were everywhere
989 Sports had a bit of a weird naming convention with its MLB titles. The 2004 season's installment was called MLB 2005, while the 2005 season's installment was called MLB 2006. It wasn't until San Diego Studios took over and The Show moniker was adopted that the year in the title corresponded to the year of the season.
I've been playing WSB 2k2 on my Dreamcast Emulator lately and it's been fucking fun playing a game back when they cared about the end result and not the profit margin
The Show has become Madden!! Ratings are meaningless, dumb player cards, too many limits like player jersey numbers retired so you can't even make a legend with his fitting number!! Both sports need new competition!!
When i bought MLB 2K11 nothing about NBA story mode was on my mind. Nor anything the series had previously done with MLB games. i was a first time MLB game buyer and Roy Halladay on cover put me over the top on it. For unbiased perspective and a real overview of the game, i loved it. It was an amazing game granted their was some things i wish i could have solved in My Career mode that couldnt. But overall GREAT.
The Japanese baseball (Pro Yakyuu Spirits) has the best game-play physics/animation mechanics ever and more fun than MLB The Show. I wish they added English support to it and the WBC.
If 2k would have had better graphics and better motion capture for the players, the show would have had some serious competition. Now mlb the show is just releasing the same game year after year. 2k had better presentation and the world baseball classics.
I hope you guys enjoyed this video! It’s meant to be a brief overview of the MLB 2K series and its fall. If you want me to go more in depth on a specific title and its features & gameplay, let me know and I’ll add it to my list of retrospectives to work on!
Please do one on the show
do a NHL 2k video
Do one on NASCAR Dirt to Daytona.
What about Madden 10 Softdrink? Everyone talks about 12 being the the best one on the PS3 but I feel like 10 is the best gameplay and presentation wise and replay ability.
How about All-Star Baseball? That was the series I played growing up before it was canceled.
I was a victim of being squeezed out by both EA and 2K. I played MVP Baseball and NFL 2K. Within months I lost both to exclusive deals.
Wat
Same here. I will say though I like mlb the show. I hate madden though
I’m so sorry
This. As a Gamer I lost 2 of my favorite games in different sports to petty bs.
I feel this
This just makes me want a retrospective of Allstar Baseball and Quarterback Club series.
Came here to say the exact same thing
Quarterback club was a great series, I miss that game
Quarterback club was always my favorite football game
And Kobe Bryant's basketball games I can't even remember the name now I still have a memory to this day from 6:00 or 7 years old of hitting a three-pointer to win the game with Shaq back when I recorded clips by my system yellow white blue cord being plugged in to the VCR and the VCR plugged into the cable to the TV and setting the second tape insertion in with a blank tape running a replay on the game and hitting a record on the VCR like I was going to record a movie Man wish I had some of those tapes I would literally have a player montage for Madden NCAA for a whole career college to pro way before anybody else was really doing it had a spike pass interception still might be the greatest play I've ever seen
What about MLB Pennant Race? That preceded MLB 98 from 989 Studios. It was so hyped and got delayed numerous times. I just remember how slow it played and you could cheese a hit with a bunt every time.
Agree with everything you say, especially about the show. The fact that a company has shown it is capable of greatness each year yet does not fully deliver on it without any competition says a lot. Even great developers need that motivation
The man, the myth, the legend Jon Dowd at 2:08. The Flashpoint Barry Bonds.
Great job as always! Also dig the new soundtracks.
2k7 was amazing
I've never even played baseball but I remember playing mlb2k12 with my dad like it was yesterday 🥲
The MLB 2K series used to be GOATed back in the day, especially in the 2000s.
MLB the show is just so good. Best sports game out there.
MLB The Show USED to be great, but like Madden they have failed to be innovative due to lack of competition. Now they too just trot out the same mess every year with minimal to no improvements. Thanks to lemmings that accept whatever mess they give them
If you've ever played them, it'd be cool if you did a retrospective for "The Bigs" series. Was a refreshing brief return of great arcade style baseball that we unfortunately haven't seen since.
It's interesting because The Bigs series is what actually got me into the game of baseball. That and MLB Slugfest. Imagine a modern version of The Bigs or MLB Slugfest! That would bring in a lot more competition since MLB The Show is really all we have. If The Show is all we're gonna have for awhile in terms of actual gameplay, then it better improve soon because it's been getting more bland for awhile now. I'd love to see MLB2K and MVP Baseball make a comeback someday fr 💯🙏 Even All Star Baseball would be interesting to see make a comeback 💯🙏
18:38 same, we missed competition.
My friend and I used to go at it in mlb 2k. Specifically 2k10, 11, and 12. We would do fantasy drafts and use the first 25 option, which allowed user controlled teams to draft 25 players each before the computer could draft. Basically each of us had all star teams. And they would perform as such. We’d sim the whole season and play each other in the World Series every year. Things were really competitive until 2k12 when I guess I figured it all out. I had something like 24 titles compared to his one in 2k12. But that never stopped him from trying. Lefty pitchers were essentially useless in that game besides Chapman and his 105 mph fastball. And then I didn’t play another mlb game til the show came to Xbox. Good times regardless.
MLB 2k 13 was one of my first video games, and as an Xbox user and baseball fan I will always see it positively with nostalgia. Tough to look back on it like this
was a really big fan on mlb 2k6. During lockdown I busted out the old xbox and played a few games felt like a kid again
"Chase-Chase Utley (Chase)"
MLB 2K was always my favorite baseball game franchise. I believe I still have MLB 2K10. I was soooo frustrated it wasn't backwards compatible (until The Show came to Xbox last year, that is. Though I'd STILL take MLB 2K over it in a friggin second! Any day of the mutha lovin' week!).
I had trouble tracking pitches when batting in the mid-2000's 2K series games. The framerate just wasn't there compared to MVP. MLB The Show did finally catch up, but it took a while. But the funny thing is, most of the gameplay features from MVP are now in MLB The Show.
As someone who didn’t end up getting a PlayStation until 2017, MLB 2K 12 for the Wii was my baseball game for 6 years. Such great, clunky memories.
MLB 2k10 is easily the game I have played most in my whole life. I find myself going back to it every year. Home runs are so satisfying and the my player mode is amazing. And somehow it’s animations are better than mlb the show 21.
Smooth I created 4 teams Dominican Republic Venezuela USA I did 2 teams an all black American team had Adam jones cc sabathia price and a all white team
The commentary is much better than the show as well
I have mlb 2k 13 and never realized it was discontinued a year later. Got more into madden and nba.
Does this mean we could see 2K’s other baseball series they helped make in collaboration with Konami, MLB PowerPros, get talked about at some point?
Triple Play 2001 was one of the most fun games I've ever played. I don't know why he said it was not that good. I played that game all day and all night.
A return to form. Best video in quite some time.
pirates fan here, this series is the definition of what happened to the pirates
Brooooo, how did you not talk about 2K giving away a million dollars for being the first to throw a perfect game when the game launched? They did this for a number of years.
2K started going downhill once the graphics dipped in 09, I just can’t believe the look of the last five games could be so bad compared to what 2K basketball, Madden, NHL, FIFA, and MLB The Show was already looking like from 09-13
Your vids are so good
MLB 2k5 was great! I used to play that over the newer mlb games for awhile, but they ended up pulling the madden strategy and didn’t put any money to improve the game. The show always had the upper hand in realistic in game play aspect.
Thanks again for doing another game started on my favorite system! (Dreamcast)
As much as I wanted to enjoy MLB 2K series, it just couldn’t compete with the show long term, 2K5 was one of my favorites, one of the few games I played a full 162 game season in. While many adore MVP 2005, the game was boring compared to MLB 2K5 to me, presentation and commentary were great and they always did a fantastic job in that department, MLB 2K series probably still has the best commentary in any baseball game, but once I MLB 06 came out, the first one they called the show, it was a wrap for 2K, hitting felt better and overall foundation was solid, 2K did some things better, but it was never a complete package and The Show always remain a better representation of the sport, in both gameplay and experience. While people might criticize the show now, it’s at the peak of baseball video games, much like NBA 2K. MLB 22 will probably be the best version of all of them, and there’s no reason to play earlier version. They do some many things right, it’s hard to criticize them. It’s just overall super solid game, while updates seem to be less and less ever year. Now it’s a completely different story with football games, but that’s another tangent.
Sony football games?
@@KrisVic91 while Sony did have a football game series (NFL gameday), my football comment is in reference to the state of football games today, NBA 2K is solid basketball experience, MLB The Show is a solid baseball experience, but football as been a lost cause for 15 years.
Looks like my 2k Baseball childhood was an evil one.
That intro is beautiful
All star baseball from Acclaim were legit back then miss those PS2 games
First video game I EVER had was World Series Baseball '95 when it was on Sega. and then went to triple play 98 on the ps and then to All Star Baseball on the N64 because it was better than triple play. I played both of those at the same time. Next was world series baseball 2k1 on the Dreamcast and then all star baseball again on the xbox. Then to 2K and then finally MLB the show. I'd never go back. I've finally found my home.
I bought my Dreamcast just for world series baseball and for NFL and NHL. NFL was good!
I got a playstation 3 just for mlb the show. And I never went back to Xbox. MLB the show is amazing.
“I love you food is online” what a terrible gamer tag 😂
Surprised "All Star Baseball" wasn't mentioned in this, that said I am GLAD you mentioned about sports competition games. I think that's what made the older Madden titles, the 2K basketball/football games, along with the Live titles were so great because of simply competition. Now we don't have that so we get the same copy and paste stuff with Madden, 2K and even now with The Show. It's a real shame, but hey solid content per usual man.
It did get a brief mention when I talked about the peak of competition around 2005. I’ll eventually make a video on the series or a retrospective on some of the titles in the future
@@SOFTDRINKTV Must of missed it, my mistake. Can't wait to see it down the road.
Acclaim's baseball game had so many innovations, and exclusive deals killed what that could have become, such a shame. Now MLB The Show is a copy and paste game the last 3 years and will soon have the 'madden tag' on them for disguising child gambling as card collecting.
I just notice when bring up other baseball games u didn’t mention High Heat baseball
Amazing video
the lesson here is.....competition ALWAYS makes for better games.
My list of retrospectives I want you to do:
1. NASCAR Dirt to Daytona
2. NASCAR Thunder 2004
3. NASCAR Racing 2003 season
4. Madden NFL 2003
5. NBA 2k13
MVP Baseball was so dope as well as World Series Baseball back in the day
Do you ever see MVP baseball coming back
Allstar was my go to on N64 and early ps2 days
Can you do an Inside on Sony's basketball games
The World Series games on the Genesis were really fun, but got way too easy, too fast. Every game was a HR derby.
Growing up MLB 2k5 was my absolute favorite baseball game
I Remember playing 2K10 for hours and hours!
Never played 2K13 however did play 2K12 and I loved the game I never played EA’s MVP and Show still seems to be missing something I miss the 2K games and also the Slugfest games because I loved them as well
Oh yeah time to tune in
Where did that song come from at the start of 3:34? I heard it before but I can’t remember where did I hear it from.
It's too bad I actually really liked 2k I was fine with it being the more arcadey option in terms of realism probably best one was 2k7 2k 12 I enjoyed one thing I wish the show would do which 2k did first was highlight pitcher stats at beginning of game like this pitcher leads in k or wins
Anyone remember MLB Slugfest or NHL Hitz ?
High Heat baseball? Kurt Schilling on the cover
Make a video on ncaa baseball series it very interesting
I wish I lived in a world where 2k got the NFL rights and Ea got the 3rd party MLB rights.
Klling competition hurts everyone
2k should have never stopped making ml2k.
And kept improving and putting things their fans ask for. Sooner or latter people would grow tired of mlb the show.
Which happened .
All 2k needed was to fix all the bugs and smoothed out the animation.
But they canceled the game and then chose to release with a roster update and just added presentation overlays.
They could have just said.
Ok let add transition animations & squashed all the bugs they had the experience from Nfl2k5 fixing animations
And I disagree about Dreamcast WSB2k1 and 2k2. Those are a couple of my favorite baseball games of all time
@Softdrinktv
7:50 what are you talking about?!
People LOVE Triple Play Baseball 2001 I think you are referring to Triple Play Baseball. The only game without a number
Speaking of falling off... yeah I remember the 989 sports games??
I loved the 2k version simply because the mycareer was SIMPLE!!!! Play games, do good in games, earn attribute points, spend them to UPGRADE!!!!!!!
Power Pros when?
Monopolies will always kill competition; Playstation studios shouldn't get a pass to monopolize the baseball sim market just because their game doesn't have predatory microtransactions. We need competition in every sports sim out there period.
Wait if 2k signed a exclusive deal with mlb then how did the mlb the show games be made?
Now that the Show is on everything, get ready for the slow decline for that one. Or maybe not. But I’ll light a candle for RBI Baseball. It was good until it wasn’t.
I played mvp 05 for 10 plus years straight intill i finnaly had to buy the show.
Sports gaming as a whole has gone completely down hill. I was starting to think I was just being negative. You should do a video on the rise and fall of Tiger Woods PGA tour games or golf games as a whole. I remember getting so excited about Rory McElroy PGA Tour and it was complete junk. EA has became a brand instead of making great games. Thanks for the good content!
What did you make of the 2K21 effort?
It used to be perfectly possible to put out good games in a year like GTA3 to VC. Those days are long gone and good yearly releases from a single studio are impossible but sports games haven't evolved to deal with this fact.
I personally believe it’s because none of the big sports games have like any competition, Nfl only has madden, basketball only has 2k and the same with other sportd
MLB The Show was great at first, but like Madden they have failed to be innovative due to lack of competition. Now they too just trot out the same mess every year with minimal to no improvements. Downhill indeed
Lol gang. EA has officially become all name, no game.
I'd love to see a retrospective on the short lived MLB Power Pros series. While cartoony and arcadey, it was a blast. I put so many hours into MLB Power Pros 2008 back in the day.
It’s a shame Konami has never opted to localize the Power Pro Yakuu games since, as they still are ongoing over in Japan.
only the MLB version was short lived, the NPB version has been going since the Super Famicom and is still being released bi-yearly in Japan.
I would also love to hear about Pawapuro/Power Pros, Konami's arcade-y, super-deformed baseball game franchise.
It was incredible
@@codyssmith73 The Pro Yakyuu Spirits games are also Konami’s more realistic baseball game, kinda like the show.
Success mode and MLB Life had one of the best created player modes in sports gaming history. You could buy a house, get a hobby, buy vehicles, befriend teammates, even get married and have kids in MLB Life.
I'd like to see an overall video on the 2003-2005 series of sports video games. When EA, 2K, Sony, and even others were all fiercely competing in NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL at once. It was a golden era.
Best era ever.!!
Though we would have gotten better.!
Still competition in all sports
Disagree, The Show trounced any baseball games from the era.
I didn't play much of those games growing up as I'm brazilian, but I'm a soccer fan and this time was actually pretty great for soccer too. Fifa had fierce competition with Winning Eleven at the time and heck, people still play modded Winning Eleven 9/PES 5 to this day in Brazil. Original Fifa Street was great and followed the path of NBA Street, which was really fun.
I've grown to love baseball and played most mlb the show since '15 (skipped '19 and '21) and the game really feels stagnated. For real, MVP 2005 is the pinnacle of baseball games and I have more fun with it than The Show, despite not having nostalgic attachments to it. I miss ps2 days and companies competing with good products.
Awesome! Now you should do the NHL 2k series. But more of a retrospective because nhl 2k didn't necessarily take a downfall. Would love that!
It died before the true downfall
I’d argue it took a step back with 2K9 before 10 & 11 were a return to form but weren’t there graphically.
NHL 2K5 was legendary
I still play 2k10 with updated rosters. A bit outdated but still plays a decent game.
@@epatetta how?
12:58 The team at Kush Games that developed MLB 2K7 was actually led by the lead developer of MVP Baseball 2005 (Ben Brinkman) for that release, which is why the game feels and plays different, and reviewed higher vs MLB 2K6, which was universally panned the year prior. MLB 2K7 was part of a planned three year overhaul for the series with Brinkman leading the team, but unfortunately Kush was no longer involved with the development of MLB 2K by the time 2K9 was released in favor of Visual Concepts, which is why 2K8 and 2K9 look and feel different. The series ended up being fully developed by a separate team at Visual Concepts (who makes the NBA 2K games) moving forward until MLB 2K13.
I think Kush initially brought Ben on board after 2K made their deal with MLB to be the exclusive third party developer for MLB licensed titles, and EA was stuck with making NCAA Baseball 06 and 07. I'm of the firm belief that had Brinkman been able to fully realize his team's 3 year roadmap that he started with 2K7, the MLB 2K brand would have been saved.
Brinkman now works at EA (full circle, right?) under Respawn working on Apex Legends.
brinkman got lucky with mvp, 2k7 proved it
Mvp 05 is the greatest baseball game ever. The show can never compare and never will
I feel like I went to school with Ben and his brother Adam. Both are listed as minor league players on one of the A's minor league teams in mvp 2005.
@@judah_macabe normally those guys are just joke easter egg players but I remember in one of my MLB 2K8 saves Eric Ravenscroft broke out and became a genuinely useable 9-hole CF a-la Craig Gentry
Softdrinktv is so underrated. The video quality and editing is amazing
only problem is he reverts to “madden bad” content where he repeats the same points over and over
@@poofpiff3195 it's 2022 now. I haven't made such a video since last year. I don't plan on making another until it feels necessary, which shouldn't be until Madden 23 releases at the earliest.
.... also I thought my subs liked those videos. They get the most views! Pleasing an audience is confusing and hard man. I'm trying my best
@@SOFTDRINKTV i didn’t mean it in a mean way, i love the vids and have been subscribed for years, i just feel like sometimes you fall into the madden bad trope and some of your videos i find them repetitive. love your channel though, and think you’re really good at making videos i just would be interested in seeing more different sports games
Well this was a video about MLB 2K so I think your wish is coming true
@@SOFTDRINKTV that is true, hopefully you continue to prove me wrong ! love the content man and keep it up
Growing up with a 360 during those MLB games from 2k6-2k11 is pure nostalgia. One of the biggest turn offs I had with MLB 2k was in 2k9 big FAs would hit the market in franchise mode and would remain unsigned due to teams not having the cap space.
That still happens in nba 2k24 lol, ya it kinda ruins the realness of doing seasons mode... teams will also sign 3 pf's and have no sg
Mlb 2k12 wasn’t too bad. I actually think it was pretty good and had great graphics for the time that still look good by today’s standards, also not to mention the great commentary team with a great game day atmosphere and presentation.
2K11 was even better I think. Less buggy overall, and I personally liked the rosters and interface more
Next do a video on The Bigs 1 and 2
I hope 2K makes their football game like those instead of like battlegrounds
Yes! Bigs is still fun. If the new football is like Battlegrounds I won't buy.
I still think 2005 had the best sports games. MVP baseball 05, espn 2k5, madden 05 and even allstar baseball are still my favorite sports games. World series baseball 96 was my favorite for a long time
Personally, I always liked 2k and the show for different reasons, it's a shame 2k pretty much gave up at the end. After MVP Baseball ended (05 is still my favorite baseball game ever), I tried mlb 2k5 and the show 06. The show had and has always had better gameplay. In my opinion though, 2k always had the better presentation and unlockables. The show made me feel like I was playing real baseball that had the MLB in it. 2k, especially early on, felt like a better MLB game even if the baseball gameplay was slightly more arcadey. Idk if that makes sense but I hope it does. Made me sad to see 2k go. I'm glad the show has improved so much since then, I don't miss it as much now, but I have so many memories on those ps2 2k games. I always preferred to play 2k on the ps2 even though the show was fun as well.
Great Video! I hope we get an NHL2K retrospective next!
No competition = Lazy programming = decline of the sales = end of series.
I been stuck at home with Covid for over a week so whipped out the ole PS2 and fired up 2k5, so great!! And the nostalgia with those players from that era was the cherry on top!!
Love those kinda days
World Series 2k1 also didnt have manual fielding. The CPU would do the fielding for you. That was a huge disappointment
I was ready to get a Dreamcast just for 2K1 until they announced no fielding and then noped out huge when they announced no fielding. Ended up going PS2 instead, so thanks? I guess to the morons who made that decision and saved me getting 2 consoles that generation.
It did take away a little bit from the game but that game was extremely fun for the time. Hitting and pitching were very sharp. One of the first baseball games I enjoyed
@@chasep86 I agree, game was very fun for that time. I really enjoyed 2k1.
It was an arcade game called World Series 99 that got ported over.....most Dreamcast games were arcade ports......NBA 2K was known as Virtua NBA in the arcades.......Virtua Tennis was.....Virtua Tennis.....but it was definitely a system that excelled in arcade style games. I personally loved it, but many others craved something deeper.
You should do “the fall of Mlb the show” while you’re at it. The game is following the Madden model with very limited improvement year over year. But some would argue that it’s just wonderful because there’s a few new trading cards with a cool design and 115 pwr/r
I’m convinced they pay for ppl to say that because it’s literally last gen since any improvements to franchise
Am I the only one who enjoyed MLB 2k(specifically 12) more than mlb the show at the time? The archetype system which was similar to nba2ks my career was pretty fun. I hate that mlb the show took out the actual archetype system this year.
Yes, you are the only one, that's why the series is dead.
@@thomaspayne1000 I mean sure, but you can't deny that this year's system was ass. As well as being forced to just randomly begin your career.
I won a Sega Genesis console and World Series Baseball in a contest in '94. Can't tell you how many hours I've spent on it as a young teen. I don't game anymore and I feel kinda bummed out to learn that such a great game went down the drain over the years...
_All-Star Baseball 2005_ was actually for the 2004 season, and the last in that series. By the time 2005 rolled around, Acclaim was already bankrupt and out of business.
Speaking of Ben Brinkman, he was a (key) producer for EA's _MVP Baseball_ series. 2K Sports brought him in July 2006 as an executive producer for their baseball franchise. He, however, only lasted until March 2008, around the time _MLB 2K8_ was released.
After a solid outing with _MLB 2K7_ and starting that 3 year plan off pretty well, _MLB 2K8_ lacked a consistent vision of what it wanted to accomplish and wasn't polished anywhere near the quality the previous game was. It was at that point, I think, 2K already had one of their feet out the door and just wanted their exclusive 3rd party license with MLB to end. _MLB 2K9_ was an unfinished, broken mess. (Kush Games was removed as developers for _2K9_ in favor of a team at Visual Concepts; and the final product reflected that.)
The final 4 games, even if Visual Concepts cleaned up the game from the disaster that was the 2009 edition, were best remembered as the games that allowed someone to win a million dollars if they were the first to pitch a perfect game. Even _MLB 2K13_ was an "11th hour" decision. 2K renewed their license for one year, and released something less than a roster update; that game removed online leagues!
Regardless, great video once again!
Personally I loved the all-star games, they weren't easy to get in the UK but worth it for the amount of detail, baseball history and love poured into them even if they were flawed they were close to virtual museums and dripping nostalgia and atmosphere.
@@jdevlin1910 I have been playing ASB 2003 regularly for the last year or so and would say that even despite years of playing 2K, MVP, the Show, etc nothing comes close for me. It goes well beyond the nostalgia of The Natural theme music, the stadium tours, and players of that timeframe - the reward when you master the hitting rivals few things I've ever experienced in video games. The hitting and pitching AI is excellent in terms of being able to pick up on pitchers and their patterns for pitch sequence, places they attack the zone, etc. Some small bugs in gameplay here and there on defense, but animations in terms of swings, windups, running etc are all so great compared to what I just watched above for a 2K game made 10 years later.
You're also 100% right about the love they poured into their games - I think it's so cool how they provided so much info about the devs and producers behind the game via the special features section, so you knew just how passionate they were about both baseball and the project itself. It truly surprised me that it wasn't just nostalgia that fueled my love for that game when I fired it up again after all these years, and for a series that has largely been forgotten with time, was nice to see your comment and know someone else had an appreciation for it.
@@thomasharner92 Had Acclaim Not Gone Under We Could've Had More Of Them
With the current state of Pro Evolution Soccer (also known as Winning Eleven, though now known as eFootball), maybe a video on the fall of that series could be documented as well? Their recent release seemed to be the nail in the coffin for that series, with FIFA 22 seeming like a masterpiece compared to it.
No one cares about soccer.
@@mccalejk2 it’s literally the biggest sport in the entire world lmao, i’m not a fan, but i ain’t gonna act stupid
@@mccalejk2 lmao
It'd be dope to have a vid on Konami as a whole
Very sad that Konami won't be using their engine for their Pro Evolution Soccer games. I believe the same probably applies to their Pro Yakyuu Spirits baseball game which feel more better/realistic than any other current baseball game and the crowd is awesome too.
Mlb 2k was not that bad, they had statistics and better player tracker for awards and stuff. MLB the show stopped innovating after they stopped making mlb 2k
MLB games aren't huge sellers really. Not compared to Basketball and football. I miss the days of having 3+ options at every sport game, plus another few arcadey titles. Back in the day when you had like 6 baseball games and stuff, video game developing wasn't as expensive as it is now but with technology being what is now, it just costs a lot more to make a game especially with the MLB and NFL licenses. The MLB 2k games weren't very good but they were fun they still have the best commentary and presentation of any baseball game it's still way ahead of the show in this department. I think 2K would not be interested in MLB and would stick to Basketball where they actually make a decent game that everyone buys. I'd be interested to see EA try to get back into Baseball, but they seem to shy away when they don't have exclusivity (other than FIFA which makes them a kajillion dollars). It's a shame because I want to see another simulation baseball game on the market so the Show doesn't get too comfortable and slack off. Competition is a good thing. But Baseball is too much of a niche market these days unfortunately.
The Show has been a best selling sports game every year and has gotten even more money by going multiplatform since last year
The show does decent for a baseball title but it's not close to being the best selling sports game
I remember thinking at the time, “He’ll yeah 2K, take that MLB from EA after they screwed us from your football games!” Little did I know what the outcome would be 20 years later
I remember loving 2K8. Not always for the gameplay but the atmosphere, commentary, deep rosters, soundtrack, and franchise. I would rename all the fake named prospects every time even if the save got halted halfway through. I continued that tradition on through 2K12 and had a good amount of fun with franchise. I remember it being interesting with the morale things in 2K8 and dynamic ratings/potential in 2K11 or so. But I always did wanna try The Show and it was clear by the end that us XBOX players were missing out. The graphics were OK for the time but always looked a little goofy or arcadey, and the sliding or ball into glove glitches were everywhere
Been waiting for this! Not even a minute in and I already LOVE IT
989 Sports had a bit of a weird naming convention with its MLB titles. The 2004 season's installment was called MLB 2005, while the 2005 season's installment was called MLB 2006. It wasn't until San Diego Studios took over and The Show moniker was adopted that the year in the title corresponded to the year of the season.
I've been playing WSB 2k2 on my Dreamcast Emulator lately and it's been fucking fun playing a game back when they cared about the end result and not the profit margin
How Do You Navigate Through The Menus
The Show has become Madden!! Ratings are meaningless, dumb player cards, too many limits like player jersey numbers retired so you can't even make a legend with his fitting number!! Both sports need new competition!!
When i bought MLB 2K11 nothing about NBA story mode was on my mind. Nor anything the series had previously done with MLB games. i was a first time MLB game buyer and Roy Halladay on cover put me over the top on it. For unbiased perspective and a real overview of the game, i loved it. It was an amazing game granted their was some things i wish i could have solved in My Career mode that couldnt. But overall GREAT.
I love your looks back at the history of these franchises. As far as modern games go, have you ever considered giving Super Mega Baseball a shot?
The Japanese baseball (Pro Yakyuu Spirits) has the best game-play physics/animation mechanics ever and more fun than MLB The Show. I wish they added English support to it and the WBC.
A retrospective about the midway sports games can be good
Those were so hilarious that maybe could be a good video for april 1st
And Acclaim sports,too will a retrospective story join in.
If 2k would have had better graphics and better motion capture for the players, the show would have had some serious competition. Now mlb the show is just releasing the same game year after year. 2k had better presentation and the world baseball classics.