MLB 2k13 - Worth Buying?

[Cycloniac]

I don't come to this side of town very often, but I still follow baseball - although more casually in recent years.

As a 360 user, MLB 2k is my only option (until I switch over and buy a PS4 this Christmas). I haven't bought a baseball game since MLB 2k10, so I've passed on the 2 baseball offerings thereafter. But now, I really would like to play a baseball game agan. Is 2k13 worth buying? Its price has gone down I'm sure, and I'd really love to delve deep into a baseball franchise in this "lull" perod before the next generation of consoles are shipped.

[rman]

Keep playing 2k10 and save your money for the PS4. The game is on sale at Gamestop for $29.99 and that's $24.99 too much IMO. I have 2K12 and with the roster updates Mark puts out, the game plays much better then 2K13. If you must buy it, get it used. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS DEVELOPER!

[WaitTilNextYear]

I think it's worth it. I have 2K13 and am enjoying it. It's my first consistent baseball game since the MVP days. If it's only 30 bucks on sale, then you'll like it. If you are sure you'll play it enough this summer before Madden and PS4 and NBA 2K, then go for it.

[Yeats]

Quote: Originally Posted by rman

DO NOT SUPPORT THIS DEVELOPER!

I believe the OP was asking from an enjoyment perspective and not a political one.

[Yeats]

If you haven't played 2K11 or 2K12, then it's worth picking up 2K13. The biggest change in the series came with 2K11, the two games after that are essentially roster updates. But yes, very enjoyable baseball game all things considered and definitely worth the purchase.

[Cycloniac]

Quote: Originally Posted by Yeats

If you haven't played 2K11 or 2K12, then it's worth picking up 2K13. The biggest change in the series came with 2K11, the two games after that are essentially roster updates. But yes, very enjoyable baseball game all things considered and definitely worth the purchase.

Yup; haven't played 2k11 or 2k12. Has franchise mode been improved since 2k10? Is it possible to play multiple years into the future with realistic results? How is proggression and trade AI? What I remember I liked hearing about 2k11 was something like dynamic ratings, and a revamped progression engine.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cycloniac

Yup; haven't played 2k11 or 2k12. Has franchise mode been improved since 2k10? Is it possible to play multiple years into the future with realistic results? How is proggression and trade AI? What I remember I liked hearing about 2k11 was something like dynamic ratings, and a revamped progression engine.

I am already in year 3 of my chise and have played every single game. Having a blast obviously or I wouldn't be sinking that kind of time in.

The results are only as realistic as your slider set. There are 3-4 sets up for 2K13 that people have put any effort into. I have a set. Hetfield has a set that's quite a bit different, and bigfnjoe also has a set that was the original set to come out for 2K13. I don't mean to brag, but I've put a ton of work into my set and think it's as good as it's gonna get, but feel free to make your own judgment if you get 2K13. I've had at least 5-10 people leave good comments in my thread. A couple of OS posters have said they thought the batting was too easy with my sliders, though that was before I made a few changes as I got better. Depends on your skill level really.

Progression is good. It's not cookie cutter either and depends on stats. Some guys with high potential won't go up much if they don't perform, and some go up fast. +8 is the biggest single season progression I've seen. Not to mention this other game, but you also won't find 5-7 blue chip prospects in the draft in 2K13 like in the Show. The older players don't have insane regression like I know is also a problem in the Show. Jeter, for example, was playing well through 2014 before he retired at the end of 2014 in my chise. David Ortiz put up .342 with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI in 2014, and came back for 2015. He's still rated ~80.

For the dynamic player ratings, a lot of people don't like it, but here's the scoop. Your players have a normal set of attributes. So, you play all the games in April (I think May too) and almost every player either gets a hot or cold streak based on their stats. I'd say 70% of players have either hot or cold. The streaks can change on the fly too. Say a guy has only +8 in power, a few games later he can have +8 in contact too, or maybe his +8 in power is now gone.

The thing people don't like is that the good players tend to get on hot streaks and the bad players tend to get on cold streaks, so they see the game as making the good players too good, and the bad players too bad. I don't really see this being a problem, since there is a big difference between a star and a scrub irl anyway, and the numbers (at least for me) haven't really shown anything like half the players hit .350 and half hit .200, so imo this is overblown.

The thing I don't like about the dynamic ratings is the streaks tend to linger. So, your guy can be hot for a month or more with little more than average play sustaining the streak. Or a guy can really be struggling and have a 3-hit game, but the cold streak is still in force, which is a bummer. I'd like to see the hot/cold streaks stick more tightly to performance, but it's ok.

As for trades, the logic can be decent, but really bad at times. The solution to that is to use the trade discussion thread on OS to vet your trades and just bypass the trade logic by having force trades and edit cpu rosters on. As long as you make an effort to be fair, that's the best method for not cheesing trades--you know where you sign a decent guy and spin him off with someone else for a better guy etc...Everyone's done that, but it gets boring and stale. So, yeah, don't do that, lol.

Summary: 2K13 is definitely playable for several years in franchise mode. The results will be good if your sliders are solid. The dynamic progression is a preference thing; most people feel strongly one way or the other. Use the trade forum on OS (I use the Show version since it's more established and a lot more active) and you can look at the trade value spreadsheet in the original post of that thread and ask questions. There are a few guys in there (me included, lol) who [like to think they] know what they're talking about and like to help out.

[daltros]

If you can find a cheap price, then buying it would not be a bad investment (especially considering you did not play the last two installments).

However, I suggest renting it first and foremost.