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MLB 2K7 coming earlier than expected?
According to SportsGamer.com, MLB 2K7 appears to be releasing a week earlier to compete with the Playstation's MLB 07: The Show. Gamestop changed the shipping date for MLB 2K7 to 2/26/07 which is the same release date as MLB 07: The Show. 2K Sports wants their MLB gem to be a success and maybe by moving the release date up a week will help deter possible MLB 07: The Show purchases. Cross your fingers and watch for the release of MLB 2K7 towards the end of the month.[Via Game Stooge]
Take Two downgraded. EA seeks 2K sports?
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities recently downgraded his assessment of Take Two Interactive stock from "hold" to "sell." While Grand Theft Auto IV is a guaranteed smash, WMS is wary of the lackluster performance of 2K Sports and "everything else." Naturally, Take Two's recent "hot coffee" scandal add to the decision, which Pachter chalks up to management decisions. Essentially, Take Two allows great freedoms to its creators, which results in groundbreaking games like GTA, but also results in sexual content making it onto a retail disc.Pachter discussed the possibility of the company being bought, divided, and sold in pieces. It's "unlikely" according to Pachter, but he does note that EA would be the most likely candidate to purchase 2K, as it would give the company a monopoly on nearly all major sports products. Pachter said such a monopoly could be worth as much as $1 billion, though he believes 2K Sports itself could probably be had for $200 million.[Thanks, dpcough]See Also:NFL2K rises from the ashesReduced 360 target causes VG stock dip
Of MLB2K7, Marketplace, and ugly trailers
If you were to look at the above image of Major League Baseball 2K7, you'd probably assume that the game has some serious graphical prowess. The cloth looks real, the face is well rendered, the stubble is nice and manly. All in all, it looks pretty good, right? Okay, now go download the latest trailer off of Marketplace. It's available today. Go ahead, it won't take long; it's barely 3 MB in size. Now watch it. It's okay, we'll wait ... did you watch it? What did you notice? That's right! It looks awful. Seriously, it looks like a poorly compressed CG movie from the PS1 era. Just a note to prospective content providers: Xbox Live Marketplace is not YouTube. At least give us 480p.We know, it seems petty to point out an ugly trailer, but the 360 was built with HD in mind. Next to so many great looking trailers, this actually makes MLB2K7 look bad by comparison. So far, people have good things to say about the game. We just want a good trailer to go with it.
NFL2K rises from the ashes
If you're someone who absolutely despises EA, chances are it has something to do with NFL2K. Just over two years ago, Electronic Arts bought exclusive rights to the NFL license, effectively killing it's only competition, NFL2K. The fact that NFL2K was consistently rated as high (or higher) than EA's Madden may have had something to do with that, not to mention SEGA's ballsy move of lowering NFL2K5's price to $20, which led to it outselling Madden for the first time. EA wouldn't have any of that, so they did what they do best and bought out the competition.Now, 2 years later, NFL2K is coming back, though not in the way many would have hoped. 2K Sports has announced that NFL2K is returning as All-Pro Football 2K8. Gamespot has posted a lengthy interview with 2K Sports' Greg Thomas, though he doesn't give away many details. No gameplay details have been announced, except that 2K Sports is out to make the best football game it can. Without the NFL license, many are suggesting that the game will feature old football legends, but 2K Sports isn't talking. At any rate, NFL2K is coming back, and that is bound to make plenty of sports fans happy. The game is expected to hit this summer.[Via Joystiq]
NFL2K rises from grave as All-Pro Football 2K8
Today is a day that sports gamers have prayed for since the fateful morning of December 13th, 2004 when EA locked up the NFL license in an exclusive agreement, effectively shutting down their critically acclaimed rival, NFL 2K. Not one to go quietly, 2K Sports has announced their long rumored gridiron return with All-Pro Football 2K8, slated for this Summer and for "next generation video game systems."Gamespot sat down with Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas to cover some of the more obvious challenges they will be facing in the marketplace. With no license to work with, All-Pro Football 2K8 will be facing an uphill battle for mind share when it comes to dealing with EA's unstoppable Madden series. This doesn't seem to bother Thomas as he is "expecting this game to be a big, big seller, we're expecting our fans to be really excited, and there's a lot of fans."
Surprise -- Derek Jeter to grace MLB 2K7 cover
New York Yankees Shortstop Derek Jeter will have his mugshot plastered on the front of all copies of Major League Baseball 2K7. This should come as no big revelation, as the seven-time All Star has previously adorned the covers of the last two annual editions. Jeter has also appeared serially on game boxes for the now-deceased All-Star Baseball franchise from Acclaim. Say what you will about Electronic Arts for lack of innovation, but at least they swap out cover athletes every year (thanks in no small part to the curse). To be fair, 2K Sports is hoping MLB 2K7 will be a reinvention of the franchise. According to designer Ben Brinkman, "First year, drill down to the core and get the core baseball game going. Year two, add some cool features, maybe some tersely modes, maybe redesign franchise. The third year, just wrap it up into a nice bow and nail it." So if not this year, expect MLB 2K9 to be the real winner. MLB 2K7 will come to bat Spring 2007 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, and the original Xbox.
Typo: vibration function cited in PS3's NBA 2K7 booklet
Keen eyes have spotted this careless passage published in the PlayStation 3 version of the NBA 2K7 instruction booklet: "Once you start feeling your heart rate pumping (via controller vibration), you'll be ready to begin! Shooting free throws in 24/7: NEXT is just like shooting free throws in a normal quick game" (page 15). The rumble citation is an amusing relic of pre-Sixaxis days when the manual's authors must have assumed (or were told) the final PS3 controller would feature a standard vibration function. Guess 2K Games didn't bother to hire a knowledgeable copy editor.Please, let's not assume this means PS3 games have 'hidden' vibration features. A typo's a typo. And PS3 launch titles won't be a'rumblin.[Thanks, Xenokai]
Take-Two signs in-game advertising deal
Take-Two and independent advertising company, Double Fusion, have announced an agreement that will see up to nine upcoming 2K and 2K Sports titles riddled with in-game "advertising opportunities". The official press release notes that Double Fusion will be exclusively providing dynamic advertising technology across all platforms, with the exception of the Xbox and the Xbox 360. While the online implementation of ads is nothing unheard of, it's the actual description of the embedded, offline versions that prove to be a bit scary."Select versions of 2K and 2K Sports titles will feature integrated, hard-coded placements that will offer marketers opportunities for deep integration into gameplay and storylines, reaching users of the games whether or not they are connected to the Internet."In-game advertising is often a tug-of-war between a subtle man in a trenchcoat and an obnoxious exhibitionist with an oily burger in his pocket. It's all a matter of balance, with the product or service demanding the player's attention, but in a way that seems natural and unobtrusive within the game's framework. The best in-game advertising often lends to the believability of the world (billboards in a dense city make complete sense), whereas the worst destroys it completely (billboards in Hyrule, not so much). Let's hope Take-Two doesn't have us taking our band of adventurers into the ancient NIVEA forest as we search for the magical PANASONIC DLP SCREEN. (Hint: Speak to the merchant elf -- he'll give you a BMW with GPS navigation.)
Shaq reprises role as NBA 2K7 cover athlete
Shaquille O'Neal looks to continue his illustrious games career by accepting the role of NBA 2K7 cover athlete for a second straight year. 2K Sports has implemented a new post play mechanic for this year's iteration, allowing players to perform a dazzling array of Kung fu-based maneuvers -- okay, we made that last part up.2K Sports has confirmed a September release for PS2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The PS3 version will likely be released at the system's launch or soon after.
NHL 07 benched on Nintendo platforms
Last week, when EA announced that the Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin would be NHL 07's cover athlete, many fans were surprised to see that Nintendo was absent from the list of platforms* that would receive the game. Nintendojo recently contacted EA to verify the platform release list. As it turns out, NHL 07 will not be released for GameCube -- or for that matter, Wii. Currently, 2K Sports' NHL 2K7 is not scheduled for release on GameCube either. Electronic Arts publicist Jen Riley did make it a point to remind Nintendojo, "Many of our other games are continuing to support DS ... and we hope to be on Wii in the future." *NHL 07 will be available for PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, and Xbox 360. Note that PlayStation 3 is also absent from the list.
Take-Two pledges support for Wii
According to Take-Two president and CEO Paul Eibeler, the publisher was impressed with Nintendo's E3 showing and is now committed to producing a range of titles for Wii beginning in late 2007.Eibeler focused on Wii's potential to expand Take-Two's 2K Sports series, specifically MLB. 2K is also responsible for a slew of non-sports titles, including BioShock, CivCity: Rome, Dungeon Siege, Family Guy and Prey, which may or may not find a home on Wii. Eibeler made no mention of the availability of current or future Rockstar titles for the Wii platform.
Top Spin 2 serves up demo date
Here's a racquet sport warm up while you're waiting to find out if Grand Theft Ping Pong is the real deal: According to 2K Sports Senior Producer Thorsten Moeckel, a Top Spin 2 demo will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace a "few days" before the game's April 7 release date. How important have demos been to your gaming decisions so far? Is it pretty much a necessity for every Xbox 360 game? Have you decided not to purchase a game after being disappointed with the demo?
MLB 2K6 may miss March spring training
2K Sports' exlusive 3rd-party baseball sim Major League Baseball 2K6 may be arriving a little late to the party this year.EBgames' web site is reporting that versions of the title for PS2 and Xbox will be arriving on April 10th, while the Xbox 360 and GameCube editions will be arriving fashionably late on the 24th--both of which dates fall well after the first actual MLB pitch of the season on April 2nd. The PSP version is still AWOL (under contract negotiations apparently), while GameStop has only got the PS2 listing with the March 20th date penciled in.
