Every amateur dreams of getting called up to the big leagues, and this past Thursday, I got the call. A conference call that is, with some of the guys from Visual Concepts and 2K Sports. I got to sit in as a bench warmer in a Q&A session with Producer Ben Bishop and Gameplay Designers Jonathan Rivera and Sean Baily.

Questions were meted out by Chase from Access Communications. The following is a synopsis of the conference call. These are not direct quotations, but a summary in my own words. I will use [ ] to signify my own thoughts within the summary.

Ben Bishop (Producer):

Major League Baseball 2K9 is not the game 2K Sports and Visual Concepts wanted it to be…Visual Concepts was brought in late and didn’t have a full cycle to square up to the task. That is all changing with MLB 2K10.

This year’s MLB game has a new feel, building on feedback taken from every level (internal, pro players, reviews, forums and surveys, etc.), including Evan Longoria, this year’s cover athlete. Longoria is a big gamer, and worked with the team as they made adjustments throughout development.

Part of the new feel also owes to the plethora of new features and game modes. New for 2K10 is the “My Player” mode, which brings the missing career mode to the 2K Baseball series. “My Player” lets you create your own player and play your way through the minor league ranks, earning skill points and filling your “MLB ETA” meter as you play. These skill points let you level up your player’s stats, from power to Batter’s Eye.

Once you get the call to the Big Leagues, you’ll be playing your way toward the Hall of Fame! There are some out-of-game aspects that affect your career, but nothing as involved as more casual/flashy baseball games like The Bigs and The Show. One of the “My Player” features [I'm excited about] is the “Short Form” mode, which sims everything in the game, except for your player’s parts. This accelerated game mode lets you play a whole game in 5-10 minutes!

MLB 2K10 is also getting a revised version of the Dynamic Commentary system first used in the NBA 2K series. Dynamic Commentary works differently based on the game mode you are playing (D.C. is not used in online multiplayer).

In the Franchise mode and My Player modes, Dynamic Commentary will be based on the stats from your virtual seasons. Meanwhile you will get commentary based on up-to-date real world pre-game stats (and results for your current game in progress) in the new MLB Today mode.

MLB Today mode is like a game du jour…pick the team you want to play as, and MLB 2K10 sets up the game to match the real-world game conditions. Dynamic Commentary in MLB Today mode will let you brush up on your team’s real-life status, like how the Dodgers are one game away from sweeping the Giants in this 3 game series, player stats etc. [I wonder if anyone will be using MLB Today to choose bets,spreads, etc. by simulating the games? I'll have to try it out on a few match ups, see how accurately MLB Today predicts game outcomes]

Sean Baily (Gameplay Designer):

On the tech side, pretty much everything in the game has been re-written from scratch (AI, physics, animations, and the pitching and hitting systems). The framerate was a priority, and has been improved and stabilized.

For pitchers, you now pre-select your pitch type using the controller buttons, no street fighter moves just to choose what type of pitch you are throwing [that comes later]. How well you execute the corresponding street fighter style move for that pitch type determines the speed, and how accurately your pitch is delivered.

Visual Concepts has tried to create a pick up and play control scheme, while also delivering a realistic challenge that has some depth to it. Pitching is about making your motions accurately and batting is about timing, no more zone hitting… Both sides of the match-up have their own analyzer that helps you see mistakes in your inputs/timing [I don't find the Swing Analyzer all that helpful].

MLB 2K10 will be seeing some real battles at the plate. Hitters have some tools to extend at-bats, when they get in trouble. Defensive swings will help you stay alive, and contact swings will put the ball in play [if you are in the right neighbor with your timing]. The Batter’s Eye will clue you in to the incoming pitch. How often you get the Batter’s Eye depends on each player’s rating.

Jonathan Rivera (Gameplay Designer):

2K Sports wants MLB 2K10 to be the best baseball game out there, no matter what platform [and it's being published on pretty much all of them!]. A lot of work went into fine tuning the different aspects of the game, and improving acrobatics animations.

AI players are more casual and realistic in no/low pressure situations, and improvements were made in the Fielding AI. You are less likely to get two players trying to catch the same ball, for example. The new pre-loading system combines fielding & throwing into a smoother, more efficient motion.

Franchise mode has received some welcome upgrades, including a full 40 man roster and mid-year drafting. Trading of course is there, along with new compensatory draft picks. Another feature is “Super Sim” which lets you run entire games in simulation, in any game mode. If you don’t like how things are going, jump back in the game and take over. One downside to Super Sim is that you may not earn as many skill points (My Player mode), compared to playing out the whole game yourself.

The player ratings are built upon stats going back three years, with most weight being placed on the most recent season. Usually the system works pretty well, but sometimes pro players will give feedback and complaints if they feel they are being underestimated.

There are a few playable classic teams in the game, however there are no throwback stadiums. [It will be interesting to see what classic teams are available, and how they play in modern stadiums.]

Misc:

The $1M Perfect Game Contest: 2K Sports expects a winner on this contest. They are hoping the contest will drive people to experience and perfect the new pitching mechanic. Pitch count is going to be vital to finishing out a perfect game, as fatigue will really begin to affect your speed, accuracy, and composure.

People who like making custom players will be happy to know that MLB 2K10 doesn’t have a cap on the number of custom players you can create [available storage capacity will obviously be a limiting factor].

The Trading Card system is built on 2K9, with some minor adjustments for this years game.

This year’s game has a great soundtrack, lots of good songs

Every stadium’s Homerun Celebration has been recreated in-game, with the exclusion of the Milwaukee Brewers [betting this is due to ESRB rating restrictions]

Final Thoughts

MLB 2K10 releases tomorrow, on Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 [why is it that baseball games are the only sport games that are honest about their "year"?] Have you tried the demo yet? What do you think so far? Will you be picking up MLB 2K10 tomorrow, or in the near future?

Look for a full review in the coming weeks, and enjoy spring training! In the meantime, check out this trailer comparing MLB 2K10 to last year’s game (choose 720p resolution to get the best comparison quality):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDSAiVT14Xw

Capcom brings courtroom action to the (comparatively) big-screen on January 11th, 2010…

This WiiWare port of the Nintendo DS classic will cost 1,000 Wii Points, and feature episode 1 through 4 of the inaugural Ace Attorney title. Episode 5, which was included in the original DS version, will be released as DLC in May 2010 for an additional 100 Wii Points.

In celebration of the brand new year we’re starting things off with the release of a must-have fan favorite – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for WiiWare. The game will be available for download on Monday, January 11, 2010 and will cost 1,000 Wii Points. This is the original court adventure that started it all and made Pheonix Wright one of the most celebrated characters in the Capcom universe. Players will collect evidence, weed through inconsistent testimonies and overcome corrupt agendas to ensure that justice prevails! Present evidence with the wave of the Wii remote or press suspicious testimonies by wiggling it. These games can be played via single-player and has multiple save slots.

The story kicks off with Phoenix Wright defending his childhood friend Larry Butz from a murder charge. But this is only the beginning drama for the tenacious legal eagle as Wright faces unexpected tragedies that will test the limits of his incredible deductive prowess. In May, owners of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be able to download the bonus episode that appeared in the original Nintendo DS™ version of the game. It will cost 100 Wii Points.

Also, Ace Attorney INVESTIGATIONS: Miles Edgeworth is getting a playable DS demo in a few weeks. It will be available for download on the Nintendo Channel. Stay tuned for the release date on that. And remember, the new Ace Attorney INVESTIGATIONS: Miles Edgeworth ships on February 16, 2010.

Horror game fans across America will be turning the brightness on their DS up a notch on February 16th, 2010. SouthPeak Games will be releasing Renegade Kid’s sequel to the Nintendo DS fright fest, Dementium.

Dementium II to Bring the Fear to North America on February 16, 2010

DS Owners Can Mark Their Calendars Now For the Hotly Anticipated Survival Horror FPS

Midlothian, VA – December 17, 2009 – SouthPeak Games is pleased to give North American Nintendo DS owners a day to be scared of, that day – Tuesday, February 16, 2010. That morning’s sunrise may very well be the last one fans see as they embrace the darkness of the survival horror FPS Dementium II, the follow-up to 2007’s handheld horror masterpiece Dementium: The Ward. For our friends in Europe, you have two additional weeks to prepare before Dementium II hits your shores on March 5, 2010.

Dementium II continues to push the horror experience by melding FPS action and puzzles with a story and ambience that will have players on the edge of their seats. New wrinkles to gameplay, all new weapons, dual wielding items, improved interface and save system, and mind-boggling environments promise to engage gamers and spawn fear the likes of which some never thought possible.

Mark the date now. Visit www.dementium.com to be scared. And there are still a limited amount of Renegade Kid signed box art posters available in North America by preordering the game at authorized retailers and emailing DementiumII@southpeakgames.com [email for more info].

SAN FRANCISCO – December 14, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands(TM) will ship May 2010 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo, the Nintendo DSi(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM) systems, and Windows-based PC. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands(TM) will expand the Prince of Persia universe with a new storyline, the introduction of new characters, and new powers over nature and time. The game takes place between Prince of Persia® The Sands of Time and Prince of Persia Warrior Within(TM).

About the Game
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the next chapter in the fan-favorite Sands of Time universe. Visiting his brother’s kingdom following his adventure in Azad, the Prince finds the royal palace under siege from a mighty army bent on its destruction. When the decision is made to use the ancient power of the Sand in a desperate gamble to save the kingdom from total annihilation, the Prince will embark on an epic adventure in which he will learn to bear the mantle of true leadership, and discover that great power often comes with a great cost. Game features include:
•    Classic Gameplay Reinvented: From huge-scale multi-enemy combat to dizzying feats of acrobatic prowess in gigantic environments enhanced by the Prince’s ability to control nature and time, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will push the Prince’s prodigious abilities to unseen levels.
•    A Blockbuster Experience: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will offer players unforgettable set pieces made possible by the advanced technology offered by the award-winning Anvil engine. With all-out war at the gates of the kingdom, the Prince’s abilities will be challenged like never before through the course of epic wow moments.

•    Mastery Over Nature: Wielding powers of nature and time, the Prince will have unparalleled mastery over his environment and his enemies. The Prince will discover that harnessing the forces of nature itself will prove to be a devastating companion to his ability to rewind time.

•    Return of a Fan-Favorite Franchise: Set between Prince of Persia The Sands of Time and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will provide fans a new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe and deepen their understanding of the Sands of Time series.

The versions for Wii(TM), Nintendo DSi(TM) and DS(TM) as well as the PSP® system will feature a different gaming experience from the versions for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 system. More details will be unveiled in the near future.

For ongoing updates about the game, please visit: www.princeofpersiagame.com

2K Sports revealed the final cover art for Major League Baseball 2K10.  The cover was chosen by fans, who voted on a variety of artwork featuring Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria.  The winning artwork has the look of a premium baseball card, celebrating 10 years of 2K Baseball.

December 14, 2009 - As the result of a national voting contest, 2K Sports announced today that the final box cover art of Major League Baseball^® 2K10 will feature Evan Longoria, third baseman of the Tampa Bay Rays^®, making a defensive play with his Golden Glove ability and set against a classic silver backdrop.  Garnering 35% of the total vote, the final packaging for the game was open to the public to decide, as fans got the exciting opportunity to select from a gallery of different cover art layouts at www.2Ksports.com/vote.  Other options included photos of Longoria at the plate with a red background, each from a different angle after crushing the baseball.

“Throughout my career, I’ve taken great pride in my fielding and defensive ability,” said Longoria.  ”I’m pumped about the final cover and sincerely appreciate all the dedicated fans who took time to weigh in on their favorite image for Major League Baseball 2K10.”

Longoria made his Tampa Bay debut in 2008 and was named to the American League All Star team in each of his first two MLB seasons, as well as being named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year. His accolades continued last month when in addition to being named the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K10, Longoria won a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award presented by Louisville Slugger, naming him the top fielding and hitting third baseman in the American League.

Developed by Visual Concepts, a 2K Sports studio, Major League Baseball 2K10 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available in Spring 2010 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Wii^TM system, Nintendo DS^TM and Windows PC. For more information about Major League Baseball 2K10, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/mlb2k10.

2K Sports is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

The 2009 Video Game Awards 2009 are playing now (8pm EST), live on Spike TV.  The 2009 VGA’s will run again at 11pm EST for anyone who missed the live show.  Lots of great new game premieres will be shown during the Awards, so be sure to watch or set your DVRs to record.

Check your channel guide for the Spike TV channel in your area.

Ready for another week of DSiWare and Wiiware? Highlights for this week include Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Shinobi

Check after the break for a Full list

Nintendo DSiWare

Rayman
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The legendary first Rayman adventure is now available from the Nintendo DSiWare service. Play as Rayman and try to save his amazing world from the evil Mr. Dark. Discover a charming universe with colorful landscapes and meet funny characters who’ll help Rayman through his quest. Experiment with his abilities as you punch, hang or fly in the air and choose between two difficulty levels. Take advantage of new features in the Nintendo DSi version, such as the Nintendo DSi Camera, map selection on the touch screen and the ability to play against time to win bonuses.

Ball Fighter
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Ball Fighter is a puzzle game in which you take aim and blast groups of dropping spheres to create matches and clear the board. You can make chains to earn additional points or to make the game more difficult for an opponent. When you destroy spheres in a multiplayer mode, they will be added to the opponent’s board, making his or her task more difficult. You can find special bonuses like a Brush, a Rocket Launcher or a Bomb, which can be used to destroy spheres or to paint a line of them with the same color. You’ll find a variety of single-player modes, including Arcade, Survival, Brain Breaker and Player vs CPU, plus the unique multiplayer mode, all playable on one Nintendo DSi system.

Pop Island
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a joyful universe where playing is always a pleasure with Pop Island. Colorful and fun, Pop Island is an action-packed capture-the-flag game. Pick a team to join, then run, jump and spin your way around the island in an attempt to collect the priceless flags hidden throughout it. Become a surfing penguin, a flying fish or a waterskiing crocodile as you go all out for victory, unlocking 12 more joyful animals as you rack up points across eight different planets. You might even end up competing as a skateboarding mammoth. Playing alone is plenty of fun, but the madcap action reaches a new level when your friends get involved. By sharing the demo of the game via DS Download Play, up to seven more people with their own Nintendo DSi systems can use a local wireless connection to join you for some head-to-head or cooperative action. With plenty of power-ups, you’ll need to concentrate on capturing more than just the rival team’s flag to claim victory.

ARMY DEFENDER
Publisher: MINDSCAPE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Army Defender is an action shooter in which players must defend their base against enemy attacks by controlling a machine gun tower designed to eradicate enemy waves. As the player levels up, the enemy becomes more and more numerous and well-equipped. Attackers include soldiers, tanks, paratroopers, helicopters, jet fighters, bombers and elite commandos. Depending on the enemy type (red or green), players must switch between ammunition colors. The machine gun tower will fire where the player taps the touch screen. Power-ups are made available on a regular basis when a super bomber delivers them onto the base. When a power-up is retrieved, players will be able to upgrade their tower for a limited amount of time. Upgrades include flamethrowers, rocket launchers or concussion grenades that will help contain enemy progression.

myNotebook: Red™
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don’t like. With five ink colors, you’ll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

WiiWare™

My Dolphin
Publisher: T&S Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: You are a dolphin trainer. Use the magical stick (Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers) to perform in lifelike dolphin shows. Teach your dolphin tricks and have fun watching your dolphin swim and play elegantly with different scenes, music and angles. This game lets you train your dolphin, compete in dolphin shows and watch your dolphin swim freely. Using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play, you can become friends with other dolphins that have different colors and personalities. You can also buy new toys such as rings and balls for your dolphin to play with.

MAGNETIS™
Publisher: YULLABY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: MAGNETIS is all about attraction. Connect the magnets to create electric explosions. Solving this frantic puzzle will require quick thinking and foresight. Anticipate connections in order to generate massive chain reactions to win the highest number of points. To get rid of blocks and score points, you must create lines by connecting left and right magnets of the same color by using conductor blocks. The longer the line, the more points you’ll get. Team up with as many as three friends in cooperative mode or play against them in battle mode and compete for the highest score.

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Jack’s dreams have become a nightmare, and only you can help him to get out. Climb into the skin of the most stressed-out man in the world, grab the baseball bat and prepare to let off more steam than ever before. Destroy everything around you, beat a path through traffic or at the office, and face off against incredible hallucinations. How far will a day of fury take you?

Flowerworks®
Publisher: Nocturnal Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: While our heroine Follie is traveling to meet her auntie with a cargo of mystical Flowerworks seeds, her ship is pulled off course and crash-lands in a particularly dull area of the planet Elilia. Explore with Follie and help her recover her seeds to transform the world from drab to fab. You’ll encounter strange inhabitants, some of whom will help Follie in her quest. Others, such as naughty garden gnomes, will hinder it. Flowerworks is a single-player adventure which combines blooming flowers, colorful fireworks, exploration and a whole lot of fun. The game will have the whole family immersed in no time, but be warned: Becoming a Flowerworks master is not for the faint of heart. Flowerworks includes Adventure, FreePlay and Tutorial game modes, with three difficulty settings in a 20-hour adventure.

Virtual Console

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Street Fighter Alpha 2 explodes with lightning-fast game play and amazing innovations. Quick Move Reversals, Alpha Counters and the incredible Custom Combo System create a new standard for all games to fight by. Push your talents to the limit as you discover new hidden moves and reversals for every character. Neutralize opponents’ attacks with high and low Alpha Counters and execute incredible Custom Combos to create your own rapid-fire assaults. All your favorite warriors are back for more. Previously hidden characters Dan, Akuma and Bison are joined by five new fighters: Rolento, Gen and Sakura, plus classic favorites Dhalsim and Zangief.

Shinobi™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Here’s a bit of helpful advice to all you criminal organizations out there: If you’re going to hatch an elaborate plot that involves kidnapping children, don’t kidnap children who have ninjas for parents. That was the big mistake that a group called Zeed made when it went after the offspring of the Oboro clan. Now Joe Musashi is on the hunt to rescue the young hostages and take out Zeed’s leaders, the Ring of Five. As you scour each stage, leave no children behind – Joe can’t proceed to the next level without freeing them all. With an unlimited supply of shuriken, his sharpened katana and his deadly fists and feet, Joe will show Zeed why you don’t mess with family.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

This

I have been looking forward to MX vs ATV Reflex since before E3, so I was very excited when I discovered that the demo had gone LIVE (Available on XBL and PSN).  I had only played the previous title in the series (Untamed) from time to time when visiting my cousins, so I also downloaded the Untamed demo for comparison purposes.

vs. This

Graphics wise, Reflex trumps Untamed on realism, even before you start talking about the new terrain deformation feature. In fact, I have to wonder if Ranibow Studios wasn’t too ambitious, given the capabilities of the Xbox 360 platform.

During my time spent with the demo (over 3 hours), I noticed some geometry or texture jitter, most likely from mip-mapping transitions.  Mip Mapping is a graphics technique that uses smaller resolution textures the further away an object is from the game camera, in order to overcome memory size and bandwidth limitations.

I only really noticed this in the pre-race freestyle playground,  It wasn’t a problem in race, which is a good thing.   Graphics are only a small part of the equation however.    MX vs. ATV Reflex sports some much more important innovations that are welcome improvements over the previous title.

Plus This

The most obvious change is the new Rider Reflex control system, which uses a dual stick control scheme to add more control than ever before. The steering is handled by the left stick, while the right stick (previously used only for the camera) now controls rider body position.

This opens up a new dimension of control, including doing doughnuts!  And everybody loves doughnuts, I know I do!  The right stick is also used for the new stunt system. Stunts are now performed by holding down the “Stunt” button and flicking the right stick in combos of three directions.   It’s sort of like unleashing Chun Li’s Spinning Bird Kick, minus the sexy gams.

Spinningu Badokyaku!

Not everything is perfect in stunt land however. In comparing Reflex with Untamed, I felt that pulling off two stunts (successfully) in one jump was much harder to do in Reflex. This does bring up my one other concern about Reflex, which is the lack of a “Cancel Stunt” button for getting back on the bike if you know you won’t finish your trick.

But enough of this talk of carefree, right stick shenanigans!  This next feature is dedicated to all the squares out there…

As amazing as the Rider Reflex system is, I feel that the new Wreck Avoidance feature adds the most to the playability of the franchise. Wreck Avoidance uses a quick time event system for bad landings, throwing up a large, unobtrusive arrow onto one of the four sides of the screen.

Flick the Right-Stick in the indicated direction in time, and you will save yourself from a wreck. This does not give you carte blanche for stunts however. If you are still climbing around your bike like a monkey when you touch down, nothing is going to save you!

Whip it good...

I really enjoyed the demo, and I am excited to see the final results when MX vs ATV: Reflex launches on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PSP, and DS on Dec. 1st, 2009 (USA).   Sorry, European gamers, but you will have to wait until February 2010, unless the game is made to be region free.

*Preview is based on Xbox 360 version