MLB 2K12 DS Review: Rain-Out

Baseball games have never faired too well on handheld systems, except for the PSP versions of Sony’s long-running “The Show” series.

But with two screens and a decent graphics processor, nothing but hard work could stop 2k sports from delivering gems on Nintendo’s DS console.

A complete lack of effort ultimately dooms what could have been a great handheld sports title.

The problems are huge. When you can’t even get player stats right, you know there’s a problem. When you can’t make player trades, there’s an even bigger problem. When the game makes every single element of the sport a total bore, the line has been crossed. MLB 2K12 on the Nintendo DS is such a poor excuse for a baseball game that it’s a wonder it got past quality control. Everything about this game reads of unfinished business, from the lack of gameplay modes to a general lack of precision in the hitting, running, fielding and pitching schemes. This game is an utter joke.

Aside from some of the best play-by-play commentary in a handheld sports title, MLB 2K12 will go down as one of the worst titles 2K sports have ever released.

Graphically, the game isn’t terrible. It looks like a cross between “Super Bases Loaded” and “Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run” on the Super Nintendo. There are no names on the back of jerseys and for the most part, players look exactly alike. Aside from seeing R.A. Dickey’s beard and a stance that kind of resembles Ichiro’s, the game offers little personalization and ways to show the developers actually cared. Overall, it’s a rushed mess. It could have benefitted so much from some tender love and care.

As a whole, the game just feels cold- like an old friend you lost touch with and can’t reconnect with. Nothing here is inviting. Even the team select modes are bland and by the numbers. Random bugs along the way also hamper the action. The fielding engine, which looks like it was stolen from “Super Play-Action Football,” makes it almost impossible to know if you’re catching a grounder or a fly ball. It takes strategy and logic out of a game that is bound by it. Hitting as well makes little sense as pitches break unrealistically. Even when you hit a home run or a bases-clearing double, you’ll get little satisfaction.

Why would anyone want to play this abomination? Even the world’s biggest baseball fan won’t find enough here to warrant multiple plays. Unlike a handful of former stars in the sport, this game is in desperate need of a steroid injection.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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