Major League Baseball 2K12 or, in short, MLB 2K12, is a Major League Baseball licensed baseball simulation video game published by 2K that was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows on March 6, 2012. This was the last MLB game to be released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows. The commentary is delivered by the trio of Steve Phillips, Gary Thorne, and John Kruk.
| Major League Baseball 2K12 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art featuring Justin Verlander | |
| Developer(s) | Visual Concepts Wii, PS2, PSP: 2K China, Virtuos |
| Publisher(s) | 2K |
| Series | 2K Sports Major League Baseball |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Cloud (OnLive) |
| Release | March 6, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Sports (Professional baseball) |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Cover athlete
editJustin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers is the game's cover athlete replacing Roy Halladay from MLB 2K11.[1] Verlander won both the AL Cy Young Award and the AL MVP Award in 2011.
Modes
edit- The Perfect Game Challenge is a competition where players will compete to pitch a perfect game in MLB 2K12.
- MLB Today Season Mode
- Franchise Mode is a mode where a player can play through multiple MLB seasons with one team, all while signing free agents, making trades, drafting players and setting rosters for that team and its minor league affiliate teams. However, it is not as in depth as MLB Today Season Mode, and more than one game may be played in a day in Franchise Mode. You can edit your players abilities in all areas unlimited times, making it possible to make your entire team perfect.
You can also edit their contract values and adjust the sliders or difficulty level during a franchise.
Changes from the previous installments
edit- MLB 2K12 makes pitcher and batter interactions more realistic than ever before, as certain pitches will decrease or increase in effectiveness against certain players, depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
- MLB 2K12 has a new throwing system and variation and realism in the hits.
- MLB 2K12 features improved gameplay from the previous installments, including improved AI, as well as improved graphics and lighting.
- MLB 2K12 features all of the real life MLB logos, uniforms, and ballparks.
End of the Series
edit2K Sports gave many signals on May 22, 2012, that the game would mark the end of the MLB 2K series. The game was left off the list of games for 2K's 2013 fiscal year, which was the same way they signaled the end of the NHL 2K series (although it returned on mobile devices in 2014) and the College Hoops series.[2] A spokesman for Take Two commented, "Our legacy Major League Baseball agreement will sunset in fiscal 2013. MLB 2K12 is our last offering under that agreement. At this time, we have no further comment."[3]
However, on January 9, 2013, 2K Sports eventually announced that they had reached an agreement with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and Major League Baseball Advanced Media to release Major League Baseball 2K13. The game was released on March 5, 2013.[4] MLB 2K13 was the final installment of the series.
Soundtrack
editThe following soundtrack was confirmed on February 17, 2012.[5]
| Artist | Song |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Just for Show |
| Bass Drum of Death | Get Found |
| Explosions in the Sky | Trembling Hands |
| G-Side | Put Me in the Game |
| Grouplove | Colours |
| JEFF the Brotherhood | Shredder |
| My Morning Jacket | Holdin' On to Black Metal |
| Pretty Lights | Hot Like Dimes |
| Skrillex | Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites |
| Telekinesis | Please Ask for Help |
| The Cool Kids | Boomin' |
| The Joy Formidable | Austere |
| The Vaccines | If You Wanna |
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (X360) 68/100[6] (PS3) 68/100[7] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | (PS3) 5/10[9] |
| Game Informer | (X360) 6.75/10[11] |
| GameSpot | (X360/PS3) 5.5/10[13] |
| GameSpy | (PC) [12] |
| GamesRadar+ | (X360/PS3) [10] |
| IGN | (X360/PS3) 7/10[8] |
Major League Baseball 2K12 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
GamesRadar wrote, "Despite its many issues, MLB 2K12 packs a significant punch when it comes to the nuts-and-bolts of big league baseball...Unfortunately, it's just too ordinary-looking and choppy-playing...For all its good points, a game of this stature should be more polished at this stage of the franchise's existence."
References
edit- ^ Schramm, Mike (November 6, 2011). "MLB 2K12 names Tigers' Justin Verlander as cover Athlete". Joystiq. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ Pastapadre (May 22, 2012). "MLB 2K Series Left Out of Take Two Lineup Listing – Could Signal Cancellation". Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ L. Patterson, Eric (May 22, 2012). "Has Take-Two Interactive Killed The MLB 2K- Franchise?". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ "2K Sports Announces Major League Baseball® 2K13 and Return of the Perfect Game Challenge". 2K Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Pastapadre (February 17, 2012). "Soundtrack for MLB 2K12". Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ "Major League Baseball 2K12 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ "Major League Baseball 2K12 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Eykemans, Peter (March 6, 2012). "Major League Baseball 2K12 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Bonds, Ian (March 29, 2012). "Review: MLB 2K12". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Grisham, Richard (March 12, 2012). "MLB 2K12 review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (March 15, 2012). "Major League Baseball 2K12 Review: A Year Of Bug Fixes". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Nelson, Mike (March 7, 2012). "MLB 2K12 Review - Updated". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Djordjević, Marko (March 10, 2012). "Major League Baseball 2K12 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.