Major League Baseball 2K12 Xbox 360
User Score
6.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 19
  3. Negative: 5 out of 19

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  1. LuNg
    Mar 7, 2012
    6
    I am extremely disappointed with this game has not improved at all the graphics are still poor in detail, physics between players running the bases and hit the defense is lacking, the physics of the ball is terrible and unreal, the only thing I love the MLB Today and daylight to night and some stadiums faithfully recreated
  2. ramsfanx99
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    just an all around fail effort once again by 2k. they need to just drop the baseball franchise because it can not compete with the show. i guess if your a baseball fan and you have an xbox 360 u should buy it, but if u have a ps3 its a no brainer, BUY THE SHOW
  3. MFZ
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    After 3 years of one team developing this game, it seems like the game suffers due to a lack of effort by the development team. Very little, if anything at all, about the uniforms is accurate to their real life counterparts. Colors are very off - check out the horrible attempt at Yankee blue - and the lettering on the jerseys is lame. Overall, the graphics are not something most people would consider up to par for the last stages of the PS3 and 360. It doesn't seem like there is any actual physics when the ball is in play. The ball bounces 2 or 3 times, then continues to slide across the grass or dirt like a hockey puck on ice. Overall, the game is supposed to be an accurate representation of Major League Baseball and for the most part, that is very untrue.… Expand
  4. Old_Biff
    May 17, 2012
    7
    This is a good game with a ton of flaws. I love Baseball and only have a 360 so I have no choice since it's the only one we have. The graphics could be better and there are a number of glitches but I do really like the gameplay and the stadiums are nice looking.
  5. OrdealByFire
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    --From my blog, 47Reviews.BlogSpot.com--

    MLB 2K's potential final hurrah as Xbox 360's only MLB game is that of MLB 2K12. Since MLB 2K4's release 8 years ago, I've played roughly 6 of the 8 editions of the game. Of the versions I've played, 2K7 remains my favorite, despite its large number of glitches. The graphics were, in my opinion, the best in the series, and the soundtrack was also r    eally good. Anyway, 2K12...

    Let's start with the graphics. As I said a full two lines ago, I thought MLB 2K7 had the best graphics. The fans didn't look so great, but the players looked decent, and the jerseys looked really nice... why with the whole blowing in the wind and whatnot... MLB 2K12 just looks average at best, with more negatives than positives. Let me start with the positives here, as there is just... one positive.

    + Stadiums
    + Shadows on the field
    - Jerseys (The dark/royal blue that is used as the primary color for teams like the Yankees is not the right color at all ... it looks more like New York Mets blue.)
    - Player models (A vast majority of the models look atrocious, with few actually looking like their real-life counterparts. Where are Ryan Roberts and Prince Fielder's tattoos?)
    - Animations (I'm still seeing a lot of the horrendous animations from years' past. What's going there, 2K?)
    - Frame rate online (It's not terrible, but it's noticeable, and WILL cause you to swing badly on some pitches, and over or under run a LOT of balls in the outfield or infield.)

    Yeah... MLB 2K12 may not be the best looking game - in fact, it's far from it - but it's alright looking, to be fair.

    To me, 2K11 had a pretty good soundtrack, with some quality songs from a lot of unknown bands, for the most part. This year, 2K Sports has a soundtrack consisting of indy, rock, rap, and even dubstep. If you've got eclectic taste, you can appreciate a good number of the songs in 2K12, but it's pretty average overall. If you liked 2K11's commentary, you'll like it again this year. 2K12 brings back Gary Thorne, John Kruk, and Steve Phillips with "over 80 hours of new commentary." Even though I've only played a few games, I've yet to hear anything repeated ad-nauseum, so that's a good thing. As for the crowd in this game, they're as depressing and emotionless as ever. Hey there champ, hit a walk-off homerun, didja? Yeah well, the home team doesn't give a **** because they - apparently - aren't paying attention! They hardly react when you get a clutch hit, be it game winning or not, and that's also frustrating. They don't get up and cheer, you just hear a slight clap as if you're at a golf tournament. Why they haven't ever really improved this over all these years is beyond me.

    Now that I'm done with that vent... the controls. MLB 2K12's controls tend to be more frustrating than anything else. Primarily, the fielding. If a ball is blooped into the outfield and you have a chance to catch it, if you at all twitch the left stick in the wrong direction, you have virtually no chance of getting to the ball because I guess the outfielders aren't athletic enough to turn around. Online, this is made worse due to the lag - especially the "throw bars" that come up on screen. When you're playing in an online match, you have to release it early to time it properly and get a "green" throw to wherever you're throwing it.

    For pitching, I have no problems with it, other than that it can be considerably difficult to get a perfect pitch, especially when dealing with the occasional lag that pops up when playing online. I feel like I should say more about the pitching, but if you played 2K11, you know what to expect.

    The hitting in this game feels right and wrong, all at the same time. Getting your timing right and smacking a ball to left field or over the right field wall feels pretty rewarding, but when you hit the ball the same way over the same part of the plate and get out, it's sort of depressing... but I guess that's baseball. The biggest problem I have with the batting in this game is that you will knock COUNTLESS balls foul, often times many in a row. Whether you swing at a ball over the plate or way outside, you'll be hearing "And that's a foul ball." over and over again. I know foul balls are pretty common in the MLB, but it just feels way too excessive in 2K12.

    Aside from the countless things I pointed out about this game that I didn't like, MLB 2K12 remains a decent, playable baseball game. The ugly player models and animations as well as the rubber-band A.I. can take away from the experience quite a bit, but 2K Sports has at least made the game tolerable. The pitching can actually be FUN and rewarding when you strike a batter out when you need to, the commentary is better than The Show's, and the menus look about as good as ever. Even though MLB 2K12 is far from a perfect baseball game, it's not too shabby of a final effort from 2K.

    3.5/5    … Expand
  6. cbolt
    Mar 19, 2012
    8
    It seems to be just a better version of last years game. I have played probably 10 games so far and nothing bad or glitches have happened. I think the graphics look fine on 1080p HD. Online play has had no lag in the games I have played. Im not sure what people expect,but I think its a good baseball game. I have enjoyed every game so far. Sure, it could always be better,but its playable and its the only way to play MLB on Xbox. I would give it an 8.… Expand
  7. LoraxIX
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    This game isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But it has made big strides in the right direction. I don't think it will ever be where nba2k is, but I think its because of the sport, not the game. People need to understand that baseball isn't a high action sport, and it isn't the developers fault that that is what they are given to work with. That being said, baseball is a statistical driven sport and this game goes a long way into intertwining statistical percentages with game play. The commentary is much better, the graphics and sound are vastly improved. My biggest gripe is the baserunning, which has always been my big gripe. The baserunners look like they are running in a Benny Hill skit, and basestealling is a tad unresponsive. Runners should not slow up and run with their bodies at a 90 degree angle to the ground. They remain low and run with their heads ahead of their feet, not straight up. All in all, this game was definitely a good start to rebuilding a franchise that I for one hope gets renewed for next season.… Expand
  8. illBled
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game. I have been playing this game all morning and afternoon and it is very addictive. IGN is way off in saying that this is just like last years version. Total improvement.
  9. aclemons56
    Mar 9, 2012
    7
    MLB 2k12 is a best for last kind of game, with the subject of the series in danger, Take 2 Interactive does not disappoint (in most areas). As always, the game has the best pitching mechanic in baseball games, making the "fast meter" a thing of the past. The batting however, is a little off. Most of the time, it is easier to get a base by using your power swing, as a contact swing gently hits it to the 2nd Baseman. FIELDING SUCKS. There is no control over your players in time-sensitive situations. Usually you get control of your Outfielder, but once a ball is thrown and changes to someone else (In this example a catcher) the catcher, no matter how hard you push the Left stick up, he will stay at the plate and watch as the ball gently roll into his glove. (While the other team is now celebrating a two run lead). Now on to aesthetic things. The graphics are good for the series, but not what is expected of today's sports games. Soundtrack is not important to me, as I usually listen to my own playlist, but this year as I played my first franchise, the soundtrack was lacking to say the least. Only about 12 songs on the soundtrack and none of them were really that great, some might like the Skrillex song but it doesn't appeal to me in baseball game. Game modes are still smae for the most part. The perfect game challenge is back, and franchise is back as well.… Expand
  10. JMYoda
    Apr 4, 2012
    7
    Sure I wish this entry was better then last years like everyone else. However if you want the new players and stats it's the only way to go for the 360. Everyone whines how it's lacking next to The Show. However if you don't own a PS3 but have a 360 and want to play realistic baseball on your HDTV you don't really have a choice. As for the create a player mode not being very good. I could care less. I play to control Verlander, Fielder and Cabbera as I follow my Tigers all season, I don't play to try and live out some RPG fantasy.… Collapse
  11. DeMonney
    Apr 8, 2012
    5
    Its fair to say that I'm very disappointed yet again with this years MLB 2k. The menus are slicker and the soundtrack is more enjoyable then in last years game , I'll give it that. BUT..... The graphics on the field are absolutely horrible, this is giant step backwards visually. The uniforms look like they are made of molded foam, the uniform colors are off and realistic lighting effects are nonexistent. The ballparks are these lifeless cardboard backdrops for the frustratingly blotchy gameplay. Runners routinely stop at bases when they should be rounding them and then advance once the ball is in the infield only to be thrown out. The pitching and hitting haven't really changed much. Fortunately I bought the MLB NBA bundle so I don't feel like I totally wasted 60 bucks but it is disappointing not to have a decent baseball game on the 360.… Expand
  12. Mattyice
    May 2, 2012
    2
    If you have MLB 2k11, DO NOT BUY. Not worth 60 dollars. Same poor graphics, fine subpar gameplay. Buy if you only have an Xbox and are a die-hard baseball fan. Screw rosters, use 2k share to update rosters for free. If you have a Ps3, this is absolutely not worth your money. Buy the Show.
  13. dtele
    Apr 25, 2012
    0
    Game breaking glitches and few minor improvements from previous games make this yet another flop from 2K. If they would spend half as much time fixing their game as they do counting their quarterly profits, this franchise might be able to compete with The Show.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 4, 2012
    58
    MLB 2K12 has made some strong strides to improve the overall product. Pitching, as one would expect with the Million Dollar Challenge, is the strongest aspect of this game, and it can be fun if a player enjoys just doing that. The hitting system has taken great strides, but a lackluster My Player mode and many little glitches and graphical blunders take away from an overall product. Improvement still needs to be there in order to get to the big leagues of gaming.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Apr 2, 2012
    65
    PS3 owners should rightly gravitate toward the MLB: The Show franchise, while Xbox owners may as well sit out this year entirely.
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  3. XboxAddict
    Mar 28, 2012
    68
    This game's better than last year's, but it's not necessarily worth going out and getting if you have the last couple outings.
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