No framerate fix for PS3 MLB 2K8

Earlier today 2K Sports sent out a press release regarding the patches that are being worked on for MLB 2K8. Amusingly it was the very same statement word for word that was given to Game Informer and discussed here 10 days ago. I wonder if that means the “shortly” it will supposedly be available relates to now or when it was originally communicated. As I eluded to when breaking down the statement, 2K was ignoring the PS3 consumers and not addressing the framerate issues while doing so on the 360 side.

Loot-Ninja contacted 2K and received specific confirmation that there is no framerate fix coming for the PS3. The only issues that will be addressed in patches are the framerate for the 360 and the Padres’ roster glitch for both systems. There are no other changes to be expected out of these patches and no others currently in the works.

Last year with 2K7 it took over four months after the 360 received a patch before the PS3 got the same one. You can also include 2K8’s demo in the discussion as they kept it from certification long enough that it wouldn’t be out prior to release. So in a way it isn’t a surprise that 2K has shown little to no concern for that group of consumers based on those previous actions.

It’s almost as if they’ve conceded the PS3 to MLB 08: The Show. Sales wise it’s understandable as VGChartz has The Show outselling it 2-1. I’d imagine that number will only be even greater next year after being treated as second class customers (that’s if 2K is still around to produce a 2K9).

No mention regarding the overwhelming online lag, although an improved framerate could contribute to a better experience. It is unlikely though that would be the sole culprit and I wouldn’t expect performance to all of the sudden be adequate. It also appears that there are no plans to add sliders back into leagues which was a feature inexplicably removed this year.

It is also reasonable to be cautious as to whether the patch will actually fix the framerate to begin with. The “temporary fix” (which involves turning off advertised features of the game) seems to help but by no means gets the game to run at 60fps. This was an issue with the game that was visible from the outset and 2K was well aware of it, yet the game was still released in that state. There have even been cases of patches not fixing issues they were meant to. Most recently trouble came from Take Two’s own Bully patch which was intended to improve framerate (among other things) but has resulted in reports of it not working or even causing more problems.

So it makes sense to hold off judgment until the patch actually arrives and can be evaluated for effectiveness. If it comes and does get the game to run consistently smooth that would be great. That is of no consequence to PS3 owners however who have no potential fix to look forward to.