MLB 2K(11|12) seem to get really terrible reviews. Are the games truly that bad or are they just very inferior to MLB The Show?

I do not have a PS3, so The Show would be a $249 + $59 proposition.

I really want to play some Baseball, but if it is as terrible as the reviews seem to indicate, maybe I will not be playing baseball games again until I get a PS3 or somebody else starts producing games.

Or you could just get MLB The Show for PS2, because for some reason, they're still making it for that. I'm not the biggest baseball fan but when I played 2K11 it was pretty much just baseball, so I assume 2k12 is more of the same.

Well, it's a baseball game, so it will probably be boring as hell.

@warthurton: This game takes a $30 million loss for Take Two every year (because The Show is so superior it outsells 2K handily). They only make it because they are contractually obligated to. Since the game is going to take a loss no matter what, they don't spend any extra money on actually improving it over the previous years product. So this is probably comparable to MLB 2K6 or 2K7.

Are the games truly that bad or are they just very inferior to MLB The Show?

Let me tell you, this game is awful. I love baseball, and like you, I really wanted to be able to play some to get pumped for the coming season. I was burned by 2k10 a few years ago, and thought perhaps this would be different. But no, do not buy this game, there is a reason why they are selling it on steam for a mere $30. The technical issues are horrid, and has kept me from the slightest enjoyment.

Being probably the only one to comment here actually having played this game, I can tell you that it IS enjoyable. There's nothing super stunning or flashy about it, but it is a fun ass baseball game. It's not terribly fast paced or arcadey, but neither is baseball! It's super fun and just challenging enough to keep you wanting to continue. The ballparks look awesome and there's some great stuff that's been done with the sound design. I've never played and MLB2K game before this one, but I really like it. Check out the demo to see for yourself! The pitching is also AWESOME if you ask me. Good fun.

Edit: This coming from someone who loves baseball and has played baseball video games extensively in the past.

I've been playing 2k12 since it was out and I've been playing the 2k games since I got the Xbox 360 in 2008. Every year, there is some big issues and this year is no different. At times, the game is fun and you will have a blast. And then the game will start to bug out and you will start to get annoyed then mad. I agree that the pitching is the best in any baseball game to date on any platform. This year's pitching is dang near perfect. However, the game has some serious lag issues even when playing solo. Batting is not enjoyable at all when you push up to swing and there is a delay when the bat swings. Really kills the flow when there is a pause during every swing. There are a lot of fielding problems like a grounder to first base and your pitcher does not run over to cover the bag so easy base hit for the AI. The AI's outfielders seem to make impossible catches as well and so many infield line drive outs. Honestly, I'm sick of the series and very sad that the 360 didn't have a better dev for MLB.