Major League Baseball 2K8 - Xbox 360 Review

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I'll admit that I was a bit wary before I purchased MLB 2K8 after witnessing a slew of Chicken Littles running around internet message boards, crying about frame rate and other issues, and watching a herd of self-proclaimed ex-fans of 2K Sports jumping ship to the PS3 and MLB: The Show. Nevertheless, as an avid follower of Major League Baseball and 360-owner I knew I would have to give the game a shot, and on a hunch that many of those shouting, "the sky is falling" were overreacting and/or trolls trying to start trouble, I bought the newest offering from 2K Sports and stuck it in my Xbox. After a bit of playing around I was able to confirm my suspicions. Don't listen to sheep--MLB 2K8 is a solid baseball experience, boasting several innovative gameplay features that outweigh the flaws.

2K8 introduces Precision Control Pitching, a system of pitching that allows players to imitate the movement of each pitch using the right control stick. Pitching is a three-step process: first, the player must choose a pitch by pointing the right control stick in one of five directions; second, the player slides the right control stick around in its axis for a breaking pitch or jolts the right control stick upwards or downwards for a fastball or change-up, respectively; third, the player releases the right control stick at the correct time to throw the pitch. This complicated procedure takes some getting used to and may turn off the more casual gamer, so thankfully 2K8 has included the option to use 2K7's more classic pitching technique. But those who are patient enough to figure out Precision Control will be rewarded with an authentic gaming experience that is also a lot of fun. When your in-game pitcher hangs a meat ball over the plate that is smashed against the centerfield wall, you'll know you legitimately screwed up the procedure instead of feeling as if you got jipped by crappy gameplay mechanics. On the other hand, when your pitcher drops a filthy 12-6 curve that retires the side, you'll have earned it.

Hitting has gone through some refurbishing in 2K8, resulting in the new and improved Swing Stick 2.0. Now, instead of pulling back on the right control stick and releasing to initiate a contact swing, and pushing the right control stick upward to initiate a power swing, the latter method is used for a contact swing; in fact, the power swing has been removed completely in order to reduce the amount of home runs from last year (in 2K7, big flies were more common than singles). Just like the pitching, the Swing Stick 2.0 requires some adjustment, so don't be surprised if you hit a lot of ground ball outs in your first game--timing is key. But after you get the timing down you should be pretty happy with the hitting in 2K8. It still has its issues, such as it being very difficult to discern whether an oncoming pitch is going to be a ball or a strike, but the movement of the right control stick in correlation with the gameplay is very accurate. And players who have trouble with the Swing Stick 2.0 can turn on the regular Swing Stick from 2K7 or "classic batting" (simply press `A' to swing) via the option menu.

The right control stick is also incorporated in fielding (surprise, surprise), as the player must hold the stick in the cardinal direction of a base (right for 1st base, up for 2nd base, etc.) and release to initiate the throw. But this too requires timing, as after the control stick is moved toward the direction of the base, a meter pops up by the fielder with the ball and quickly fills up. The meter will go from red to yellow to red again, and the most accurate throw will come in the yellow area. This makes fielding more fun and rewarding than simple button-mashing.

In terms of graphics, the character models are passable, although the faces for most players are badly-done and don't seem to fit with the rest of the body. Even if the faces are a bit off, the movements and quirks that each player brings to the plate or to the mound are captured brilliantly, helping the on-field action look and feel like a real game. 2K Sports worked hard to represent each stadium to great detail, and the aerial and inside views of the venues before the game are a nice touch.

Perhaps the biggest complaint by 2K8 critics is its choppy frame rate, which seems to affect only those playing on HD TV's. The game will often freeze momentarily and cause difficulties in gameplay. There are plans to release a patch in the near future that will fix this issue, and there are other unofficial methods of handling the problem in the mean time.

Online play is a disappointment for those with slow connections because lag throws off the timing and screws up the gameplay mechanics, so hopefully a patch will be released soon to fix that. The card system is a fun add-on for those looking for more than franchise mode, and it's always exciting to see which cards you earned after playing a game. I haven't toyed with the Player Beats or Stadium Beats yet, but as far as I know it allows the user to give walk-up songs to his in-game players, something that I've always wanted from a baseball game. The song choice for 2K8's menus is a bit odd; a lot of indie rock mixed with some more alternative stuff, but after an hour or two you'll be used to it.

All in all, 2K Sports did an excellent job with its third-party exclusivity this year, even if many critics will disagree. I have yet to play MLB 08: The Show, so I cannot say whether 2K8 is the better baseball game, but I can assure you that if you have the patience to figure out the new pitching, hitting and fielding mechanics and can look past the frame rate issues, you will be rewarded with a genuine baseball experience.

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I have many complaints with this game.

First of all, it is pretty glitch heavy. It takes forever to load on several screens, and with no status bar that leaves the user wondering if the game has simply frozen.

Second of all, the learning curve is, as others have said, pretty damn steep. Pitching is insanely difficult. The slightest twitch in your thumb will frequently cause a wild pitch or the batter to slug a home run.

Third of all, the cut scenes during the game take way too long to load and are jerky. There is no smooth action to the gameplay. Even when I modified the settings to eliminate the cutscenes, the movement was still hesitant and jerky. During the fifth inning of one of my games during a batter change for the opposing team, the "End of Game" screen came up and announced that the game was over! I thought for a second, "Okay, cool. I'm winning," but when I got to the franchise screen it did not count that ball game as having been played.

Please rent before you buy. I'm glad I did. I almost shelled out $60 for this game until I remembered that I had a free rental coupon. There are far too many glitches in this game for me to find it entertaining.

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Fun to play when the game does not freeze up. Too many glitches in Franchise mode to count. Cut scenes are horrible. IMPOSSIBLE TO DRAW A WALK even with the sliders turned completely to the left for AI pitching accuracy. I was very dissapointed considereing this is the 360 and we are now in the year 2008. MVP Baseball 2005 is far supperior to this. This is what happens when there is a monopoly. The game makers get lazy. One other thing, just like 2k07 the farther you get in franchise years the more bugs...

Honest reviews on Major League Baseball 2K8 - Xbox 360

I've been really, really trying to look past the bugs in this game, but I've finally hit my breaking point. This game is so full of bugs that it's unplayable. It literally freezes about 15% of the time for me. And no, it is not my Xbox. As a software developer, I understand that you cannot fix every bug or else you'd never ship. But to deliver a product with massive defects is inexcusable. Add in the fact that the opposing pitchers never throw balls and there is no contact swing, that seals the deal. 2K Sports -epic fail. I will not be buying MLB 2k9 no matter what.

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I have always hated this series and assumed I would hate this version as well. I downloaded the demo and did not like it at first. I then played quite a bit of the demo and began seeing the amazing features that are hidden in this game until you get the controls down. After buying the game and playing it for a week I can now say it is the best baseball game I have ever played. Like Fight Night did for boxing, this game has done for baseball. You will never again want to press a button to throw the ball to a base or pitch. Those who gave it a negative review simply have not given the game enough time. There is no way someone could pan this game if they truly understood the controls.