The rainfall was slow but consistent at Turner Field in Atlanta. I was in the top of the second inning of a scoreless tie between my Mets and the Atlanta Braves, with two outs and a runner on third, when something very strange happened: the umpire called for a rain delay. After I watched a brief cut sequence of the players milling around in the dugout, the umps called the game. And that was it. A loading screen appeared and I was back at the menu of Major League Baseball 2K8.
If this degree of "realism" sounds too, um, boring, you may be better off with the arcade-style action of The Bigs, released last summer. But if you're looking for a true baseball simulation, MLB 2K8 is the only game in town this year for the Xbox 360. And while it's a little rough around the edges--really, it's a little rough everywhere--MLB 2K8 delivers enough goods to satisfy those gamers craving some hardball.
MLB 2K8 benefits from great attention to detail. All 30 major league ballparks (and 20 minor league ones) have been recreated with the proper dimensions and some nice touches like the home run apple at Shea and the Green Monster at Fenway. Players' face animations range from decent to unrecognizable, but their motions have been captured more successfully: El Duque's high leg kick, for example, looks terrific.
Commentary from announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan also includes a few clever points. Start a game between the Yankees and Indians and they'll mention the midges that derailed Joba Chamberlain and co. in last year's ALDS. Soon enough, though, their chatter goes the way of typical sports video game commentary: I rocketed one over the left field wall and for some bizarre reason they started raving about an inside the park homerun. Those moments are awkward, but the big problem with the game's presentation is that it just doesn't run smoothly. I soon turned down the number of animations--of players walking to the batter's box, or instant replays--not because I was in a rush, but because they look choppy and load slowly.
(I must add--and I admit, this sounds like an old lady complaint--that the text is outrageously small. MLB 2K8 continues this annoying trend, seen also in games like Call of Juarez and Mass Effect, which forces gamers to either play on massive HD screens or murder their eyeballs.)
The standard game modes and features--Home Run Derby, create a player, franchise mode--are all here, though there's little more. Personally, I don't need a lot of extras if the baseball is good enough, and here, again, MLB 2K8 is a mixed bag. The gameplay makes interesting and extensive use of the right analog stick. It's used to pitch, field and hit, and for the first two it works pretty well. Each pitch--fastball, slider, and so on--requires a distinct, three point motion of the stick; it's challenging, but quickly becomes intuitive. When fielding, just point the stick in the direction of the corresponding base; hold it down for the correct amount of time and your throw will be quick and on target. Hitting is simplest of all--pull back on the stick to step, push forward to swing--but each at bat feels like a total crap shoot. When you pop out (which is most of the time), it's frustrating as hell. When, on occasion, you get a double down the left field line, you just feel lucky. It doesn't help that the computer pitchers can nip the outside of the strike zone nearly every time.
It's unfortunate that 2K Sports decided not to make a 2008 version of The Bigs, as many gamers would likely prefer a faster paced, more action packed baseball title. Baseball isn't hockey or basketball, by which I mean it's slow. It takes nearly an hour to play through a game of MLB 2K8. It requires some patience. Even if you favor a more realistic sim (as I do), 2K8 may not be your best bet. MLB '08: The Show, from Sony, is an all around better game. The Show, however, is exclusive to the Playstation systems, and those who've invested in an Xbox 360 are left only with MLB 2K8. Things could be a lot worse. 2K Sports has already announced plans for a free, downloadable patch that will make the game run at a smoother frame rate (which basically says they rushed it to shelves). With or without the patch, though, 2K8 is a solid (if flawed) and even addictive game for a baseball fan. I won't be surprised if I'm still playing it come October.
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