FirstCuts: Wii Gets Its First True Baseball Sim

By Chris Littmann
Sports don’t start and end with a referee’s whistle. FirstCuts, a blog dedicated to sports culture, will cover everything outside the lines, from games to gear.
The Nintendo Wii has its share of baseball titles already, including MLB Power Pros, The Bigs, and the baseball portion of the Wii Sports disc that comes with the console itself. But with the release of Major League Baseball 2K8 on the Wii, we’ve got the first true baseball sim on the console. Last week, I took a look at MLB 2K8 on the Xbox 360, which was more of the traditional console baseball game.
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On the Wii, it’s tough to not notice what you’re missing. When we fired this game up on Saturday (and when I say we, I mean myself and blog cohort Chris Mottram) one of the first things he pointed out were the not-so-stellar graphics. Looking sharp isn’t one of the Wii’s strengths and it never will be. They simply don’t compare to what you get on an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3. If that will be a deal-breaker for you, then don’t even bother with this game. Also missing from the Wii version: the extensive minor league system as well as online play. Another thing that appears to be a trouble spot is the potential lack of roster updates. I played as the Reds, who still had Josh Hamilton. Other major names like Johan Santana were still with their old teams as well.
In terms of in-game action, the Wii version shines the same way the Xbox 360 version did -- when you’re on the mound. The pitching controls were my favorite part of the game. You point at the screen to pick your spot, hold your control up to start your throwing motion, and flick the controller down to end it. Hitting was only so-so, and just like the 360 version, it didn’t feel like the control matched what you could do as a pitcher.
If the Wii is your only system -- or if you favor something a little more interactive in terms of using your Wii versus a traditional controller -- this is a fine baseball game to own, but if you’re the type who wants sharper graphics or a longer-lasting game experience in general, it’s hard to recommend the Wii version over the regular consoles. Major League Baseball 2K8 is in stores now for the Wii, Xbox 360 as well as the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
See Also: MLB 2K8 (Xbox 360) Review | MLB ’08: The Show↵