FirstCuts: Major League Baseball 2K8 Review

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.
There was a time when I really liked baseball. I played knothole baseball in Cincinnati, idolized The Kid and even played his namesake game on the Super Nintendo, Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080306/87367.jpg]
And really, that feels like the last time I enjoyed a baseball video game. Somewhere between the balance for realism and fun, the games lost me. It’s also no coincidence the last game I really enjoyed came out in 1994. You know that year, baseball fans: the dreaded strike that cancelled a World Series.
The baseball game market is different than in the ‘90s. On the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, your choice is Major League Baseball 2K8. On the PlayStation 3 and PSP, you’re looking at MLB 08: The Show.
Today, I’ll give you the quick rundown of MLB 2K8 for the Xbox 360. (Our review on the Wii version will come Monday after we’ve had ample time to flail around like morons in private.)
I’ve got to say, this game is solid. I dare say it’s even good. I’ll admit to fumbling around for a game or two -- and really getting shelled -- before getting a grasp of Total Control Pitching. But once I figured it out, it became my favorite part of the game. On the 360, you use your right thumbstick to mimic a motion (for example, pulling down, then pushing back up) that corresponds with a pitch in your player’s arsenal. You spot your pitches with your left thumbstick.
Adding to the depth is the Inside Edge info you can get on players. You start the game with an allotted number of points to buy scouting reports and you can see a hitter’s hot and cold spots. Otherwise, you’re throwing blind.
The fielding is satisfactory. I don’t have a lot to say here. It’s relatively simple to shift your fielders and I didn’t have any problem making diving grabs. Precision Throw Control, which uses the right thumbstick to determine where the ball goes and how quickly it gets there, is good, although I’ll agree with a few other reviews I’ve read; it takes too long to turn double plays in some cases. The base running controls have been updated and they felt simple, using the right and left triggers to send and stop runners.
This has been far too positive, so allow me a minute to be negative. The hitting is pretty forgettable. I didn’t enjoy the Swing Stick 2.0. I hit a home run on my third at-bat, but otherwise I was mired in a string of groundouts and can-o-corn fly-ball outs. I ended up reverting to the previous iteration of the Swing Stick and had an easier time putting the ball in play. We’ll chalk this up to a bad OS. Get it right when you do Swing Stick 3.0.
You’ve got your standard modes -- franchise, exhibition, online and home run derby -- although I didn’t notice any sort of “practice,” which would be nice given the addition of the new pitching and hitting systems. (And yes, I know you can practice pitching during games, but I’d rather have a separate mode, even if I only use it a few times.) Online Play even has some interesting wrinkles like “Strikes Only” games where you can only throw strikes. Clever name, huh?
The game wins me over with the little things like 90 playable Minor League teams. I lamented the terrible tunes in FIFA Street 3 in our last review, but 2K did it right by enlisting the help of Pitchfork Media for a killer soundtrack.
It’s refreshing. 2K has an exclusive license and the game seems fun. I’m not sure how to react. Major League Baseball 2K8 is in stores now for $59.99. If you’re still not sold, give the demo a try on Xbox Live, available as a free download.↵