Major League Baseball 2K8 – PS3 – Review

It took a few years, but Wii remotes and SIXAXIS
controllers have since replaced the pressure sensitive hoopla. These days it’s
all about motion control. When that isn’t possible on a particular console (or
not feasible for a particular game), developers seek variations of what many
call a "swing stick." Need to pass the puck in NHL 08? Flick the right stick.
Need to make par in Tiger Woods PGA Tour? Pull back and push the stick forward
in one smooth and continuous motion.

Major League Baseball 2K8 is another game to
take advantage of analog control, and its implementation is more than just a
swing here and a flick there. Nearly every move is tied to the left or right
stick: batting, pitching, fielding – it’s all buttons-free by default.

Analog Everything

Pitching is the newest and most significant
advancement, so let’s start there. A handful of pitch patterns appear on the
left side of the screen; the two easiest match the swing mechanics of Tiger
Woods (down/up and up/down). The other patterns are a bit more daring – ex:
pull the right stick down toward the left corner and roll a half circle up the
right side. This and other circular motions are nothing a Street Fighter fan
hasn’t heard of. But you have to perform these moves with more precision than
a fighting game, and the second motion must be aligned with an on-screen
pitching mechanism.

The mechanism is a clear circle that’s about
the size of the strike zone; when you begin a pitch, a small green circle
forms within the mechanism’s center and begins to expand. When it reaches the
first inside rim of the mechanism (there are two), complete the rest of the
pitch motion to lock your position and throw the ball. If the throw is botched
on either motion, the game turns your pitch into a meatball that, like the
saucy delicacy of the same name, will splatter all over your face –
figuratively speaking. Meatballs are easier to hit and are more likely to give
your opponent a home run, making every throw a more dangerous risk.

In spite of this, the pitching system is MLB
2K8’s strongest feature. You’ll likely screw up a half-dozen throws before it
begins to make sense – a small price to pay for the long-term payoff. Once you
grasp this style and pitch your first strike, the dynamics gracefully fall
into place. Standard, button-only pitching will never be looked at the same
again.

The same can be said for the batter mechanics,
which mirror Tiger Woods’ pull-back-and-push executions. They feel great. The
BIGS had arcade appeal and its own share of great mechanics. At the same time,
MLB 08: The Show has the best speed, presentation, camera and cinematic
effects thus far this year. But when you get down to baseball’s defining
elements, MLB 2K8 is at the top of the league in two out of three areas.

Extra, Extra! Play All About It

Chances are you’ve heard about MLB 2K8’s new
card collecting system that lets players brag about their success. It’s not
much more than a graphic-intensive display of achievements, but it’s still
pretty cool. Each card is covered with a shiny gloss that looks very
realistic. As the card spins, the image of the players almost becomes
three-dimensional, appearing to pop out of the background. You can trade cards
to complete your collection more easily, and use those in your card album to
form a new team.

Among the 2K Beats are well-known artists like
The Cure and Modest Mouse, but it’s the lesser-known artists that stand out in
this game. Jay Retard ("My Shadow"), Revolution Fox Experiment ("Hyper
Charlie"), and The Hold Steady ("Stuck Between Stations") are solid tracks. I
hadn’t heard of Dinosaur Jr. before, but their track, "Almost Ready," has made
me eager for more. It’s great when a game can do that – a soundtrack of
discovery is so much better than one of familiarity.

One Out of Three

The defining element that falters – the one out
of three – is fielding. You throw by pushing the right stick in any direction,
which causes a guidance arrow to appear on screen. This would be great if the
response times were instant. They are not. Players tend to throw the ball
unevenly; sometimes they’ll react almost instantly and whip that ball across
the screen. Other times they’ll wait around for a quarter of a second – a
trivial amount of time in most circumstances, but it’s the difference between
an out and a base in this sport. You can increase your speed by holding the
throw stick until the guidance arrow turns red, but that just takes more time.

This may be a more realistic representation of
baseball, as no one player has the stamina to run and throw perfectly every
time. However, when realism encroaches on the fun factor, it’s no longer
significant. Entertainment has to come first. I’ve hit three home runs in a
row, gained a couple bases and scored another run before switching sides. Is
that realistic? Not by a long shot. It’s possible, but certainly isn’t the
norm. It is, however, a ton of fun.

Granted, you don’t want the game to go in the
other extreme either … but it does. The opponent and teammate AI is not
balanced. First the opponents: they’re good at stepping up to the plate,
not-so-good at the game of tag. During a sprint to third base, I panicked and
started to run back to second. I was a few feet from an opponent who was just
about to receive the ball. But his teammate’s throw was weak; the ball hit the
grass and I wondered, with second base only a second from my reach, could I
possibly have scored another base? Without another thought I ran back to
third. "No!" I shouted at the screen, clearly in conflict with myself. Why did
I do this? I’ll never make it. The ball is right there, half-way to third
base. My opponent is standing right there, just waiting to snatch it and take
me out of the game. I’m finished. It’s over!

And then I ran right past him and scored the
base. He didn’t pick up the ball until I was nearly finished. Though I was
happy to have won the play, I was a bit perplexed by the way that win was
achieved. I can revel in outsmarting the batter or feel proud to have won
because my opponent made an honest mistake. "Won by Clueless," however, is not
something they’ll put in the record books.

This wasn’t the only case of opponent AI
malfunction, just the worst. Teammate AI is of the same caliber. Their
controls remind of that infamous vehicle from driver’s training. There were
brake pedals on the bottom of both front seats, allowing the teacher to step
in when the student steps out of line. That’s what managing your team is like.
They’ll run bases, catch fly balls and tag out opponents automatically – or
stand there and do nothing. Like a student driver, you can’t be sure when
they’re going to screw up. The only solution is to hit the brakes every time,
which can be a problem if two players are near each other. If you screw up
with the one you’re controlling, don’t expect the AI guy to save the day. He
could be standing directly under the ball and not catch it. But if you were in
control of him at that exact point in time, he’d automatically reach up and
catch the ball.

The AI issues are impacted by one grueling,
overarching flaw many next-gen games can’t seem to shake: stability. Before
plays, in between plays, during the play transition screens (where team logos
appear), and at virtually any other point in the game, the frame rate either
drops or locks up. This has been a sticking point with PlayStation 3
development, and I’ve heard developers say they can get around this by
creating the PS3 version of their games first. I’m not sure how 2K Sports
began their development cycle, nor can I tell you how the Xbox 360 version
compares as I have not yet played it. But for 2K9, they need to dedicate
themselves to making this game look and perform like a next-gen powerhouse
that’s worthy of being played on a $500 game console.