You can always count on 2K
Sports to provide gamers with a virtuoso outing in the old ballpark as it has
been doing on the main consoles for several years now. Its first stab at
bringing the Major League Baseball 2K franchise on the PSP was a good try
but not anywhere as good as Sony’s MLB series. This year, however,
Major League Baseball 2K8 manages to cram in a number of features in one UMD
but the gameplay is still an element that hasn’t improved considerably. Ball
fans, this one has all the goods but don’t quite use it well.
Major League Baseball
2K7 was a nice introduction but when
it came to the gameplay it not only lacked finesse but also proper controls.
Sadly, the same can be said about this 2K8 game that fixes some of the
issues that plagued last year’s game … but are replaced with some new problems
as well. Before we get to the game’s obvious weaknesses, however, we should get
to what this year’s game does get right.
For starters, most of the
major game modes are present and accounted for. You can still pick up and start
playing a match right away with Quick Play but you can also play a complete
season. Home Run Derby is back and is accompanied by Manager Showdown. Situation
Mode still allows players to come up with their own game scenarios or recreate a
World Series game as well as decide what inning you’ll play. Tournament and
Franchise mode are back and Pennant Fever (which is setup just as sweetly as the
console version). You can even assume the role of General Manager in GM Career.
The Farm makes a comeback as well and it includes a juicy roster of Minor AAA
teams like Portland Beavers or the New Orleans Zephyrs. Oh yeah, there’s also
the Skybox with its mini-games like Shuffleboard and table hockey.
You certainly can’t
complain with a long list of game modes and extras to unlock. The major teams
and players are present as well so expect your favorite team to be represented
well in this year’s game. Certainly, Major League Baseball 2K8 makes a
nice impact but when it comes to the gameplay its MLB 08: The Show that
plays like a pro. Batting has definitely seen some improvements so hitting the
ball just right you’ll be able to knock a few balls out of the park. Fielding,
on the other hand, is a mess to the point that catching pop flies can often be a
lesson in frustration. You can blame it on the poor camera or the awful response
time of your player or even unrealistic timing of the balls downward trajectory.
In short, the gameplay is way too flawed to be ignored.
Pitching is still something
of a frustrating feat seeing as precision is nearly impossible with the analog
nub. It’s not a hardware limitation seeing as The Show is able to do
pitching rather well so there’s no real excuse for it. Still, 2K Sports tried to
bring its own unique pitching style to the PSP and hopefully this is one aspect
of the game they well get right in future offerings. We can certainly be
grateful for the ability to play this game online via Infrastructure mode (as
well as Ad Hoc). Online the game runs at a steady framerate that occasionally
takes a dip between innings but it plays well. I couldn’t find many challengers
but we can expect die hard 2K Sports fans to join in soon.
On the graphics front, the
game has a very distinct early PlayStation 2 appearance. Its dated look might
bring back memories of flat background textures, player models that don’t
exactly resemble your favorite players or so-so animations. This is not
necessarily a bad thing but if good graphics is something you look for in a game
then be prepared to be disappointed. There’s also decent sound effects that
bring the crowds to life and very little else. The two-man commentary team of
Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are back and their comments suffer from a glitch that
delays their commentary. The game’s music has a short list of licensed tunes
from artist like The Strokes and The Cool Kids that is actually good.
We applaud Major League
Baseball 2K8 for bringing all the familiar elements and game modes from the
console version to a portable format but what is featured here is a game that’s
far too flawed to be fun. This is too bad really seeing as all the teams, extras
and interesting game mode types are present but they just don’t mean a thing if
the gameplay lacks style and user-friendliness. We can expect better from a
franchise that has shown us that it can improve and here’s hoping the next round
will give the already reigning champ a run for its money.
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Gameplay: 6.5
Hitting homers and bunting your way
to first is handled fine enough but fielding and pitching are a bit too awkward.
Even catching pop flies can be a crap shoot so expect a ball game that just
doesn’t seem to come together as well as other baseball games on the PSP.
Graphics: 6.0
Visually, the game’s graphics feel
like the early PS2 MLB 2K offerings. This isn’t a bad thing but we’ve
seen better baseball games (The Show, for instance). The player
animations are actually decent, though and the stadiums look Ok.
Sound: 6.5
The overall sound of the stadium is
Ok but lacks the detail the series is good at providing. The soundtrack is
actually good and you can always add your own tunes to the mix. Sadly, the
commentary team is completely off.
Difficulty: Hard
Aside from the fact that most teams
play they way you expect them to play, the real challenge comes from wrestling
with the game controls. Even in the game’s easy setting you can expect some
pitching and fielding flubs.
Concept: 6.5
The majority of the console version’s
game mode types and extras like the Skybox are all impressively rolled up in one
UMD. Who would have thunk it? Oh, and there are a number of cool options and
unlockable surprises just like the big boys. Still, all of this doesn’t matter
if the gameplay isn’t good.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Online the game moves along smoothly
enough with just some lag between innings but it doesn’t get in the way of the
action. The trouble is that there aren’t enough challengers available but given
some time we can expect a few more gamers to play against. Even multiplayer via
Ad Hoc works well.
Overall: 6.5
Unfortunately, even with an
impressive number of game modes and extras, Major League Baseball 2K8 is
a flawed ball game that shows a lot of promise on the PSP. As a fan of the
franchise, I have no doubt that 2K Sports will get this series right in the
portable format but this year’s game isn’t it. Hopefully next year’s game will
hit it out of the park.
