Wii has had no shortage of
arcade baseball. From day one it had the Wii Sports incarnation, which was
eventually followed by the likes of The Bigs and MLB Power Pros. Now Wii owners
finally receive their first baseball simulation in 2K Sports’ Major League
Baseball 2K8. The result is a product that feels like, well, a first effort. 2K8
on Wii provides a decent game of ball overall, but is also lacking in some key
areas.
Easily the best aspect of
2K8 is the pitching system. The game features catcher AI, which basically means
that the catcher chooses the best pitch and location based on a particular
batter. You can even purchase Inside Edge player cards to give your catcher the
complete scouting report on how to hit the weak points of that player.
In addition to the catcher
AI, pitching controls are very well conceived and executed. Using the remote’s
IR pointer, you select a location, hold B, pull back and flick forward in
correct timing with target meter. It is immersive and very accurate.
The game also features
pretty solid defensive controls. Thankfully 2K has mapped the run control to a
button this time around. In The Bigs (also developed by 2K), the player was
required to drum the remote and nunchuk to do this. The result was poor, as
shaking the nunchuk while accurately directing the analog stick is a very
difficult task. The throw-to-base controls are better handled also. There is a
motion control that determines which base to throw to automatically that works
pretty well, but veteran players will prefer to use the d-pad just to be sure.
This is, smartly, always on and doesn’t require any control adjustment by the
player.
Unfortunately the base-running controls aren’t handled with nearly the same smarts. For whatever
reason, 2K still seems to think shaking the remote and nunchuk to gain speed is
a great idea on the bases. This system is a gimmick and downright stupid. Base
running in games has always been a pain in baseball games, and adding another
element that is basically done automatically in other baseball games just to
utilize the motion controls is mind-numbing. Even worse is that sliding is done
by; you guessed it, thrusting the wii remote and nunchuk. The result is that you
will slide into first like a moron constantly, even if the ball is a potential
extra base hit. With practice you learn to lightly shake and just plain stop
while approaching bases, but this is a clumsy and inconsistent solution. The
other problem with this system is that if there are multiple runners on base,
only one can be running at full speed.
I have a feeling that some
guy at 2K Sports could be reading this and thinking, “No, that’s not how you are
supposed to do it!” To which I would have to ask that next time they put in
better tutorials.
Unfortunately the batting
system only fairs marginally better. The biggest problem is that the control
setup doesn’t always recognize the difference between a full swing and a check
swing. This means that many times when you intend to swing through, the batter
holds up. With practice you can reduce this, but the problem never goes away
completely. The only other issue with batting is that in comparison to the
pitching, it feels a bit too simplistic. You have some controls over
directional hitting, but I didn’t find it to be any more effective than just
swinging normally.
Presentation-wise I was
fairly pleased with 2K8. The camera angles and displays are well done and
accurately mimic a Major League broadcast. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of
Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, but the commentary is very detailed and in-depth,
something I feel many sports games have become lazy about. Unfortunately it
features some issues with randomly cutting-out and, like most commentaries, is
occasionally wrong. For the most part, however, it’s very good.
This nice presentation
doesn’t extend to the graphics. The game is almost identical to its PS2
iteration. And it doesn’t even look like a good PS2 game. It makes for a bland
visual experience to say the least, complete with dull colors and flat textures.
The lack of online play is
also disappointing. But even more so, I wish 2K had implemented some sort of
roster update using WiiConnect24 or the like.
The end result is a game
that is fairly decent in the gameplay department, but lacking in many others.
The excellent pitching controls give me hope that given another year of
training, MLB 2K9 for Wii would truly be worthy of the big leagues. As for 2K8,
unless you are desperate for a baseball sim on Wii, I would let this one ride
the bench.
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Gameplay: 7.0
MLB 2K8 provides a
pretty solid game of baseball. The pitching controls are very well done and
defensive is solid. Unfortunately, base running and batting need some work, and
it really hurts the experience. The presentation is very good, with nice
camerawork and a decent in-game display interface.
Graphics: 6.0
A poor effort
overall. The visuals appear to be held over from the PS2 version, making for
completely bland looking game.
Sound: 8.0
I can’t stand Jon
Miller and Joe Morgan, but the commentary is, admittedly, very good for a game.
There were a few instances where the commentary went dead mid-sentence, but for
the most part it’s very accurate and in-depth.
Difficulty: Medium
There are a variety
of difficulty levels that range from very easy to very hard. A decent knowledge
of baseball is obviously required.
Concept: 7.0
2K8 earns major
points for the well-conceived pitching system, but some concepts, such as base
running, are just bad ideas. The lack of an online mode (especially as a means
for updating rosters) is disappointing.
Multiplayer: 7.0
As stated above,
there is no online. The game does feature a good method for misdirecting the
batter during local games so they don’t know where you are throwing it, however.
It’s a pretty average experience overall.
Overall: 7.0
Despite a sizable
list of issues to be fixed and features to be added, 2K8 still provides a decent
baseball simulation. 2K Sports could do a lot better, but they could also have
done a lot worse. If you are a Wii owner in dour need of an MLB sim, 2K8 will
get you your fix. For everyone else, wait until next year.
