Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars – NDS – Review

Upon taking our first look at Major League
Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, it appeared that the game would rely heavily
on touch mechanics, perhaps more than any other handheld sports game. The
gameplay footage, which showed off the touch-only batting scheme, was much
different from what 2K Sports fans may have been expecting. Real-world
stadiums were replaced by make-believe locales. Each athlete was given a
cartoon appearance, plus goofy and/or exaggerated animations to make the game
as outrageous as possible. These are the things a fantasy sports game is made
of. But as a part of the MLB 2K8 line of games, how does it compare to its
simulation-heavy counterparts?

Dude, That Just Cost 50 Cents

Well not really, but that’s how you’ll feel
every time you get the bat in your hands. The designers must have arcade
roots, certainly as gamers if not also as developers, because each play feels
like a 50-cent experience: short, to the point, and eager to repeat itself.
Rather than produce a lengthy baseball experience, Fantasy All-Stars is a
flexible game that doesn’t require more than a few minute commitment. Plays
can last a while but it’s rare – runs are scored in the blink of an eye, and
sides are switched even faster. It all happens so quick that you might start
to wonder when the "insert two coins" message is going to appear.

Touch Your Fantasy

The speedy pace is validated by the controls,
which are far from perfect but nowhere near a disaster. Nearly every action is
executed by touch. When batting, you’re given a half-circle swing space that
allows you to gauge your performance in real time. Touch the bat, pull (draw)
it back, and drag your stylus forward to swing. It seems a little daunting at
first, as you can’t draw a half-circle perfectly every time. But you don’t
have to. Straight lines work best since the bat follows your movement along
the half-circle. It doesn’t need you to actually draw a half-circle to swing
that way.

This gameplay style is a lot of things: unique,
exciting, repetitive, and frustrating. It’s wonderful in that you’re hitting
home runs with something other than the A button. You can bunt or power swing
just by changing the way you stroke the screen. Arcade enthusiasts, as well as
anyone seeking new ways to touch the DS, will be thrilled by this kind of a
baseball game.

In spite of your enthusiasm, however, the
batting mechanics are as explained. There isn’t any more to this aspect of the
game, aside from power-ups that engulf the ball in flames, artificially adjust
its direction (with zigzags), or add slippery goo to its exterior, making it
difficult to catch. These power-ups are just a few of the ways you’ll trick
fielders with sly balls, forcing them to drop or miss the ball
entirely. They’re physically satisfying and are great fun to watch the first
few times they’re unleashed. But they too are bogged by repetition, a flaw
players may not have noticed if their play time was limited by the number of
quarters in their pocket.

Fantasy All-Stars is not a frustrating game,
per se, but there are a few things that will cause some frustration. Because
no one’s finger or stylus control is perfect, you won’t be able to swing
flawlessly every time. I know, I know, even the pros can’t do that in the real
game. But as a gamer, I doubt I’m the only one expecting to play perfectly, if
only as a polygonal character and not when holding a real bat. If I botch a
play because I swung too soon or too late – it sucks, but I can live with
that. But if I’m messing up because I swung so fast – in perfect timing with
the ball, no less – that my stylus slipped off the screen and caused a bunt,
I’m no longer content with saying, "I suck." Now those words are geared at my
DS. This is more of an issue with the hardware than the game, and is actually
the first time I’ve thought the touch screen was too small. But as a DS
exclusive, it’s not a problem you can avoid.

Is Your Finger Sore Yet?

Pitching is nearly equal to the batting
mechanics; the difference lies in the slightly more accurate and slightly more
frustrating way you’ll throw the ball. For starters, don’t use your stylus.
It’s too thin and is likely to slip off the screen.

Pitching begins with a no-pitching ball icon.
The ball is locked and cannot be thrown yet. To unlock it, touch the icon and
stay in one place for about 1.5 seconds. This might seem like an unnecessary
step, but it ensures you’ll properly grip the ball before the pitch, which is
very important. Now you can attempt to trick your opponent by winding your
pitch (draw small circles) before throwing a slow ball, or use it to
intimidate before unleashing your every ounce of power.

Balls and strikes are based on the accuracy of
your finger (or stylus, if you choose to use it). You’ll throw by dragging the
ball icon from the top to the bottom of the screen, preferably in a straight
line. Straighter lines lead to straight pitches. Inevitably, an overly quick
motion can lead to less-than-accurate results, shifting the ball from the
super-straight glide you hoped to achieve. This is frustrating, but because
accuracy is based on how well you perform, perfection truly rests in
your hands.

Among all the touch features, fielding is the
only one that could’ve used more development time. Players are controlled with
the D-pad, but you can’t throw the ball without drawing a line – one that must
be straight and precise in order to reach the appropriate player. It’s not
horrible, but it’s definitely not great either. More often than not, I threw
to home base, even though that’s rarely where I intended for the ball to go.

Not So Kind, This Game Rewinds

MLB 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars’ strong touch
mechanics and control interface create a pitching and batting experience
that’s far deeper than a buttons-only scheme would have allowed. But only the
controls are deep – the game itself is just a basic run of baseball. It’s
well-done and enjoyable, but like so many titles found in arcades, this isn’t
a game that’ll get you through a four-hour flight. Ten-minute bus stops, or
any other short waiting period, are perfect. But the game is too repetitive to
play for more than an hour at a time.

Review Scoring Details for Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars