MLB 2K5

The Old Ballgame Is Back

I admit it, I'm a baseball nut. I love the sport, for better or worse, and track the league from spring training to the World Series, and then through the winter meetings. The steroids issue may turn others away, but I don't let it kill my love of the game. Now if only my hometown Cleveland Indians could win once in a while I'd really be happy. Major League Baseball 2K5 - formerly ESPN 2K5 - from 2K Sports is a solid offering on America's pastime. The game feels good at bat and on the mound, and despite some graphical hiccups and a less then stellar franchise mode MLB 2K5 is still a good game.

I really didn't like the K-Zone pitching style when I saw it in pictures. It looked clumsy and complicated rather then something simple like the MVP series' setup. I was pleasantly surprised when I put it through it's paces. I was able to pick my spots with ease and the 'line up the curser' sequence that followed was quick and easy to use. The batting interface was also very comfortable. The pitches had a decent speed variation from fastball to changeup which made my batter look pretty dumb on a number of occasions. You can also have some wild and crazy pitches, but I'll get into that later.

The graphics are a huge step up from the last game in that they no longer seem blurry or faded. This time around everything from the players to the stadium to the players in the stands during cut scenes are sharp and crisp. My only gripe is that the players usually just don't look like the real-life athletes they're modeled after.

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