Major League Baseball 2K8

The graphics, in general, are good. My biggest complaint is that the players often look little like themselves. Again, looking back to NBA 2k8, it seems that this is one of 2K Sports' biggest issues. Luckily the uniforms, stadiums, and fields are all spot-on. As for the animations, they're pretty good, and I didn't notice anything during my time with the game that stood out to me. The fact that I can play a game and not think about the graphics because they seem so natural is a positive. One tweak from last year that I like is that the camera tilts up on potential homerun balls so you can see them leave the yard. I always disliked knowing I got a homer only because I saw a shadow on the ground leave the park, which is a problem that goes back over a decade, at least. Now you can see the ball fly and try to tail it at the same time, so fielding isn't compromised.

The interface is easy to navigate, and uses a top-of-the-screen drop-down menu system. Some things are in odd places, like create-a-player being under extras, but as a whole it works. The franchise mode is well done, with a ton of unique options. I like the option to have users get the first couple picks of a fantasy draft. This is great if you're playing with your buddies and don't want the AI stealing all of the stars.

I'm not a big fan of the way they did the trading card feature, even though I like the idea. I would have prefered to earn points with my play to buy packs with, a la All-Star Baseball 2004, rather the earn them one at a time by completing tasks with certain players. It certainly draws the game's lifespan out, compelling you to keep coming back to unlock all of them, but it also gets very, very tedious.

In the end I enjoyed MLB 2k8. It has some glaring issues, most notably the gimicky trading cards, the lackluster player faces and the pitching system that doesn't quite work. Still, though, this is a decent, fun game that is a good second offering from 2K Sports, considering it's the middle game of their 3-year plan. I hope that they can build on this and that MLB 2k9 can surplant MVP Baseball 2k5 as my favorite 3D baseball title (Earl Weaver 2 is my all-time favorite). 2k8 is fun, and even more so with friends, but not a killer game. Seeing as how it's an Xbox 360 owner's only option, I'll have to recommend it. Alphasim out.

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