Major League Baseball 2K9

It is very hard to review this game, because it's a challenge to repress the sheer frustration that it instills in me. I don't know of any game I've hated like this one. I'm not sure it's a rational hatred, but it is hate nonetheless.

Let's start with the graphics, shall we? The player models are sound and the animations are ok, but whoever did the faces needs to be strung up and beat. I can't believe how poor the player faces are! 2K Sports has never been great at this, but here they've hit a new low.

Gameplay is hamstrung, as well. Hitting is decent, but I'm not happy with the pitching changes. With no indication of whether you're doing the right stick motions right, it's hard to tell why you're getting lit up. And get lit up you will, more because of horrendous fielding then bad pitching. I've had situations where I can't select a player close enough to an infield grounder to pick it up and the runner reaches base. Worse yet is the "first baseman bug," where the first baseman will receive a throw but wander off of the bag and not tag it, resulting in a base hit. I saw this four times in one game, which is absolutely inexcusable. Fielders don't dive for balls, they trip over their own feet, so don't count of robbing hitters of anything in the gaps.

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