Customer Reviews

Major League Baseball 2K8

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow...this game could have been absolutely fantastic for the Wii. However, there are some MAJOR components missing or severely lacking with this game.

1) The graphics are Playstation 2 quality...and that's being nice. I understand the Wii isn't a graphics powerhouse like the 360 or PS3, but after playing Super Mario Galaxy and seeing screenshots of Super Smash Brothers, it's obvious that the 2K team on this project dropped the ball.

2) Hitting is insanely difficult. I have played seven exhibition games now and am having a rather difficult time with it.

3) No online multiplayer. I don't get that decision.

4) No minor leagues. I've checked and can't find it...although the box has the official minor league sticker on the case. Not really a big deal in my opinion.


There are some good points to the game...

1) The commentators are insanely good. Actually the best in any sports game that I have played.

2) The pitching controls are really good. You choose a type of pitch, then point your remote to where you want the ball to go, then flick your wrist to begin the pitch...a bullseye will appear with red, yellow, and green areas. You want to get it in the green area. You use a throwing motion to lock in that bullseye location.

3) Defense motion is very realistic. I've had my shortstop dive at a ground ball and then make the throw to first from his knees. I've had several double play balls that are just crazy realistic.

If you can get over the pathetic graphics and lack of online play, then my guess is that you would really enjoy this game. I have a feeling that I will improve on the hitting over time...so I can't dog that too much. If the graphics were better I would have given this four stars. Add the online play, and I would give it five stars.

Okay, if you're reading this review after having read a whole bunch from a lot of sites, including Amazon, you are probably as confused as I was before I picked this game up a couple of weeks ago. Well, I will try to be as up-front as I can about this game and hope that my comments help you decide to buy it.

I titled the review "three steps away..." because the game is just that: GOOD, but not quite at "great" yet. The basics:

Batting: This is only difficult if you can't get the hang of Wii Sports. It's all about timing. Hitting in a specific direction has never been easier, and I love the ease of bunting and hitting fly balls. (A)

Pitching: I actually really enjoy the pitching. It is also timing based, but the fact that this sports game uses the Wii-mote effectively is a big plus. I also like the realistic movement on MOST pitches. There are a couple that move too much for a low-caliber pitcher, but nonetheless, pitching is solid. (A-)

Fielding: The fielding controls are a little sensitive, but not unreasonable. I found myself diving when I didn't want to once or twice, but climbing the wall and sprinting when necessary are still pretty easy to accomplish. (B-)

Depth: The lack of complete minors rosters is a bit frustrating. I am a fantasy baseball fan, so I'm seeing a few guys hit the majors right now that aren't in the game. BUT, for the most part, the rosters are okay. Some complain that trades weren't accounted for, but not having Santana on the Mets, while frustrating, isn't earth-shattering.
The game modes are solid, but the lack of minors involvment is tough to have missed. I also enjoy the trading card system, which is NOT in this game. (C)

So, the "three steps" are:
- Graphics: No, this Wii isn't as advanced as 360 and PS3, BUT it should look better than PS2, right?!?
- Depth: I think the lack of minors and trading cards is acceptable for the first year of this game, but I hope it makes it into 2K9 and beyond.
- Fielding: The fielding is a bit choppy and inconsistent at times. This is the only gameplay gripe I've found, and it's not a huge one.

I'd grade MLB 2K8 as a B-. I think the game is good, not great. I think that this first effort is a baseball sim that isn't complete. If they can get the graphics slightly better, add some depth, and tweak the minor gameplay issues, it will be an "A" game.

Here are some Pro's and Con's to this game in case people are looking to buy it:

PROS:

Pitching feels awesome

Hitting is very satisfying especially when you crush a home run. And the fact you can bat left or righty with one hand makes this game playable even on the couch.

Great Animations

Interface is easy to use with the Wiimote

Rosters mostly up to date

In Depth Franchise Mode

AMAZING Commentary: I love Jim and Joe and my GF, also a baseball fan, said she actually thought I was watching a baseball game it sounded so good. Yea they goof up here and there but mostly its very good.

Feels like you are watching a game especially with Pre-Game and Post Game comments which are actually very cool to listen too.

Day/Night, Weather, Rain Delays etc..

Minor League Players are available but only to a certain extent. Don't think you will find some Single A players. However, the Rox's had a good bit of their minor league prospects.

Tracking a pitch out of the pitchers hand is pretty easy. I can see the ball much better then MVP2005 which is awesome BTW.

CONS:

Base running is complicated (I think it'll get easier as I go along). There are more baserunning commands/buttons then anything else.

Fielding seems a little goofy. You have a blue square and if you aren't dead center you tend to miss the ball or lunge for it. Again practice makes perfect.

Graphics are AWFUL. It is the Wii. However, the presentation of the game is very good so it makes up for it. Animation graphics are not awfu,l however, but game play graphics are.

At time the game seems a bit clunky when you try to turn a double play. Just slow on the reflexes. I guess I can probably get better though. Some minor Frame Issues (stuttering).

Sometimes when you swing you check swing accidentally or the other way around. Seems to be a 50/50 thing probably happens 3-4 times a game. probably will reduce with practice. However, I just chalk it up to "realism" or odds of baseball or something. Doesn't ruin much.

No Minor Leagues: I don't care at all about this

No Online Play: This kinda stinks but I think this game took the disc to the limit. Maybe they should have used a double sided disk like Smash Brothers and included Online play. However, with the pitching and hitting degree of accuracy it might be hard.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

All in all this game is lots of fun. I'm a graphics/PC guy with an 8800gtx. I love high performance uber graphical games. I also LOVE baseball. The fact that I think this game is so good without amazing performance / graphics shows how good the motion controls work and how AMAZING the presentation is. Seriously you feel like you are listening to a Live Broadcast. The game's learning curve is relatively quick and easy when it comes to the basics.

I'd recommend this game to any baseball fan on the Wii. Its not MVP 2005 but its very very good in a completely different way.

Since this is WII I'd give it 4 out of 5 , I can see this getting worse grades on non motion based systems.

Since purchasing this game. I have been playing ever since. It is fun, yet difficult. I find it a little hard to control base runner's (say when there is a guy on second and the batter hits what would be a double, trying to navigate the runner from second to home and then making your batter get to second). Really other than that this game is really fun and refreshing to play.

I read the many reviews here and elsewhere and there has been mixed feelings concerning "batting". For me, who played baseball for many years growing up, and from playing in a many softball leagues didn't find batting too much of a challenge.

Not to say it was *easy* but it didn't long to get the hang of it.

The first thing I did was play the "Home Run Derby" which I used as batting practice - little did I know that you can do these tutorials in the actual game which covers hitting.

The one negative about swinging is that you also need to use the nun-chuck. The nun-chuck cord kept distracting me as I swung. I guess I'm going to have to just *deal* with it and get use to it.

Pitching was actually harder for me to pick up than I thought. But after a couple of innings in my first exhibition game I got the hang of it.

Fielding was perhaps the hardest thing for me. Like everything else I just need to play it more and then I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

I wasn't too concerned about the graphics as I was about realism which was pretty good.

I do wish that they had a "practice" option so that you can work on your skills. The closest is the "Exhibition" and "Situational" options.

Lastly, I liked the commentators and the back ground sounds/music.

Overall I liked it.

Wow, this game is very fun to play! it really makes you feel as though you are playing. the batting and the pitching are super fun. there's nothing quite like the batting! i've caught myself many times looking for a fastball and then "lunging" at the curveball cause i am way out in front of it.. and of course there's the great satisfaction of timing the ball right and ripping a shot back up the middle for that big 2 out run-scoring single!

i see no problems with the graphics. of course it's not the best i've seen, but who really cares... we got the Wii system for "feeling actively involved" in the games and this game does just that! Has it really been over 20 years since i played high school baseball? i guess so, but the experience is back with this game.

of course there are a few minor flaws. like sometimes, the slightest movement of the Wii remote will cause you to swing instead of "check" your swing. but then again, i've swung at my share of baseballs in the dirt when i played so i can live with that.

i also like the fact that the game is challenging. after 8 full games, my record is 1-7 playing at the "pro" level. that's where being quick with the "controls for baserunning and fielding really come into play. just like in real baseball, you have to have quick reaction times and it's easy to push the "C" button when you meant to use the one of the others when running the bases. or sometimes you get caught up in the moment and have your outfielder diving for a ball when you wanted him to "sprint" over to make a catch.

the commentary with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is really good and with the PA announcer talking in the game as well, it gives you the feeling that your game is really on tv.

After having this game for a better part of a year now, I can definitely tell anyone thinking about this game to pass it up.

First off, high learning curve. Once you get the hang of it, it's complex, but fun.

Second and the worst part: BUGS BUGS BUGS.

This game for Wii is a port from the other systems and developers did not go over it very well.

Constant system crashes. 9th inning of the World Series, game 7, doesn't matter, game crashes when you come up to bat. Or at other weird times.

Memory errors (it will lose your saved game, so you will have to copy it to an SD card, then copy it back to get it to work).

Franchise mode.... after the first season enjoy playing only 8-10 games per season after that, there's a huge bug that does not allow you to play more than 10 games in a season after the first.

Games that end in rain will have to be totally replayed due the the game not realizing it was over 6+ innings long

Nearly every other hit is either a home run or somebody getting robbed from a home run.

PASS IT UP. PRAY FOR 2K9 BEING FIXED.

I would say this game is awesome but one thing I do not like is that 2k8 does not let you call up people that were in AA when you started the season. The pitching is great. The batting is great also but one problem with batting replay is that it isn't like a real life swing it makes it look like you swung early.

I played baseball as a teen and love the game. So this WII game was a perfect match for me. I read complaints from others about the graphics and disagree that it is so terrible. It is not. I have pitched and the WII experience is close to what I remember.

The only complaint...I check swing and the player on the screen still does a full swing. Sometimes I just shake the WII remote ever so slightly and the guy swings and even hits the ball at times. Surely they could fix that flaw in a revision. It is a little difficult to see much difference in the speed of the ball coming at you as a batter.

In spite of those failures, I really really enjoy playing the game.

i got this game yesterday for the wii due to the long free shipping and i love the game. the graphics are good and the pitching is awesome. yes, the baserunning in the game is kind of a problem but you can get used to it. other than the baserunning problem, the game was great. i have been playing ever since i got it and enjoying every minute of it. a must buy for anyone especially those baseball fans!!!