I can’t lie: sports games have become far too technical in the past few years. I remember when Bases Loaded and RBI Baseball, the two pillars of baseball gaming, were so advanced that I thought the next evolutionary step would be virtual reality. Twenty years later (!), sports titles have lifelike character models, photorealistic stadiums, Nobel Prize-worthy physics and enough options to make the most temperamental person die of excitement. In short, they’re technical as f***.
When will these companies even attempt to balance skills with simplicity, without being overtly cute or dumbed down? In the sports gaming world - and in the FPS world, come to think of it - you’re either part of the elite or left in the dust. That is sooooooo not fair, guys!
With MLB 2K8, the 2K Sports team has updated the expected (rosters, graphics, minor gameplay tweaks) while testing out a few new options, mostly reserved for stats geeks and hardcore players.
Great news for veterans, distressing for newbies.
MLB 2K8 doesn’t bring back the simplicity of old sports games, but it does sport a few interesting elements new to the franchise. Ditching the control schemes of past titles, almost all control uses the analog stick - not as a gimmick, but as a more hands-on approach to pitching and fielding, in particular. The idea is novel, but does take some getting used to. Trial and error is an understatement when botched plays and bad pitches happen far too often.
Most of my observations on MLB 2K8 were featured in the preview, and my gripes remain: the controls, however consolidated, are still too complex. The depth is astounding, but also polarizing if you’re trying to play a quick 9 innings. I wouldn’t expect a casual gamer to learn (not master) the ins and outs without practicing for a few weeks, which is pretty demanding.
For those who are patient enough, MLB 2K8 is extremely rewarding, with full online capabilities and unlockables galore. In the end, it all depends how much depth you want in baseball sims.
Experts of past 2K titles (and sim fanatics) will find plenty to love here, but everybody else will have to settle for yet another hyper-technical sports game. If it’s your bag, have at it! If not, be warned.
