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MLB 2K8...Swing...and a miss

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 22 / 24
Date: March 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

Great Fun. Intuitive Controls. There are Minor Leaguers (just not teams)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: March 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

Good Baseball Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Baseball games have long been my favorite use of gaming consoles. From Super Baseball on the Atari 2600 to MVP Baseball 2005 on the Game Cube, I've played more innings than the average major leaguer does in his career.

Now I've got this game to round out my arsenal. I was a bit hesitant at first given the reluctance to move to 2K sports games by some MVP players, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I've been very satisfied with it and find the controls are the next best thing to playing the real deal.

If you're expecting flat out real life hitting like you get on the Wii Sports game, you won't find it here. However, you still have to swing the controller to hit the ball. It's actually easier than it sounds although you will probably fare better if you play or used to play baseball. I caught on right away, since I am used to swinging bats in real life, but an opponent I played had never played baseball and had a lot of trouble with hitting at first.

Pitching, to me, was the harder of the two elements. Perhaps the same logic applies to pitching as it does to hitting--I'm an infielder in real life--and having experience helps. It took me about three games to get used to the style of pitching. Be warned that you will wind up having half your staff ejected for hitting everyone when you're still getting used to the controls...

Two player mode is well done. Be aware that you can select the pitch by moving the analog stick--the screen doesn't display that but now that I examine it a bit more I realize that feature is intentional--otherwise you're essentially tipping pitches.

Rosters can be managed and players can be created. Existing players can be modified (Adam La Roche on the Pirates, for example, will need his number changed from 17 to 25).

Some have commented on graphics of this game. Keep in mind that this is the Wii, not the X-Box 360. I have no problems with the graphics and believe the face rendering is the best in any game you'll find out there. I also have noticed the players have every move of their batting stance in the game, making it seem even more realistic.

I recommend this game for anyone who is interested in baseball and has played at least a season or two in real life. Baseball games have come a long way from pressing the "A" button to swing at a pitch and now require the user to actually play the game. (If you're strictly an armchair manager, I suggest Out of the Park Baseball instead).

Fantastical!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

Three steps away from great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

Quality Baseball for the Wii

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

After the monstrous disappointment of purchasing last years' version of this game, I am very surprised that I went ahead and bought this. However, it appears as though this is the only in-depth, realistic baseball game available for the Wii. Luckily, at least game play wise, this version is WAY better. The graphics look worse than EA Sports MVP '05(the best baseball game in the last 5 years), but...that isn't a huge deal for me.

My main gripes would have to be: (1) There doesn't seem to be a way to hide the pitch cursor. This makes hitting in a 2-player game with a friend a little easier than it should be, (2) The running game is very tough to get used to, mainly when there are multiple runners on base. Pretty much every time I should be getting a double when there is a runner on, the guy who hit the ball slides into 1st base and can't get up in time to move over to 2nd, (3) Compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, this game seems way stripped down; mainly the lack of online play/online roster updates. This was no surprise to me though.

The main positive would probably have to be that 2KSports really upped the quality compared to the '07 version. That game was a complete joke. The graphics aren't really improved, but the game play has. The fielding was my biggest gripe with the '07 version, and while it hasn't been perfected, it is miles ahead of last year. The hitting and pitching are both pretty enjoyable as well. I was impressed with how well it transitioned to Wii controls. Just don't expect to have the energy to play 3 games in a row. 9 innings worth of pitching and hitting can make for some sore arms.

All in all, if you own a Wii and can't live without a comprehensive baseball game you should buy this. Otherwise...you might want to steer clear of MLB 2K8.

if anyone has trouble getting their wii to read the disc

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: May 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

save yourself some of the headache that I endured - after returning the first disc of this game thinking it was defective since my wii never would read it and then trying a replacement and having it do the same thing I finally realized that my wii needed a system update in order to play - why it couldn't pop up a notification of that, I don't know. Once I updated my the wii's system firmware it read and played the disc just fine. Just thought I'd put this out there in case any one else is having the same problems.

Just OK

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game a while back (on one of Amazon's Wii deal days) and enjoy the game play, but the graphics are not very good at all. I am not the type of guy who normally rates a game on graphics alone, but the ones on this game are pretty terrible. The controls in this game are also pretty shoty (i.e. check swing only works about 35% of the time, when I try to climb the wall I usually end up diving head first into it, etc). I also hate the fact that when you play 2 player mode the ball cursor is still visible so it makes it very easy to hit the ball and know where the ball is going. The best feature of the game is the commentary (Joe Morgan is excellent). Overall, the game is decent, but not great. I had high hopes for this game but was quite disappointed with it, but am happy I got a good deal on it.

Wow

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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!!!

Bigs is Better

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Last year I purchased the Bigs and was very impressed with the game. While it did not have a season mode, the game was thoroughly enjoyable and addictive. I purchased 2K8, who also made the Bigs, and could not have been more disappointed. While the announcers,Jon miller and Joe Morgan, blew me away with their detail and accuracy of what they said,the overall play was far inferior than The Bigs. The facial features on the players were blank. When you batted there was not enough room between the pitcher and batter. Also the rosters were not up to date when the game was released. Santana was still on the Twins and not The Mets. I'd wait another year and get 2k9 so they can improve the game. For now if you want a great game and don't care about the rosters get The Bigs.

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