Major League Baseball 2K8

10 Review to this product

• 

  Corey N. McLain
  August 18th, 2010 on 7:10 am

  Rating

  wanted a baseball game for my Wii, but read the awful reviews of 2K9, so I decided to go this route. I rented this game when I purchased my Wii, and already knew that I liked the game, good game with good gameplay.
• 

  Scott Baret
  August 19th, 2010 on 7:08 am

  Rating

  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).
• 

  Hassan Farad
  August 19th, 2010 on 5:59 pm

  Rating

  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.
• 

  Gepetto
  August 20th, 2010 on 1:39 am

  Rating

  Bought this for my grandson and he and all the other friends and grandkids play it all the time. Recommended.
• 

  Woody Carver
  August 21st, 2010 on 7:48 am

  Rating

  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.
• 

  sportfan
  August 22nd, 2010 on 12:58 pm

  Rating

  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!!!
• 

  Anonymous
  August 22nd, 2010 on 1:53 pm

  Rating

  This game is certainly one of my favorite games for wii. You can even create your own fantasy team and play a season! If you love baseball, you won’t regret buying this game.
• 

  G. Heintz
  August 22nd, 2010 on 9:56 pm

  Rating

  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.
• 

  Jeffrey D. Doan
  August 23rd, 2010 on 4:29 am

  Rating

  This game gives you all of the control you could possibly want without making the game difficult to play. I found myself catching on to all of the controls and hidden controls very fast!

  You have so much control from creating a play from scratch and customizing every tiny thing about the person to running your own franchise while playing with your team to guide them to success.

  This game is amazing and I cant wait for Major League Baseball 2K9 to come out this March 2009!

  A+ Rating. 5 Stars. 10 out of 10 Rating!

  A buy you wont regret!
• 

  M. Wetzel
  August 23rd, 2010 on 8:49 pm

  Rating

  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.