 Let’s just skip all the tired steroid jokes and Roger Clemens zingers, shall we, and get right to it. MLB 2K8 is a game which knows exactly what it is. A swirling vortex into which time cannot escape.
There is truly a lot going on in this game and if you open your wallet you’ll be investing a whole lot more than your money here. Some of you are the MLB faithful and have no doubt been keeping up with the yearly installments. Fear not, there is something for you here beyond a 2008 roster update and graphical tweaking.
For the newly initiated, like myself, there is really something new to get into. If by getting 'into' you mean becoming a total stat whore and fantasy GM guru. Even the casual player can find some enjoyment here if they don’t mind sacrificing about 90% of the game’s contents.
Is it a slider or split finger fastball!!! Hit the Jump and find out.
The most significant addition to the MLB series is the ‘Total Control' pitching mechanic. Previous versions have you place the location with the left thumbstick and then select your preferred pitch using the buttons. This season, in lieu of the button control you must use the right thumbstick to ‘draw’ the correct gesture of the intended pitch. Each one having it’s own unique signature. A fastball for example is a back to forward motion whereas a curveball will be pulled back more to the 8 o’clock location and then circled counterclockwise from there. It may seem simple enough but in addition to the gesture you must time your artful draw with a circular power/accuracy meter similar to your golfing titles. I’m generalizing but you get the idea, draw your gesture correctly and time it right and you’ll throw a beautiful arcing curveball. Get it wrong and you’ll hang that slider out over the plate like batting practice.
Now, I played on the most difficult level, I believe it is called " Rookie". My first time out I tried to muddle through and see how much I could just figureout. Turns out that, as difficult as things appeared at first the pitching got under control relatively quickly. No matter the game genre I believe that a game with solid design and forethought should need almost no manual.
To that end, 2K studios was kind enough to provide a tutorial that can be accessed anytime during offline play. It was quite helpful in explaining the ‘idea’ of the Total Control function and did quickly improve my pitching. Subsequent games played on higher difficulty levels(yes I was kidding before) yielded interesting results. Hitters would not allow me to simply paint corners anymore, I had to throw strikes occasionally. Also, in a few of the closer matches, my pitcher became nervous and the location control of the right stick became spastic. As I said, I’m not a MLB collector so I wasn’t already married to the one button pitching control of previous titles. I liked the total control mechanic and thought it added a pleasant degree of skill and heightened my feelings of anxiety in tough situations like runners at first and third with only 1 out. You can turn on the old style pitching though if you just can’t stomach it. 
Now, let’s talk about hitting. Unfortunately, there was no hitting tutorial and playing a Home Run Derby wasn’t the same thing. Unfortunately, I had to rent MLB 2K8 and Gamefly does not provide the manual unless you buy the game. SO, I had to guess. As near as I could figure, hitting operates under the same premise as pitching. You must recognize the location of the incoming pitch and alter your swing plane accordingly. Occasionaly, your batter will acquire the 'Batter's eye' which will illuminate the location of the incoming pitch for you. It still requires you to act quickly and anticipate the pitcher's release. Naturally, the better hitters were more likely to 'see' these pitches than poor hitters. Needless to say I struck out, a lot, at first. However, I found that after only a few games I was racking up 15-20 hits and several home runs per game. Without getting technical, hitting was more rhythmical in nature than the pitching. Begin your step properly in time with the pitcher's release and you are more likely to get solid contact. Of course, Albert Pujols was a lot easier to control than my pitcher who seemed to be having a seizure during most of his at bats.
Fielding was pretty easy most of the time, anytime a ball was hit into the outfield I caught it, even if my guy was at the edge of the bullseye on the grass he would automatically, stretch out and pull it in. There are buttons to sprint, dive, and jump in order to get to those that you aren’t sure about and they worked OK out in the cornfields. At the infield level it was more challenging. Balls hit squarely to the shortstop are fielded cleanly, but a shot straight up the 3rd baseline required much more fast twitch muscle fibers in my hands than I apparently posess and they always got by. Presumably, with practice I would be able to leap in time to make a grab or knock the ball down.  Staying with the infield, the AI isn’t too swift here, on one particular play my second baseman decided to run and cover his base allowing what should have been an easy out straight to him to poop it’s way out into right field for a single. I guess he really needed to talk to the shortstop about something then because they stood there for a little while as we all waited another 30 seconds or so for the play to really be over. This wasn't as isolated an example as I'd like, but it didn't make things unplayable by any means.
As with the pitching and hitting, throws are also controlled with the analog stick. Point to the right and you will throw to first, pull back and your throw will go home. Filling a power meter properly and aiming appropriately will mean the difference between an easy out or pulling your first baseman off the bag for a single. Shoulder buttons will bring in the use of any cutoff men you would like to use in attempting to throw out or hold base runners.
The presentation in sports games is really getting good in my opinion. Obviously, playing over and over the commentary will get old. However, what is nice is the attempt to make situational comments. Joe Morgan will talk about your previous pitch, or give you a tip based on the pitchcount. Sometimes his suggestion goes against what you’re catcher calls but that’s just what happens in real broadcasts. He might say that a particular situation calls for a fastball high and inside whereas your catcher calls for the 12-6 curve low and away. In all Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are as tight here as they are on any live broadcast. I used to tune out the broadcasts on other games or turn off the sound all together and listen to music, here though listening can pay off as Joe will sometimes give you the trends of pitchers. If he said that a pitcher was throwing fastballs on the first pitch I listened and more often than not got a hit or at least made contact. 
Connecting to XBL will bring up the optional sports ticker at the bottom of the screen. I was, at one point, playing a game against Milwaukee and keeping tabs on the Rockets-Lakers game at the same time. It can be distracting, sure, but I thought it was cool. It just added to the immersion for me to the point where MLB news would come up I wasn’t sure if Joe Blow was really on the 15 day DL in real life or just in the game.
The pre-game show, however, was lame and just filler for loading screens. It isn’t done very well and reminded me more of the commentary found in much older games, always saying the same thing and not produced well in my opinion. The post game is also not great. Cutscenes are very choppy and not muchof any dialogue matched with the camera shots they were showing. To me it ruined the really immersive 9 innings I just played and took me out of the experience a little. Unfortunately, the choppiness is not limited to the pre/postgame graphics. Player walkups will also often hang for a moment before catching up. Stadium audio is cool, though the player introduction over the PA would often take so long my player will be out or on base before getting his name called. Still, the attempt at ambiance is appreciated.
Franchise mode is naturally here and if you really have nothing else to occupy your life with you can play a full 162 game season plus never-ending playoffs. If MLB 2K8 doesn't encompass your whole existence you can shorten the season in several smaller increments. Customization abounds allowing you to craft the MLB experience you desire.
Acheivement junkies and fantasy players may enjoy the card system in 2K8. In this particular facet of the experience when you complete specific objectives with players like homers or strikeouts you will earn their player card. Cards come in progressive levels of stature and can be sold for credits to purchase packs and other goodies. Play enough different teams and purchase enough packs of cards to fill your binder up you can put together your own roster to play on XBL. Dreams of a line-up with A-Rod, Manny, Pujols, Tejada and JoshBeckett on the mound might be difficult though as you have to adhere to the salary cap. But, if you can swing it, so will they. It may sound convoluted but there is an informative (to use their word) tutorial on the subject of about 16 pages or so in game.
Create online leagues with friends and test your skills. FYI, there’s one going on in our forums so check them out. Sell and trade cards over XBL and work your GM magic.
There’s really a bunch more I could get into; Manager style games, minor league team play, stadium designs, trading systems, scouting reports, create-a-player, on and on but you’d rather spend time playing the game than reading more of my ramblings on the accuracy of Alfonso Soriano’s character model (could be better).
MLB 2K8 is the sports sim’s sim. Everything you could possibly want is inside. It may not all be great but it’s in there. Overall, the gameplay is good, baseball is a fun game and so is 2K8. Veterans will probably enjoy this installment and decide for themselves whether the Total Control is worth turning on or not. Newbs will be overwhelmed at first but with some modest investment in the fine tuning and tweaking, no rain-outs will be called.
The value is unquestioningly here, however, only for those that enjoy sports titles. If you're a fan and you’ve missed a year or two I would recommend buying 2K8. Don’t rent 2K8 to rent it, you will be cheating yourself out of the real meat of the game. Rather, rent it to prior to buying in order to ensure that 2K8 is for you. Though, if you’re even interested in this game I would bet that you’ll opt to keep it.
Final Score: 7/10
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