Release: March 3, 2009
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Genre: Sports
Rating: Everyone
Bright lights of the stadium drown out the darkness of night and the screams from the crowd make the pressure almost unbearable. It’s the bottom of the 9th, and my BoSox are down by one run with two outs. The tying run is on first base just begging to be brought home. The pitcher waits for his signal, grips the ball tight, and hurls a mean curve ball. As the bat sweeps across the plate I know it’s a second too late.
Jumping to their feet, the crowd begins to get anxious, Yanks and BoSox fans alike are starting to feel the pinch. Heart beats begin throbbing in my ear so loud that I can barely hear the crowd anymore, sweat dripping from my brow tickles the side of my face, and the final pitch is shot towards the plate as if from a cannon. As the bat cracks against the ball the stands instantly silence, if only for a second, as the ball screams out of the park and the last two runs seal the deal.
Home Sweet Home
For Baseball fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. Seconds into a match and players will feel like they’re watching a real game on ESPN. The atmosphere created within each stadium has a unique feeling that can make any sports fan feel at home. Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips provide depth so immersive, that at some points you’d swear you were watching a live broadcast. Real-Time Atmosphere adds to the presentation, with lighting, umpires, ball boys, coaches and the crowd all moving and progressing naturally for an ‘as true to life’ experience as possible. While the all-new Virtual Director uses smart camera placement and cuts to produce a seamless ball game.
Highlights between plays and innings show the understanding that 2k Sports has for the game. They’ve managed to create a system that pulls out the best plays from each inning and recaps for the audience with superb announcing, creating an undying flow from beginning to end of every game. Gary and Steve truly make the game just as enjoyable to watch as it is to play.
Hugging The Line
Real-Time Atmosphere and Virtual Director work hand in hand to create an amazing game. Interactions between crowd and players work surprisingly well. When the game gets tense the crowd stands up and cheers, when things seem slow the crowd keeps their seat and makes little noise. However this game does not come without flaws.
The AI has some nagging issues throughout offense and defense. There were times when I was auto selected to a player 30 feet from the ball while a team mate sat 3 feet from it staring off into space. I also noticed some instances where my basemen were no where near the base to tag out the runner. Great for my opposition, but leaving me furious when I managed to get the ball to first base in time only to have my baseman standing 5 feet from the base as the runner walked right by.
Aside from the occasional idiot team mate, there were some minor slow down issues that really have no place in a next gen game. It seemed as though every time I hit a foul ball, and occasionally a home run, the game would react with a slow down. Not quite sure why that would be happening, I don’t think the crowd is too much for the console to render, so hopefully they’ll fix the issue in a patch.
Going, Going, Gone!
While the realistic presentation and amazing gameplay will get you hooked, the features will keep you coming back for more. Signature Style has over 300 animations that bring all of your favorite players to life, showcasing true stances of individual players both on the mound and in the field. For those of you out there who pay close attention to detail, you’ll love the little things like this.
Swing Stick controls allow players to actually swing the bat or throw the ball with skill rather than simply hitting a button, which makes for some interesting outcomes. The batting has been greatly improved over previous iterations, as players will now have more control over timing and aim. Unfortunately this has turned matches into a Home Run Derby of sorts as every swing, if aimed right, will either be a pop fly or a home run. Speaking of home runs, players will be able to get plenty of practice for the big game with the inclusion of a Home Run Derby mode. This mode includes a “Best of the Best”, pitting would be sluggers against the top 20 home run hitters of all time.
The ever inclusive Franchise Mode returns as well, this time allowing you to skip over the regular season and jump right in to the post-season. This is perfect if you’d rather experience the excitement leading up to the World Series without all the hard work. Players can create their own likeness in the game as well through fully customizable characters. This may come in handy as Living Rosters will automatically update while you play, insuring that a real life injury is reflected to that actual player in the game.
Rallying For The Win
For Xbox 360 owners there is no option here, either you pick this one up or you miss out on the MLB all together. On the other hand, PlayStation 3 owners will have a chance to pick up MLB The Show 09, making this a tough choice. Either way it’s a great buy for baseball fans, so if you’re looking for another good sports game, you can’t go wrong with MLB 2k9.
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