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Major League Baseball 2K8 | 
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| From: 2K Games
Category: Video Games
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $31.99
You Save: $8.00 (20%)
New (28) Used (20) from $23.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 527
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Xbox 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 39352
UPC: 710425393525
EAN: 0710425393525
ASIN: B00118T6G4
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: factory sealed
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| Features:
| • | Best Booth in the Business - 2K Sports proudly brings back the duo Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan to the broadcast booth, delivering the deepest commentary available. | | • | Swing Stick 2.0 - Unparalleled ball-to-bat contact, unlimited variety of hit types and more realistic at bats with deeper Inside Edge integration. | | • | More Signature Style - New and improved player walk-ups, batting stances, waggles, home run celebrations, step-ins and step-outs bring each player to life in true, 2K Sports fashion. | | • | Total Pitch Control - A revolutionary right analog stick pitching system where right stick motions and timing determine pitch type, speed and accuracy. | | • | Precision Throw Control - Unlimited throw types and trajectories using real-world physics and Inside Edge data bring realism and variety to every defensive play on the field. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It's 2008 and it's time to hit home runs as 2KG Major League Baseball 2K8 brings you your best season ever. Thrilling features have been added to make this season more exciting. Are you out or in? Joe Morgan is announcing 2K8! Play ball!
Team play is more expansive as there are 90 minor-league teams added to the game, including authentic uniforms, many authentic minor-league stadiums, and a few generic ones as well. 2K8 also features a new baseball-card system, in which you can earn players' cards by completing certain tasks. You can then sell duplicate cards for credits to buy new card packs, which consist of 10 cards and may include a stadium or special team. But by far the coolest part of the card system is the online card battles. When you have enough player cards to fulfill the requirements of a full team, you can then combine your cards to create a team and take head-to-head against other gamers' card teams online. An entirely new and unique pitching interface which is unlike anything that's been done before. The main input comes from the right analog stick. The execution involves matching a gesture to throw the desired pitch. This enables a lot more granularity from the input than a digital face-button approach.
Revolutionizing your control of the 5 tools in baseball are brand new pitching, fielding and base running controls and completely overhauled batting interface. Featuring a totally unique trading card mode, robust Minor League system, all-new Signature Style animations for 2008, and more! 90 Minor League teams available in both Franchise and Exhibition modes Over 1 MILLION online gamers in the 2K community for head-to-head games
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 I Like It. July 20, 2008
You know, this is a good game, significantly improved over last year's version.
Mainly, I like the precision pitching. I thought that pitching in 2K7 was the best I'd ever seen, but it just consisted of choosing the pitch well, aiming it well, and timing hitting the same button twice well (sorry for that convoluted sentence). Pitching in 2K8 takes a little more skill than timing though. You move the right stick in a pattern that (loosely) replicates the spin of the ball, and that gesture is rated on a 0-100 scale. The more closely you've matched the called-for pattern, the better the pitch. Of course, in addition to this, you have to aim it will (with the left stick) and time the release of the right stick well to help with control. Pitching only takes a few days to pick up, but mistakes are never entirely eliminated. That makes for more realistic gameplay.
I've enjoyed batting, too. The swing-stick is improved. Timing on both the step and the swing is very meaningful. When you're even slightly off, it's going to be a pop-up or a weak ground-out. You have some small control, using the left stick, on the direction you're trying to hit it. This all adds up to a better batting experience than simply pushing the 'A' button at the right time.
Fielding is better as well. The right stick is used to direct the speed and direction of the release and throw, and the timing occasionally is tricky. Again, this is much better than hitting one button and all throws being equal.
I rather like the graphics, too. I agree with others that the faces don't match very well all of the time. Still, the parks are well done, and whenever I've left the game on while I'm flipping channels, I'm regularly tricked into the thinking an actual game is on. They have the batting stances and pitching motions down awfully well, too.
So, I've not much other than praise for this. There aren't a whole lot of frills. It's a basic, good baseball game that hasn't gotten dull for me yet (and I've played it a lot). I'd recommend it if that's what you're looking for.
Challenging but rewarding. July 15, 2008
The controls have a steep learning curve, but are very rewarding once you figure it out. The graphics are OK and there are some glitches in the game, which is pretty standard for every sports game.
Considering this is the only baseball game for the 360 it is worth buying and a very rewarding gaming experience.
Definitely Not as Bad as People Make It Seem July 5, 2008
I am not a fan of using the right analog stick for pitching, batting and fielding and that is what deterred me from buying this game due to all the negative reviews. I have trouble using the analog stick to move sometimes lol...however, once I saw a review that said you can choose "classic" controls for everything (or for only batting, its your choice how much of the new controls you want), I said I needed a baseball game and I bought this. I am definitely not disappointed. Though the game has its frame rate issues and load times are disappointing, the gameplay is much more realistic than I expected, even with classic controls. The little intricacies, like knowing when a pitcher is warming up, seeing league leaders when in the franchise screen, and seeing rain when you play is very cool. The graphics are overall pretty good, some players have shapes like their counterparts though I would like to see the bulkier players look bigger, etc...the face models are terrible though and I don't see how you do that in 2008 when you have these next gen systems at your disposal. I like the fielding and the catches, everything is realistic...the glove reaches for the ball, etc. Definitely buy this game if you like baseball
An overall genuine baseball experience March 8, 2008
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
I'll admit that I was a bit wary before I purchased MLB 2K8 after witnessing a slew of Chicken Littles running around internet message boards, crying about frame rate and other issues, and watching a herd of self-proclaimed ex-fans of 2K Sports jumping ship to the PS3 and MLB: The Show. Nevertheless, as an avid follower of Major League Baseball and 360-owner I knew I would have to give the game a shot, and on a hunch that many of those shouting, "the sky is falling" were overreacting and/or trolls trying to start trouble, I bought the newest offering from 2K Sports and stuck it in my Xbox. After a bit of playing around I was able to confirm my suspicions. Don't listen to sheep--MLB 2K8 is a solid baseball experience, boasting several innovative gameplay features that outweigh the flaws.
2K8 introduces Precision Control Pitching, a system of pitching that allows players to imitate the movement of each pitch using the right control stick. Pitching is a three-step process: first, the player must choose a pitch by pointing the right control stick in one of five directions; second, the player slides the right control stick around in its axis for a breaking pitch or jolts the right control stick upwards or downwards for a fastball or change-up, respectively; third, the player releases the right control stick at the correct time to throw the pitch. This complicated procedure takes some getting used to and may turn off the more casual gamer, so thankfully 2K8 has included the option to use 2K7's more classic pitching technique. But those who are patient enough to figure out Precision Control will be rewarded with an authentic gaming experience that is also a lot of fun. When your in-game pitcher hangs a meat ball over the plate that is smashed against the centerfield wall, you'll know you legitimately screwed up the procedure instead of feeling as if you got jipped by crappy gameplay mechanics. On the other hand, when your pitcher drops a filthy 12-6 curve that retires the side, you'll have earned it.
Hitting has gone through some refurbishing in 2K8, resulting in the new and improved Swing Stick 2.0. Now, instead of pulling back on the right control stick and releasing to initiate a contact swing, and pushing the right control stick upward to initiate a power swing, the latter method is used for a contact swing; in fact, the power swing has been removed completely in order to reduce the amount of home runs from last year (in 2K7, big flies were more common than singles). Just like the pitching, the Swing Stick 2.0 requires some adjustment, so don't be surprised if you hit a lot of ground ball outs in your first game--timing is key. But after you get the timing down you should be pretty happy with the hitting in 2K8. It still has its issues, such as it being very difficult to discern whether an oncoming pitch is going to be a ball or a strike, but the movement of the right control stick in correlation with the gameplay is very accurate. And players who have trouble with the Swing Stick 2.0 can turn on the regular Swing Stick from 2K7 or "classic batting" (simply press `A' to swing) via the option menu.
The right control stick is also incorporated in fielding (surprise, surprise), as the player must hold the stick in the cardinal direction of a base (right for 1st base, up for 2nd base, etc.) and release to initiate the throw. But this too requires timing, as after the control stick is moved toward the direction of the base, a meter pops up by the fielder with the ball and quickly fills up. The meter will go from red to yellow to red again, and the most accurate throw will come in the yellow area. This makes fielding more fun and rewarding than simple button-mashing.
In terms of graphics, the character models are passable, although the faces for most players are badly-done and don't seem to fit with the rest of the body. Even if the faces are a bit off, the movements and quirks that each player brings to the plate or to the mound are captured brilliantly, helping the on-field action look and feel like a real game. 2K Sports worked hard to represent each stadium to great detail, and the aerial and inside views of the venues before the game are a nice touch.
Perhaps the biggest complaint by 2K8 critics is its choppy frame rate, which seems to affect only those playing on HD TV's. The game will often freeze momentarily and cause difficulties in gameplay. There are plans to release a patch in the near future that will fix this issue, and there are other unofficial methods of handling the problem in the mean time.
Online play is a disappointment for those with slow connections because lag throws off the timing and screws up the gameplay mechanics, so hopefully a patch will be released soon to fix that. The card system is a fun add-on for those looking for more than franchise mode, and it's always exciting to see which cards you earned after playing a game. I haven't toyed with the Player Beats or Stadium Beats yet, but as far as I know it allows the user to give walk-up songs to his in-game players, something that I've always wanted from a baseball game. The song choice for 2K8's menus is a bit odd; a lot of indie rock mixed with some more alternative stuff, but after an hour or two you'll be used to it.
All in all, 2K Sports did an excellent job with its third-party exclusivity this year, even if many critics will disagree. I have yet to play MLB 08: The Show, so I cannot say whether 2K8 is the better baseball game, but I can assure you that if you have the patience to figure out the new pitching, hitting and fielding mechanics and can look past the frame rate issues, you will be rewarded with a genuine baseball experience.
 What the heck happened??? March 7, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I rented this game and I'm glad I did. The graphics are big step backwards from MLB07. The text in the menu's are so tiny on standard TV you can't read them. The pitching and hitting systems are pretty nice, but this game does not look like a next-gen game. Very disappointed!!!
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