MLB 2k8 is the only option for non-PS3 owners to experience new next gen MLB gaming. What a shame.
In this iteration, 2K decided to introduce some key innovations to some key areas of gameplay. immediately, the most noticeable is the pitching mechanics. Pitching is now mapped to right analog stick, and pitches are completed by executing distinct gestures corresponding to a particular pitch (e.g: Fastball = pull back and push forward.) These gestures must be timed in relation to an onscreen reticle which determines the effectiveness of the pitch. Gesturing and/or releasing the stick at the wrong time could result in a "meatball" which, in turn, is very likely to be hit out of the park. Executing correctly, though, makes the pitch respond the way you intended, and makes it much harder to hit. The new mechanics are a very neat idea, but they have an incredibly large learning curve, so one should expect to have probably about a week of play under their belts before they really get a true handle on it. Given this, we're left wondering if perhaps 2K did indeed make it too hard...but regardless, it is a neat and creative technique, and kudos shall be given for their attempt at innovation.
Similarly to the pitching controls, the fielding controls have also been mapped to the right stick, and your throwing effectiveness is also dependent on the gesture you make. Holding the stick toward the desired base at which you are to throw the ball will "charge" your throw, but you must strive to point the stick directly at the base, otherwise you run the risk of committing an error. This is also a neat idea, and adds an interesting element. It may take some getting used to, depending on the baseball sims you may have played in the past, but it is generally not hard to grasp.
Besides the throwing controls, fielding is generally hit-or-miss in regard to its quality. There are times when it feels very fluid and natural, but there are other times when fielders respond in completely unintuitive ways, which are practically impossible for a player to predict. Expect to watch a few balls hit the ground after you've placed your fielder under a pop-up, or completely over-run a ball when trying to cut off a grounder. Also, in an attempt to more accurately simulate reality, the player is expected to call off other fielders when tracking down fly balls by pressing X (in the xbox 360 version). Not doing so could result in a collision. While this is an interesting dynamic, there are times when it is really redundant. You'll find on occasion, if you watch a replay of a collision, that the second fielder would come completely out of no-where and would run face-first right into you. This, needless to say, can be absolutely infuriating. This lapse in A.I can be found quite conversely in the superhuman abilities of opposing defenders. It seems that every time there is an opportunity for a highlight-reel play, the CPU pulls it off in fine style. That, to put it bluntly, sucks. I, for one, have never seen Jason Giambi fly quite as nimbly through the air as he seems to do quite regularly in this game.
Continuing in the vein of A.I, there are times when the game's more notable power-hitters hit virtually everything out of the park when controlled by the computer. In one case, Hideki Matsui hit a Roy Halladay cutter running in under his hands over 450 feet, to the opposite field. The pitch was near perfectly executed. Frankly, that is just impossible to do, and it really stank since it was the bottom of the ninth, and that hit won the game. It should be noted, though, that it is also relatively easy for players to hit home runs as well.
As for the rest of the hitting mechanics, they remain nothing beyond simply decent. The timing mechanism works by pulling back on the right analog stick to step into the pitch, and the pushing up to swing. Timing correctly will increase swing effectiveness, but getting an effective timing is very difficult. The gesture must be timed in relation to the pitcher's release of the ball, but there are times when this seems inconsistent, and it can be difficult to repeat a successful swing. The "batter's eye" lets you select the location of where you think the pitcher is going to throw next, also allowing you to further control your swing effectiveness. It is done simply by moving a circular indicator by moving your control stick while holding the Left Trigger.
The game-modes are varied and generally fun. Homerun derbies are easy to set up (and easy to win), and it is also very easy to enter a game quickly off the menu. Online play is also riddled with options, but it is riddled with glitches, as well. With such precise gameplay as is required in baseball sims, online play and its inherent lag presents an unavoidable problem. Some players exploit this by throwing nothing but borderline pitches, knowing that the player will swing because they must anticipate in order to compensate for the lag. There is an option for "strikes only" play, though, which somewhat diminishes this this problem.
Graphically, the game is nothing to write home about. The art of jersey animation still has a long way to go. As one of my friends pointed out, there are times when the over-zealous jersey flapping gives a viewer the impression that an alien is about to explode from the character's stomach. There are also many glitches, including flashes during cloudy days where the cloud effects seem to disappear momentarily, and some slowdown (most of the slowdown has been fixed via update since the release of the game.) There are still some visual slowdowns, particularly during pre/post-game coverage. Stadiums look great, generally, though audience animation can be humorously awkward. I would like to know, though, why developers of virtually every MLB sim I've played split the screen at the Rogers Centre in to two sections consisting of a scoreboard and a jumbotron. The whole thing is a video-display (It is the second largest display in the world).
The commentary in the game is quite natural-sounding. It doesn't get all that repetitive, especially when compared to past games from various developers. The many TV graces, though, can sometimes negatively alter the flow of gameplay. There are times when there are just too many things to skip in order to return to the game. Generally, though, it's well done.
Overall, MLB 2k8 does offer a decent package. It is fun to play, but it has many, many moments that can render the player irate because of various gameplay glitches. There are other many minor glitches in the game that give it a generally unfinished feel, and it greatly diminishes the overall effect. Granted, the game does make some strides with regard to essential gameplay, and given 2K's 3-game-process leading up to MLB 2K9, let's just hope that they finally deliver next year what we've been waiting for since the demise of EA's MVP career in MLB simulation.