MLB 2K8, complete mess of a game
Fielding is a mess. as the review says routine plays often require acrobatic throws. You'll often see your SS go back to field a slow roller, turn for a full 360, jump and fire to first base. That sequence is a common occurance. .The fielders animations are WAY too exagerrated, there are NO routine plays. Fly balls in the outfield are almost always circus catches. Oh and make sure to call off your other fielders on EVERY pop fly, regardless of where u are on the field. other fielders will barrel into for no apparent reason. I've seen the pitcher, catcher and first baseman all collide on a routine pop-up, hit the ground stay there for what seems like an hour while the runner just blasts around the bases. There is also a bug that literally happens like every 3rd game where a liner back up at the pitcher will ricochet off the pitcher over to 1st base for a called out. it's crazy.
Hitting is a complete guessing game. You honestly have to guess when to pull back on the stick in regards to what pitch you think is coming. A late step and you'll be way late on a fastball, step to early and you're out in front of the changeup. It is cool when you time it perfectly and slap one out but more often than not it feels like you just guessed right rather than had a good eye. And the idea of checkswinging is a joke, you're supposed to pull back on the swing twice to stop your swing? It's way too hard. If you play online I promise you you'll never see anyone check swinging. Even if you play offline only u will rarely checkswing. This is big to me because thats a huge part of baseball, recognizing a pitch, checking up, letting that bad pitch fly by.
Pitching is the only part of this game that's fun. While it takes a lot of getting used to, once you get it down it can be very rewarding to nail that outside corner or break that curve down and in for a K.The slight downside to this is that it is way too unforgiving as u will leave at least 3 meatballs that get smashed every game when u don't finish the motion correctly. Pitching is very fun but tough to master.
Before I break this off just a heads up. Playing online is so laggy that I can't recommend the purchase if that's your biggest reason for buying it. Lobbies are broken also, everytime you challenge someone your Xbox freezes, leaving you only with the option of quick, random matches. Also, if you play online and offline you'll noticed adjusting back and forth is just impossible and a waste of time, I guarantee if you buy this game you will eventually play either online exclusively or offline exclusively. This game the most frustrating thin I have ever played and I can't wait for this exclusive license to be done with.