So another year means another stab at baseball sim from the good folks at 2k studios. As any baseball fan with a 360 knows, the 2k series is all you're ever gonna get year in and year out and once again it fails on multiple levels. Granted, 2k9 pays enormous attention to detail. Ranging from signature walk ups, windups, and even down to Carl Crawfords neck tattoo (even if I can't tell what the hell it is) you'll notice all the little things have made their way into the latest 360 baseball sim. However it's the lack of the big things that mar this otherwise beautiful trip to the diamond. Pitching is a nightmare. The new total control system is easier to control than last year, using rather redundant rotations of the right analog stick. However the variety of pitches that one can perform with this method becomes complicated overall for example try throwing a 12-6 curve followed by a knuckle curve, the two motions are performed almost identically. Secondly pitching location is attrocious. throw a ball anywhere but the corners and even the smallest pitcher in the league will wallop a 500 ft home run with the slightest effort. But if you can even nick the corner with a curve you'll manage a swing and a miss almost every time. Fielding is second on my hit list. No explanation required, you can't run in a straight line most of the time and even if you're camped under a pitch for 30 seconds it's still a fifty fifty shot that you're gonna drop it. Batting is the only spot in this game that I don't have a major complaint. The revamped hit stick method is easy and fun to use while still adding a slight degree of difficulty. Overall the game isn't half bad. You can make it through a nine inning game with only minor frustrations and if all you own is a 360 you don't really have any other options. GO PHILLIES.