Major League Baseball 2K5

"Best baseball game out there...but tons of bugs"

First of all let me preface this review by telling you that I am a very tough grader. I have a zero tollerance for bugs and glitches since I am paying for a finished product and not a beta. This is a very fun game and still the best option out there for good baseball on the Xbox. I also have been playing World Series since it launched on Xbox, so this review is coming from that angle.

Instructions - I am not grading this but it should be noted that the game has tutorial video that is weaker than Bonds before steroids. The online book as well as the printed book are also very light for a game with so many things to tune and so many different ways to do things. A lot of what you are given in this game will require trial and error to figure out completely. Just a caveat.

Graphics (Widescreen supported, 480p)- 7

Player models are improved from last year, but still are off. Animations are still an issue, espcially with diving catches and short throws to bases. The famous VC "dust clouds" are still way over exagerated. Everything else is good though. It's still a good looking game.

Sound (Dolby Digitial) - 8

Announcers are great when they get things right. I'm not going to list all of the examples of bugs here because I don't think they are that big of an issue. Also find me a baseball game where the annoucers call everything perfectly...there isn't one. They at least do a fair job and don't get on your nerves. Miller is great, Morgan I can do without. The crowd is great. Pretty much the same cool heckles are in this game..a few new ones but nothing drastic.

Gameplay - 7

The MVP influence is all over this game (yes pitching meters are an option) in gameplay and the visual layout. The new camera angles on plays add a refreshing twist , but beware the occasional bug. The camera will go into angle reserved for out of play balls and the ball will come back into play leaving you helplessly stuck in an angled view behind home trying to have your left fielder locate a ball that just hit off the wall. This stuff does not happen often, but if you play enough you will definitely run into bugs. The bugs almost drop the gameplay score to a 6 for me.

Hitting:

There is just way to many ways to do and tune things, as with any 2K game, and not enough things done well. With hitting, even though True Aim and the cursor have been kept from last year, there are new problems with them. Perfectly hit balls result in line drives to the pitcher, first and third - who end up making plays on them that are far too incredible, far too often. Finally the Slam Zone and Batter's Eye gimmicks are this year's First Person Baseball. Terribly implemented and just kiddish. It seems like they tried to make a baseball sim and an arcade game and role them into one, while ineffectively allowing you to pick and chose your options. I say ineffectively because Slam Zone can not be turned off online. Typical VC. Last year it was roster updates that weren't allowed online. Despite these issues, you still can not wait to get up and hit. The AI will also throw too many strikes, so coupled with the line drive problem, you often have 1-2-3 innings and are back in the field before you know it. And I almost forgot about the HR glitch...what baseball game would be complete without one (actually last year's under rated World Series game). Holding up all the way on the hit stick with a power hitter and timing your swing using a power swing will pretty much guarantee a long ball.

Fielding:

Overall fielding has been kept the same. Clean and simple. A smart throw button has been implemented to help make it less of a baseball game for those who chose that route. Some issue are that the player name and turbo meter on fielders often gets in the way of the balls shadow. Why this was changed from last year's game I don't know. They can be turned off. Pop flies are dropped too often and passed balls happen way too often as well when the pressure is high for a pitcher. Sliders can adjust these things, but you can't play with sliders online. Also as noted above, there are too many circus catches by players that normal can't get out of their own way in real life. Finally, new animations have been implemented and look good for the most part. It's still tough to get to a ball in time to snag before going over the wall but it can be done.

Baserunning:

Baserunning's only issue last year was the lack of controlled sliding - was over complicated this year. It's a neat new way to control the guys, but why bother making it such a pain? You'll also miss the little diamond with the red dots since that has been replaced by an MVPish view of each runner near their base. It will take you a while to get the handle on baserunning, but when you do it really makes it more a part of the game. There is a cool new Baseburner feature that lets you take over the baserunner while the CPU hits for you. I'm not nearly as interested in baserunning as I am in hitting and I doubt most baseball fans are. However, should you chose to forgo an at bat to fun, this feature works great. Stealing is a bit of a challenge against the CPU (both stealing and picking the CPU off) but it does work well, unlike last year's MVP.

Pitching:

Strong point of the game play. All three mechanics offered work great (MVP meter, effort (pressure sensitive, KZone). I'm not going to describe each because I am getting lazy, but no matter which method you prefer you can't go wrong. Effor was in the game last year and has changed slightly. You now have to pick your location before you pitch and the button for selecting the pitch will also throw the ball based off the pressure put on the button for effort. Probably the most realistic way to pitch (especially when playing another person) would be to use this effort method and turn off the pitching cursor. You will know if you are on the border of the strike zone by a vibration. Good thing they did this year was turn the power of this down, since last year you could hear the guys controller vibrating that was sitting next to you.

Value - 9

You get the best baseball game out there for $20? What else do you want? Fewer bugs, of course and the hit engine from last year...that would have given this a 10.

Tilt - 8

You will not be able to stop playing. Trust me. Games seem to be the perfect length and 2K5 offers the best online baseball experience out there. Aside from a lot of annoyances I would recommend this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/05