Major League Baseball 2K8

"Patience, people, patience..."

Well, I just got this about 2 weeks ago, mainly because MLB 08: The Show was out of stock and this was $20. But I also knew that 2K8 had some of the features I wanted in a game the The Show couldn't provide me with.

Some things that 2K8 has over 08: The Show is that 2K8 has a fantasy draft. This allows you to draft your own roster for every season mode (excluding Pennant Fever, I'll explain that later) and use it throughout the season. I already checked with several people and I found that the PSP version of MLB 08: The Show does not have this feature.

Also, there are not one, not two, but FOUR different season modes on this, which, last I checked, is more than on The Show. The Show has Season, Road To The Show, and Career. On 2K8, there is Pennant Fever, Season, Franchise, and GM Career. I'll explain each of them to you.

First, Pennant Fever. This version starts you off around 100-120 games into the season. Your players all have stats simulated up to that point in the season, and you play the final months after the trade deadline. Basically, you make a run from that point in the season for the playoffs, and ultimately, a World Series title. Season Mode is your average, run-of-the-mill season mode. Pick a team, use that handy fantasy draft if you like, and push that team towards a title. I wish I could say a lot about Franchise mode, but I don't remember much about it (and I've only had the game 2 weeks, how sad). All I can remember about it is that it's like a carbon copy of Season Mode with some extra features.

However, GM Mode is something I know a lot about, considering it's mostly what I play on this game. You get to make the settings, like with 99.9% of these games, and then you get to create your GM. Make his name with the over 1,000 first and last names on the game, make his face with the dozen coach faces they have, and then sign him with a team. Each team displays a bio of its owner. For example, my GM Mode is with the Blue Jays, and the owner's name is Duane Richter. His personality is "Fan", and his main goal is "Win". The owner can have the personalities of either Fan (meaning his purpose is to entertain the fans), Maverick (basically means he's an overachiever), Dictator (meaning what he says goes, and you get fired if you don't obey), and Investor (meaning he wants to get the dough and store it), and his main goal can either be Win (self-explanatory), Make Money (again, self-explanatory), and the ever-rare Improve Team (self-explanatory). So, if your owner is a Maverick and his goal is to Make Money, then you need to shoot for the stars and rake in the stars. So if you get a guy like that, that's when you do the Fantasy Draft.

Getting away from Seasons, Home Run Derby Mode provides many different ways to go. You can either play the original State Farm Home Run Derby, or you can play Home Run Derby Tag Team. Tag Team Mode allows you to start three people and compete against three others. Whoever gets the most home runs before their stamina runs out wins.

However, there is one drawback to this game that is why this game gets a seven: The delays. On and off the field. On the field, when you press the button to throw or catch, sometimes the game will delay itself and the runner will be safe. Off the field, you can try to make a trade in Trade Central and because the choices go slowly, you'll choose the wrong one oftentimes.

Also, if you ever go to your Starting Lineup screen, DO NOT HAVE DEREK JETER BAT LEADOFF. It will freeze your PSP and shut it off, most of the time causing it to restart and sometimes lose power.

Oops! Forgot to mention something. During games, certain tasks will earn you tokens. Tokens buy you nice things, like retro jerseys, teams, stadiums, and arcade games for your Skybox (basically the lounge where you buy the stuff with your tokens). There is a cheat code to work around all of that, but I'm not sure I should release that info.

So, let's recap. Your average decent baseball game, but requires a lot of patience to play. So if you think that your patience is stronger than steel, or you just want a good, quality baseball game, go ahead and pick this one up.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/08

Game Release: Major League Baseball 2K8 (US, 03/03/08)