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The game of baseball is, in many ways, distinct and unique. Unlike the other major American sports, each game's ebb and flow is full of random occurrences, subtle nuances, and virtually infinite possibilities. Instead of being confined to the limited spaces of hockey rinks, football fields, or basketball courts, the baseball diamond is a truly vertical and horizontal realm. These characteristics are part of the beauty of the sport, of course, but also make it harder than hell to build a video game that truly captures the essence of baseball. It's not surprising that, looking back over the past 25 years or so, the amount of lousy “action-oriented” baseball games – those dependent on user interaction to pitch and hit instead of number-crunching statistical simulators - far outnumber the great ones.
Last year's MLB 2K6 from 2K Sports, the first next-generation baseballer for the Xbox 360 was, to be frank, less than stellar. Instead of slapping on a new coat of paint, fixing a few bugs, and cranking out a successor, though, 2K decided to rebuild the game from the ground up for this season's effort. They even went out and hired Ben Brinkman as the producer, the man who was at the helm for the best baseball game of the last generation, EA's sublime MVP ‘05. The results, I'm happy to say, are pretty stunning. MLB 2K7 is not only the best-looking baseball game you'll ever seen, but it also sports addictive (if somewhat frustrating) gameplay, a deep franchise mode, terrific online features, and – best of all - an authentic feel that shows off the power of the machine and the vision of the developers.
MLB 2K7 looks and sounds amazing, offers serious gamers hundreds of hours of gameplay, and is a nifty way to show off that expensive game console and hi-def television to your friends and family.
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The first, and most obvious, place to start when talking about MLB 2K7 is the beautiful look and sound. It's easy to say that the graphics are terrific or the audio is immersive – which is true – but it's the little things that impress the most. The way that pitchers wind up, throw, and prowl the mound is as realistic as watching a game on television, while batters stroll up to the plate and prepare for each at-bat in their own individual way. You'll recognize all of your favorite hitters' plate mannerisms, from Ryan Howard's point-and-load to Gary Sheffield's fierce rocking bat; Carlos Delgado's long looping swing to Derek Jeter's signature post-pitch jolt. It's even got the best looking dirt you've ever seen – which sounds weird to say, but when you see it, you'll know what I mean.
The sounds of the game are fantastic as well. Commentators John Miller and Joe Morgan call the action seamlessly – if you weren't watching the screen, it would be impossible to tell that their voices were emanating from a video game. The crowd noise, PA announcer, and other ambient sounds blend in beautifully, immersing you into the action. Player-specific encouragement or catcalls from fans in the crowd will even make you chuckle a little bit – good old A-Rod can't even catch a break when he's virtual. If you've got a surround sound system, the care taken in producing the game's audio is even more apparent.
The best graphics and sound in the world won't help if the gameplay is deficient, but for the most part that's top notch. Pitching is superb, as you'll need to combine the type, location, and break to impose your will on batters. Naturally, as your hurler's stamina wears down, the control becomes significantly tougher. The Payoff Pitch feature helps in that regard – if you're able to consistently hit your spots at important junctures of the game, attributes will increase and you'll be able to keep your starter on the mound. This isn't as critical in one-off online games or exhibitions, but when you're knee-deep in a long season, keeping that bullpen fresh is crucial. Every inning counts.
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