Title: MLB 2K6

Date: 06.17.2006

Genre: Sports

Platform: GameCube

Developer: 2K Sports

Publisher: 2K Sports

As all of you might know, EA can no longer make MLB games because 2K sports bought the license. This marketing move is very similar to a while back when EA Sports bought the NFL license. That forced 2K games to not make professional football games. Anyways, more towards the point. While MVP Baseball 2005 was a fan favorite, chances are you will not be disappointed by what 2K6 has to offer.

Graphics

The ballparks look nice, and so does the field. Player models look great. The only thing that suffers in this department is player faces. Some of them look very choppy and discolored. Fans in the stands actually look real, and when you hear the crowd cheer, they also stand up and clap, they don't stand and sit at random times like they do on many other sports games. 2K sports could have done a slightly better job in this area of the game. The graphics aren't atrocious, they just need polishing.

Controls

I was hesitant to play this because of all the negative things I had heard about it on the PS2 and XBOX. Not to mention hands-on previews. I was in for a surprise when I played my first exhibition game. 2K added the new swing stick, making hitting much easier. To step into your swing, pull the right analog stick back and hold it. To hit a line drive, simply release the joystick. To hit a fly ball, push it forward. If you want to bunt, just hold the right analog stick up with no step. Once you pull back, you can hold it if you realize the pitch is outside and it won't count as a strike. The new pitching is perhaps the most interesting part of this game. Instead of aiming to where you're throwing the ball, you're aiming the breaking point. This means that if you want to throw a curveball high, you have to aim way above the batter's box, because the pitch will land lower. Fastballs are the easiest to aim, because they go in a straight line, so you can aim where you want it to go.

Sound

I was impressed by this game's sound. The first thing I noticed was more stadium-specific chants. For example, if you are the Tigers and Magglio Ordonez is up to bat, the crowd will chant his name in motivation and support. Not only does the crowd react well, the sounds are crystal clear. Another thing I noticed was the sound of hitting the ball with the bat. It sounds much more realistic than any other baseball game I've played. On homers the sound of the bat is much more heavy than your average hit. The announcing is good, with a short pre-game preview of match-ups and other commentary involving the game. The stadium PA announcers also make relevant announcements.

Gameplay

Prior to playing this game, I'd heard everything about how horrible and choppy the interface was. Poor base-running, difficult pitching, and glitchy fielding. I found none of this to be true. After hitting, your runner advances one, two, or three bases depending on how fast the ball is tracked down. If your runner only goes one base when you want him to go two, all you have to do is hold L and hit the button he is labeled by. If you have plenty of runners on move and you want to tell specific ones what to do, all you have to do is hit their button and perform the action, be it a slide or telling them to advance. The new pitching also lets you do special controlling when you have your batter in a 0-2 lockdown. You can use the c-stick to control the catcher and move him, and then you can make your pitch. If you stay accurate to where the catcher is, your pitch ratings go up. Fielding is more simple than MVP Baseball 2005. All you have to do is run to the circle, or in more advanced difficulties use the c-stick to field, to catch the ball. In MVP you had to hold the button down for a certain amount of time and release it according to a meter which affected your throw accuracy and power, often resulting in overthrows and errors. Not the case in this game. There is no fielding meter, you simply press the button of the base you want to throw it to. Now yes, if you hold it down longer it will go further, but there won't be an error because it was too powerful.

Other features

A new GM career mode puts you in place of general manager of an MLB ball club. You hire staff, manage the rosters, play your games, and make sure the financing goes smoothly. There is also a franchise mode and a World Baseball Classic mode. Perhaps the newest and best non-gameplay feature is the Inside Edge scouting reports. You can purchase a whole team's scouting report, or just certain players' report. The reports explain the tendencies of the players and are especially helpful for opposing pitchers. During the game, if you purchased a scouting report on the pitcher, it will tell you the chance of a pitcher throwing a fastball, curveball, knuckleball, or other kind of pitch. Your catcher will also assist your pitching by moving to where he thinks would be the best place to throw it, and the kind of pitch he wants you to throw is highlighted.

Replay Value

If you love baseball, you'll play it a lot. If you're a casual baseball fan, you'll still play it a lot. When you look at baseball games, they seem like they would be boring, but to us fans they are not. Much like other baseball games in this department. 2K6 Games delivers with a solid overall package and if you own a GameCube you can look forward to buying this game.

Game Score

8.8

Reviewed By: Contributed