Title MLB 2K7 Date 05.16.2007 Genre Sports Platform Xbox 360 Developer 2K Sports Publisher 2K Games

Let it be known right off the bat that I did not play Major League Baseball 2K6. From all reports, I did not miss anything. The last baseball game I played was MVP 2005 and, though it had its flaws, I considered it the best baseball game I had played to that point. So, with only one baseball game to compare itself to, MLB 2K7 had a relatively simple task as far as I was concerned: be as good as or better than MVP 2005. Did it do that? Well, kind of...

Let's start right off the bat with the obvious: this game is gorgeous on the 360. Jason Schmidt looks like Jason Schmidt, Eli Marrero looks like Eli Marrero, heck, even relative newcomer Ryan Theroit looks similar to his real life counterpart (which you wouldn't think, since they don't have a portrait for him like the others). Of course, they didn't get them all, since some players look like generic computer generated guys (Cliff Floyd, for example, looks like they just gave up halfway through and put out a randomly generated guy), and one particular Giant on his way to shaming a record he has no business shaming had a far too large asking price to even be included (apparently 2K Sports couldn't obtain an obscene amount of untraceable muscle enhancers...go figure). The fields, too, look realistic, though borders and walls that don't exist or are too short to climb are created or modified to assist CPU outfield plays (more on that later).

I mean, the game even sounds like a real baseball game. Each game gets a well voiced pre-game report (though they eventually get repetitive), and segues right into the game...where 2K Sports gets Strike One called against them with their choice of an announce team, as they use John Miller and -brace yourselves- JOE FREEGIN' MORGAN! That's right, the man that most of you can't stand to listen to for more than a second is in this game giving out the same insightful nonsense and "durrr" moments that make him Joe Morgan. And he gets repetitive... fast. Note to 2K Sports: I don't know who this Krukow fellow is that MVP used, and sure he got annoying fast, but he would be a welcome addition over Joe Morgan. Of course, next year you could try to get localized announcing so each team would get its trademark announces teams, but I'm just dreaming here.

The meat of the game is the game itself. Hitting is done with the analog sticks and, like most sports games, you either love it or hate it, and if you hate it, they include a classic control scheme that, honestly, makes the game more interesting, since you get rather homerun heavy with the Swing Stick. Pitching is an improvement over MVP, as it takes the "press button, hold, release, and time pressing it again" method that MVP used, but rather than calling for the pitch's location, you call for its breaking point, which adds a whole new level of pitching to the game. You actually have to figure out how much movement is on each pitch, how it moves, and figure out how to hit the strike zone from there.

Unfortunately, 2K Sports gets Strike Two in the Fielding AND Base-running departments. The fielding is one of the main areas most people have criticized, and rightfully so. You will watch the computer make diving catch after diving catch and climb walls to steal home runs like it is simple procedure...on easy mode. Of course, if you try to climb a wall to steal a homerun, you will most likely wind up with a face full of dirt as you make a dive towards nothing following the onscreen prompt, while if you attempt to make a dive for a ball, 9 times out of 10 you will wind up having the ball bounce off your back and into the back of the outfield to allow a double, a triple, or an inside the park homer. Invest in some speedy corner outfielders...just a word of warning.

Outside the game, the Franchise mode is lacking things that MVP had, such as a news page to log all the trades that have been made in the season by other teams (it gets annoying when you expect Jason Schmidt to pitch against you, only to find out the Dodgers are skipping him but, oh yeah, Ichiro is in the outfield). To keep up with injuries and trade news, you need to keep a watch on a particular nifty side-scroller on the bottom part of the screen, but it often takes a long time to get to the real news, and when it does, it informs you of only one player that is traded. Another Franchise related grief is the postseason, as once you finish your games; you will find the other series haven't finished up. At that point, you have to go to each and individually simulate each round rather than, you know, having the games simulate themselves to keep up with you. I had to restart my game more times than I cared to finally get to the NLCS rather than having the computer simulate not just the NLDS, but the NLCS and half of the World Series.

And the soundtrack is filled with crappy modern rock. If you're a fan of these new semi-emo "rock" bands, then you'll be in heaven. Otherwise, rest easy knowing that you can play your own soundtrack using 2K Beats and any music on your hard drive (or music player...or through a direct link to your computer with Zune). It is worth noting that "Summertime" by Sublime is included, which is a plus, and "Woman" by Wolfmother appears in what we can only assume is the 97th game it has appeared in this year.

So, with 2K Sports down 0-2, it hits a screamer down the line for a double with MLB 2K7. They're in scoring position, and with the right fixes (make fielding easier, shine up Franchise mode, get rid of Joe Morgan), MLB 2K8 can easily drive them in to prove that their purchasing of the exclusive third party rights for MLB games wasn't a horribly lame joke.

Game Score

B+

Reviewed By: Contributed