Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

by ERIK LEIJON

Sports games are unique in comparison to other genres—they haven’t grown in enjoyment since EA Sports’ heyday of the mid-’90s. One could even argue sports games have actually regressed, as the simplicity of a two-button Blades of Steel has been replaced by unnecessarily complex control schemes requiring a treasure map to figure out. I don’t want to be bothered with hundreds of deke moves or 10 different swing types.

Unlike shooters or games starring wizards and orcs, I know what constitutes real baseball, and even a minor incongruity could break the illusion. MLB 2k8 (Multi/2K Sports, Kush) and MLB 08: The Show (PS3/SCEA, SCEA) are both commendable interpretations of America’s favourite pastime—if only they could make the snow melt faster.

If we’re talking about the nine-inning games themselves, baseball video gaming reached its pinnacle with RBI Baseball, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run, and Super Baseball 2020, which pitted cyborgs against roller girls on a futuristic field of dreams.

Both 2k8 and The Show have their own qualities, and for Playstation 3 owners, the choice will come down to personal preference (XBox 360 owners are stuck with 2k8). 2k8 borrows from the recent EA school of analog-ization (to coin the phrase), as swinging, fielding and pitching are controlled entirely with the right analog stick. There’s a definite learning curve, especially when it comes to making quality outfield throws to the cut-off man, but it becomes enjoyable after a few confusing innings.

The Show features more traditional, timing-based controls. Hitting remains extremely simple, as there’s one button for power swing and one for regular, and the location of the pitch essentially doesn’t matter.

Where baseball games have made significant strides is in other amenities, such as statistics tracking, presentation and graphics. 2k8 provides slightly more stats, although as a devoted reader of Bill James’s annual baseball guide, it would be helpful if more sabermetrics-friendly stats were present. Where The Show ultimately beats out 2k8 is the Road to the Show mode, now in its second season.

Instead of selecting a team in franchise mode, you create a player who will make the trek from AA-ball to the pros. Since the mode fast forwards you to your at-bats, it becomes an engrossing experience without the time-wasting elements in a full game. 2k8’s games take longer to play, which can become a problem if you intend to play all 162 games in your season.

Eventually you’ll tire of the play-by-play commentary and the flashy replay scenes, but both games capture the feel of a proper television broadcast. A slight nod goes to The Show for cleaner and sharper menus.

Although graphically ugly with framerate issues, I liked 2k8’s attempt at getting the depth perception aspect of baseball (on the field anyways, as the batter’s box remains flat). This is the crippling deficiency of all baseball video games—on a television set, we’re dealing with a 2D plane—when so much of baseball is based on thinking three-dimensionally (more so than other sports). As long as it’s graphically impossible to pick up the spin of a baseball, then 2k8 and The Show are missing what makes the real deal so special.

Like how it’s impossible to control all five players in a hockey game, or the arbitrary system by which baskets are made in a basketball game, technology has yet to reach the point where we can fully recreate our favourite sports.

I would recommend The Show to PS3 owners and MLB 2k8 to XBox 360 owners because they’re still fun, whether or not they fully capture the baseball experience.