At the end of every February, baseball teams convene in towns in Florida and Arizona for spring training – a month of practice held in an effort to return to the shape required of a pro baseball player.

In an effort to simulate realism, ‘Major League Baseball 2K8’ has taken a similar approach – forcing gamers to grasp a learning curve that feels like it’ll take all of spring training to understand. The creators from 2K Sports made the game too realistic – and the gameplay requires patience to fully learn.

To the creators’ credit – and they certainly deserve it in many areas – it is a tribute to the advancement of video games when the major gripe is how realistic the game is. The problem arises when a novice tries playing the game, and the controls are more difficult than molecular physics. The famed baseball movie ‘Bull Durham’ provided perhaps the best summation of baseball: ‘This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.’

When playing a video game – at least for the first time – that seems to be a realistic expectation. Allow the user to throw, catch and hit in a practical manner. Instead, ‘Major League Baseball 2K8’ developed a robust overhaul in the gameplay that promotes the complexities a baseball fan loves, but one that is developed and refined over time. When learned, the control might be terrific and authentic. But it takes a while to pick up.

The best advice: If users are not devoted to learning such in-depth controls, just revert back to classic mode, in which pitching and hitting is much simpler. This might be the easy way out – but so are video games.

As for the rest of the game, there is much to praise. The graphics are outstanding, with stadium models that make one yearn for a summer evening at the ballpark. Each ballgame is introduced with an interior view of the stadium, providing a virtual ballpark tour without the price of admission.

The game modes also play well, particularly the franchise mode. For every Boston Red Sox fan on this campus that idolizes Theo Epstein, the franchise mode presents the perfect opportunity. The realism extends to demanding owners. These big shots request to unload payroll and acquire an outstanding base stealer all at the same time.

The player ratings are appropriately determined. Users despise video games in which a pedestrian ballplayer can hit a home run at will as they do the one in which a franchise player cannot extend into the 90s. This game finds a happy medium, and the potential indicator places a premium on prospects – just like the real Major League Baseball.

Overall, ‘Major League Baseball 2K8’ offers enough opportunity and excitement to spend downtime in the spring and summer building a dynasty and playing with your favorite players. But casual gameplay is hindered by controls that, although ambitious, seem to require a spring training to learn.

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‘Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2008’

System: Cell phone

One of baseball’s larger-than-life celebrities now appears on your cell phone screen. ‘Derek Jeter Pro Baseball 2008,’ which was released in early March for most mobile carriers, features the top baseball simulation for cell phones. (yes, that’s a genre and Gameloft’s ‘Jeter’ series apparently crushes EA’s ‘MVP Baseball.’) The fourth installment improves on previous versions with easy-to-use controls, strong sound (listen to the organ player pump the crowd with a rendition of ‘charge’) and for the first time ever – a catcher is featured in the game. Fielding controls need some work, and the easy mode is way too easy. But if you’re interested in playing a 58-game season while receiving tips and tricks from the New York Yankees’ pretty boy along the way, why not do it from the comfort of a device that fits easily into your pocket?

‘MLB ’08 The Show’

System: PS3, PS2, PSP

‘The Show’ – the biggest adversary for ‘MLB 2K8’ – seems to be way ahead of the curveball in its most recent release. The 2008 version received rave reviews for improving almost every area of the game. Although it took criticism for not adding anything new to the plate, it’s impossible not to be impressed by all the upgrades to previous hindrances with the game.

Pitcher/batter controls: The faceoff between the man on the mound and the guy in the batter box might be the most elaborate portion of the game. In mid-game, you can analyze – well – everything. From looking up the common pitches the hurler throws in every situation to seeing where all past pitches landed, the controls bring a mental component to the grueling sport.

Batting: Streaks and slumps are a reality thanks to an all-new confidence meter. Depending on how well a player performs, he could be – to borrow from another classic sports video game – ‘on fire’ or on the verge of being sent down to the minors.

Fielding: No in-game feature received a bigger boost than playing the field. The coolest addition could be the ‘rob home run indicator.’ When a ball seems like it might just clear the fence, the most gifted of athletes can climb the fence and steal a home run a la Endy Chavez.

AI: ‘The Show’ also cranked up the intelligence of computer players. In previous editions, the AI would fail to turn simple double plays and make other fundamental errors. Only the pitcher seems to lack basic fielding skills – but in most cases, that’s probably fair.

Online: Finding opponent on the Web is easy through SportsConnect, and you can even modify a search toward your skill level. But the game tends to lag online.

Road to the Show: The game’s intricate career mode allows users to create a player (a seemingly limitless number of designs exist) and work your way through the minors to becoming a Major League all-star. The game provides intriguing goals and keeps detailed stats about everything your player does. The ‘road,’ however, can be too easy and a bit random with promotions and demotions at times. Still, it’s the best career mode out there for baseball fans.

The rest: The graphics give you a beautiful view of your favorite park, and the animation appears solid, too. The commentary provided by Rex Hudler, Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell is informative and entertaining – although sometimes repetitive. And if you have time to spare, as in 162-games worth, the franchise mode can keep you distracted for days on end.

-Compiled by Matt Levin, feature editor

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Published on April 8, 2008 at 12:00 pm