By: Shanker Srinivasan & Aaron Thomas

Although Major League Baseball's opening day is still a few weeks away, the video game baseball season is in full swing. Both MLB 2K8 and MLB 08: The Show have been released and reviewed, with Sony's MLB 08 coming out on top as the best all-around game. While MLB 08 was clearly the winner when it comes to gameplay, we wanted to find out which game did the best job recreating players' likenesses by taking 16 of the most recognizable faces in baseball and comparing them to their video game counterparts. Just for kicks we added in 2k's The Bigs, which was no slouch in the visuals department.

All screens were taken in 720p from the PlayStation 3 version of each game, using the best possible angle from first-inning instant replay. Player photos are from MLB 08. Note that some of the images have players looking in different directions. This is due to in-game ball tracking.

The results of our comparison are mixed. None of the players are quite up to the level of those in the NBA Live and NBA 2K series, and none of the games nailed every player's likeness. MLB 08's players were generally the most lifelike and the game did a great job with Derek Jeter and Ivan Rodriguez. 2K8 had a pretty nice looking C.C. Sabathia and probably the best Curt Schilling. Although that's not saying much since all three games struggled with Caucasian players. Asian players didn't fare much better, either. The Bigs' players were, of course, over-the-top, and while some of the players were way off, a few, such as A-Rod and Alfonso Soriano looked good.

To compare images, move your mouse over the captions below a player's name. For example, Ichiro's real photo is the default screenshot. His in-game photos can be seen by moving your mouse cursor over "MLB 2K8," "MLB 08," and "The Bigs" respectively.

What do you think? We've included a poll for each player, so you can vote for the game that nails each player's likeness the best!

Player Photo       MLB 2K8       MLB 08       The Bigs      
Which C.C. Sabathia face looks best?
MLB 2k8
MLB 08
The Bigs

Player Photo       MLB 2K8       MLB 08       The Bigs      
Which Griffey Jr. face looks best?
MLB 2K8
MLB 08
The Bigs

Player Photo       MLB 2K8       MLB 08       The Bigs      
Which Ichiro face looks best?
MLB 2K8
MLB 08
The Bigs

Player Photo       MLB 2K8       MLB 08       The Bigs      
Which Ivan Rodriguez face looks best?
MLB 2K8
MLB 08
The Bigs


Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts on how MLB players appear in video games today.

114 Comments

  • maverick_76

    Posted Mar 9, 2009 3:21 pm PT

    I think the uncanny valley is coming into effect with some of the voting on these faces. With The Show, the skin and face models look so good we actually see more flaws than with The Bigs, it is called the uncanny valley effect (where the closer to real a computer generated/wax head etc. face looks, the more we realize it is not). 2K8 is just atrocious, but The Show does have the best player models hands down.

  • Xenomorphus28

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:06 pm PT

    '08 for sure has the better graphics, 2K8 is crap with graphics, but I believe the Bigs had some good graphics: Griffey Jr., Ortiz, A-Rod and Jeter as well as Ichiro are good examples.

  • endwill1

    Posted Jan 12, 2009 6:19 pm PT

    david ortiz looks like he just sniffed a bad fart in 2k8

  • endwill1

    Posted Jan 12, 2009 6:15 pm PT

    i hate that the only baseball game for the 360 is 2k8 because it sucks i have mlb 08 for the ps2 and play it more than 2k because 2k sucks i wish they made mlb 08 for the 360 but that will never happen.......i wish i had an extra 600 buks so i could buy a ps3 and play mlb08 in HD!!!!!!!

  • JONBO

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 2:48 pm PT

    im gona have to go with the bigs

  • XZ26

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 9:20 pm PT

    lol i dont know how some of them that MLB 08 is winning...when the bigs actually looks more realistic in some.. Im not being biased either because I like MLB 08 better

  • 417alum

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 7:53 am PT

    MLB 08 The Show is best baseball game ever hands down in every way

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 6:10 pm PT

    I thought that Randy Johnson and Derek Jeter looked pretty good too in MLB 08.

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 6:08 pm PT

    Ivan Rodriguez looks amazing!

  • mostazadinho

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 3:46 pm PT

    The Show's Dice-K likeness is freakin' AWESOME!!!

  • TKandPBC

    Posted Jul 11, 2008 10:34 pm PT

    It's almost like 2K didn't try. You have two powerful consoles which are both capable of MLB 08 calibre graphics. I think it's because 2K doesn't feel threatened by 08 because 08's audience is smaller. They have no incentive to do well because they have the exclusive license. Anyone knows when that license expires?

  • akl712

    Posted Jun 30, 2008 1:29 pm PT

    A-Rod and Jeter is amazing too for MLB 08. MLB 08 rocks MLB 2K8!

  • akl712

    Posted Jun 30, 2008 1:25 pm PT

    Ivan Rodriguez for MLB 08 is amazing!

  • nklslinde21

    Posted Jun 12, 2008 8:48 am PT

    mlb 08 rocks! i wish i had a ps3

  • vzcrsp14

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 12:29 pm PT

    MLB 08 look good but there is something weird with the eyes of the players

  • Pablo620

    Posted Jun 10, 2008 2:35 am PT

    Man 2K Sports needs to hit the drawing board with those player models. MLB 08 reigns supreme cause its for Play-Stay-Shioun

  • GaussGoat

    Posted May 1, 2008 9:14 am PT

    Daisuke looks great in MLB 08; nice job. The Bigs version of him is hillarious... not even close. The MLB 2K8 is terrible, lmao, doesn't even look like a Japanese guy, let alone Daisuke.

  • JGram33

    Posted Apr 29, 2008 3:38 pm PT

    everyone in mlb 2k8 looks exactly the same, almost like their face is drooping.

  • georgeorjose

    Posted Apr 28, 2008 12:49 pm PT

    i still believe mvp is a better game than these three

  • Muppet_Hunter

    Posted Apr 23, 2008 9:29 pm PT

    08 characters have giant eyes, 2k's look nothing like them, and BIGS characters look all roided out (but thats the point).

  • thmst30

    Posted Apr 21, 2008 9:08 pm PT

    I kinda liked 2k7, but 2k8 is TRASH. Both gameplay and graphics in 2k8 suck so bad its ridiculous. I feel real bad for all 360 baseball fans, because you HAVE to play this garbage. If you have a PS3 you should be shot if you buy 2k8 over The Show. It beats it in EVERY SINGLE way possible. 2K makes the best basketball games for sure, but damn they need to release the MLB license for their own sake. They just embarrassed themselves with this (non) effort.

  • Mr_KMG

    Posted Apr 21, 2008 4:31 pm PT

    whats up with everybody being crossed eyed on MLB 2k8?

  • Mr_KMG

    Posted Apr 21, 2008 4:22 pm PT

    whats up with everybody being crossed eyed on MLB 2k8?

  • GspotDeluxer

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 9:01 pm PT

    lol randy johnson on 2k8 is pathetic!

  • punkologist

    Posted Apr 11, 2008 10:46 pm PT

    I'm waiting for MLB 08 to arrive. I'm importing it here to Aus.

    Looks like I made a good choice, the screens look impressive. I know the gameplay is likely to good as I have mlb 07 on PSP.

  • at0298

    Posted Apr 6, 2008 7:24 pm PT

    Actually I think 2k7 had the best faces in a baseball game in a long time/period.

  • mark2149

    Posted Apr 5, 2008 8:41 pm PT

    2k sports are pathetic

  • derekjeter999

    Posted Apr 4, 2008 10:41 pm PT

    some of those 2K8 pics make me want to puke LOL. Randy Johnson LOL!!!!

  • ohiostatebucks1

    Posted Apr 3, 2008 3:03 pm PT

    how can you ppl vote for the 08 pic for c.c. over the 2k8 one....his hat is tilted in the 2k one just like in real life...and plus his face looks horrible in the 08...you all are on crack for that one...but overall i would say 08 is better than 2k

  • Nshadow23

    Posted Apr 3, 2008 2:01 pm PT

    Wow!

  • spotjar

    Posted Apr 2, 2008 3:27 pm PT

    It's a sad thing when the players look mentally retarded, kinda like Ivan Rodriguez in MLB 2K8..:S

  • Leems

    Posted Apr 2, 2008 9:30 am PT

    I've got MLB2K8 for the 360 and I can't believe how bad these MLB2K8 pics look. Frickin' awful. But, for the most part, I tend not to notice it too much while playing the game. But, woah, 2K did a horrible job with these likenesses.

  • CHADDOUGLASS

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 7:19 pm PT

    did anyone notice that on curt schilling and alfonso soriano that they have MLK 2K8 instead of MLB, lol, but yeah, i rented 2k8, i wouldnt approve it if i could approve mlb 08 the show, but still 2k8 is still quite a bit better than last year, but not by much, either way, i say that MLB 08:The Show is the best baseball game ever, at least till next year when they make MLB 09:The Show, then that one will be the best, and so on and so forth

  • icehawk001987

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 5:37 pm PT

    all of 2k8s pictures suck

  • Red_26

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 2:10 pm PT

    mjl259 are you kidding me, MLB 07 graphics blows, it cant hold a candle to MLB 08

  • Padday

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 1:58 pm PT

    Vlad looks like he's brainwashed in the 2K8 pic. His eyes aren't looking the same way.

  • angellc

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 1:45 pm PT

    MLB 2k7 for the 360 should have been used in the face photo comparison to represent 2k sports because it is the superior game by far graphically for a baseball video game compared to MLB 08 and also the Bigs on the PS3. Just look at the screen shots of MLB 2k7 for the 360. I own both MLB 2K7 for the 360 and MLB 08 for the PS3 and I have done graphics comparison for over all game play and player models and 2k7 for 360 the one on top in the graphics department.. MLB 08 is still very strong graphically though and blows away MLB 07.

  • mjl259

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 1:30 pm PT

    haha i voted for the 2k8 randy johnson because it was sooo bad! If anything, it looks like Chris Young!

  • mjl259

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 1:26 pm PT

    They should have used mlb 2k7 pics instead, the graphics were twice as good and maybe better than that in addition to lighting effects. check it out

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 1:25 pm PT

    MLB 08 looks so much better that's it's not funny.

  • broke812

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 12:33 pm PT

    they are all terrible

  • dandubya15

    Posted Apr 1, 2008 12:19 pm PT

    hahahahahahaha i cant stop laughing at griffey and randy's 2k8 pics!!! oh and while im on the subject, i HATE 2k8's commercial. "I SAID 2K, K?" that is the DUMBEST thing i've ever heard! i wouldnt buy the game because of it

  • greeniejzzle

    Posted Mar 31, 2008 2:58 pm PT

    I think 2k8's C.C. looks better but besides that 08 the show took them hands down, and definitely takes the best gameplay 2k8's just frustrating to play.

  • OrionMD

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 8:53 pm PT

    man all the 2k8 shots look like the players after they've been hooked on crystal meth for 10 years, man those are just wrong. randy johnson looks like the lead singer of R.E.M. on 2k8

  • Diablo2343

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 2:36 pm PT

    I dont own any of the games, but OMG..what player models did they use for some of those players for MLB 2k8. NOT EVEN CLOSE>

  • ThaGreatness007

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 2:30 pm PT

    ewww! Randy Johnson is scary on 2k8. What was the dev team thinking or were they freelance drawing those pictures shoot they were probably drunk.

  • donwon06

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 2:16 pm PT

    wow. mlb 2k8 looks really bad this year. i was really trying not to be bias since i own MLB 08, but clearly MLB 08 looks a lot better. The Bigs did get a couple of my votes, like Maddox and Pudge. Crazy.

  • dnalittle

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 2:15 pm PT

    Is it just me or is MLB 2k8 player pictures garbage. 08 the Show is clearly a much better game in every respect.

  • Vercetti13

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 12:51 pm PT

    Griffey Jr's picture from The Bigs looks just like Terrance Howard from the films Crash and Four Brothers.

  • CLOWNKID

    Posted Mar 28, 2008 12:43 pm PT

    All Of Them Are Sweet To Me

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The Bigs
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  • Release: Jun 25, 2007
  • ESRB: Everyone

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