This game may go down in history as Take Two's last ESPN game, but trust me when I say, it will be remembered well.
User Rating: 8.8 | Major League Baseball 2K5 XBOX
EA Sports has grabbed almost all of the major sports licences. One of the ones that Take Two got was Major League Baseball, but EA got the ESPN licence for the next 15 years. So this game may go down in history as Take Two's last ESPN game, but trust me when I say, it will be remembered well. The gameplay here is solid. The only problems come with the AI, which can be confusing. On more then one occasion I would hit a pop-fly into the outfield and it would come down right next to the computer's outfielder, who wouldnt do anything for a few seconds and then proceed to throw it to whatever base is necessary. While this does not happen too often, it can make you feel as though you cheated when that double becomes a tripple or a home-run because the AI had a glitch. The controls are fairly standard for a baseball game. Fielding is mapped on the A/B/X/Y buttons so that the four buttons essentially match the baseball diamond. Pressing A would throw the ball to home plate, B to first, etc. Hitting is a fairly simple procedure if you're using the "Pure Baseball" mode, which just has you time the swing with when the ball crosses the strike zone. In the "Video Game" mode, it's more complex as you are encouraged to lock onto the ball using the left analog stick before swinging. A perfect lock will often result in a home run, which makes this mode feel cheap because if you can master that control scheme then there is no challenge to hitting and you'll be scoring homeruns left and right. The graphics are what we've come to expect from the ESPN games this year. The only difference is that for some reason the frame rate slows down when the inning changes or someone is struck out. The sound is also what we've come to expect and nothing less. The ESPN presentation and sportscasting is excellent and it's truly a highlight of this series. The only problem arrises when sometimes the announcers get behind, and they'll be calling the last play when you're in the middle of a new one. All in all, this is a great baseball game. At only $19.99 (and even cheaper if you know where to look), it's hard not to recommend this as a fantastic baseball game. Aside from the AI glitches and frame-rate chugs, this game is great. I look foreward to MLB 2K6 to see what Take Two does without the ESPN licence to back it up, but I think they'll be fine.
