At a time when the series was in its infancy, the "Major League Baseball 2K" franchise had to wait until its fourth entry, "Major League Baseball 2K8," to see a release on the Wii. Previously, "Major League Baseball 2K6" was on the GameCube, but the next entry would skip Nintendo's home consoles entirely. Now, it was time for the series to step up to the plate on the Wii, though I'd say that, instead of hitting a home run, it kind of just lays down a bunt. And, unfortunately, it gets thrown out in the process.
At its base level, "Major League Baseball 2K8" works. The hitting is solid, and the motion-controlled pitching handles very well. It feels smooth, and hitting your spots can feel satisfying. Beyond that, some of the modes can be pretty fun, and as someone who's enjoyed hearing these guys broadcast real baseball, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan bring some excellent commentary to the game. They're entertaining per usual, but also bring some good knowledge to the table as well.
That said, though, the game just feels really bland to me. Yeah, it works, but it doesn't really nail the feel of baseball, for lack of a better way to put it. While pitching can feel satisfying at points, hitting doesn't quite feel as exciting for me. And I know that this series has never been known for its graphics, but why does every game feel so bleak to look at, no matter what time of day and weather condition you play in? I hate to say this, but playing baseball on a sunny day has never felt so dull in my life. And while a few of the modes are fun, the problem is that there aren't enough of them. This seems to be a stripped-back version of the one on other consoles, and it's a shame they weren't able to implement a few more of the things from the other versions.
Overall, "Major League Baseball 2K8" was a Wii game that took up many hours of my life, but while I had good memories with it, I don't think the game is all that great. It's a pretty forgettable entry in the series, and I can't see why there would be much of a reason to play it or any of the franchise's other Wii entries.
Final rating: 5 out of 10 "Hmm..."