Major League Baseball 2K7 Review

Major League Baseball 2K7 for the Game Boy Advance is light on features, but it's the sloppy fielding that ultimately ruins it.

Game Boy Advance owners who have been waiting a few years to play a new MLB licensed baseball game on the handheld won't find their hunger satiated by Major League Baseball 2K7. Not only is the game missing features that other baseball games produced five years ago for the GBA had, it's also broken in ways that suck all of the fun and fairness out of the sport.

The catcher's view sure looks nice. Too bad there's only one player model.
The catcher's view sure looks nice. Too bad there's only one player model.

Threadbare is the only way to describe the available play options and the game's overall presentation. You can play a quick game, participate in a home run derby, or set up the all-star game and playoffs. That's it. There's no season mode, no trade function, and no link option for playing against your friends. When you're setting up a game, you can pick a team and juggle players from the active roster or bench, but you can't adjust the number of innings or pick a park in which to play. In fact, even though all 30 MLB teams and hundreds of players are represented, there's only one ballpark. Judging from the outfield wall, it appears to be Yankee Stadium. All of the action on the field is depicted from two perspectives. The large players in the "catcher's eye" view look quite realistic, while the pitcher's wind up and delivery are silky smooth. Whenever the ball is put into play, the game switches to a functional top-down viewpoint that shows a crude rendition of the field populated with tiny players that also move fluidly. It's just a shame that the players all look the same. Every player is the same tall guy with a cap covering his bald head, and the uniforms lack anything in the way of team names, logos, or pinstripes. The audio is equally minimalist, although the random pep tunes and spoken umpire calls do at least get the job done.

Out on the field, the controls are fine, and the physics are generally believable. To throw a pitch, you simply have to position the ball-shaped target and select a pitch from the menu. Once you press the button, the pitcher will begin his delivery. To hit, all you need to do is pick a section of the strike zone to focus on and press the button to swing. If the ball is put into play, you can use the D pad to move the highlighted fielder and direct the base to which he'll throw. Low pitches tend to induce grounders and early swings usually result in foul balls, which is about right. There doesn't seem to be any bias one way or the other for pop flies or ground balls. Occasional one-hoppers and dribblers will keep you on your toes.

Fielders move like they're swimming in glue.
Fielders move like they're swimming in glue.

Unfortunately, putting the ball into play has dire consequences. Fielders move like they're swimming in glue and take too long to get rid of the ball. For example, after you press the button, runners that should've been out by 10 feet will reach base safely. On top of that, trying to keep runners off the bases is nearly impossible because the catcher will allow a passed ball or drop a caught strike at least two or three times per inning. Between the sluggish pace caused by the slow fielders and all of the bases given up from late throws or passed balls, you probably won't get through a single inning before you turn the system off in disgust.

It doesn't matter whether you consider yourself a casual fan of the sport or if you eat, sleep, and drink the major leagues. Either way, you won't get much enjoyment out of this sorry excuse for a baseball game.

The Good

  • Players in the catcher view look nice

The Bad

  • Sluggish fielders and broken catcher ruin the game
  • absence of a season mode is deplorable
  • uniforms lack insignias and pinstripes
  • there's only one stadium

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