"Nothing gets you Closer". Best slogan EVER. I couldn't have said it better myself.
And as for gamespot knocking it 10 points for it being too difficult for "casual" players to me that's just too bad for them they will just have to play longer to get used to it. Just because they are bad at the game doesn't mean the game itself is bad. The more difficult it is the better it is for people like me who like the play the game for an extremely long time and l can keep getting better and better hell I just completed a franchise season and got 144 wins and 18 losses. 2k9 was focused on "casual gamers" and look how horrible it is not to mention how easy which makes it boring for the "hardcore gamer" like me. Bottom line casual gamers suck.
This game is the most realistic sport title ever. Its so close to the real thing its scary. Which for some people (lame casual gamers) is a bad thing just because they suck at baseball. Everything in the game takes skill. And to be honest if you don't know anything about baseball don't play. Hitting in the game takes timing and patience you cant just pick up the game and expect to be good. Hitting each type of pitch takes skill and not to mention good reaction time because you have to be able to tell one pitch from the other, otherwise you are going to look dumb when you swing the bat. Timing and the location of the pitch determines where the ball goes.
Pitching is the same when the meter which is fine because pitching is all about picking your pitches not how you throw it. But you can get screwed by umps like real life which is a cool element they added.
Fielding is also improved where players take realistic routes to the ball just like real life.
Another thing you will notice is the crowd. Not only do they react to fly ball to the seats but they have many different chants. You can also create your own if you wish.
So overall this game is a must buy. With the exception of a few minor glitches the game is perfect and as close to real life baseball as it gets. That is until next year.