A sequel should, in theory, improve upon all aspects of the previous game in the series. Unfortunately, MLB 2K8 was unable to accomplish that goal in 2008. Presently, there isn’t as much competition as there was a few years ago, but 2K Sports’ rival title, MLB 08: The Show, provides more than enough competition on its own.

Nevertheless, there are a number of ways that MLB 2K8 can be improved, both on-and-off the field. So, without further delay, here is my MLB 2K9 wish list -- in no particular order.

Where Did Those Purdy 2K7 Graphics Go?

The graphics in MLB 2K7 were incredibly detailed, and the presentation came closer to displaying what someone would see while watching a game on television better than in any baseball game I’ve played. In MLB 2K8, however, the graphics were still good, but all of the little touches that made the previous game look fantastic were gone, leaving many consumers grumbling about the downgrade in the graphics. For MLB 2K9, the developers must find a way to increase the level of graphical detail. Simply adding textures to the grass and dirt again would make the game seem more visually stunning. In MLB 2K8, it seems like the developers had to use a single, flat texture on the field, which hurt the game’s visuals more than any other graphical downgrade. Also, along with the graphics, the game needs to be much more fluid when the ball is put into play. While a patch (made available post-release) fixed a lot of the slowdown in the frame rate, it was still nowhere near as fluid as it had been in previous versions of the game. Whether the game is 30 or 60 frames per second, it needs to be consistent so that the game is smoother when the ball is put into play, resulting in a better experience for the consumer.

Don't Mix Baseballs and Meatballs When Cooking

The pitching system also needs to be tweaked. While the system is certainly a fresh take on pitching, the "meatball" pitches are too frequent and should not always be thrown over the middle of the plate. Either decreasing their frequency or getting rid of the pitches altogether would greatly enhance the game’s fun factor. A good idea that has been mentioned before would be to make the system based on release point. So, if the player releases the ball too soon, the pitch would be high, and if he releases it too late, the pitch will be low.

Swing Low...

While I am a huge proponent of the Swing Stick and the amount of control it gives the player over his swing, it still has its problems. The major problem I noticed while playing the game was that I would swing over a pitch and somehow hit a fly ball. Conversely, I would swing under a pitch and hit a grounder, which leads me to believe that something is off when it comes the hit detection while batting. If this issue is fixed, along with the sound the ball and bat make when they make contact -- currently there is very little variation in sound when comparing a weak ground ball and a hard line drive -- the offensive side of the game will be greatly improved.

Everyone Wants To Be a Legend

Compared to MLB 08: The Show, one main feature that MLB 2K8 is lacking is some type of career mode. It adds another dimension to the game when you are able to create a player, and then you take that player through the minor leagues, break into the majors, and possibly enjoy a Hall of Fame career. It allows users to act out their dreams of playing in the majors, thus increasing the consumer’s satisfaction and overall enjoyment with the game.

"The ...Rays Come To Bat First"

The commentary in the MLB 2K series is currently beyond stale. It pained me when I realized that a majority of the commentary from 2K7 was simply incorporated into 2K8, with very minimal additions. The developers even went so far as to simply edit out the name "Devil" when introducing Tampa Bay’s team in the pregame show. 2K needs to secure new announcers -- or possibly just find new voice talent for the commentary if the company does not have the time or money to get professional announcers to record new lines of dialogue. There is nothing wrong with reusing dialogue from previous versions of the game so long as it is augmented by new dialogue that keeps consumers from wondering if they are, indeed, playing the most recent version of the game.


While there are more enhancements and additions that can be made to 2K Sports’ next baseball game, this top-five list covers some of the more important and pressing additions that are necessary to make the game more enjoyable for consumers. If only a few of these ideas are incorporated into next year’s game, it should be a success. If much of the game remains unchanged, however, I believe that the series will be in danger of losing some more of its loyal fans.