Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition Review (Xbox)
Submitted on: Nov 14, 2005 by Aaron Holbert2K Sports made an interesting choice by deciding to release another version of their Major League Baseball 2K5 series at the end of the season. Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition touts updated rosters and two new features, and it delivers when it comes to those things. Looking back, the biggest problem with the original version of this game was the bugs, and I went into this version hoping that they would all be fixed. Well, some of my wishes were granted and some weren’t.
A feature that I love is the Greatest World Series Moments mode. You can relive different playoff moments such as the 2004 ALCS and the Kirk Gibson game from the 1988 World Series. The only thing I disliked about this mode is that you must complete the moments one by one. For example, I personally could care less about the 2004 ALCS and was really interested in playing other games like the 1985 World Series, but I could not get to that game until I completed the previous challenges. Other games allow you to play any moment that you choose and I hope 2K adds that freedom to next year’s game.
Pennant Fever is another new feature in this version. You are given the opportunity to take control of any team during the last few months of the regular season. You can choose to take control of a team in the thick of a pennant race like the Nationals or Marlins, or you can take control of the Devil Rays and try to lead them to a respectable .500 season. When it comes down to it, it’s really just a season mode cut in half. The third new feature isn’t really a feature. A DVD of World Series Highlights is included, and it features five to ten minute segments of highlights from some of the greatest series in baseball history. It’s a nice item for a baseball fan.
Graphically, the game is identical to the original version, and that is a good thing for the most part. The stadiums and player faces are still well done, and I still stand by my statement in my first review that this is the best-looking baseball game this year. 2K Sports lost the ESPN license, but thankfully they didn’t lose Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on commentary and the duo still sounds great. I would have liked to hear some new commentary, but I guess that can wait until next year.
There's a lot of the same when it comes to game play too. The Franchise mode is pretty much the same with the exception of some of the annoying roster bugs that cropped up. You will no longer see multiple DHs in the lineup and similar roster bugs that were found in the original. By fixing these bugs, 2K Sports made Franchise mode a lot more enjoyable and a lot less annoying. Online was also well done and a lot of fun in the previous version, and remains pretty much untouched - again, that's a good thing.
With all the additions there, many of the problems that I had with the initial title are still present in this version. There is still only one fielding camera and a few camera angle bugs are still there. A bug where the third baseman fails to charge balls hit slowly down the third base line is also still in the game, and every pitcher is still able to grab every ball hit up the middle and field like Greg Maddux. Even the rosters aren’t fully updated, as some lesser-known players aren't on the right teams. On the other hand, it appears that 2K Sports did fix the passed ball bug, as I did not see any passed balls in the games I played. Also, there is now an option to turn off the strike zone, and west coast night games do appear in Franchise mode.
I think that the "major" issue with Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition is that it’s too much of the same. There aren’t enough changes in this game to justify a whole new game, or to justify a purchase from someone who owns the earlier version. I like the two new features and the DVD, but I don’t think that a person with this previous version should run out and buy this new version. That said, if you haven’t purchased a baseball video game this year and are looking for one, I do suggest that you pick this one up. In the end, Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition is an updated version of an already very good baseball game. Due to the new features and the fixing of a few bugs, I will give this game a point more than the original version received.
A feature that I love is the Greatest World Series Moments mode. You can relive different playoff moments such as the 2004 ALCS and the Kirk Gibson game from the 1988 World Series. The only thing I disliked about this mode is that you must complete the moments one by one. For example, I personally could care less about the 2004 ALCS and was really interested in playing other games like the 1985 World Series, but I could not get to that game until I completed the previous challenges. Other games allow you to play any moment that you choose and I hope 2K adds that freedom to next year’s game.
Pennant Fever is another new feature in this version. You are given the opportunity to take control of any team during the last few months of the regular season. You can choose to take control of a team in the thick of a pennant race like the Nationals or Marlins, or you can take control of the Devil Rays and try to lead them to a respectable .500 season. When it comes down to it, it’s really just a season mode cut in half. The third new feature isn’t really a feature. A DVD of World Series Highlights is included, and it features five to ten minute segments of highlights from some of the greatest series in baseball history. It’s a nice item for a baseball fan.
Graphically, the game is identical to the original version, and that is a good thing for the most part. The stadiums and player faces are still well done, and I still stand by my statement in my first review that this is the best-looking baseball game this year. 2K Sports lost the ESPN license, but thankfully they didn’t lose Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on commentary and the duo still sounds great. I would have liked to hear some new commentary, but I guess that can wait until next year.
There's a lot of the same when it comes to game play too. The Franchise mode is pretty much the same with the exception of some of the annoying roster bugs that cropped up. You will no longer see multiple DHs in the lineup and similar roster bugs that were found in the original. By fixing these bugs, 2K Sports made Franchise mode a lot more enjoyable and a lot less annoying. Online was also well done and a lot of fun in the previous version, and remains pretty much untouched - again, that's a good thing.
With all the additions there, many of the problems that I had with the initial title are still present in this version. There is still only one fielding camera and a few camera angle bugs are still there. A bug where the third baseman fails to charge balls hit slowly down the third base line is also still in the game, and every pitcher is still able to grab every ball hit up the middle and field like Greg Maddux. Even the rosters aren’t fully updated, as some lesser-known players aren't on the right teams. On the other hand, it appears that 2K Sports did fix the passed ball bug, as I did not see any passed balls in the games I played. Also, there is now an option to turn off the strike zone, and west coast night games do appear in Franchise mode.
I think that the "major" issue with Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition is that it’s too much of the same. There aren’t enough changes in this game to justify a whole new game, or to justify a purchase from someone who owns the earlier version. I like the two new features and the DVD, but I don’t think that a person with this previous version should run out and buy this new version. That said, if you haven’t purchased a baseball video game this year and are looking for one, I do suggest that you pick this one up. In the end, Major League Baseball 2K5 World Series Edition is an updated version of an already very good baseball game. Due to the new features and the fixing of a few bugs, I will give this game a point more than the original version received.
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