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Welcome to the ball game. MLB 2K7 is a solid improvement over last year’s iteration providing tight gameplay and greatly improved graphics.
MLB 2K7 includes a myriad of gameplay modes. These include the expected quick game, franchise, season, home run derby (and variations), manager challenge and GM modes. You’ll find yourself spending a lot of time in the game’s franchise mode where you will do everything from trade and sign players, negotiate contracts, set ticket prices, and set salaries.
The actual gameplay in the game is as solid as it has ever been. Pitching is still handled by the two-button system in previous games. You press a button to choose pitch speed and another button determines accuracy. Batting can be accomplished to the typical button-based swinging mechanism or the newer right analog stick based system. Both work well, especially on the easy difficulty setting, but be warned that the game requires more precision and is less forgiving as you bump up the difficulty setting. Fielding and baserunning work as expected.
MLB 2K7 includes online gameplay via Xbox Live. The online mode is fairly robust, as is expected for a 2K Sports game. In addition to play both ranked and unranked games, you can now participate (and create) leagues and tournaments. It’s pretty cool and adds some depth to the online mode. Online games are usually decent, though not great, due to some lag being present. It doesn’t overly damage the online mode but it does make things more awkward.
Visually, MLB 2K7 really pushes the series into the new generation. The player models are great and it’s very easy to pick out the big names and even some of the not-so-big names. You’ll notice that there are many body types and the faces are uncannily realistic. The animation system is also very solid and the key players even have distinctive poses and swings. The stadiums are wonderfully modeled with stunning architecture (and by and large) great textures. The camera system in the game is much more dynamic and interactive than it was previously and it lets you pick out the little details that truly make the graphics shine. Unfortunately, sometimes the Xbox 360 has problems keeping up with the game and you’ll notice some framerate drops.
MLB 2K7 includes a varied soundtrack with artists like Nirvana, The Pixies, and Death from Above. The actual sound effects from baserunning, to hitting and the crowds are all great if standard by now. Where the game really shines is in the commentary. Each game begins with a pre-game introduction from Jeanne Zelasko and Steve Physioc, which includes a lot of rather specific information. The actual games feature commentary from Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. The duo shares great chemistry, which comes across in the volumes of commentary that they recorded. They often have conversations together while keeping the play calling accurate and timely.
MLB 2K7 plays a solid game of baseball. Thanks to the improved presentation and tightened gameplay, the game shines above its last-generation counterparts. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Mar 18, 2007
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