For years, the people at 2K Sports have consistently released solid games that have accurately portrayed America’s pastime and have filled each and every title with a bevy of unlockable content and gameplay modes to keep gamers busy for hours on end. In 2007 however, the team at 2K Sports failed to deliver on more than one front, creating an almost miserable port of a slightly above-average PS2 game that is ugly, bug-filled and soulless to boot. In the end, the only thing that saves the game is the bevy of gameplay modes and unlockable content crammed inside of it.
Once the game starts, it’s obvious that not much has been done to make this version stand firmly on its own two feet. Aside from the updated rosters, this game almost feels like MLB 2K6 after a few Flintstones chewable vitamins. For instance, the same shoddy graphics and mediocre frame rate that almost ruined ’06 are still apparent in “MLB 2K7.†In addition, the game is mired with several graphical bugs and glitches that take away from the otherwise competent baseball experience the game offers.
Seeing former New York Mets manager Willie Randolph giving in his lineup card to the umpire before the game sounds like commonplace in a baseball video game, but seeing Randolph as a tall white man half the time, before seeing him the way he was meant to be seen, is nonsense. It’s something that any knowledgeable gamer would expect to see in an early PSone game, not in something for the PSP. Mistakes like this turn a solid baseball-sim into a crappy port that is worth skipping for everyone except the hardcore gamer that needs to own a baseball title.
Another interesting graphical bug is that upon closer inspection, it seems that the team at 2K sports has failed to mount the numbers and letters on the backs of the players. When the camera decides to zoom in every once in a while, during pre-game cut scenes or instant replays, gamers will unfortunately see the names and numbers of their favorite players floating just above their jerseys, creating an eyesore that is sure to be seen on numerous occasions.
While the graphics in “MLB 2K7†are a joke, the sound, provided by ESPN’s Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is spot on, but is usually late to make the correct call. Hearing Miller and Morgan makes up for the fact that their aren’t many sound affects in the game, but having to wait five seconds for them to describe a play that already happened just adds to the sub-par game experience and will grind the gears of any hardcore baseball fan.
Aside from the graphics and sound, “MLB 2K7†is not a bad baseball game. Filled with a myriad of gameplay modes such as the home run derby, create-a-player, season, situation, managerial and franchise, “MLB 2K7†can and will eat up plenty of hours on your PSP. Add in the fact that 2K has allowed gamers to update their roster online and has put in various legend teams in the game, such as the ’69 Mets, ’55 Brooklyn Dodgers and the ’61 Yankees and it’s easy to see that if given a chance, “MLB 2K7†can and will grow on you.
The only problem is that not many gamers will be able to see past the graphical bugs and glitches and will never see “MLB 2K7†for the solid baseball-sim it really is, turning it into the ugly step sister with a heart of gold that no one listens to.
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