MLB 2k6 or Dark Angel?

When I sat down to play MLB 2k6 for the Xbox 360 I could not wait to lead my Halos to the World Series and reap the rewards of one of the best farm systems in baseball on a next-generation console. To my surprise and utter horror after two innings and countless controller throwing action, I had had enough.

The first MLB game to hit Microsoft’s new console out shines ESPN broadcasts and Fox Sports coverage of the MLB season with it’s visual beauty. From the onscreen graphics to the player models and stadiums, the game is worthy of the 360 packaging. For a few moments the site invokes a sense of awe in which you contemplate setting the controller down and just watching the computer battle itself.

But much like the Jar Jar Binks of Star Wars, the gameplay is the dark side, no pun intended, of the game except in this case it will lead you to turning off the console and wishing you never wasted your time playing the game. Yes it is that bad.

Case in point, Gary Matthews Jr. of the Texas Rangers, an average player at best, hit a fly ball to right field. Nonchalantly I turned Vladimir Guerrero, though not the greatest defender around, and proceeded to guide him to the large circle where he would stand and make the out. But not so says MLB 2k6. Instead Guerrero ran in circles as the ball dropped and Matthews rounded the bases for an inside the park homerun. As the game wore on the players seemed to figure out how to move towards the ball though nearly every time they had the lunge to make the out despite being directly under the ball. The infield defensive does not fall into the same category on groundballs though it does not make up for the horrible controls on defense.

Think the defensive controls are bad? The offense is worse. MLB 2k6 dropped the normal cursor moving “A” button swinging control scheme, for a supposedly better control in the swing stick. Using the right analogue stick gamers can control when the player sets his feet and when he swings. Sounds easy right? Yup, wrong again. The game offers no tutorials to help in the process and leaves gamers with question marks and curse words as they try to figure out how to make contact. The game offers another control scheme, but only the classic mode in press “A” to swing and make contact every time which was never fun. NBA 2k6 made the “shot” stick work, MLB 2k6 made me throw up.

The only gameplay feature that actually works is the pitching, though it fails to make up for the rest of the bug ridden game.

So back to my first question. MLB 2k6 for the Xbox 360 or Dark Angel for the Xbox. Though Dark Angel was a promising series for Fox, the game was a mess. (I got it for free, I would never waste my money on such junk.) For a long time I thought no game would be able to compete with it’s lack of anything resembling fun, but the worst game in history crown has a new face.

MLB 2k6 is like Natalie Portman for some, visually stunning but fails when it actually comes down to performance.

Posted in Reviews, Sci-Tech & Video Games •