Derek Jeter steps up to the plate and you look visibly nervous at the sight of the man who had already hit a homer during the fifth inning. In fact, he hit a homerun during the bottom of the second with a man on first. As you start the windup for a curveball, Jeter stiffens and keeps his eye on the ball once you release it. His bat connects with the ball and suddenly you see the ball come straight back to you but instead of catching it the ball somehow phases right through your body as if you were Patrick Swayze in “Ghost.” Oh but that’s not the end of it. The ball rolls to your teammate who catches it but instead of tossing it to first he tosses it to third base. Darn you, Super Jeter, you did it again. This is but just a few of the problems that plague Major League Baseball 2K6 for the Xbox 360.

If anything, 2K Sports lineup of Xbox 360 titles have been less than stellar (with NHL 2K6 being the exception) and, unfortunately, we can add MLB 2K6 another miss. However, not all is bad here and many of the things introduced in this year’s edition are a ball fan’s dream come true. For starters, all our favorite game modes are here and they’re all wonderfully deep and enjoyable game modes. Whether you want to play through the deep Franchise Mode or take up the role of General Manager in GM Mode you’ll be engrossed in every aspect of your team’s business whether it’s keeping a player satisfied or making trades. Speaking of trades, the game’s newest feature, the Inside Edge, is a helpful tool that offers very detailed scouting analysis for each player so you’ll know everything about them (their batting and fielding tendencies) except whether they like blondes or brunettes. Really, this is one of the best additions to the series.

Also new to the series is World Baseball Classic mode, a tournament mode with international teams like Japan and Mexico and, of course, the USA. All the teams and uniforms are all available, although stadiums are limited to the familiar MLB stadiums. Still, it’s a fun game mode that is a nice addition to the series. There’s also Home Run Derby, Tournament mode as well as Situation where you can set up your own scenarios complete with scores, innings as well as batting order. Manager Showdown is an interesting game mode that only die-hard fans will love.

Yes, these are all good reasons any sports fan or baseball aficionado would want to rush out and buy this game right away but the thing is that while these modes are great, the gameplay is just shy of being a true disaster. On the Xbox 360, anyway, there are glitches aplenty and oh how they make for some frustrating moments where you’ll jump up from you seat and yell, “Say what? Oh, come on now!” Scenarios like the one I mentioned at the start of the review are not uncommon and there are bugs in the game that make you throw the ball to the wrong base. Aside from these bugs and glitches, certain players (yes, you Randy Johnson) just don’t play like the real deal.

The controls are both a hit and a miss. For one thing, the fielding controls are horrible and unresponsive, thus making your teammates slow in responding to pop flies or grounders. By the time your player picks up the ball, that runner already made it to base. Don’t be expecting to make any double plays in this game. The fielder collision is an interesting new highlight but unfortunately it becomes an annoyance when your players slam into each another one too many times during a game. Thankfully, the pitching aspect of the game is good. You’ll have an interesting number of options to utilize and the pitching interface gives you the freedom to select a pitch, change the position of the catcher and throw with better precision. If your pitcher isn’t pulling his own weight, he’ll be automatically pulled out and substituted with a fresh player. It’s a nice touch that works perfectly.

Hitting is also handled beautifully in this game. This year’s game features the Swing Stick control that uses the right analog stick for more precise swings. While it’s not an easy function to use since it’s all about the timing, you can always switch to a more classic control scheme that works just as well. Even bunts are easy to pull off in this game. It is these small highlights that show us the great baseball game this could have been if the AI and bugs had been worked out before releasing the game. The game even adds a great Xbox Live multiplayer mode that runs smoothly online and features leagues, tournaments, leaderboard and the Virtual Identity Profile system that allows you to check out your friends’ strengths and weaknesses.

Graphically speaking, Major League Baseball 2K6 is not going to knock your socks off with next-generation visuals nor is it the most attractive 360 game you’ll see this year. It’s just average bordering on early Xbox visuals. Where the graphics do sparkle is the stadiums and the fans that stand up and cheer when their favorite team makes a particularly exciting play and they’ll even grab for foul balls that make it to the stands. Most players look like their real life counterpart but there are other players that just don’t look right at all. While the animations are smooth, the game just isn’t as dazzling as it could have been.

The game’s sound, on the other hand, isn’t bad at all. Even the commentary by Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is good, although Morgan sounds less enthusiastic than usual. Jeanne Zelasko makes up the load screen commentary and her commentary is wonderfully colorful and a real treat. As for the stadium sounds, the sounds are detailed enough that you’ll hear everything from the PA announcer to the rowdy heckler. There’s a collection of tunes here as well from artists like Pavement, Belle and Sebastian, Interpol as well as Pretty Girls Make Graves. The tunes aren’t bad but if they’re not your cup of tea you can always use your own.

Unfortunately, Major League Baseball 2K6 for the Xbox 360 just falls short in many aspects that could have made this a real winner. It is a collection of really good ideas that is held back by its various bugs, less than stellar graphics and control problems. If you’re a fan of the sport and really need to check this game out then do yourself a favor and rent before you buy otherwise wait for next year to see if 2K Sports manages to release a stellar game for the 360.

Gameplay: 7.0
There are some good features (like the new Swing Stick control) mixed in with some terrible gameplay flaws (your fielder tosses it to third when you wanted to toss it to first base, just to name a few glitches) that makes this such a major disappointment. The game modes are deliciously deep and World Baseball Classic mode is definitely something we would love to see make a return next year.

Graphics: 6.5
The second biggest disappointment is the graphics that are just slightly better than the Xbox version of the game. Sporting some sharper textures and even more details when it comes to displaying a stadium alive with fans, the game is easy on the eyes but then again so is the Xbox version. Some star athletes look like the real thing while others just don’t look right. Trust me when I say that this game does not scream next-generation.

Sound: 8.5
The play-by-play and color commentary by Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is good in this version of the game but its Jeanne Zelasko’s opening commentary before a game that steals the show. The stadium sounds are rich with fans going wild, hecklers ripping into players like Ichiro and all the possible little details you would expect while attending a ball game. The soundtrack is so-so but you can always use your own tunes.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The Pro setting is hard as nails but not for the obvious intelligent AI reasons. No, this game is hard because of some questionable blunders your AI controlled teammates make on the field. Worse are the glitches like the ball passing right through the pitcher as if he were a ghost. Oh, and Super Jeter is just an unstoppable monster in this game.

Concept: 8.0
An abundance of new features keep things quite interesting for fans of the sport and the deep Franchise and GM mode is as good as last year. The new Inside Edge feature is a dream come true as is the new World Baseball Classic mode. All of this and a pack of baseball cards included in the package spell a game with a lot going for it.

Multiplayer: 8.5
You have to hand it to 2K Sports; they certainly know how to keep the multiplayer action interesting and the tournaments hot. You can create your own league and go up against players at your own level thanks to a solid ranking system. On the 360, the framerate stays as smooth as the single player experience. Oh, and the V.I.P. System is a great feature that just plain rocks.

Overall: 7.2
Ball fans looking for an amazing next-generation baseball game will be definitely disappointed by Major League Baseball 2K6 for the Xbox 360. Sure it’s packed with drool-worthy game modes, interesting new features and a slick presentation but it’s plagued by flaws too hard to ignore and visuals just not good enough to make this a game worth buying. Do yourself a favor and rent this one instead.