When Major League Baseball 2K6 was released for the Xbox 360, baseball fans have been hoping it would be the next-generation ball game what would not only look next-gen but also play like it. Sadly, while it was a decent game, it didn’t have that satisfying feeling we got from the current-generation games in the 2K Sports franchise. Major League Baseball 2K7 has arrived and there are changes to mostly every aspect of the game aside from the roster but even with these changes, the game still leaves much to be desired.

The release of the 2K6 series marked the first entry for the next-generation so this year Microsoft’s lean white box has some company thanks to the release of Sony’s PlayStation 3. While both look equally yummy, the PS3’s SIXAXIS controller offers some tilt action. Still, Xbox 360 owners shouldn’t feel bad because the gameplay is essentially the same. Major league Baseball 2K7 sees some familiar game modes like Exhibition, Season, Franchise, GM Career, Manager Showdown and Tournament. The game also tosses in a Situation Mode (where you can create your own scenarios) and Home Run Derby (with five different mode of playing the game including Tag Team where each batter has a life gauge).

Once again, the deep game modes come in the form of GM Career and Franchise mode that has you diving into your favorite team’s business. As a General Manager, you’ll find yourself working your way to the MLB teams while making a name for yourself by doing what a GM does the best. In this year’s game, you’ll have a taste of all the things that involve the role as well as make decisions like what you’ll charge the fans at the ticket booth and decide how to promote your team. Making trades is relatively painless now thanks to the Inside Edge feature that basically is four years worth of scouting reports. It will give you an insider’s look at who would fit right at home on your team. It’s great stuff, all right, and it will surely keep you more than busy.

MLB 2K6 had a number of flaws that turned off fans of the series and the game does fix them. The problem is that this year’s game introduces a number of other flaws. For starters, the framerate drops in all the wrong moments and frequently. Secondly, fielding still doesn’t feel right but now there are moments when your team won’t hustle to catch a fly ball and sometimes they’ll even pause to consider picking up a ball or (for example) tossing it to third base when a baserunner decides to make a mad dash for it. These are the kinds of problems that will annoy anyone ball fan. Even with the new True Fielding features, you’ll just be disappointed.

What does work nicely are the batting controls, especially since swinging is handled by way of the right analog stick. Sure, it’s hard to guess where a pitch will go but the control just feels right. Batter’s Eye is a feature that does give you a peek to see where a pitch is going so that helps things a little. As far as pitching is concerned, though, Payoff Pitching is a feature that could have been amazing had it been handled a bit better. It essentially allows you to increase a pitcher’s pitch type rating if successful. You can even adjust your defense thanks to the new Defensive Shift option.

Online, Major League Baseball 2K7 plays decently enough and, oddly enough, doesn’t suffer from the framerate problems the offline game possesses in spades. You can create or join a league and you can always participate in tournaments that pit you against players of your own level. This is a perfect way to play the game for those who find the offline framerate problems too annoying.

On the graphics front, MLB 2K7 sports some vast visual improvements while also missing the mark on players that aren’t as highly profiled as cover athlete (yes, again) Derek Jeter. Some faces just don’t match but it’s hard to really complain when the player models move realistically and sport some decent details. Even the fabric of the uniforms moves with a breeze and muscles flex when your batter takes a swing. The overall presentation now has a complete televised feel and the camera angles are just perfect. The Signature Style feature adds even more to the presentation since it captures most star player’s gestures like specific batting stance or windups.

Sadly, the sound doesn’t quite match the nice visuals. Sure, the game features some more than decent stadium sounds that bring each stadium and game to life. It’s great to see such fine detail placed on the little things. Unfortunately, when it comes to the commentary team of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan they drop the ball with repetitive and uninteresting commentary. Pause the game and they’ll hit you up with the same trivia questions. Make another home run and they’ll repeat the same enthusiastic lines all over again. This is too bad since there’s some pre-game commentary from the likes of Jeanne Zelasko and Steve Physioc that drive home the feeling that you’re watching a game on television. There’s also some alternative rock tunes here and they’re not bad.

Major League Baseball 2K7 does see some improvements but then again it also sees some new problems that hold this pretty decent MLB game from being a truly worthy baseball experience for the Xbox 360. As it stands, though, the game is riddled with glitches that play a hand in making the gameplay something that still needs plenty of attention if this series plans to compete with the big leagues. Otherwise, if you missed out on last year’s game this one is worth checking out but my recommendation is way next year. I hope that 2K Sports will finally have a game worth the franchise. 

Gameplay: 7.7
Thanks to the AI, this year’s game brings on the challenges and if that wasn’t enough you can also create your own scenario in the game’s number of game modes. Fielding sees some interesting changes and swinging the bat can be a tricky but the real disappointment comes with the various glitches and framerate hiccups. GM Career and Franchise mode is still fun to play and online multiplayer just plain rocks.

Graphics: 8.2
The heavy hitters in the game look amazing and their every gesture is captured as well but other players in the game just don’t like facially. Still, it’s hard to complain when the lighting effects, amazingly detailed uniforms and decent animations make this seem like you’re watching an actual game.

Sound: 7.5
The tunes are not bad at all if you like artists like The Pixies or Nirvana and the overall stadium sounds are excellent enough that you can make out everything from hecklers to hot dog vendors. The pre-game commentary adds a perfect televised feel but the color and play-by-play coverage is repetitive and weak.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI sees some improvement to the point that rival teams play the way you expect them to play on the field or at bat so you’ll really have to make good use of many of the game’s features. Figuring out a team’s strength and weakness is a big part of what you’ll be doing in this game.

Concept: 8.0
There are many new features in this year’s game and the Inside Edge is a big help during GM Career or Franchise mode. The Signature Style visual feature gives players their own personality and the Swing Stick control works nicely.

Multiplayer: 8.3

Oddly enough, the game runs smoother online than it does offline and most of the goodies from last year (like some juicy tournaments) make it here so baseball fans will definitely play this one on Xbox Live. Hopefully, you’ll be able to download a more accurate roster as well.

Overall: 7.8
It’s good to see that this year’s addition to the 2K franchise addressed many of the problems found in 2K6 but Major League Baseball 2K7 sees some new glitches that make this one fun but not perfect. While some of the additions to the game work nicely, it’s hard to get past the various other things that keep this from being a true next-generation ball game fit for the Xbox 360.