f I told you that Johan Santana’s change up is thrown with the exact same motion as Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, I would deserve to be slapped, as this is one of the most erroneous observations ever to be made about baseball. But what if I was talking about video game baseball? If you strip away the names and likenesses for all of the pitchers in the league, would you still be able to differentiate Carlos Zambrano from Daisuke Matsuzaka, or Tom Glavine from Pedro Martinez? The answer is no. In every baseball game released thus far, all pitch types utilizes the same click-the-button to throw the ball mechanics. How potent these pitches are is dictated solely by backend statistics. Outside of placing pitches and gauging their velocity, there really is no skill involved.

With MLB 2K8, players finally get to experience the art of pitching. You’ll see how a perfectly thrown curveball can make a batter’s knees buckle, and you’ll also find out what goes through a pitcher’s mind when a ball slips out of their fingers, hangs in the strike zone, and ends up in Earth’s orbit. Developer 2K Los Angeles has done an amazing job of capturing these elements in the retooling of the pitching mechanic. Using the right analog stick to mimic the throwing motion creates a more skillful exercise that adds varying degrees of difficulty to the execution of each pitch type. To throw a curveball, you’ll need to pull back on the analog, then rotate it in a forward motion to apply spin. The better you are at mimicking the required motion, the better the pitch and its placement. If you are off slightly, your pitch will break less, and will likely be off target as well. If you are way off, there’s a good chance you’ll throw a wild pitch, hit the batter, or serve up a meatball.

Given how greatly you have to focus on each individual pitch, MLB 2K8’s pitching does require some serious skill, unless of course, you neuter the CPU AI by adjusting the batting sliders and overall difficulty. On the other hand, batting will seem much easier, and it’s not because a new system has been implemented. Rather 2K has improved its technology, meaning a batter, who could only make contact on three frames last year, can now get the bat on the ball on 13 to 16 frames. This subtle tweak allows players to feel more comfortable, as they can foul off pitches and adjust their timing to hit to the opposite field. Similar polish has also been added to fielding. The player’s movements are more realistic, and the ball itself now has noticeable weight, which transitions into grounders taking erratic hops, and Texas Leaguers dropping in the shallow outfield rather than being caught. All across the diamond, this is an incredibly well-made game that is a true test of player skill.

It delivers new experiences with its gameplay, offers rewarding bonus content (playable minor league teams, and collectable baseball cards), and improves upon its already robust online play with an array of sorting options that will allow players to find the appropriate match-ups. The only area that needs work is Franchise mode. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t offer anything new. Up to this point, this generation’s baseball has been about replicating the look of the game. With this release, it’s now about replicating the game itself.