Major League Baseball 2K9

One Thing Needs to be said before we crack on with this review. At the time of writing, and as far as we know after some diligent research, MLB 2K9 is only available on the PC in the UK from Direct2 Drive, so don't be rushing off to any shops or anything.

Just like with the other recent 2K Sports title NBA 2K9 the sheer quality and sheen on display here is superb. Despite all the efforts EA Sports have made to make their games feel like TV broadcasts, they've never come anywhere near 2K's level of presentation. The graphics are spot on, the sound and commentary is exemplary and-the whole thing just feels like you are participating in a game of baseball.

The usual spread of options are available, with one-off fixtures, franchise modes and Home Run Derbies all playable. There's also a non-atrocious soundtrack to keep you interested (although, 50% of it is still complete toss). There's also a reasonable practice mode to get into the swing (pun intended) of things with. However, the interface problems that were the only real problem with MLB's basketball counterpart are back in full force, and are even more pronounced than before.

Couple this with the fact that the controls are so complicated that it'll take a fairly long time to get to grips with them. You really do need a pad as well, because so many of the controls are tied to the analogue stick. The training help screens don't actually help too much, as the button numbers often don't match what they are on the controller. But, if you can struggle past the interface, the game itself is baseball gold. And this is coming from someone who has no interest in baseball whatsover. But if you do, snap this up as quick as you can.