Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars

Dude, That Just Cost 50 Cents

Well not really, but that's how you'll feel every time you get the bat in your hands. The designers must have arcade roots, certainly as gamers if not also as developers, because each play feels like a 50-cent experience: short, to the point, and eager to repeat itself. Rather than produce a lengthy baseball experience, Fantasy All-Stars is a flexible game that doesn't require more than a few minute commitment. Plays can last a while but it's rare – runs are scored in the blink of an eye, and sides are switched even faster. It all happens so quick that you might start to wonder when the "insert two coins" message is going to appear.

Touch Your Fantasy

The speedy pace is validated by the controls, which are far from perfect but nowhere near a disaster. Nearly every action is executed by touch. When batting, you're given a half-circle swing space that allows you to gauge your performance in real time. Touch the bat, pull (draw) it back, and drag your stylus forward to swing. It seems a little daunting at first, as you can't draw a half-circle perfectly every time. But you don't have to. Straight lines work best since the bat follows your movement along the half-circle. It doesn't need you to actually draw a half-circle to swing that way.

This gameplay style is a lot of things: unique, exciting, repetitive, and frustrating. It's wonderful in that you're hitting home runs with something other than the A button. You can bunt or power swing just by changing the way you stroke the screen. Arcade enthusiasts, as well as anyone seeking new ways to touch the DS, will be thrilled by this kind of a baseball game.

In spite of your enthusiasm, however, the batting mechanics are as explained. There isn't any more to this aspect of the game, aside from power-ups that engulf the ball in flames, artificially adjust its direction (with zigzags), or add slippery goo to its exterior, making it difficult to catch. These power-ups are just a few of the ways you'll trick fielders with sly balls, forcing them to drop or miss the ball entirely. They're physically satisfying and are great fun to watch the first few times they're unleashed. But they too are bogged by repetition, a flaw players may not have noticed if their play time was limited by the number of quarters in their pocket.

Fantasy All-Stars is not a frustrating game, per se, but there are a few things that will cause some frustration. Because no one's finger or stylus control is perfect, you won't be able to swing flawlessly every time. I know, I know, even the pros can't do that in the real game. But as a gamer, I doubt I'm the only one expecting to play perfectly, if only as a polygonal character and not when holding a real bat. If I botch a play because I swung too soon or too late – it sucks, but I can live with that. But if I'm messing up because I swung so fast – in perfect timing with the ball, no less – that my stylus slipped off the screen and caused a bunt, I'm no longer content with saying, "I suck." Now those words are geared at my DS. This is more of an issue with the hardware than the game, and is actually the first time I've thought the touch screen was too small. But as a DS exclusive, it's not a problem you can avoid.

Is Your Finger Sore Yet?

Pitching is nearly equal to the batting mechanics; the difference lies in the slightly more accurate and slightly more frustrating way you'll throw the ball. For starters, don't use your stylus. It's too thin and is likely to slip off the screen.

Pitching begins with a no-pitching ball icon. The ball is locked and cannot be thrown yet. To unlock it, touch the icon and stay in one place for about 1.5 seconds. This might seem like an unnecessary step, but it ensures you'll properly grip the ball before the pitch, which is very important. Now you can attempt to trick your opponent by winding your pitch (draw small circles) before throwing a slow ball, or use it to intimidate before unleashing your every ounce of power.

Balls and strikes are based on the accuracy of your finger (or stylus, if you choose to use it). You'll throw by dragging the ball icon from the top to the bottom of the screen, preferably in a straight line. Straighter lines lead to straight pitches. Inevitably, an overly quick motion can lead to less-than-accurate results, shifting the ball from the super-straight glide you hoped to achieve. This is frustrating, but because accuracy is based on how well you perform, perfection truly rests in your hands.

Among all the touch features, fielding is the only one that could've used more development time. Players are controlled with the D-pad, but you can't throw the ball without drawing a line – one that must be straight and precise in order to reach the appropriate player. It's not horrible, but it's definitely not great either. More often than not, I threw to home base, even though that's rarely where I intended for the ball to go.

Not So Kind, This Game Rewinds

MLB 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars' strong touch mechanics and control interface create a pitching and batting experience that's far deeper than a buttons-only scheme would have allowed. But only the controls are deep – the game itself is just a basic run of baseball. It's well-done and enjoyable, but like so many titles found in arcades, this isn't a game that'll get you through a four-hour flight. Ten-minute bus stops, or any other short waiting period, are perfect. But the game is too repetitive to play for more than an hour at a time.