Major League Baseball 2K6 [GC]

In terms of gameplay, hitting has been completely revamped with the addition of the Swing Stick, not too dissimilar from the innovative Shot Stick mechanic in the 2K basketball games and competitor EA's new Load and Fire system for MVP NCAA Baseball 06. Pull the right analog stick back as the pitcher is about to release, load the swing, and flick it up for a fly ball. For a grounder, just release the stick. You can also flick the stick left or right to pull an inside pitch or poke an outside pitch to the opposite field. If you don't want to swing, pull down the stick and keep your swing loaded, or simply take all the way on 3-0 and don't load your swing at all.

Another nice and long-awaited touch is the ability to manually switch-hit. Of course, an off-handed player will take a significant ratings dip, but batting with the opposite hand is a great way to stick it to a friend -- there's absolutely no respect there. But in the bigs, there are some occasions when certain switch hitters simply can't hit certain pitchers and occasionally choose to bat on the other side of the plate. It's rare, but it happens.

In the field, throwing is now pressure sensitive and each base is mapped to the face buttons. Tap the button for a little flip or hold down for power throw. There's the obvious risk reward here with the standard power-for-accuracy swap. The smart throw is back from 2K5 for the cutoff-man impaired.

New this year is catcher positioning controlled with the right analog stick. You can now shift your catcher depending on where you want to target your next pitch. If you position the catcher outside and miss inside, the pitch has a good chance of going wild. As such, the catcher is a lot more active this year behind the plate, blocking balls and moving around.

There is a nifty new first-person catcher view for snap throws and stolen bases. On Xbox, hold down B button after pitch or O on PS2 and switch to first person. A red cursor appears and you have a split second to aim it for the base of the bag for the ideal throw. If you aim the cursor too low, the ball is in the dirt. If you aim to high, the fielder won't have as much time to apply the tag. For good catchers, the cursor will initially appear closer to the bag. The same applies for a runner attempting a steal, but Kush is still deciding how to implement the catcher-cam for two players, if at all. It works nicely for one baserunner, but things gets tricky with multiple men on base.