Know Your Role

It's so crazy how many different kinds of video game people there are. The other day, I was watching this amazing 8-year-old on YouTube strum all the complex chords on the hardest "Guitar Hero II" song. That's a song I gave up on, and I was a violin whiz.

Meanwhile, as you know, there are hordes of new gamers who have a crush on the Nintendo Wii, because the Wii is so simple and easy, for the most part, and newbies can catch on fast.

Caught in the middle are pretty good, casual gamers who play football and baseball games while their wives sleep.

If you buy a game without researching it, you don't know if it fits your type. Games should bear labels such as "For Newbies," "For Casual Gamers" and "For Hard-Core Freaks." That's why I rate games as "easy," "moderately challenging" and "challenging." You gotta know what you're in for.

A good development along these lines is "Major League Baseball 2K8." Like many recent games, it lets you choose to play as a "Rookie," a "Pro" or a "Legend." But more telling, "2K8" is way easier on Wii than on Xbox 360 and PS 3.

That feeds into the stereotype the Wii is for beginners, but so be it, and it's so complex to pitch on the Xbox 360 version. It goes like this: You use your left thumb stick to point where you want the ball to cross the plate. You pull the right thumb stick in one of many directions; then twirl the stick in one of many complicated directions; and let go of the stick when a circle on the TV screen compresses to a perfectly timed sweet spot.

If you're into baseball games, memorizing these numerous pitch routines, and perfecting them, becomes second nature, in the same way that that 8-year-old has spent countless hours memorizing "Guitar Hero II" notes and finger positions.

But if "2K8" sounds scary to you, then you should try it on the Wii. To pitch on Wii, you simply pick a pitch type, like fastball or slider, then hold up your Wii wand and motion your wrist forward at the right time. Easy-peasy.

The problem with Wii, of course, is its simple "2K8" is not very alluring for a hard-core gamer like me, unless I'm playing against a friend in my living room. And there's no online "2K8" gaming on Wii, unlike on the 360 and PS 3.

Also, Wii graphics are blockier-looking cartoonery, compared to the Xbox 360 and PS 3's much more realistic artistry.

The challenge of Xbox 360 and PS 3's "2K8" is you really, really have to love baseball games to tackle its "Total Pitch Control," the difficult new "Swing Stick" settings, and the "Precision Throw Control," which makes you learn how to manage each fielder's arm strength when trying to toss out runners.

I do love baseball games, so "2K8" is good enough for me, except it doesn't always respond to pitching and defensive throws. I'm playing it on the "pro" setting, for now, and not on "All Star" or "Legend." I'm good, but I'm not 8.

("Major League Baseball 2K8" by 2K Sports retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $50 for Wii; $30 for PS 2 and PSP -- Plays fun, but controls aren't always responsive. Looks very good. Moderately easy to very difficult, depending on which settings you choose. Rated "E." Three and one-half stars out of four.)