MLB 2k12: Breaking Down This Year's Best Features

My favorite day of the year comes on March 6th, when I sit down with a new edition of a great series. MLB 2K12 will once again be a hit thanks to some clever new features that will keep things fresh for 2012. 

I love me some Spring Training, but it gets far more interesting to sit back and play 2-400 hours of baseball on the ol' XBox 360. 

Call it indulging the nerd within us all or just an overzealous love of the sport, but MLB 2K12 is yet another example of how 2K Sports gets this fine pastime. 

You can lose yourself in a video game like this, and it has everything to do with the painstaking efforts to make each version as close to the real thing as possible.

New Throw Meter

Now you can start throwing the ball before hitting, but it's a gamble that may win you an out at the plate or a gaffe that will see your player overrun the ball. 

Each fielder will be more or less adept at catching on the run and gunning out a cocky runner based on their talents. I say go big or go home. 

Improved AI

2K Sports promises that the AI has been revamped for more realistic calls from the CPU and tougher play on your end. 

There is nothing worse than getting a sports game that is far too easy. This edition looks to prove your mettle on both hitting and pitching. 

Commentary

There are over 80 hours of Gary Thorne, Steve Phillips and John Kruk yammering on and on. That may sound like a horrible thing to baseball fans, but it's all about the immersion. 

You get the sights of the game and now the sounds that accompany the same broadcast production. 

New My Player Mode

Here is my favorite aspect of the game. 

The My Player Mode gets revamped to give you more options and make the campaign far more engrossing a tale to play out. 

Now you will feel more like you have a say in how your player improves from someone up for a cup of coffee to a perennial All-Star. 

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