When details began to emerge about some of the new controls in ESPN Major League Baseball 2K5, I was initially skeptical, especially regarding the new pitching meter. With its mix of horizontal and vertical axes and careful use of timing to line up your pitch, the new pitching controls sounded dangerously close to the free throw mechanics found in basketball games like NBA Live or previous iterations of the NBA 2K series. I've never liked these controls, simply because they place too much onus on the real person playing the game, and don't seem to take enough consideration of the capabilities of the virtual player shooting the free throw.

　　In my limited time with MLB 2K5, however, it seems like the pitch meter strikes a nice balance between player skill and virtual player rating. You'll still need a good sense of timing to line up your pitch accurately, but the sheer volume of variables that affect your cursor size (and thus your margin for error)--pitcher fatigue, game situation pressure, mental toughness, etc.--makes the pitching experience feel organic and varied each time you take the mound. It will be interesting to see how this feature ends up in the final version of the game.