The first videogame release of baseball on the Xbox has been a success in my opinion. They have added many things to this years version and have fixed many of the bugs and glitches that plagued the last version and kept it from becoming a big hit.

Visuals in this game are pretty much the same with not too many graphical improvements. They have added several new animations to the game with broken bats and balls bouncing off of players and their gloves. This just adds more to the realism of the game and was a great addition. The fields and players still look like their real-life counterparts but haven't changed too much even though the Xbox is supposed to have graphical superiority.

This game is just packed with features now that they have added a franchise and expansion mode. In expansion mode you pick the city your expansion team will come in from and build up your team through the currently available free agents. In franchise you have the ability to play with a fantasy draft or the existing team. They have also added a farm system for each team which then enables you to move players between the minors and majors at your beck and call. So far I haven't noticed any player development in the several games I have played, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. The franchise is played for up to twenty seasons. They have also added the TV style presentation of games before they start with the showdown of the two pitchers warming up and a comparison on their statistics. They also have the lineups and you can move up and down looking at the players stats. Acclaim cleared up something with the warming up of pitchers that I feel was a good move and that was a colored dot next to the pitchers name who is warming up to let you know whether he is ready to come into the game. They also have taken a tip off of Madden sports games and added a card collectors set that lets you unlock things in the game such as hall of fame players, stadiums, and teams. One thing that is added that High Heat had last year was injuries to players. They have career ending injuries, day to day ones, and many other varying injuries.

Gameplay in this game is just as good as before with a couple of improvements. The computer will give you a tougher game when playing against a tougher team and on a tougher difficulty which in turn forces you to play and manage a smarter baseball game. They also switch your lineups daily or for different players who need rest. Players play based upon their real life counterparts and won't be extremely good if they aren't that good in real life.

2010 is great in the control department and is very responsive. You use the A, X, B, and Y buttons to select different pitches and they have even added an option to have your pitcher slide step to the plate when runners on base. If you press in the right joystick when batting or pitching it lets you see the pitch history, the hot/cold areas for the hitter, and some other things. Players can be controlled with the D-pad or the joystick. Stealing is performed with the Y Button plus the direction of the base they are standing on. You can also drag bunt which is performed with the B button. The right joystick is used for tilting the batting cursor up and down and left and right. The black and white buttons dive and jump and you can now climb up the walls to steal homerun balls from the other team.

If you like baseball games, and were thinking about getting this game, do it now. This game is just amazing and is definitely worth your $50.