Batter up! A free demo for Kush Games and 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K8 has landed on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 900-plus MB demo is available in the U.S., Canada, and Asia. More in the full article.

We want our baseball action fast, furious, and as realistic as they come. Well, from the looks of 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K8's fast paced plays, we won't be disappointed. Check out the launch trailer in the full article to see what we mean.

Nothing marks a good sports sim than a well-known face endorsing your title. 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has signed up New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes to grace the cover of this year's Major League Baseball 2K8, as well as act as its official spokesperson.

Check out the full article right after the jump!

Up for another freebie downloadable for your Xbox 360? We're letting the gamers know that a new demo is available via Xbox Live in the guise of 2K Sports and Kush Games' NHL 2K8 (PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360).

This demo will give players a teaser of what's to come in the title's previously launched full release such as the right stick controls, the new goaltending face-off system and heavily upgraded player models and animations.

Guys inkling to pick up their copy of this teaser will want to have 1 GB of hard drive space readied. Just be reminded that you'll be unable to download this demo if you live in the regions of Australia, New Zealand, or Asia. With that said, we hope you enjoy the game.

You think you've got the moves to lead breakaways and deke defenders into the boards? Do your goalie skills have what it takes to stand up to a swarm? This year 2K Sports will give you the chance to stake your big claims as it announces brand-new features in NHL 2K8.

The biggest addition this year is the Superstar moves system which realistically endow the video game's greats with fancy and effective maneuvers that the average player just can't do. It's what separates mere ice skaters from monsters on ice, so you better know what your team's ace does best.

The Superstar system was created using motion capture technology with the help of Igor Larionov who performed the moves while the developers captured the information. This results in more accurate movements than ever whenever a big move is used. Realism is at an all-time high, according to 2K Sports.

On the defensive end, the developers are addressing a factor long-criticized by hockey sim fans. Goalies have been made smarter than ever by enhancing the logic and decision-making skills of the AI. If you're tending the net, you'll have a myriad of moves to counter threats and prevent goals. Star goalie Marty Turco was consulted and like Larionov, was digitally captured for the sake of visuals.

Comments Kush Games' president Graeme Bayless:

Complementing our new ProStick feature, which gives users precision stick control, Superstar Moves bring an added layer of depth to the gameplay in NHL 2K8 by allowing gamers to execute some of the most legendary moves performed by actual NHL players.

NHL 2K8 is set for release later this year for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 game consoles. Get your game on and prove to everyone that you're capable of miracle on ice.

Buy: [NHL 2K8 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [NHL 2K8 (PS3)]

2K Sports has just named the cover athlete for their upcoming hockey video game, NHL 2K8 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PS2). It's none other than Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators.

In case you need reminding, Jason Spezza is one of the youngest Canadians (third, to be exact, behind greats Eric Lindros and Wayne Gretzky) to represent his country at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He was second overall pick at the 2001 NHL Draft and is well known for his speed on the ice and as a playmaker. Spezza expressed enthusiasm about NHL 2K8:

It's a great honor to be the NHL 2K8 cover athlete. The NHL 2K series has always selected some of the best players in the NHL and I'm really excited to follow in their footsteps of representing the finest hockey video game title this year.

Graeme Bayless, president at Kush Games had this to say:

We are thrilled to have Jason Spezza as our cover athlete for NHL 2K8. Spezza is a player that truly embodies the spirit of hockey which is something that we pride ourselves in with the NHL 2K series. We are very pleased to be working with a cover athlete that is such an avid gamer and who is committed to contributing valuable insight to the authenticity and development of the NHL 2K series.

Hmm... This might just be another exciting season for NHL 2K fans. We won't have too long to wait for NHL 2K8 as it is slated to slide on the shelves in September.


Buy: [NHL 2K8 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [NHL 2K8 (PS3)]

One of the latest musings of whomever is in charge of updating the Major League Baseball 2K7 blog in 1UP is about the expected demo for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. That, and he (whoever he may be) now has the time to golf, but as that's another game entirely, we'll let that slide.

The exact words Kush Games (the MLB devs) used were "putting the finishing touches on our PS3 and Xbox 360 demos so they can be submitted to Sony and Microsoft." He tells readers to stay tuned to the coming days and weeks for more info on the demo, though he did say that some details can be found in a message board that, er, "leaked" (he didn't say which message board, though). We're thinking, give it a month, the demo will be ready. Hopefully sooner.

Also, he's mentioned that Kush is now doing pre-production on MLB 2K8, which entails much brainstorming. Much brainstorming. The press release for the new and improved features well see next year is a long ways coming. Anyway, we've got an upcoming demo to tide over the time.

Do you know your favorite baseball players? How about their signature moves?

Player tendencies and general quirks have been included in the game (we're talking about around 150 major players here). Major League Baseball 2K7 by Kush Games and 2K Sports also features true fielding (as shown in trailer 2), dynamic throwing system, franchise finance, and 2K Sports online play. This is just a few winks away as it hits the North American shelves on March 5.

Just how realistic do you think this gets? Click the link below and watch the video to find out.

Download: [MLB 2K7 Trailer 3]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2K7 (PS3)]
Buy: [Major League Baseball 2K7 (Xbox 360)]