What do you play baseball videogames for? Is
it the look of the crowd as you belt an 0-2 pitch into the cheap seats in
right-center field? Is it for making that spectacular defensive play, or getting
it all just right so you can hit that dinger?
With EASports latest version of MVP Baseball
(in this case, MVP Baseball 2005), if you are in it for the crowds filling the
park, forget it and go elsewhere. They are repetitions flat two-dimensional
cardboard cutouts. Some of them look rather scary – especially when you see two
of the same person right behind the home plate section of the ballpark. Some of
them have a face on the front and back of the cardboard cutout.
Ok, it had to be said. Now, let’s move on …
The ball is hammered to straightaway center …
Jim Edmonds gets on his horse and sprints toward the wall … at the last possible
second he makes a fully extended dive, belly flops onto the warning track and
somehow almost-impossibly manages to catch the ball. But then he told you he
would do that. In the video intro to the game, the certified hall of
fame-caliber outfield tells you that he is in the game.
Albert Pujols comes to the plate and scorches
a knuckle-curve back through the box and into centerfield for a single. What is
remarkable is the pitcher animation – athleticism induced by sheer terror and
self-preservation. It other words, it was a jaw-dropping bit of bailing before
getting whacked by a fast-moving baseball..
EASports MVP Baseball 2005 has it all. There
are very few stumbles as this PC title turns that frozen rope to the gap in the
outfield from a stand-up double into a head-first sliding triple. Catcher
blocking the plate, it’s train-wreck time!
“What was that last pitch?”
“Something really fast.”
“Ya, but was it a two-seam fastball, a four-seamer,
or what?”
“Don’t know, just that it was really fast.”
With the Hitter’s Eye feature of this game you
will learn how to recognize pitches, how to turn on them and powder them. The
game also features the ability to place hits with the Pure Swing System..
The 2005 version of the game sports two new
modes (in addition to the exhibition, dynasty, home run showdown, manager mode
and scenario editor) – owner mode and mini games. The latter is broken down into
batting, pitching and untimed pitching, and there are four difficulty settings,
depending on where you want pinpoint accuracy or a somewhat-forgiving
experience. The batting mini game has you placing hits. The pitching game is
akin to knocking out colored blocks with certain pitches. They are time, of
course, and you have to be fast and accurate.
The other new mode, as mentioned, is the owner
mode. From the owner’s box, you can work on the team finances, set pricing, buy
assets, set up promotional days, hire staff, design a ballpark and even do a
virtual tour of your stadium. The team chemistry, and fan happiness all come
into play, and even players will want to renegotiate their contracts or gripe
about playing time (too much or lack thereof).
Owner’s mode is similar to dynasty mode though
the emphasis is more on building a franchise and catering to the fans in the
former, while establishing the farm system, drafting and trading for players
really factors into the latter.
Some of the situational AI is a little
suspect. A key player is injured and the injury takes 12 days to heal. Upon the
ability to play again, that player is inserted into the lineup and a day later
complains about playing time. A rookie is called up and gets inserted into the
starting lineup to shine and become the everyday fielder. The conditional report
shows the rookie rarely drops into the mid-80s, and yet he complains about his
playing time. Do these guys know what it is to have a real job? To go to work
everyday? At some points it would have been nice just to take off that owner’s
hat and not worry about the lineups and/or who gets to play and concern oneself
with working through the season as a player, not as the manager. But this is a
minor item.
And there are three ways to play the actual
game part of the title – play, manage or sim. You can intervene in the latter
two, and both are fast paced.
You can earn MVP points with in-game
accomplishments. This can allow you to unlock retro uniforms, classic stadiums,
legendary players and (after unlocking all 25 players) legendary teams.
And yes, you can create players and negotiate
contracts with them.
When it comes right down to it, the sterling
graphic elements and attention to baseball nuances are what make this game a
pure delight. The control elements are somewhat easy to understand, though
mastering them (without field assist turned on) can take a little time.
The sound is pure EASports, solid and a good
supporting cast member.
EASports MVP Baseball 2005 is everything you
like about videogame baseball, with the great athleticism and tactical gameplay
that makes the game of baseball so exciting. If you love baseball, and own a PC,
you need to own this game.
|
Review |
Gameplay: 9.2
You can learn to read pitches, fine-tune the
single-player controls to give you more room for error or tighten them up to
make each pitch a challenge. Climb the wall to rob a homer, dive for that dying
quail toward the foul line, this game gives players the ability to tailor their
game from the mundane to the spectacular.
Graphics: 9.2
There were some frame-rate issues when the
resolution was popped up, but generally this game has remarkable baseball
animations and the ball physics are spot on. Some of the load screens are a bit
fuzzy on a bigger monitor, but the in-game graphics are crisp.
Sound: 8.7
The announcing does have some repetition, and
the music relies on too few tracks if you play this past 10 hours straight, but
the sound is typical EASports – solid from top to bottom.
Difficulty: Med/Hard
You can ramp up the challenge to make this game as challenging as you wish. The
game’s options do let you fine-tune almost every aspect of the game.
Concept: 9.2
This game has all the elements that make for a great game. Customization,
challenge and spectacular animation.
Multiplayer: 8.8
If you want to test your abilities, there is
no better way than to hook up for some Internet games through the EASports. Not
only can you get the current rosters, but any other patches available. The game
comes with rosters as of early January. The latest patch (at the time of this
review) was with rosters accurate as of Feb. 20. You do have to have a EASports
membership and registered game to play online. Players are rated and their
number of disconnects are also listed.
Overall: 9.0
This is an amazing game, addictive and a pure
delight for baseball fans young and old. The controls are kept simple enough to
learn quickly and the options allow each gamer to customize their experience.
This is what PC baseball is supposed to be like.
