- Enhanced Big Play controls - Make your players stretch and dive, beat pickoff throws and more.
- Precision p lets you paint the corners, or own the plate by moving in the batter's box.
- Become an Owner and control every aspect of your team's lineup, building players during Spring Training and other mini-games.
- New tools for creating your own ballpark - Build a pitcher's paradise or a hitter's dream.
- Advanced Single-A squads and new stadiums to expand the Minor Leagues.
Product description
-------------------
MVP Baseball 2005 offers serious baseball fans an unprecedented
level of control and variety. Whether you want total control of
your at-bat, read the pitch, or try your skill sas an owner, it's
all here. Make your run for the pennant in a fully featured
Spring Training mode, playing in unbelievable 3D stadiums. With
all-new unlockable legends and gear and head-to-head online play,
MVP Baseball 2005 is the most fun, polished, innovative, and
authentic baseball simulation ever created. Hitter's Eye visual
indicator picks up the pitch as soon as it leaves a pitcher's
hand Take your game online and track fantasy baseball stats
in-game with the latest MLB news and live scores
Review
------
After working your way through all of the new content in this
year's Major League Baseball, you can't help but eye MVP like you
would an old pair of cleats. The new material that EA has
implemented is minimal at best, and most of the additions don't
generate a lot of excitement. With that said, this is still the
best-playing baseball game on the market. It may feel old hat,
but it handles the fundamentals and nuances of the game much
better than Major League. You really get the distinct feeling
that the team spent a lot of time polishing the game to attain
the highest level of authenticity possible.
Fielding is tighter than last year, allowing players to really
get a good feel for each position on the diamond. The
implementation of a perfect marker on the p meter makes it
more difficult to paint the corners, so you shouldn't throw as
many no-hitters as you did last year. Batters can also read
pitchers thanks to the new Hitter's Eye feature, which briefly
color-coats the ball as it is thrown to tell you what you are
swinging at. This looks a bit goofy in my opinion, but since you
can't read the spin on the laces like players do, it's a
nice solution.
Most of the changes are found in the frontend. As in the Madden
games, players can now run the finances of their team and build
their own stadium. I really got a kick out of this new feature.
Enticing people to come to games by selecting free gifts for fan
appreciation days is a lot of fun, and actually having to build a
winning team that brings in enough funds to upgrade the stadium
facilities makes sense. It's very gratifying to watch your
stadium grow from a rinky dink park to a colossal sporting venue.
The only drawback is that unlike football's quick 16-game season,
you'll need to play or sim through hundreds, maybe thousands of
games to get your team where you want it. Going even further with
the minor leagues, players can now play and manage rosters for
their club's A-ball team. Franchise options don't get much deeper
than this.
EA has also included addictive minigames for both batting and
p. Like Tetris, you can't seem to put the controller down
once you start playing. Thankfully, you'll receive points for
performing well in these games that can be used to purchase
legendary players (new Hall of Famers like Carlton Fisk are
included), classic stadiums (Bloomington, anyone?), and tons of
throwback jerseys.
This game is put together incredibly well, but fans who vested
hundreds of hours in last year's iteration will likely be let
down by the familiarity on the field. Conversely, if you are just
looking for a solid gameplay package, MVP is still the game to
beat.
Concept:
A highly polished, yet only slightly changed follow-up to last
year's release
Graphics:
Virtually identical to last year. The detail of the created
stadiums is exceptional, however
Sound:
The commentary team doesn't even come close to delivering on the
same level of Major League's dynamic duo. The soundtrack is
better than last year, however
Playability:
P is a bit more difficult this time around (as it should
be), fielding is easier to get a grasp on, and batters can now
read pitches
Entertainment:
Owner mode offers an unprecedented level of depth, and the
gameplay is still in a league of its own
Replay:
Moderate
Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner
Issue: March 2005
2nd Opinion:
With a methodical, Yankees-like approach, MVP continues to build
its dynasty brick by brick. However, 2005's gameplay remains
largely unchanged. It seems that additions like Hitter's Eye were
only introduced to make things easier for people – so I suggest
you turn this unexciting feature off. Owner's mode gives you some
stadium options to play with, but the Spring Training minigames
were what I was most excited about. It's just too bad that there
isn't more to scouting in the off-season. If you're still
slogging through a 162-game season from last year, I could see
you not getting this title and being fine with that. It's still
the best, but it hasn't gotten much better in the meantime.
Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Matthew Kato
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