MVP Baseball 2004

"Unlike Boston, MVP Baseball 2004 Pulls Through In Its Second Season"

Many will argue that MVP Baseball 2003 had a stellar freshman year. EA haters argued that the games’ pitching was too predictable and that the fielding was horrible. EA must have taken these comments with more than a grain of salt because MVP Baseball 2004 shines over its predecessors.

Graphics-wise, MVP Baseball 2004 looks beautiful. All of the stadiums are designed exactly like they look like in real life, and the player models are done exceptionally. The grass on the field sometimes seems a bit pixilated, but other than that the graphics are truly beautiful.

Though graphics are nice to see in a game, game play is what makes a game become an instant classic or a dud. EA Sports stepped up to the competition by tweaking their game play a notch better than ever other game on the market. First off, the new fielding options are excellent. Want to make a running dive to the left? Then simply press the right analog stick down and to the left. Think that you can rob a homerun? Then press up on the right analog stick to climb the wall. By using the right analog stick, you feel like you are controlling your players instead of watching them automatically field for you. Also, this is the same for sliding. With six different slides in the game, you'll need to know exactly when to do each slide to become a true guru in the game. Using the right slide will make that impossible play happen if you do it at the right time. Using the wrong slide, can make a sure fire steal become an out, due to your stupidity. All of this adds a lot more fun to the game. Hitting hasn't changed much from MVP Baseball 2003. With total analog control, you can hit the ball anywhere you want on the field by simply pressing the left analog in the direction you want. Want to hit the ball high in the air for a sacrifice fly? Then simply press up on the analog stick for a pop up. Pitching hasn't changed at all from last year’s version, but that isn't bad at all. To pitch a pitch, simply press the pitch you want and then charge up the pitching meter to as much as you want. It sounds quite simple, but it takes a lot of skill to know what pitch to throw at the current time.

Dynasty mode has improved drastically with Triple A and Double A teams. Not only do you have to worry about how your MLB team is doing, you now need to worry about both your Triple and Double A teams. This makes franchise mode three times longer a season, which adds a lot of life to this game. Also, if you don't like to simulate games, you can use manager mode instead to make your games a lot more fun. Manager mode is a simple interface where you tell your players what to do in the game. Though you don't see any of the action happening, you see it all on a diagram. This surprising feature actually adds a lot of fun to the game.

EA also delivers with their special EA TRAX. Though the majority of the songs are rock on the jukebox, the music does add a nice flow to the game. The commentary in the game is a nice touch, though it does get repetitive after a while. One nice feature I like is that sometimes the commentators will bring up recent facts about players. It's nothing big, but it's nice to hear some baseball facts while playing.

Overall, MVP Baseball 2004 is a great game for any baseball fan. Though the game does have its casual frame rate drops, it is by far the best game on the market at the moment. If you are looking for a good baseball game that you can have a lot of fun with, make sure that you buy MVP Baseball 2004. If you are a little hesitate about this game due to it being in its sophomore season, make sure you get your feet wet by renting this game. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this game.

Graphics: 9/10
Game play: 10/10
Control: 10/10
Sound: 8/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/04