MVP Baseball 2004

"So good, I had to go out and buy it for myself!"

Okay, I realize that I don't play that many different baseball games each year. However, I have played previous versions of MLB baseball and such, and I know what I like. I haven't owned a baseball game since Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the SNES. But that has changed now with this great game that I have played (and loved) for both the PS2 and the XBOX.

--- Breakdown ---

Graphics: 7.

I've read in magazines that the players for this game look really close to their real life counterparts. I don't really see it. Carlos Delgado looks pretty close, and some other big name people have had some work done on 'em, but guys like Vernon Wells, Rafael Palmerio, and, quite frankly, Babe Ruth, really don't look like they are supposed to.
I like that some of the fans in the crowd look 3D'ish, but the ones over the homerun fences are flat as a board again. However, the stadiums look decent, there are enough different animations to make things appear more realistic, and shine and gloss of hats, bats, etc. look pretty darn good.

Gameplay: 9.5.

MVP rocks in the gameplay department. However, a new person to the game who just wants to go up and start hitting balls may be disappointed. That's because to actually get a good hit on a lot of the balls, you have to press the analog stick in the direction you want to hit and the way the ball is going/curving, too. It can be tricky to pull a ball without popping it up the wrong way. But you can also adjust your contact rating and pitch speed if you wanted to so you don't have to do a lot more than swing.
The game loses some gameplay for the defensive aspect. You can do it yourself, but you have to manually switch who is going after the ball. Sometimes you don't have time to do that. If you let the computer handle the defense for you, it can make some really dumb plays that cost you outs. However, I really consider it more my fault for letting the computer do it for me in the first place.

Innovations: 9.

Hey, you can play as any of the farm teams you want to play as! In fact, you can groom your farm team players, try 'em out and everything, and then decide if someone would be good to promote to the big leagues. The idea of team chemistry is good, too, but the players complain too much. Seriously, if my closer is complaining that he doesn't get enough play time, that means the team is really getting its butt kicked, or it is really kicking butt and he isn't needed. Also, the game doesn't explain HOW you fix your players' problems. Quite often, I just trade away disgruntled players for people who are happier.
I also like being able to skip portions of a game I don't like. I usually play the odd numbered innings and sim the even ones. That way the computer the give up some runs and make the games closer than they would be otherwise. Also, this cuts down on my playing time. Sadly, though, it also means I can't get points for hitting homeruns, throwing complete games, etc. (but that's okay, 'cuz of the save/cheats available to keep your points until everyone and everything is purchased anyway).

Everything else in the bag: 9.

The create-a-player is good, but none of the players look like me (or anyone else I've tried to create). Also, I would like to control where my red zones (hot spots) are located. I can create a perfect batter and only have 4 hot zones, and they won't be on the side of the strike zone that they should be on. Not only that, but people like Ty Cobb have NINE red zones against right handers and you unable to duplicate that.
That being said, it is good to see legendary players. I also like the old school jerseys. They are missing a few, but all in all it isn't too bad. I am a big fan of the strikeout challenge, even though the strike zone is difficult to see.

Overall: 9.25.

GameFAQS doesn't have a scale with decimal points, but on this review I do! This game is a blast! It looks points only for a below average defense, no help on dealing with team chemistry, and not allowing me to create and/or edit EVERY little thing that I want to mess with (like my hot and cold zones). But that's okay! The rest of the game rocks on BOTH the XBOX and PS2. In fact, the only difference between the two is the hot and cold zones for players. The XBOX and PS2 have different zones for a lot of the players. I dunno why that is, but if I could control the zones myself, there wouldn't BE a difference!

So go get this game! You know you want it! It's fun! Peace.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/05/04