MVP Baseball 2004

"Best Baseball realism out there."

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Controls: 9
Tilt: 10

While MVP 2004 does have its faults, it is by far the best MLB sanctioned game on the market right now. Yes, it does have its low points (which we'll discuss), but on gameplay alone it garners high praise.

Gameplay:

The controls are switched around from previous versions, and usually this is a major problem with sporting games. No such problems here. Mainly the baserunning has become a major part of the game, adding to the realism and making running the bases feel hectic and fast paced. The old "hold down X and push up to go to second base" is gone, and what remains is a solid use of the D-pad, with each direction corresponding to each base. Getting used to the new system is a major problem, and may cost you a few runs in your early gaming. The pitching system has been beefed up, and although the computer will get a few cheap hits off your pitcher, it has become much more fun to try to strike out each batter. Some of the pitches have a bit too much bite to them (Curveballs, to be exact), and can be exploited for cheap K's. By removing the X, Square, Triangle (hard, harder, hardest) system from batting, EA made the homerun exactly what it should be: a reward for smashing a mistake pitch. Too often in previous games you could go up hacking away and hit some 10 HR's in a row. None of that here. What results in all of these changes is a great well rounded game that makes this feel like a baseball experiance, not a HR derby. One major gripe I have is that it is ENTIRELY too hard to hit HR's with lefthanded hitters. I actually lost a HR Derby to Kerry Wood with Babe Ruth, and never hit a ball more than 375. Makes some of my favorite players worthless. Also, when the game scores some of your plays, it does strange things. The most frequent is when you hit a line drive over the SS or 2B, it scores it an error. This get annoying during Season Mode, since you want hits and RBI, and get nothing., Also, I threw what the game considered a perfect game, but my LF dropped a pop fly and it was ruled an error, so it wasn't actually perfect. But since I'm nitpicking like this, it should tell you just how great a game this is.

Graphics:

I'm not exactly one to pick on graphics, so I won't here. Most of the popular MLB players have their faces on their player models, and they look pretty real (except A-Rod, he looks JUST like Miguel Tejada). Swings for many players are meticulusly reproduced, and to great effect. Wait until you get a smash into the gap with Ichiro, and you stretch it to a triple because his swing lets him fly out of the box. I did experiance some slowdown at certain times during the game, but nothing to freak out over, and no damage to gameplay at all.

Sound:

MLB has a number of bands that you probably haven't heard of, but have pretty good songs on the game. They do play in the background during games at times, but mostly it's an in menu feature. All songs can be selected from, and removed if they annoy the hell out of you. All in-game sounds are great. From what I can tell, there are 3 different Umpire voices, vendors in the stands, and crowd noise is great.

Controls:

I have gone over this pretty extensively already, but there are a few things about it I should note:
1. When baserunning, you can pus the D-pad to the base you think a runner should end up at, so you don't have to wait until your player rounds second to make him go to third.
2. When pitching, do not avoid the opposing hitters "hot zones." They do represent an area where the hitter can hit you, but if you're throwing good stuff, he'll usually miss anywho.

Overall:

MLB 2004 is a major upgrade for what had become a stagnant series. Much like what they have done with NHL and NBA, the use of the right analog stick (for sliding while running the bases) has made this series feel real and fun again. The simulations are great, and the new control mapping is icing on the cake. I would most definately reccomend this gaem to anyone who considers themselves a baseball fan.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/04