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THE SPORTS JOURNAL | NEWS FILE |
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REVIEWS
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MVP Baseball 2004
Posted on Wednesday, March 17 2004
| REVIEW INFORMATION |
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By
rvd2kewl
"If you’re a fan looking for your baseball fix, “MVP Baseball 2004” is the game for you. It has some minor problems and there’s still room left for improvement – but ... it’ll be a long time before you're putting the game away to wait for “MVP Baseball 2005. " |
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| DISAGREE ? POST YOUR OWN REVIEW |
Publisher
: EA Sports
Developer : Tiburon
Release Date : OUT NOW !
Genre : Baseball
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| 9 |
Gameplay |
| 9 |
Graphics |
| 10 |
Longevity |
| 9 |
Presentation |
| 8 |
Sound |
| 9 |
Overall
Score
(not average) |
Platform :     |
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HOW IT STACKS UP
| THE
GOOD |
| Minor Leagues, online gameplay, deep dynasty mode, innovative pitching system |
| THE BAD |
| Some online problems, graphical issues on the PC, fielding is a steep learning curve, stadiums a little bland |
Baseball fans, it’s that time of the year. The weather is warming up and the grass is getting greener. Spring training is already underway and the regular season is set to begin in just under two weeks. Baseball games have already started to hit store shelves. The first to arrive this year is “MVP Baseball 2004.”
Last year marked the debut of the series and while it was a huge step above its predecessor, “Triple Play Baseball,” it still left plenty of room for improvement.
Gameplay
The gameplay is where “MVP Baseball 2004” excels. Every aspect of the game has been tweaked to make the user feel as if they are actually on the field.
On the hitting side there is a lot more involved this year than just going up to the plate and swinging the bat. The result of an at-bat now depends on several factors including timing, location, player attributes, and type of hit you are going for. Each batter has a “window of opportunity” that is based off of their contact rating. The “window of opportunity” demonstrates the point of where a player should swing the bat on the ball’s way to the plate in order to have success. Players like Albert Pujols and Todd Helton have high contact ratings, therefore, their “window of opportunity” is larger and they have a greater chance for success.
With the new “Pure Swing” system in place this year, hitting has become much more realistic. You have to think like a major league hitter when at the plate, meaning if you get a fastball that’s up and inside, try and pull it down the line. Attempting to hit a fly ball to the opposite field will more than likely result in an out. If you get a pitch on the outside corner and attempt to pull it, you’re not going to have much success – just like in real life. The hitting takes some getting used to at first but once you do, you come to really appreciate just how realistic it is.
Pitching has also taken a step forward. Pitchers can setup the batter as the computer will take more pitches and now swings at balls out of the strike zone. The same pitching meter from last year is there. It’s a two-tap system where you hold down the button of the type of pitch you selected. While holding the button of the pitch down, a cursor begins to move down the meter. You release the button on the meter’s way down to select the power/effectiveness of the pitch. The further down the meter the cursor goes, the more powerful/effective the pitch is going to be. On the meter’s way back up, you tap the button to try and get the cursor to stop inside the green. Tap the button too soon or too late and the accuracy of the pitch will be off. Tap it inside the green and the pitch will go where you want it to go. The better a pitcher is at throwing a certain pitch the bigger the green area will be on the pitching meter.
There are consequences, however, to throwing every pitch at maximum power/effectiveness. Your pitcher will wear down quicker and you will be forced to go to the bullpen early, otherwise you will be susceptible to a big inning by your opponent. Mound visits actually play an important role during games this year. They can be positive, negative, or have no effect at all on the pitcher. It all really depends on the situation. If you decide to do a mound visit after your pitcher has given up a base hit to start the game, he’s more than likely going to have a negative reaction. However, say there are two outs in the 7th inning and you’re winning 3-2, but your pitcher has just surrendered back-to-back hits and he’s down to 50% stamina. A mound visit could do the trick and give the pitcher just enough to retire the next batter and get out of the inning.
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