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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 |
The fielding in “MVP Baseball” has undergone some dramatic changes as well. Gone are the automatic dives and slides. The right analog stick now allows you to execute the EA Sports “Big Play Control” when in the field. What this means is that you can now manually slide (down on the stick), leap (up), or dive to the left or right (press in the direction you want to dive). The throwing meter still exists but it has been tweaked to provide more realistic results. Just like last year, the longer you hold the button down for the base you want to throw to, the stronger the throw will be. There is a red area at that end of the meter. The further into the red area you go, the more chance there is for an offline throw. The size of the red area depends on the player’s throwing accuracy rating and what kind of position the fielder has when making the throw. If the fielder is throwing across his body on the run the throw is going to be tougher, and the red area in the meter is going to be bigger. If the fielder has both feet planted on the ground the throw is going to be easier, therefore, the red area will be smaller.
Player attributes have more effect in the field than just throwing power and accuracy. They also affect the range of outfielders. Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter will get to the ball a lot quicker than Garrett Anderson. Derek Jeter can field a tough grounder in the hole while Rich Aurilia might not get a good break on the ball, allowing it to get into left field.
The artificial intelligence has been vastly improved. Players are smarter at the plate. No longer can you pitch the same way to certain player every time he steps up to the plate. If Alex Rodriguez struck out on an 0-2 slider last time up you can bet he’s going to be looking for a slider if he falls behind in the count the next time he’s up to bat. The computer pitchers are smarter in their approach as well. They will waste a pitch when ahead in the count hoping that you will chase it for strike three. Baserunners don’t hesitate to take the extra base on errors and balls hit into the gap. Managers now favor matchups and bring a left-handed pitcher in to face a left-handed batter late in the game (or a righty to face a right-handed batter).
There are occasions where the AI will make a strange move, however. Seemingly every game the computer will get a relief pitcher up and warming around the fifth inning. This happens even when they have a shutout going. The relief pitcher usually isn’t brought in until about two innings later, but the timing is certainly questionable. Closers aren’t always utilized properly. The computer will stick with the current pitcher in a close game where the closer would usually be brought in or they choose to wait until the final out is needed to bring him in.
Every game has small problems though and “MVP Baseball 2004” is no exception. Sometimes a player will start to slow up to stop at first base rather than running through the bag and it leads to the runner being thrown out. There are times when the replay shows that a player didn’t touch home plate when he scored (hard to notice at full speed). These are all very minor and do not detract from an enjoyable experience.
Graphics
The graphics in “MVP Baseball 2004” are very solid. The stadiums are extremely detailed. Lighting is outstanding at all times. Shadows cover the field for day and dusk games. The crowd is decent. It’s not the best looking crowd you’ll find in a sports game but they react based on the situation during games. They stand up from their seats when the home team gets a big hit and stay seated when the away team has just hit a home run.
The animations are awesome. Everything from the center fielder laying out for the ball to the baserunner going hard into second base with a takeout slide is dead-on. The animations transition perfectly, there’s no delay or awkward-looking motions. Half way through the season you might see an animation for the first time, that’s how many there actually are. Player faces are alright. Some of the players are easily recognizable while most others need the jersey or picture to be recognized. Player models are very accurate, however. Randy Johnson is tall and skinny, Antonio Alfonseca has his big gut, and Sammy Sosa looks like he is ready to unload on a fastball.
Occasionally the frame rate will drop during the game on ps2. It doesn’t drop much but it still slows up at times (when the ball’s hit behind the plate is the most common occurrence). This has been corrected to a certain extent by changing the “Disc Speed” to fast and “Texture Mapping” to smooth on the Playstation 2 configuration settings.
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