|
|
 |
|
THE SPORTS JOURNAL | NEWS FILE |
|
|
|
|
REVIEWS
|
|
|
|
MVP Baseball 2004
Posted on Wednesday, March 17 2004
| REVIEW INFORMATION |
|
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. " |
|
| DISAGREE ? POST YOUR OWN REVIEW |
Publisher
: EA Sports
Developer : Tiburon
Release Date : OUT NOW !
Genre : Baseball
|
| 9 |
Gameplay |
| 9 |
Graphics |
| 10 |
Longevity |
| 9 |
Presentation |
| 8 |
Sound |
| 9 |
Overall
Score
(not average) |
Platform :     |
|
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 |
Dynasty
The build of the dynasty mode is similar to last year’s dynasty mode as far as design is concerned, but overall the dynasty mode is much deeper, one of the deepest ever for a console game. Team chemistry factors into winning. Playing time now plays a role in contract negotiations. If you sign a player and promise him a starting job, he better end up starting on your team, otherwise he could get upset and it will affect his play. Happy players are more likely to have success.
A trading block has also been added this year. On the trading block screen you can see every player placed on the block from around the league. Depending on the player and the situation, placing a player on the trade block will have a positive or negative impact with the player. Happy players might get upset and their performance will suffer. A disgruntled player will still have a bad attitude but could try to showcase himself for another team.
Perhaps the biggest and best addition to dynasty mode this year is the ability to play as your minor league teams. Every single AA and AAA minor league team is licensed and in “MVP Baseball 2004.” Unfortunately, minor league players can’t appear in the video games unless they’ve played in the majors before, so there are a lot of computer generated players. Being able to play AA and AAA games gives you the ability to see what a player can do before actually bringing him up. It feels like a minor league game too. The crowd isn’t as loud as they are at the major league ballpark and players don’t make some of the plays major leaguers do.
During the off season you have to deal with player retirements, re-sign expiring contracts from your current team, draft amateur players, sign the draft picks, and then go through the free agent signing process – all while trying to stay under the budget and put together a winner. Retirements can be due to injuries, age, and personal reasons.
Mound charges during dynasty mode games lead to bench clearing brawls and can result in ejections, injuries, and suspensions.
Now onto to some of the negatives of dynasty mode…
Spring Training stadiums are not in so all games are played at the home team’s home ballpark. Season-to-season stats, single season and career records, and waiver wires are not in this year.
Longevity
“MVP Baseball 2004” has plenty of features other than exhibition games and dynasty mode to keep gamers interested.
Online play allows two people to connect via the Playstation 2 console and play a one-on-one exhibition game. The only big issue with online play at the time of this review is that every game your ace is starting. That could still be corrected because the servers are not officially set to launch until later this month. “MVP Baseball 2004” online supports both 56k and Broadband connections.
Manager Mode lets you call the shots without actually going into a game and controlling the players. Not only is it a separate mode by itself on the game modes screen but you can also play your dynasty games that way. On the left side of the screen you select what to do (such as swing away, bunt, pitch around, go to the bullpen, etc.). On the right side the game is played out for you to follow. A game can actually be completed in less than 10 minutes.
Home Run and Pitcher Showdowns are great to play if you don’t have time to play a full game or just want to have a little friendly competition with some friends. In Home Run Showdowns, you compete against an opponent to see who can reach a total distance (3,000 feet, 7,500 feet, etc.) for hits first. Home runs have bonuses that add to your score while the distance a foul ball travels is deducted from your total. In Pitcher Showdowns, the first pitcher to strike out a set number of batters from the same lineup wins.
Scenario Mode is just like the name says, a place to create any possible scenario using the current rosters, so you can re-create any game from the 2004 Major League Baseball season.
There are 52 Legends, 8 stadiums, and 60 retro jerseys to unlock using points earned from completing certain tasks during gameplay (throw a no-hitter, hit 3 home runs in one game, etc.). Unlocked legends can also be added to dynasty mode so Red Sox fans can put Babe Ruth in the middle of their lineup to take on Giambi, Jeter, Rodriguez, and the rest of the Yankees.
From top to bottom, “MVP Baseball 2004” has as much depth as any baseball game ever created and it’s bound to keep you busy all throughout the year.
Presentation
Overall when you factor in announcing, music, crowd reaction, and camera shots during the game, “MVP Baseball 2004” does an adequate job of coming off like a TV presentation. Several new camera angles have been added this year for batting, pitching, fielding, and cuts made in-between innings. Almost every angle possible is in this year so it’s safe to say you won’t have trouble finding an angle to your liking. Fireworks go off every time the home team hits a home run. I know there are some gamers that might not like fireworks going off after a home run at older stadiums like Wrigley Field but it’s not a big deal and most of the time you’re not even thinking about it when it happens. Unfortunately, there isn’t much as far as home run celebrations other than Sammy Sosa doing his usual kissing of his fingers, tapping his chest, and giving the peace sign.
The classic menu interface comes off really well. Everything is nicely laid out and loads quick from screen to screen.
PREVIOUS | Page 3 | NEXT
- - - - -
|
|
|
|
|
YOUR REVIEWS |
|
|
|
You
can have your say on the latest sports games.
Click here
for more details - you must register a username
before you can post - and to read the reviews that other members have posted. |
|
|
|
|
CONTACT
US |
|
|
|
We
welcome your feedback on this site, the news we
post, our reviews... just about anything to do
with The Sports Journal. Write to feedback@thesportsjournal.com. |
|
|
|
|
News Interceptor