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Baseball 2004 Roundup

Only mere weeks lay ahead before the start of another 162 game baseball season. Choosing the right game will be the hardest it has ever been come March-April. Out are the High Heat and Inside Pitch franchises. In are the newly revamped MVP, All Star Baseball, MLB 2005, MLB Slugfest and ESPN series. Why are there so many to choose from? Because every year the sales are spread out among each series leaving no distinct “best game”. This year might be a different story for each franchise has made significant changes to their style and appeal to gamers.

ESPN Major League Baseball

Publisher: Sega

Platform: PS2, XB

2003 Performance: Hands down, the best baseball game since World Series Baseball debuted on the Sega Saturn. The in-depth and smooth gameplay, statistical accuracy, and great franchise control made it a top favorite among baseball fans.

Best New Addition: FPM (First Person Mode). Debuting with ESPN NFL Football, FPM was a feature that sprung to popularity, despite its many flaws. Those flaws seem apparent in ESPN Major League Baseball and the mode is nowhere near perfection. Despite the drawbacks the feature will be a breath of fresh air when going through a dynasty, and perhaps give a realistic impression of what it feels like to be on the field.

Worst Purchase: Sub-par player models and animations. If you haven’t already noticed how choppy the player animations look and the fact that the player faces look as if they were copied and pasted onto the body, than you might need to look again. ESPN excels in excellent gameplay, statistics, and authentic baseball feel, but hopefully next year they will hire better animators and fix the distorted models.

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2004 Prediction: Probably the best game for those who loved World Series Baseball 2003 and those familiar with the series. You won’t notice significant changes from last year, which is one of the reasons for the $40 price tag, but than again you won’t feel left behind. With an all new pitching meter, retro uniforms, active scoreboards, and zone hitting, ESPN will serve best for the simulation lover who doesn’t get thrown off track by awkward animations and graphics.

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MVP Baseball 2004

Publisher: EA

Platforms: GC, PS2, PC, XB

2003 Performance: Not bad, not great. Aside from the numerous technical bugs and odd play calls, MVP was a great reentry into baseball gaming by EA Sports. The first title bearing the MVP name, formally Triple Play Baseball had been in development for 4-5 years. From the innovative pitching meter to near life-like animations, MVP made one of the best first year entrances of any sports game.

Best New Addition: Just about everything. All of the technical bugs and glitches have been fixed; the dynasty mode has been revamped, all new hitting system, and, the best of all additions, every AAA and AA team! EA Sports has gone the extra mile to deliver what is predicted to be the best sports videogame of all time with a 120 year dynasty. If every piece falls into place, MVP Baseball 2004 will undoubtedly take over sports gaming.

Worst Purchase: Keeping the same commentators. Not that the two are annoying, but EA Sports can do better with writing the lines. With one-liners such as “Uno…dos…adios!” and “pine...meat”, EA Sports might have to send these two to the free agent list.

2004 Prediction: The best baseball game for gamers who do not rely solely on statistical accuracy, but on realistic Gameplay and in-depth control. MVP Baseball 2004 has made the most significant changes to its franchise during the off-season, and has already won over the hearts of many ex-Sega and ex-Acclaim fanboys. In short, MVP Baseball may become the Yankees of sports videogames.

All-Star Baseball 2005

Publisher: Acclaim

Platform: PS2, XB

2003 Performance: Technically the ‘2004 performance’ (All Star Baseball adds an extra year to their title for some reason) ASB was the best game in terms of statistical accuracy. Even though the graphics and player animations are still in need of heavy makeovers, ASB sold plenty of copies.

Best New Addition: Two new camera angles. First, the ‘Fielders Cam’ sheds a new dimension to the definition of fielding. The camera is plotted right behind the fielder giving a 3^rd person perspective of what the fielder sees. The camera might take some time to get used to, but is nonetheless a refreshing idea. The other is a “broadcasters cam” which is set directly where the broadcasters sit, go figure. The top-down angle gives you the same perspective a broadcaster would see and is just as refreshing as the Fielders Cam.

Worst Purchase: Much like ESPN, keeping the same animators and artists. The player faces and models look wonderful, but the batting and fielding animations are rigid. If this can be enhanced a bit more with upgraded graphics, ASB 2006 will make Sega and EA Sports shake in their boots.

2004 Prediction: If anything, the third best baseball game out there. Die-hard followers of ASB will be pleased with the new stylistic changes, as will any newcomers to the series. If realism is your biggest nitpick, than ASB 2005 is your game. Keep in mind, unless you are a very intelligent baseball fan, getting through the numerous stats pages and transactions will keep you up late into the night.

Now that we’ve seen how the top three will fare, keep tuned for Part 2 with all of the same goodness. Next time we’ll check into the underdogs of this years pack with MLB 2005 and MLB Slugfest: Loaded. If you think this group was hot, wait until these two step into the batters box.

- Eric Lahiji

(March 6, 2004)


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