MLB 2005 - PSP Reviews - The Armchair Empire


	Platform PSP Genre Sports Publisher SCEA Developer 989 Sports ESRB E (Everyone) Released February 2005

- Great graphics - Good gameplay - Sounds great! - MLB fans can now play on the go - Lots to do

- More for the fans - Hard for newcomers

Review: All-Star Baseball 2005 (XB) Review: Baseball Advance (GBA) Review: MLB 2004 (PS2)
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MLB 2005

Score: 8.0 / 10

There are many baseball fans out there and it doesn’t take half a brain to know that making a baseball game could pay off, especially on the PSP where eager fans can now take the sport anywhere they go. And in a one-line review, MLB 2005 is supposed to be similar to its console counterparts and it gets the job done.

There are three modes of play: Quickplay, Season and Online. Season mode is where most time will be spent if you don’t like playing online with your PSP. There is quite a bit to do in season mode and the game offers a lot in-between games like trading players etc. There are three levels of difficulty, which include rookie, veteran and all-star.

The AI in the game is better than average. In fact I can’t say it’s shabby at all. I admit that at first I thought it was cheap until I realized how much I suck. The AI likes to be tricky, especially the pitcher who really likes to mix it up. I for one was not confident in my own pitching skills in the game and usually screw up by hitting the player. But once I got a hold of the basic mechanics, I realized how well 989 Sports implemented pitching in the game. To aim the pitch, players must use the analog stick on the PSP (which is a little too sensitive). There are also four different types of pitches. Pitching is easy to do and it works. What’s really interesting is that the accuracy of a pitcher’s throw depends heavily on some stats like confidence or fatigue.

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Hitting is nice and easy (even for me). The ball comes at and you either hit or miss. It all comes down to your timing.

Retrieving the ball in the air is a piece of cake. All you have to is stand under it. Then there’s the process of throwing the ball at a base to try and get a player out. This, for me, is not so easy, but depending on the difficulty the AI can help you with this.

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Graphically the game looks very impressive. I have been told that it’s missing some details from its console’s counterparts, but I wouldn’t know. I don’t recognize any faces but they look authentic and the animation is very smooth. The swinging and the pitching all look believable and the game’s physics make it all look better. There are tons of stadiums all with an assortment of advertisements and billboards, which is a nice touch.

Audio is extremely impressive. The music in the menus, the sound of the bat connecting with the ball and, yes, there is even great commentary. With the headphones on, commentary has never sounded so great. What makes it better is that the commentators Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell say things that are accurate to what’s going on.

Baseball fans will be right at home with MLB 2005. SCEA and 989 Sports hit a homerun and offer a lot for the PSP.

- J'Tonello

(June 7, 2005)


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