Customer Reviews

MLB 2005 (Playstation 2)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have played three of this years baseball titles and this one is the one that has the least glitches in my opinion.

I could only play ESPN Baseball for about a half an hour because of the shoddy swing mechanics and the awful graphics. MVP has a great presentation and the best pitching/batting interface but too many things keep it from exceling such as slow outfielders, no wind in stadiums , and baserunners who never steal. While that may not bother some it will bother baseball fans.

MLB 2005 has solid gameplay. The fielding is tight. The fielders get the ball out of their hands as opposed ot how they seem to hold on to it for too long in MVP. You can actually get double plays in this game and your outfielders don't have a one to two second delay while trying to brake for a ball hit in the gaps. The batting and pitching is solid and the game remains fun to play. The only major complaint I have is that there are no check swings. This will cause one too many strike outs but it's a fair tradeoff when you at leats know your outfielder can cover the gaps.Another problem is that the game only lets you hold 10 pitchers on your roster.I would like to have a little more freedom there but that'a a minor gripe. The graphics are slightly above average. They won't wow you but they are not as choppy as ESPN.

The Franchise mode is fabulous. It makes Madden's look small. It is quite fun and addictive to try to keep everything running all at once. I especially enjoy how you can listen to your players and treat them accordingly. It makes it more fun than just playing baseball.

So overall this game while sporting some problems in my opinion has the least of the big three and provided the most fun while being true to the sport.

989 Sports has certainly brought their game to the table with their latest effort, "MLB 2005."
The graphics are top notch and the details (use of color, definition, etc) make this one of the best baseball games available. Where the 2004 version seemed more like a PS1 game, the 2005 version definitely looks at home on the PS2.
All of the stadiums look great and even include the new parks in Philadelphia and San Diego. Unfortunately the crowds are still VERY 2D and look like aniated cardboard characters, 989 needs to improve this aspect of the game.
Hitting can be very difficult and anything above the rookie level may cause you to have fits when the CPU scores 12 runs. Also stealing bases prove to be almost impossible. It's funny because you could steal every time in the 2004 game - 989 needs to find a middle ground here.
A welcome addition is that errors actually occur in this game. While the 2004 version claimed to have that option, I *never* once saw it happen - it does in 2005. One of my biggest complaints though is that there still aren't wild pitches or passed balls in the game and not having them lessens the realism. Also one of the oddest things of the game is that Barry Bonds is nowhere to be found! Why is one of the greatest hitters of all time NOT in this game? There is no reason for him not to be in it as the game is endorsed by both MLB and the player's union. Was this a mistake? How could they overlook this? Another issue I have regards player profiles you can save which apparently allow you to collect "points" where you can unlock "gold" and "silver" era players like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb but the game manual says absolutely nothing about it so how is the player supposed to know what to do?
Still, I'm very impressed with the fantasy aspects of the game such a allowing you to control virtually every aspect of running a baseball franchise and the fact that they include a good number of minor league players for you to call up when needed. Also trading for players requires you to figure out what you REALLY need and who you're willing to lose because the game can reject trade offers. Also when signing free agents, you must propose a satisfactory contract or else the player will turn you down.
While there are some negatives to "MLB 2005" (no Barry Bonds, no wild pitches), 989 Sports has finally come through and delivered a quality baseball game that will keep your interest for a very long time.

I'm a baseball fan and a hardcore gamer. Seeing as though I could care less about any other pro sports aside from baseball, I await March for my yearly sports gaming fix like an addict. Since the beginning of March, I have run the entire gamut of baseball games for all 3 consoles.

I started my gaming season with MVP 2004. As far a thorough disappointment goes, MVP hits a grand slam. Washed-out graphics, extremely poor difficulty settings and idiotic AI sticks out as EA's major list of foul balls. All Star Baseball 2005 is next and though as a whole the game is decent, it has nothing redeeming to rope you in and make you want to play it. Nothing stood out as particularly annoying but wanky character models and ho-hum gameplay makes for the only choice for someone who doesn't own a PS2 or Gamecube.

Now, I fully expected ESPN MLB 2K4 to be the clear winner out of the box as last year's version was, despite the fact that most reviews of Sega's baseball game were luke warm at best. Well, the stat tracking, presentation and options are all there but what the hell happened to the graphics? The stadiums are crowds look very nice but all of the players look dead. They stand up and shake like they have malaria and they movie like they are disease ridden and short on blood. The worst part is their facial models. They truly look zombie-like. I had highest hopes here and was let down hard. Maybe next year.

Though I was immediately impressed by the excessive amount of fantasy options in MLB 2005, I half-expected the gameplay to lag behind as last year's did. For $39.99, I got more than my money's worth in droves. The fantasy options are deep enough to keep someone busy for hours just setting ticket and food prices. Trades are well balanced and fair and makes for some thought-provoking strategy in terms of what strengths your franchise lacks.

Where the gameplay sputtered last year, it shoots out of the starting gate with it's head held high this year, despite a few hiccups. The amount of phantom catches have been drastically reduced and the fielding looks ultra-realisitc, despite the occasional throw to the wrong base (which I suspect is more a result of holding a certain button too long during a pitch rather than a gameplay bug). All of this is rounded out by fantastic graphics that make the competition look completely frightening by comparison. Each player;s face is fairly accurate and their body movements are fluid are exciting to watch, despite occasional clipping issues.

Everything about MLB 2005 is praise-worthy. There are a small list of subtleties I'd like to see addressed for next year but overall, 989 has finally delivered a serious winner.

Like so many of us, I have never been a fan of 989 Sports games but, after reading some pretty positive reviews of this game, I thought I would give it a try. Boy, I'm glad I did! The graphics, commentary & gameplay is so much deeper than MVP. The defense is smartly designed and the baserunning is much smoother, both in execution and in response, than the EA model. About the only part of this game that is still "in review" for me is the hitting. It's hard to hit, period. Scoring is at a real premium. I've found more power capability in this game than in MVP, but the basic art of making contact is more difficult in MLB 2005. If you relish a tightly-played, 2-1 game (or some score like that), than MLB is certainly for you. I've been very pleasantly surprised, and it's nice to see the improvements in their efforts. Way to go 989!!

Review #1: (Written in the same format as most 10-12 year olds)

OMG this game is awsome! You can hit the bal far and creat players that are really strong and good! I mad a player who hit 142 homeruns! This is the bst baseball game ever! Buy itnow! My Mom did!

Review #2: (For people who actually want to know whether this is a good game or not)

The MLB series used to suck. Bad. Big time. But apparently, the folks at 989 sports threw their old game design kits out of a 12 story window and started fresh, because MLB 2005 is back and almost at the top of the leaderboard. It has the best franchise mode of any game this side of Madden '04. The graphics get the job done and the controls--sorry, "Total Control"s--are spot on.

My favorite part of the game, however, is uploading my face onto a created rookie via the EyeToy. It's pretty cool making a funny face (like Bonds hearing he had to visit the pee doctor) and then mapping it out onto the next big thing.

Another thing MLB has going for it is "Career Mode" where you must fight to make it onto a big league club and earn bigger and better contracts and more playing time. There's a handful of retro jerseys and upwards of 50 retro players and a few old time parks to take some swings in.

As far as gameplay goes, pitching is fairly simple, batting (at least on rookie difficulty) is as simple as see it--hit it. There's even interactive Hot/Cold zones, so if you keep hitting the down and aways, your guy will get better at it, thereby affecting his attributes. Fielding isn't too bad and it's nice having separate buttons for jump(R1) and dive(R2). Baserunning takes some getting used to, but stealing is fairly easy as long as you don't use a catcher or pitcher. Or John Olerud. The announce team is spot on, but Matt Vasgersian gets a little annoying ("Guys, the third baseman, is hitting under .200 so far in the early stages of the season")

As for the negatives, there is no create-a-team, franchise seasons MUST be 162 games long, and the stadium crowds are paper thin.

Now, as far as online goes, I haven't had a chance to test that out yet, but here's what 989 says they can do: Voice chat, online leaderboards, official or user tournaments, real life sports tickers, messaging and user-mail (not e-mail), and weekly roster updates. Sounds tasty.

I'm very satisfied with this game, and the $... price point is an added delicacy. Having played All Star Baseball 2 seasons ago and World Series Baseball last year, I can safely say that this game is the best of the three. Definitely a solid purchase for any PS2-owning baseball fan.

This game is great if your a big fan of the MLB Baseball video games for the playstation. The graphics are pretty good, and so is everything else. Also online play is fun too. If your looking for a good baseball game with in-depth gameplay, look no further, cause MLB is a hit out of the park!

Overall the game is very fun. Many of the other reviews touch on some important pros and cons (no Barry Bonds, no Kevin Millar, lack of passed balls or wild pitches, etc). There's actually quite a lot more missing from the game. I don't see how any baseball game could ever be released without check swings! They are so critical to baseball! Can you imagine if the majors called every twitch or check swing a strike? It's ludicris!!!

Also every now and then the game will just completely lock up and give you an unrecoverable white screen. This has happened to me in the middle of some very tight/fun/exciting games.

Also just today when playing, I was pitching and there were men on 2nd and 3rd. The ball was hit to my shortstop in the hole and he ranged over and made the extremely long throw across to 1B in time to get the runner for the 3rd out. But for some reason the game doesn't understand the rules of baseball because it gave them a run and said 'the runner crossed the plate' right as the 3rd out was made (in a single play)!!!! Horrible!

Also if you pinch hit for say your 3B with a back up 2B. The next inning on defense, say you want to move your current 2B to 3B because he's played there before. And you want to move your back up 2B from 3B to 2B on defense. The game does NOT let you do this!!! I guess you can only make defensive changes when you are hitting!!! Why?!?! You can only change fielders with players off the bench.

I really hope they make a much less buggy game next year. This is a typical Sony product though... lots of bells and whistles, but basic rules and features that are horribly flawed.

The "real" life attributes are off a little on some players, but the graphics are strong. The game play is a little harder to master, which I like. I have not yet used the EyeToy to create a player, but the new option sounds great. Love the game so far.

Very solid for the price. This is the best baseball game I have ever played. And I've played two nintendo games, three playstation one games, and another playstation 2 game. I must say that this is a great game. The Franchise mode is simply amazing. You can set promotions like free program night, newspaper ads for players or your team. Talk about total control. You get to set the ticket and concession prices. My only issue with it is the fact that you cannot create a player. Nevertheless, this game is truly extraordinary. Unlike other sports games, this one is VERY realistic. The graphics are amazing and ANYTHING can happen with two outs; Just like real life games. Just get it. It's a wonderful buy.
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Why don't these companies give the game to even one fan before they release the game? The manual for this game is non existant so you have to guess how to play. Apparently there are "fantasy" players like Babe Ruth, I have no idea how to unlock them. Ok, 5 man pitching roster sucks. You have to warm up your bullpen but it takes a whole inning and you can't stall like in real life. You can't put in new players. Players have retired or are on the DL, tough, you have to use them anyway so your team will look nothing like the actual team. You have to have auto baserunning on otherwise you will never get home. I took off auto fielding and my grandmother could turn a better double play ball. The ball is hit to the first baseman and I push over to have him touch the base, instead he throws home, everyone safe. It is impossible to tell what is a ball and what is a strike so you have to swing at everything. The average team gets about 20 hits per game. After every inning the announcer recaps the inning which gets annoying, as are their commentary. I can't get a hit for 7 innings and then I score 14 runs at once.