Customer Reviews

MVP Baseball 2003

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just purchased this game today and have been playing for a couple of hours now and want to share some immediate feedback for those of you not sure about this title. I cannot speak to other titles as this is the only one I have played this year. This is in no way similar to Triple Play...it has a totally different look/feel. I mention that because the screenshots I have seen floating around out there didn't give me that impression.

1. The pitching system is excellent. With a little practice you will feel like you actually have control over the pitching game, pitch by pitch. You will never go back to the typical pitch system after using this, as it adds an element of intensity to the game. My suggestion though...turn off the fade until you get the hang of it!

2. In batting, you hit almost everything you swing at but most turn into outs. The ability to try to place hits is a great feature, and I imagine will be a key feature down the road. By the way, I have yet to hit a homerun. I'm playing rookie so you can adjust hit levels. You can adjust just about everything in this game...it was well thought out.

3. Baserunning...again, the PIP system is revolutionary. You will have so much to watch at the same time, and control, and track...it overwhlems you at first, but once you get the hang of it, it again adds a new dimension of control and intensity. Excellent, excellent feature! Lots for you to do here.

4. You have several camera views to choose from...including behind the pitcher, for both batting and pitching. You can also adjust the view to alternate...3 from behind the pitcher, and 2 from behind the plate. Also, you can change the ratio to 3-1, or always behind the pitcher, or angled behind the plate, or centered behind the plate (the tradiional view).

5. Great ambient sounds. Organ music, crowd, vendors! OK commentary. Multiple uniforms to choose from. Can set game to day or night.

6. Stadiums looks great. Not as crystal clear as what I have seen on Sega screenshots but I think EA's look more realistic. Here's an example of what I mean...I can't remember ever going to a night baseball game where you could actually see a sky full of stars...usually the glare of lights mixed with hazy downtown atmosphere makes it impossible to see stars that clearly...that's what you get in this game, the realistic glow of the lights, as opposed to being able to see all the stars like Sega. It makes the stadiums seem very real, very big, and very 3-dimensional.

7. Fielding: The ps2.ign.com review made it seem like this was a disaster area, but that's an exaggeration. I have not had the goofy things happended that that reviewer mentioned, like diving for balls right in front of you, but I set the control to manual fielding, not assisted, so maybe that's the difference. The only thing about fielding I don't like is how they tend to stand in throwing position every time they touch the ball. Sometimes I don't want to see that. But I can live with it.

8. There are tons options you can adjust in this game...just about every aspect, to customize to what you like.

I can't speak to Franchise or any of that as it's too soon. You defintely can create players and you have a million options there, like what you expect with EA.

My only other comment is the batters tend to squat lower than normal, and a couple have "noodly" arms. But really as far as graphics that's it. The rest is gorgeous. The "camera" work is tremendous.

All in all a great game...oustanding pitching/batting interplay. Awesome baserunning, superb atmosphere/ambience. A real baseball feel. I would imagine if you are a Sega devotee this game might be a bit too much to control. I don't mean that to be insulting, I think Sega targets a more sim environment, which in baseball means a lot of sitting/standing/waiting/watching. In this game there's a heck of a lot going on with each and every pitch I (like just delievering the right pitch itself) and not a lot of down time to ponder things like how the stars look, or if there's a blimp overhead. That may aggarvate Sega devotees much like NBA Live did in its arcade presentation. Keep in mind, this is not an arcade version of baseball! It;s just that you are heavily involved in every single aspect of the gameplay, so there's no time to rest.

In short, this game delievers as promised, a complete overhaul of the way baseball games have been played. What you would expect from the makers of amdden Football. The higest recommendation (from someone who plays all 161 games each year!)

The addition of a pitching meter on par with the kicking meters from Madden Football makes you actually pay attention to each pitch. As your pitcher gets tired, or has less going with that pitch, it becomes harder and harder to hit the target. Of course, you can choose to throw less hard and have a better chance of making an accurate pitch, especially in later innings. The consequences are dire--tipping the pitch--giving the batter the location of the ball, or just hanging a meaty changeup over the plate. I have badly missed due to losing focus, slipping finger, etc, and have seen the balls still up in the air.

Also, hitting is completely new. unlike previous guess the zone and pitch hitting games wher you are trying to lock a cursor on the ball, you are simply swinging. Because of this, picking up the pitch location, speed, type is an absolute must. Each hitter has hot zones which vary depending on facing lefty righty, and how the game is going. The success of your swing is a factor of where the pitch is, the timing, pull the ball? etc. Difficult but enjoyable. I have played about 12 games so far and it has not become the homerun battle that many of the other games quickly descend into.

The game is designed for you to play more than one season. In every other game, skipping a game means that your star players go 0-4 and your starter gets rocked, in an attempt to return to the average the computer thinks the player should be at. This game consists of building up momentum. WHen you reach high momentum, you team tends to roll through simulated games. Also, when simulated, it goes half inning by half inning and you can jump in at any time if it is not going well, or to simply close it out. Each game has a different momentum value. Home games late in the season are high momentum games, as are division games or games vs other leading teams. So, you are expected to skip over lesser games once you get the momentum. Also, players are assigned a point value for their contract. looks like each corresponds to $2,000 of real salary. Anyway, each team has a budget and the budget is varied each yeat depending on success. at the start of your franchise, you have goals for the next five years. For the Yankees, these include winning 4 world series, winning an MVP and Cy Young, winning 60% division games and winning the division, etc. Your budget and ability to manage is dependant upon you meeting these goals. I looked at the Royals, and the golas were significantly different. Win division, above .500....etc.

Trades,as usual are not perfect. You can pick up some nice players if you want to without too much trouble, but it is no longer a freebie, ie., can't trade three scrubs for a star. Have yet to finish a season, but allegedly players improve/fall each year.

THe best baseball game in many years, and clearly the most innovative. Can't imagine going back to cursor pitch games ever again. Like the paradigm shift from Joe Montana football to Madden 2001

Every year I buy one or two baseball games since the mid eighties. I've owned an NES, SNES, PSone and PS2 for two years now. Since I live, breathe, and will die sports, baseball especially, I can always find something wrong with it. I have been pretty faithful to EA Sports. Madden, Live, NHL and Triple Play in the past. However, too many things with Triple Play bothered me. Big heads was awful. Thank God that has been corrected. The gameplay of MVP is completely different. It does not feel as if you are just going through the motions and waiting for the ninth inning. MVP is fun. I've played 4 complete, nine inning games. All in one sitting. The pitching is awesome, the hitting is awesome, the fielding is awesome. I set the fielding on assisted because I need to feel in control at all times, but I like to see where the ball is going to land in the outfield. The graphics are much improved since Triple PLay 2002. Home runs are not impossible to hit, but are not every other batter. The only blemish that I have discovered is after fouling the first pitch off in my at bat, as the second pitch was being delivered, the commentator said "And here's the first pitch of the at bat". C'mon guys, pay attention! Finally, I will say that since I am such a control freak with my games, I love the pitching feature which allows you to select your pitch, location and speed. Same with fielding. You can lob a more accurate toss or rifle a speedy throw to the base with less accuracy. This is by far the best baseball game to date, however, as I play more, I'm sure I'll be able to find something to pick apart. I have to, otherwise there would be no reason to buy MVP 2004 next year. :o)

Im a huge baseball fan. Let me re-iterate, Im an incredibly huge baseball fan. When I purchase a baseball video game, I want to have my socks knocked off. In fact, I thought I had when I bought the High Heat series of baseball games, only to be let down 20 games into the season.

EA Sports has knocked my socks off, and MVP continues to astonish me with every game that I play. Graphically, this game is superb, the stadium detail is meticulous, the crowds in the stadiums look like real crowds as opposed to cardboard cut-outs. The players are incredibly defined, look at Nomar's nose, Posada's ears or Sheffield's stance.

The gameplay is amazing as well. Not too slow paced, and every detail on the ball field is reproduced. Granted there are some MINOR tweaks that I would have to make. The "over-the-shoulder" grab that Willie Mays made is all too common in this game, and the CPU offense lacks a lot of power. I play on the all-star level, and think I've had 6 home runs hit off of my pitching staff in the 57 games that I've played. I can get through games with heavy hitters not tagging me, and even the most pure fan of any team wants to see a great opposing player go BIG FLY every once in a while.

The announcing crew is very good, not to repetitive during a game, except for the facts. If I had a dollar for every time that I heard that the Yankees pitching staff went 65 inning last year without giving up a walk, I could put the down controller and buy Steinbrenner out.

MVP Baseball is the best baseball game on the market. First of all, gameplay is far more realistic than MLB 2004 and All-Star baseball 2004. You're not gonna hit home runs every at-bat. You can score runs by moving guys around and getting key hits. In batting, you have to time the pitch and aim your swing. There are no batting cursors, so when you play against another human you're not gonna strike out 20 times against Pedro. EA Sports came up with "mistake pitches" which are a great idea. When the pitcher makes a mistake, a round circle will appear on the screen, so you get a tip-off to aim your swing.
The pitching is decent. You control how you pitch with a meter. One end controls how effective your pitch is (i.e. big break on a curve, high velocity on a fastball). The other controls how accurate the pitch is. As the pitcher gets into the later innings, it becomes harder to throw an effective and accurate pitch just like in the majors.
There is yet another meter in fielding. When you field the ball, you hold down the base you want to throw to. Hold it down long, and you'll get a hard throw with the risk of throwing it wild. On a one-hop shot to third, barely hold it down to get an accurate, slow throw. The only problem with the throwing meter is that on a relay home, your fielder will wait for you to hold down the button, and the guy will be safe at home.
Franchise mode is awesome. You have a set of franchise goals to accomplish, and you get a manager rating based upon these goals and your winning percentage. Also, CPU teams will offer you trades, and as GM you can choose to accept or decline them. There is a cool little box in the right hand corner that allows you to see your division's standings, your upcoming opponents, and your payroll.
Next year if EA Sports integrates Madden 2004's new owner mode and create-a-team into this game, MVP 2004 will continue to be ahead of the pack.

In just one year, it is truly incredible to see just how much EA has improved this series. As a longtime EA Sports fan, I can tell you of the many improvements this game has made. For true baseball fans, commentary has always been a low spot in games. Although MVP Baseball commentators tend to repeat themselves, it is cool how you finally have commentators you know from ESPN or TV. The only glitch in this game is the fact that there is no dive button: the CPU does it for you, which can make you dive at times you don't want to.
It is worth a couple of things like that, though, to get this game. The new pitcher/batter interface with the hot/cold zones are as good as they were hyped to be. Baserunning is the most realistic I have ever seen. Franchise mode makes you feel completely in control of your team, giving you grades on how well you do. Also, the franchise momentum meter helps your team play better if you win games at home, against your rival, or late in the season. The stadiums make the gamer feel like he/she is in the ballpark.
This is a great game, and, after testing other games, would choose MVP Baseball 2003 over any of the other baseball games on the market.

Baseball sims never could replicate the excitement of Sammy Sosa facing the closer, with 2 outs, bottom of the 9th, runners on 2nd and 3rd, with the Cubs down by 1 run. Until now.
Almost unexplainable as to why, this game pulls it off. The graphics are the best ever for a baseball sim, but its really the pitcher/batter duel that EA Sports has perfected with new interfaces, which to me is the essence of baseball itself. No longer mindless, boring cursor pitching and hitting, this game gets you involved in the mind game battle, and for that alone is worth the price.

Sure, you could complain that it does not have the best franchise mode out there (still OK), or the best fielding control (no control over diving/jumping), or a fantasy draft (always a fun option), but as soon as you get the hang of the pitching and hitting, all is quickly forgiven. Between the best STAT keeper and the most options (WSB & All Star & High Heat) games vs. the most fun to play and OK options/features, I chose the latter. If you do too, get MVP as your baseball game this year.

WOW what a game. I have to say every aspect of baseball was carefully critiqued and reviewed before being put in this game. "If its in the game its in the game" And FINALLY, finally EA has lived up to this saying. The batting is ultra realistic but I'm still a little miffed about it's difficulty. You can wiff at a pitch thrown right down the middle which urks me but that is reality in essence.
The game action is fun, fun, fun. I found myself screaming and cheering when I got a hit or a Home run just as I do at real games.
The stadium and graphics are OUTstanding. Every detail right down to the vender and champ flags was highly detailed and rendered. I could point to my exact seat that I always sit in at Turner Field. THIS IS THE GAME FOR BASEBALL LOVERS!!
The Franchise mode is just a super great idea. You can build a team from scratch and take it all the way. Don't like your team Broker trades and give all of your mates away to form the perfect outfield like mine, Bonds, Griffey, and Sosa. Create a player with godlike stats and build your team around him. I find myself when I'm at work thinking in my head about how to trade to get Thome at 1st. Or how do I work Derosa in and make him a starter without destroying my winning team. You do have goals to accomplish for every team and you even get graded. Get above an A and just about every manager is banging at your door offering trades. That is just great. Win a championship get it hung in the stadium and then do a firesale and start over with young talent. THERE's even a draft at the end of every season so you can draft the next Barry Bonds or Greg Maddux. THIS IS a must have. Get it get it get it. Bravo EA. thank you so much this game will be keeping me busy and entertained for a long time. All the other games are just too cartoony and make the game to be like a circus. If you want reality this is it. If you want to go to the circus by the other ones.

I got this game on Thursday and I haven't taken it out of my PS2 since. I am almost constantly playing it. Here's why

-all the other baseball games arent realistic at all. Where's the realism in moving a little cursor to the ball location you know in advance. This system jacks up scores and makes it horrendous. With the swing control, you feel like you are actually putting in effort

-The pitching in other games is just push a button and pick a location. the ball's accuracy depends on the pitchers energy level. With MVP you have an accuracy and quality bar, so if youre playing your friend they cna pitch in the cold zones all they want, but if they dont get it in the accuracy zone on the bar, it could end up as a souvenir. Much more realistic

The only problem I had was with baserunning. I told the man on third to go home and the man on second to advance. as soon as i told the man on second to advance, the man running home came back to third, resulting in an out and a missed oppurtunity. I am starting to learn how to run more effectively now and this isnt happening.

If you are a fan of baseball you should get it. MVP is a revolutionary game.

After two Triple Play failures, it seems EA has finally figured out they need to make a better game. MVP Baseball 2003 looks as though it might come out on top this year. The game has been reworked from the ground up. EA is taking a different approach at pitching this year and is introducing the pitching meter. It works like this: you use a cursor the select where you what your pitch to go and then select which pitch with the corresponding button. Then when you press the button the meter starts, and depending on how high you get the meter, the faster the pitch. Then the meter goes the other way and you try to press the button again to get the meter into a green area to have how accurate the pitch is. Batting is also all-new. It is entirely directional. You use the left analog stick at the right time in the right direction to hit the ball well. Say if the pitch is outside and you choose to swing inside, even if timed perfectly you would get poor contact. Fielding has improved with the Throw Meter. X is home, square 3rd, Triangle 2nd and circle 1st. You just hold the corresponding button down for how hard you want the ball to be thrown. If you get into the overthrow zone, you might overthrow the ball. One thing I definitely can't forget is the new graphics. Finally, no more cartoony enormus heads!!! Actually all the baseball games coming out this year look good, but MVP will be on top.