Customer Reviews

MVP Baseball 2004 for Xbox

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This game is one of the best baseball games that I have ever played. And I've played since triple play 95 for the computer. For starters, there are great gameplay additions that make the game seem like a real ballpark experience. Some of them include, broken bats where they show replays to see which part of the bat broke, grass and dirt stains depending on where you choose to slide i.e legs, chest, crowd chants for certain players ex: Carlos Beltran- "Over-rated" and the Braves Tomohawk chop chant. Also there are multiple swing styles which gives you the ability to homer on any pitch but the chances of doing it on a low pitch on the outside if you are looking to pull it are very minimal.

There are some problems with the game but they are very small. For example, I was pitching in the 9th inning with Jason Davis of the indians and he routinely threw 97 mph every fastball even with 34% stamina. He should have been throwing 84 or so. Also, I have found it very hard to steal bases because if you try and take a lead, he continues to side-step even after the pitch and therefore gets a late jump and usually gets thrown out. In addition, there are very few errors on groundballs because many errors are throwing errors. Lastly, I have noticed that the schedule does not coincide with the actual major league schedule. For example, I played 4 to 5 1:00 games in a row when they all should have been 7:05 starts i.e. April 19, 20, 21.

Overall, I'd say this game is still the best out as I have seen previews and played advance copies of the other 2 games ( ESPN and ASB) and they don't stack up to this game. Even with the minimal problems this game is still the best of this years crop of baseball games and the pros far outweigh the cons.

P.S I am not an E.A fan as I had ESPN World Series Baseball last year and All-Star Baseball 2003 before this.

if you are looking to purchase any game...this is the game to get. I LOVE eveything about this game...from the pure swing systen to the VERY realistic dystany mode with player happiness and budgets...to the unlockables that can be unlocked like old stadiums and old school players. i agree with everyone...i bought this game a while back and im still playing it whenever i can. with baseball games, they may get boring after a while. MVP...not the case. Also, i love to go through seasons but who has the time to play 162 games? on MVP there is something called manager mode...which alows you to simulate the game pitch by pitch. it only takes a few minutes. also, if ur trailing in the 9th and u dont trust the simulation to pull it out....you can go right into the game. its a GREAT addition. collecting all the MVP points to unlock old players/stadiums/and jerseys get frusterating, but just adds to the greatness of this game.

i also agreee that there are minor glitches...but i kno EA will fix those by the next game. this will be a commanding baseball game for many years, and it will become a household name like that of madden football or halo. GET THIS GAME, AND U WILL NEVER REGRET IT!

If you want a innovative baseball expierence, then you must get MVP Baseball 2004. Ever since EA Sports changed Triple Play to MVP Baseball in 2003, it has been one of the top sellers in the baseball category.

First off, MVP Baseball's hitting feature is 5 stars. It's like the right thumbstick is a bat. If you point the stick up, you will hit either a pop fly or if you have someone like Vladimir Guerrero, you will hit a homerun. If you point the stick down, you will hit a grounder.

Pitching is also genius. You have the pitching meter, so if you choose to have a power up pitch, your pointer on the meter will go into the red zone. The harder the pitch, the harder it is to get into the green zone, which is accuracy. So if you need to be accurate, you may want to take some off your pitch.

Graphics are the best in any MLB game. `Nuff said.

But in a great game there is always bad stuff. I was pitching mike stanton for the Mets with 24 stamina and it was very simple to put your pitches anywhere. Once you get the hang of the pitching meter, it is very easy to throw difficult pitches. Also, if a fast runner, or even medium speed runner, hits a gapper, he will get an easy triple and even maybe an inside the park homerun. It always seems your chasing those long fly balls.

But aside from that, the amount of extras are impeccable. There are retro jerseysfrom every team and 50 old school players. They have players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson. Clearly, MVP Baseball is the best MLB game of our time, period!

This game is, as I stated above, MONEY. Pitching and hitting are tough on anything above Pro, and the fielding will take a little getting used to, but overall, this game, once learned, is fantastic. Team Chemistry and happiness in dynasty mode make managing more realistic and, as a consequence, maybe a little tougher, but I like it. Yes, Barry Bonds is not in the game, just as LaVar Arrington is not in football games (though he will be now). The reason behind this is the same reason that Michael Jordan was always white, and #98 in basketball games in the 90s. They do not belong to the players association, which gives consent to have players names in video games. If EA paid Bonds enough money, he'd let them use his name, but not this time. As a result, J. Dowd is a mysteriously SICK hitter for the giants. Plus, the ability to trade and edit players names and attributes gives this game endless replay. You can put A-Rod on the yankees (if you agree with the trade) and change Dowd's name to Barry Bonds. The addition of minor league teams seems excessive, but will certainly please those who only have those AA and AAA teams to cheer for in their hometowns (San Antonio Missions, Las Vegas 51s, etc). This is my first EA baseball game and my friends and I are nothing but elated with its ability to quench our demanding tastes in sports games. My sentiments for this game apply to NCAA football, Madden, and NBA Street series as well. Play on, EA, as I will keep paying for your software.

First off, I'll say that, with the exception of Madden, I've hated everything that EA's released since 99 or 2000. Last season when I heard that they overhauled Triple Play Baseball and re-named it to MVP, I figured "different name, same arcadey baseball" and didnt even give it a try. I'm usually a fan of Acclaim's All-Star Baseball series, but this season I decided to give MVP a go mainly because of the minor league feature. You can play as any AA or AAA team and even incorporate them into your dynasty! I'm glad I did.

All of the typical options and play modes are here (exhibition, dynasty, season, etc.) In place of the usual home-run derby, they've got a new game where two batters face off and see who can total a certain distance (usually a mile). It's a different spin and is surprisingly addictive. Of course there's also a pitching challenge where two pitchers face off and see which one can strike out a set number of batters first.

As I said in the title to this review, atmosphere is amazing. In every other game I've played, if you hit a homer the crowd goes crazy...and then when the next better steps up to the plate, it's back to silence. Not here. When you do something to really get the crowd into it, they get into it and stay into it! When you bring your closer in for a save and you're down to the last out, you feel like you're really in a major league park!

I was unsure about the throwing meters, but they're REALLY easy to pick up, and I really like them. No more cursor-based hitting, and to me, that's a GREAT thing. The most pleasant surprise to me is that you'll actually have 4-3, 5-3, 5-4 games. I figured that, since it's EA, it would be another year of 22-1 type scores, but they've redeemed themselves this season. The ONLY thing I dont like is that you cant warm up a pitcher when your team's batting. Other than that, this game is unmatched.

Baseball fans, you no longer need to cringe everytime you hear EA Sports and our favorite pasttime in the same sentence. Gone are the days of the lowly (once decent) Triple Play series. Last years offering, MVP 2003, ushered in a new era in baseball games; this game takes it to another, never before seen, level. Simply put, this game is amazing.

First off hitting is easy. Not necessarily easy in the sense of being able to launch a small, white ball over the wall everytime, but easy to understand. The strike zone is divided into nine sections and you simply need to swing towards the section that the ball is pitched in. Of course that's not so easy as the ball comes whizzing in at 95 mph with some nasty spin on it. The hitting system makes perfect sense and really puts you in the eyes of a Major League batter!

Pitching is also intuitive, yet challenging. You choose your pitch, hold down the appropriate button until the meter fills, and tap the button again as it goes through the green accuracy zone. It feels very natural and is fairly easy to execute, but like real life, if you choose the wrong pitch or location...

Fielding in this game is the best of any game I've ever played. Hold the button to throw to the appropriate base. Hold it longer for more power, hold it too long and the throw could go sailing into the stands. It's a perfect risk/reward system. Of course better fielders are less likely to miscue than some 2nd year outfielder turned shortstop.

Among the other details included in this game are intentional walks, sliding to either side of the bag, barreling over the catcher at home, the ability to charge the mound EVERY time you are hit, and countless others that I don't have the time or space to put in here. There is an incredibly deep dynasty mode, several jerseys, players, and stadiums to unlock. (The old time stadiums are absolutely breathtaking!)

Don't get caught in a rundown; run out and pick this one up today! If you love baseball games then this will NOT disappoint you!

I think if you're an EA Sports fan you have to buy it.
Pro's: Minor league/dynasty mode is very deep and great. Real minor league players are available. Graphics are excellent, even players batting stances are true to real-life. Sounds great too. Stadiums are great. Ability to unlock old stadiums, and great players as you earn points in your "profile".

Con's: Wicked hard to hit, steal, turn a double play unless you adjust the sliders to make the AI brain dead. A really hard game to play at the higher difficulty levels. Earning the points to unlock the unlockables might actually take you the whole 120 year dynasty mode! Clumsy interface with EA sports bio, easy to lose the points you've earned. I get the impression I have to play all 162 games of the season manually to earn post-season honors i.e. gold gloves, batting titles, etc. Commentary is on the lite side.

But it's a fun game, and the addition of the minors is more fun then you'd imagine, so unless the ESPN version (which I haven't played) is an order of magnitude better, I think this is a good buy for EA Sports gamers. For newbies maybe try ESPN first since you'll read good things about it here on Amazon.

First of all id like to start with the negatives because these drive me insane! 1. The computer catches everything! No matter who it is..they will dive and catch it. 2.Lefties cannot hit homeruns-there power seems way down compared to righties 3.Some players are not correctly sized. Ex: Kyle Farnsworth is not 250 pounds! He is one of the skinniest in baseball, and they have him bigger than Mo Vaughn. The postives outweigh these though. Hitting, Pitching, and fielding are superb. The chemistry effect is a great new thing to have. And the biggest thing is you actually have to be patient and talented to win. It is a hard game past pro. You have to be patient at the plate and wait for the computer to make a "mistake pitch" or else you wont get home runs or big hits. Overall this is a great game..great graphics and gameplay. And this is coming from a World Series Fan.

MVP baseball 2004 is an ok baseball game. The best thing in this game is the gameplay. The throwing is awesome in this game compared to other baseball games. This game still doesn't have all of the fatures that I was looking for like in All Star Baseball. Another thing that I liked was the graphics. I also think that they should've improved on the batting stances and the pitching wind ups because they are almost the same for every player. Overall, I thought that this was a pretty good game. I would rent this game first before buying it. Also, I think All Star baseball is still the best baseball game and I think ASB 2005 will blow this game out of the water.

My feelings about the game as a whole are mixed. On one hand, some things have improved, but in other areas, some have retrogressed.

Pros: 1. The Freedom to freely field at your own pleasure (finally)

2. The same ol' good pitcher-batter interface

3. AAA and AA teams have you playing as the prospects (YAY!)

4. Chemistry a good add-on to the Dynasty Mode

5. Manage a Dynasty Long after your Grandkids are Dead (120 Years!)

Cons: 1. EVERYONE DIVES! (Now People like Mo Vaughn can be superfielder for only 9.95!)

2. Dynasty Progression is too erratic (they basically either never improve for 3 years or jump 20 contact and power in a Spring Training!)

3. Commentary is too sparse (BEEF IT UP!)

4. Doesn't really feel like you're at a Baseball game (the clapping after pitches and the boring commentary make it feel like a game of Golf or a Tennis match!)

5. Barry Bonds did the LaVar Arrington (not in the union)

6. Rosters definitely do not feel like they were January 15, 2004 rosters (for one thing, Kevin Young is not on the Pirates anymore, he's on the Twins... Since JUNE!!!)

7. Spam never belongs in a managers e-mail (it's sparse, but can't you get a spam blocker or something?)

FINAL VERDICT: I don't feel like I can just play this and get the feel of the game like I do when I go to a real game. But in my mind, I'd buy it, since it's the best out there (Iv'e never played ASB, but ESPN looks like a real sucker this year)