MVP Baseball 2005

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Enhanced Big Play controls - Make your players stretch and dive, beat pickoff throws and more
• Precision pitching lets you paint the corners, or own the plate by moving in the batter's box
• Become an Owner and control every aspect of your team's lineup, building players during Spring Training and other mini-games
• New tools for creating your own ballpark - Build a pitcher's paradise or a hitter's dream
• Advanced Single-A squads and new stadiums to expand the Minor Leagues

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00070EBJO
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches ; 4.5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 23, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,613 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: GameCube

Amazon.com

After working your way through all of the new content in this year's Major League Baseball, you can't help but eye MVP like you would an old pair of cleats. The new material that EA has implemented is minimal at best, and most of the additions don't generate a lot of excitement. With that said, this is still the best-playing baseball game on the market. It may feel old hat, but it handles the fundamentals and nuances of the game much better than Major League. You really get the distinct feeling that the team spent a lot of time polishing the game to attain the highest level of authenticity possible.

Fielding is tighter than last year, allowing players to really get a good feel for each position on the diamond. The implementation of a perfect marker on the pitching meter makes it more difficult to paint the corners, so you shouldn't throw as many no-hitters as you did last year. Batters can also read pitchers thanks to the new Hitter's Eye feature, which briefly color-coats the ball as it is thrown to tell you what you are swinging at. This looks a bit goofy in my opinion, but since you can't read the spin on the laces like players do, it's a nice solution.

Most of the changes are found in the frontend. As in the Madden games, players can now run the finances of their team and build their own stadium. I really got a kick out of this new feature. Enticing people to come to games by selecting free gifts for fan appreciation days is a lot of fun, and actually having to build a winning team that brings in enough funds to upgrade the stadium facilities makes sense. It's very gratifying to watch your stadium grow from a rinky dink park to a colossal sporting venue. The only drawback is that unlike football's quick 16-game season, you'll need to play or sim through hundreds, maybe thousands of games to get your team where you want it. Going even further with the minor leagues, players can now play and manage rosters for their club's A-ball team. Franchise options don't get much deeper than this.

EA has also included addictive minigames for both batting and pitching. Like Tetris, you can't seem to put the controller down once you start playing. Thankfully, you'll receive points for performing well in these games that can be used to purchase legendary players (new Hall of Famers like Carlton Fisk are included), classic stadiums (Bloomington, anyone?), and tons of throwback jerseys.

This game is put together incredibly well, but fans who vested hundreds of hours in last year's iteration will likely be let down by the familiarity on the field. Conversely, if you are just looking for a solid gameplay package, MVP is still the game to beat.

Concept:
A highly polished, yet only slightly changed follow-up to last year's release

Graphics:
Virtually identical to last year. The detail of the created stadiums is exceptional, however

Sound:
The commentary team doesn't even come close to delivering on the same level of Major League's dynamic duo. The soundtrack is better than last year, however

Playability:
Pitching is a bit more difficult this time around (as it should be), fielding is easier to get a grasp on, and batters can now read pitches

Entertainment:
Owner mode offers an unprecedented level of depth, and the gameplay is still in a league of its own

Replay:
Moderate

Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner
Issue: March 2005

2nd Opinion:
With a methodical, Yankees-like approach, MVP continues to build its dynasty brick by brick. However, 2005's gameplay remains largely unchanged. It seems that additions like Hitter's Eye were only introduced to make things easier for people – so I suggest you turn this unexciting feature off. Owner's mode gives you some stadium options to play with, but the Spring Training minigames were what I was most excited about. It's just too bad that there isn't more to scouting in the off-season. If you're still slogging through a 162-game season from last year, I could see you not getting this title and being fine with that. It's still the best, but it hasn't gotten much better in the meantime.

Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Matthew Kato


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Product Description

MVP Baseball 2005 offers serious baseball fans an unprecedented level of control and variety. Whether you want total control of your at-bat, read the pitch, or try your skill sas an owner, it's all here. Make your run for the pennant in a fully featured Spring Training mode, playing in unbelievable 3D stadiums. With all-new unlockable legends and gear and head-to-head online play, MVP Baseball 2005 is the most fun, polished, innovative, and authentic baseball simulation ever created. Hitter's Eye visual indicator picks up the pitch as soon as it leaves a pitcher's hand Take your game online and track fantasy baseball stats in-game with the latest MLB news and live scores

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Elite of 2005's Lineup, March 13, 2005

By 

G. Guberlal - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: MVP Baseball 2005 (Video Game)

MVP Baseball 2005 is the closest game currently on the market to give you the most in-depth baseball experience possible. In my opinion, the only people not liking some aspects of this game will be New York Yankees fans. It's not only Manny on the cover, but also the intro video, cracks and comments throughout the games and even a song praising Boston's first title in 86 years. Well, all I can say is, if you can't overlook those things, you're missing one fantastic game. Let's break it down:

Owner Mode:
New this year is Owner Mode where you begin with picking a stadium (not one of the existing ballparks, but a starter stadium) and making a few upgrades (seating, lights, whatever you can afford before opening day). You can add a restaurant, set ticket prices, make promotional days and on and on.

You have a financial advisor for the season, budget reports, player contracts, etc. One note: Yes, you can be the owner and play the game just like you would in Dynasty Mode. You can sim, play individual games, manage the game or sit in your luxury box and watch it all take place. There is so much to this mode that I couldn't possibly fit it into this review.

Dynasty Mode:
This mode is essentially the same as last year. Keep the owner happy, the players, do contracts and play the games. It's been updated and tweaked for more user friendly experience. And I can't leave out that this year, you even have single-A teams in addition to AA, AAA, and MLB.

Mini Games:
Instead of just a Home Run Derby, EA has included a variety of features that can teach you different aspects of the game. There is batting practice, pitching practice and also a scenario editor. To me, I found it to be an enjoyable experience especially when hitting the cars and busses over the outfield wall. This seems like a throw back to Triple-Play 2000 when you had target practice.

Graphics:
Simply amazing. Need I say more? The players faces and stances are mirrored to their real-life counterparts. Cutscenes, and animations are gorgeous. The only thing I found a proble with was the crowd...even in 2005, they are still wooden-looking. That's a sacrifice you have to make and it doesn't detract from the game experience.

Gameplay:
What a shift from last year! Pitching is now a lot more realistic with the way you use the meter. Instead on the old meter where you set power and tried to hit right spot, they have upgraded it to you having to stop it and exactly the right moment, if not, you risk and early or late breaking pitch. In rookie mode, it's not as big of a deal as it is in MVP mode. Make some mistake pitches in the higher levels and you're asking for trouble.

Batting is great! When you foul off a pitch, a little screen comes up and shows you how you hit it. Fouling off a pitch is a mistimed swing, same as a swing through. Gone is the animation where you swung, missed the ball and it popped up the crazy box to show you missing it. Instead, this year, they have the popup box, yet include the ball trail so you see how you missed it.

Fielding & baserunning is comparable to last years version with some great upgrades to visuals. There are plenty of dives, showboating grabs, wall jumps, and take-out slides.

Ok, I could go on & on with this review because, like I said, this is the most in-depth baseball game I have ever seen. If you want the best out there, MVP Baseball 2005 hits a Home Run.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Version yet, February 27, 2005

By 

Jeffrey M. Tedford (Williamsport, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: MVP Baseball 2005 (Video Game)

Unfortunately, it may also be the last version due to TakeTwo's contract with MLB.

Anyway, this is a great addition to EA's collection of sports titles. Some cons include: Commentators have new things to say, in addition to the old things, but they still get dull rather quickly. You can only control one team at a time. I like to play NCAA football and Madden while "playing" one team and "playing owner, gm, etc." for another.

Pros:

1) Graphics: So much smoother in this version. The outfield characters are leaner and better looking. The stadiums look great and even when you create a ballpark, it still looks good.

2) Gameplay: It is tougher to field, hit, etc. but I consider this a good thing. Fielding is tougher because when you're tracking a fly ball you don't automatically stop on the circle. You actually have to pay attention once you get "close". Hitting is tougher, I think, and I actually have had to lower my level of gameplay to make myself more competitive. Baserunning is also more of a challenge. The pitchers are better at picking your runners off, and while you can modify the "gameplay tuning" it doesn't make winning automatic. Additionally, they fixed a "bug" from the 2004 version that made it harder for left-handers to hit homeruns.

3) Game modes:
a. Dynasty: Great. Same as before. 120 years to build a dynasty and see what you can do.

b. Owner mode: Wow! Only 30 years, but still long enough. You create your own stadium from pre-set options (This could be improved). You buy food stands to sell food to the fans. You buy batting cages, souvenir stands, order fireworks night, order magnetic schedules, etc. This is to get the fans to come, keep them interested while they're there, and hopefully make more money. You start off with a stadium of 20,000 and can work your way up to 65,000 (I think). Everything you buy costs money, but in the long run, you'll hopefully be able to turn a profit. This is hard. So far, I'm 30 games in and $5 million in the whole.

c. Mini-games. The pitching mini-game is HARD! Wow! It's not an automatic win. Of course, I could be losing because I'm using the Pirates. You have a "strike-zone" and you have to pitch the ball to certain locations in the strike-zone. THere is a timed game and an un-timed game. The batting mini-game is actually relatively easy, but definitely good for honing your directional hitting skills. You can also play these mini-games in your "season" games during spring training. It allows you to improve, or negate, your players' ratings.

d. Home-run Derby. Same as before.

One thing I really like that I didn't notice in the previous version is that when you do the different mini-games and homerun derby, the computer actually tells you how many points you got based on the level of difficulty. If you put it on higher settings (of difficulty) you get more points, but it's so much harder the higher you go.

I only became a baseball fan a few years ago, but these games have really helped me understand the game a bit better, learn more about the players, and boggled my mind with the number of things we can do with technology.

Great Game. Try www.easports.com first because they're currently offering free shipping.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MVP Baseball 2005 represents a significant improvement on its predecessor, and it's a fantastic baseball game overall., November 17, 2006

A Kid's Review

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: MVP Baseball 2005 (Video Game)

Last years MVP Baseball 2004 was praised for many reasons but had one significant flaw. The dynasty mode in MVP Baseball 2004 had a nasty bug that made it impossible for computer-generated players to evolve into A-list superstars unless you actually played at least 95 percent of your team's games. This is fixed in the 2005 release. The dyanasty/franchise mode goes for 120 years and there is a whole lot you can do in it and it is probably the best multiseason/franchise mode in any baseball game ever.

Along with the Dynasty mode is the owner mode which tracks stats for 30 years and also includes you having to buy concessions and stores and setting the pricing for your shops and you can make your own stadium with all the funds you make and you can upgrade the capacity, the HR celebrations, the adverts on the walls, and all the nesscary fundamentals including adding things like an arcade, or a baseball history museum, or lots of other things that make for a very deep mode that can keep you busy for a long time.

The game also includes fun pitching batting minigames. And a home run showdown to see who can get the most amount of feet the fastest but gone from MVP Baseball 2004 is the pitcher showdown which was a fun opposite of the home run showdown when you had to see who could get the most strikeouts the fastest.

Overall,MVP Baseball 2005 represents a significant improvement on its predecessor, and it's a fantastic baseball game overall. If you are looking to buy one baseball game until EA gets it's MLB Lisence in 2012, this is the one to get.

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