MLB Slugfest: Loaded E3 2004 Preshow Hands-On

Though Midway's sports lineup saw a drastic shift toward a more simulation-based focus with last year's NFL Blitz Pro and NHL Hitz Pro, the upcoming entry in its Major League Baseball franchise, MLB Slugfest: Loaded, is going to be a little different. Rather than take the game away from the tried-and-true style of action-packed gameplay it has featured in recent years, Loaded will instead bring the title up to the level of competing MLB games by adding a highly in-depth franchise mode and online support for both console iterations. Before E3, we were given the opportunity to take MLB Slugfest: Loaded for a spin and see what this latest installment was all about.

The gameplay in MLB Slugfest: Loaded won't be too far off from what you've come to expect from the Slugfest series. This year marks the debut of an optional pitch meter, for those looking for a bit more control over their pitches. Batters can also now avoid bean balls. All of the usual hitting and beating of players will be available in the game, but you'll also have the option to turn all the crazy antics off, if you're so inclined. The game will feature two distinct, basic play modes: slugfest and classic. However, every aspect of the game's rule sets and presentation can be altered, so you can adjust the game completely to your style of play. Slugfest: Loaded will be online for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with headset capabilities for the PS2 and the full range of Xbox Live features available, including all the upcoming benefits of Xbox Live 3.0, such as user-made four-, eight-, and 16-player tournaments.

The biggest addition this year, however, is MLB Slugfest: Loaded's franchise mode, which features implementation of the famed Baseball Mogul statistics engine. Midway has licensed this stats engine to give the most realistic stats, trades, and contracts available. The presentational style of the franchise mode is quite pleasing to look at and should be easily navigable for franchise veterans and novices alike. In the mode, your team will effectively generate credits (the game's version of money) through wins. You can use your credits to resign players and pick up free agents. However, if your costs outweigh your income, you'll be in trouble. Little touches will also be a big part of the mode. Stat and injury reports will be in-depth, giving you all the information you need on your selected player. The game will provide you with multiple negotiation options during contract talks and will also provide you with logical messages during trades, explaining why a trade is denied (for instance, maybe you're offering too many pitchers for what the other team can allow on its roster). Bios for every active player will be generated during a season, giving you a surprising amount of info about that player's performance thus far. So, for example, if a player is a big-time slugger hitting a lot of home runs, the bio will say so, and if he's unremarkable in any one category, but performs well enough across the board, it will say that as well. To top the mode off, it will feature a news section with real-time headlines about games played throughout the season.

With its seemingly deep franchise and the same brand of arcade gameplay that has worked so well throughout Slugfest's history, MLB Slugfest: Loaded is looking to be an extremely solid addition to the baseball market when it hits stores this June. We will have more on MLB Slugfest: Loaded soon.