NCAA Baseball pitched to stores

Electronic Arts is giving baseball games the old college try with MVP 06 NCAA Baseball, which shipped to stores today. The game was developed by EA's studio in Vancouver, and continues the MVP Baseball franchise. NCAA Baseball is rated E for Everyone, retails for $29.99, and is available on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Produced by the same team that created MVP Baseball 2005, NCAA will feature many of the same gameplay features in its predecessors, with one glaring omission--professional athletes. EA was left without the licensing rights to Major League Baseball after Take-Two Interactive inked a deal for exclusive third-party rights.

NCAA Baseball features 128 college teams, 19 authentic stadiums, and a "Road to Omaha" dynasty mode that lets players lead their team to the College World Series. New features include a "Load and Fire" batting system and the debut of the ESPN real-time ticker. Former Stanford star Kyle Peterson and ESPN's Mike Patrick are on board to provide the commentary.

For more information on the game, read GameSpot's previous coverage or check back next week for a full review.