Month in Sports Gaming - April 2005

The big news in March was the launch of the Sony PSP, a handheld gaming system that featured a gaggle of sports games right out of the box. The story continues here in April, as those games that didn't make it to stores in time for the launch will finally find their ways to gamers' hands. These PSP late bloomers include several games from EA Sports, yet another ATV entry, and two baseball games that should round out 2005's crop of hardball titles. And finally, you'll be pleased to know that April has met the mandatory minimum "two racing games per month" quota dictated by the evil criminal masterminds that run the gaming industry from high atop their diamond-encrusted towers.

Week of 04/03/2005

MLB (PSP)
The console version of MLB 2006 was as pleasant a sports-gaming surprise as we've had this year. Here was a 989 Sports game that was not only fun to play, but also rich with detail and depth. While we've only had minimal time with the PSP version of MLB, it looks a lot like the PlayStation 2 version, both in terms of attractive visuals and gameplay. Many of the mechanics that you may be familiar with in the PS2 version are thankfully present on the PSP. Most notably, the ability to guess pitches using the shoulder button and the upgraded fielding mechanic are both accounted for on the PSP. Unfortunately, since this is a handheld game, some of the more in-depth features that made the PS2 version such a comprehensive experience--namely a deep franchise mode and a riveting career mode--have been excised. Still, with solid mechanics and a season mode that will certainly keep you busy, MLB is one to look out for in early April.

FIFA Soccer (PSP)
The PSP already has one good soccer game in World Tour Soccer, which was released at launch. Could EA Sports make it a footy two-for-two? From what we've seen of FIFA Soccer so far, the chances look pretty good. First of all, since the game's an officially licensed FIFA product, it's absolutely loaded with content. So you'll find real players, real teams, and real leagues. Even though the default camera angle is pulled back far enough to make the players on the pitch look insect-sized, when the camera zooms in for close-ups, you'll marvel at the detailed player models. Finally, the ability to save your game at any point is an especially attractive feature that's perfectly in keeping with the PSP's gaming-on-the-go vibe.

Other Releases:
MX World Tour (Xbox)

Week of 04/10/2005

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (Xbox, PS2)
The third entry in the Midnight Club series will find you racing on the city streets of Detroit, San Diego, and Atlantic City. Many of the same moves you're familiar from past Midnight Club games will return, including requisites such as the powerslide, the nitrous boost, and the slipstream turbo effect. Yet new abilities, such as agro (which gives you temporary invulnerability), roar (which creates powerful shock waves that can push opponents away from you), and zone (essentially a bullet-time effect that lets you more capably navigate tricky sections of a track), mean the DUB Edition of Midnight Club is bringing a lot to the table this time around. Of course, driving your car is only half the fun in MC3; you'll also be able to deck your wheels with some of the hottest gear available. Transmission, chassis, tires, and brakes, among others, are all there for the tweaking. However, you'll also be able to upgrade more-subtle details of your ride, such as its license plate, and you can even add details, such as decals, badges, and vinyls. All in all, though the game features more than 60 licensed vehicles, after a few hours of customization, your DUB Edition car will most definitely be your own.

Other Releases:
Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance (GBA)

Week of 04/17/2005

ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails (PSP)
We think it was Albert Camus who first said, "The world needs more quad bike racing games." Well, Al, SCEA has the cure for your existential angst: ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails for the PSP. The game missed the launch window for the PSP by a couple of weeks, thereby disappointing fans of the ATV series. The good news is that the game is running "fast and furious." And even though the graphics have been scaled down a bit for the Sony handheld, the sense of speed showcased may be the best we've seen for any PSP racing game. While it plays very similarly to ATV Offroad Fury 3 for the PS2 (all the way down to its similar tracks), the biggest selling point will undoubtedly be the wireless multiplayer capability. Whether this will be enough to persuade you to buy the game depends on your love of ATV racing or the number of PSP-owning friends you have.

Week of 04/24/2005

MVP Baseball (PSP)
MVP Baseball for the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube was the first console Major League Baseball game released this year, narrowly beating out the competition in February. On the PSP, MVP Baseball may be the very last hardball title of the year for the Sony handheld, and perhaps it may be the last EA Sports baseball game for a very long time (thanks to a deal between Take-Two and Major League Baseball that makes Take-Two the sole third-party publisher of baseball games for the next half decade). That's bad news for MVP fans, because if the PSP version is anything like the well-received console one, we're in for a treat. What we've seen of the PSP version of MVP has been impressive from an aesthetic point of view--as the game looks and sounds great--but our last preview didn't give us a good enough feel for the gameplay to see how it's truly coming along. Still, we expect MVP to look and play much like its console brethren, which should give fans of the series confidence.

NBA Street Showdown (PSP)
Rounding out the month of April is the second basketball game for the PSP, which, coincidentally, also happens to be the second Street game from EA Sports Big. After basically porting the console version of NFL Street 2 to the handheld, with NFL Street 2 Unleashed, the developer has taken a slightly different approach with NBA Street Showdown, which features elements of the last two NBA Street games though is most clearly influenced by NBA Street Vol. 2. In addition to the shot-taking and trick-making mechanics the Street series has come to be known for, Street Showdown will also feature a couple of minigames (a shot blocking contest and an arcade shoot-out) that will keep you busy when you're not on a quest to rule the streets. Featuring attractive player models that are straight from the Vol. 2 handbook, as well as a pick-up-and-play style that will have fans feeling right at home, Street Showdown looks to be another solid effort in the urban NBA series.