MVP 06 NCAA Baseball is innovative with many new additions, but it doesn't always executes them well.
Gameplay: The gameplay was definitely great last year with MVP 2005 but changes have been made which makes the game more challenging (and sometimes frustrating). The batting has greatly changed. Instead of hitting the A button to hit, you use the right control stick and the triggers. To swing, you must move the control stick back then forward just like a batter moves the bat backward then forward to hit. You can also hold the L trigger for a power swing while swinging or the R trigger for contact. The whole swing system takes some getting used to and is frustrating at first. However EA did include the ability to use the "classic" swing system from MVP games of the past. Even though the batting was changed, pitching remains exactly the same. This is both good and bad. It's good because at least there isn't a new pitching system that totally sucks. But it's bad because 2K Sports is coming out with a new pitching system (that so far looks really good) in its next baseball game (Major League Baseball 2K6). The base running has actually gotten worse since last year since it now suffers from a horrible control scheme. While batting, the whole stealing controls have been remapped (because the right control stick is now needed for swinging) creating very awkward controls. Also I was very disappointed with the sliding feature that EA took such pride in last year. You now have the ability to do only two different slides which is far less than last year's six slides. The worst part of the gameplay this year is the fielding and throwing. Like batting you can use last year's system, but there's no denying how bad this year's fielding and throwing is. The fielding is decent, being the same controls as last year with the addition of the ability to sprint. The real problems start once you throw. Using the right control stick to throw isn't a totaly bad idea, it's just that the execution is absolutely horrible in this game. First of all, the diving commands (which are also controlled with the right control stick) often times carries over to when you are throwing causing you to throw to the wrong base. Also when you are holding down the control stick to throw, you must release it perfectly to avoid an error. There's really no room for error. EA captures college baseball well in the gameplay: worse players (than MLB) means more errors and worse pitching.
Graphics: The graphics are basically unchanged from last year. The player models are decent and far from what the XBOX is capable of. There are only a handful of authentic stadiums. The rest of the stadiums are very generic and closely resemble last year's create a stadium without any upgrades.
Sound: The overall sound is very well done. The commentary (by Mike Patrick) is great and most of the time is relevant to the game. The rest of the stadium sounds are basically the same as last year, besides the bat. The aluminum bat has a nice "ping" and is very realistic. The soundtrack this year is solid and it is great to have custom soundtracks.
Value: The value depends on how long you can play the dynasty mode. Also a lot of time can be spent on the competitive XBOX Live games.
Tilt: While not a great baseball game, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball is another solid addition in the MVP Baseball series. Even though it's disappointing, I like baseball, so I give it a good tilt.
Game Modes: The game modes are exactly the same as last year with one exception: the "Creation Zone." Here you can create a player (just like last year), a university, or a stadium (which is much more detailed than last year's create a stadium in Owner's Mode). The dynasty mode is solid but not nearly as good as NCAA Football's dynasty mode. Other game modes include play now, exhibition, mini games (which are last year's spring training mini games), and videos that show you how to play.
Overall: This game is the first college baseball video game and includes many features new to the MVP baseball series. While it's nice to see EA try something new, the execution sucks and the controls could be more polished. It never made me want to play at the college level compared to the pros. This new chapter in the MVP series has some potential (maybe next year and definitely not this year). This game is only worth a rental unless you a die-hard college baseball fan. Fans of the MVP baseball series might not even like this game. Stick with the old MVP games. This year save your money for 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K6. It's likely to succeed where MVP 06 failed and truly start the next generation of baseball gaming.