Better than any that I have played before.
User Rating: 8.4 | MVP Baseball 2004 PC
MVP Baseball 2004 is simply the best baseball game I've played. Still, I do have some complaints about it. Mainly gameplay and graphics-wise, but that is only because no game is perfect, and neither is this one. Gameplay: The batter - pitcher interface is fun to use and that is really all you need to know. Although it is made for console or gamepad controls it is still easy to use with the keyboard. In the game timing is everything if you are batting, which of course is more realistic than the concept of the quality of your swing. The ball in this game has great physics and can go anywhere on the field. There are pop ups that go straight up and fall into the catcher's glove, also there are infield fly's, strikeouts in which the catcher has to throw you out at first, strikeouts on check-swings, and other situations that indicate that EA paid a lot of attention to detail. As far as game modes are concerned there are no surprises here. Dynasty mode is pretty bad like most people claim, but it is still playable. The pitcher showdown is addictive (I beat every pitcher in the majors with Esteban Loaiza), but the Home Run showdown is way too hard. Graphics: The animations are good but a little too frequent and repetitive. I would have definetly liked the crowd to be a bit better than it is, and it is strange how Madden has awesome crowds and MVP has really bad ones. Maybe the Madden team should work on the MVP crowds. The player models and stances are good and the stances are really different, and some player specific ones too. Sound: My only complaint is with the crowd always being loud even when you play the expos at home. The crowd graphically is not very big, but it is as loud as the Yankees crowd , which hopefully will change with next year's release. Also the color guy keeps saying "BIG BOY!" which gets so annoying that I want to mute him sometimes. Value: With MVP rewards the game really has something that drives you to play instead of manage and sim, which definetly brings playing time up! That means dynasty mode will really take some time. Tilt: The best I have ever played, but like with every game there is still room for improvement. I can't wait for next year's version.
