MVP Baseball 2004 may be the best baseball video game ever.
Everything great about MVP Baseball 2003 is back. The graphics look sharper, and the Xbox version has 720p support. It is a pleasure to see actual stadiums and players resemble their real world counterparts, and the visuals absolutely trump those in 2K's offering this year, ESPN Major League Baseball. Dynamic scoreboards show replays and the actual in game score. Animation is smooth, with no jerky transitions. Even the sore point of any sports game, the crowd graphics, look better, and are animated with accompanying cheering sounds. The sound is again excellent, with Duane Kiper and Mike Krukow returning to do commentary. Just like last year, fans will shout out player specific phrases.
The pitching, hitting, and fielding mechanics which worked well in last year's game return fully intact, with a few additions. MVP uses meters to control pitching and throwing. Hitting works the same, and involves moving the left thumbstick in the zone corresponding to where the pitch is thrown. The strike zone is broken down into red and blue areas corresponding to your hitter's hot and cold zones. Mistake pitches tip you off to where the pitch will be thrown, and you can swing accordingly. These provide you the best opportunity to hit home runs.
Hitting may take some time to get used to, as pitch speeds are more realistic in this game than any other. Fastballs bear down on you quickly, and CPU pitchers will throw off your timing by changing speeds. It seems like EA Sports wanted to incorporate looking or guessing for pitches into the gameplay, and they did it well. I found the Xbox version to be more difficult than the PC version, as it seems fastballs move faster, and the pitching meters are harder to time correctly. Overall, MVP Baseball 2004 is more difficult than last year's game.
The right thumbstick now plays a more prominent part in gameplay. When fielding, it is used for diving catches and to climb the outfield wall. For baserunning, it is used to control sliding, whether to slide feet first or head first, and for knocking the catcher over. While batting, the right thumbstick allows you to adjust your runners' leadoffs.
Outside of exhibition games, there is Dynasty mode, which is the only option available if you want to play a season. Unfortunately, the number of games cannot be customized. Other game modes include the mini games Home Run Showdown and the new Pitcher Showdown. Home Run Showdown pits two batters against each other, with the goal to be the first to accumulate a set distance by hitting home runs. In Pitcher Showdown, two pitchers try to be the first to strike out a set number of batters. Rounding out the game modes are Manager Mode, which is an interesting text based simulation, and Scenario Editor, which allows you to customize a situation, with variables such as pitcher on the mound, current batter, baserunners, current inning and score, and then allows you to play from that situation.
There are a host of new features in MVP Baseball 2004. As mentioned before, the right thumbstick factors into gameplay more. Also, bullpen options have been added, so you can warm up pitchers. Intentional walks can be executed now, not forcing you to throw four straight pitches out of the strike zone as in last year's game. Pitch history can now be brought up on command, and this feature even lets you review previous at bats as well. Check swings are now incorporated, and seems to be determined by the pressure sensitivity of the swing button. There is now also a rewards system in place. Accomplishing different tasks in different modes rewards you with points that you can use to unlock MVP rewards, such as retro ballparks, jerseys, players, and teams. These kinds of tasks include hitting two home runs with the same player in a game, stealing third base, beating a certain team in their home stadium, or beating certain players in the Home Run Showdown and Pitcher Showdown modes.
However, perhaps the biggest addition is the inclusion of Triple-A and Double-A teams for each major league club. This really brings added value to the game, and is like having another game within a game. Playing minor league games is a real treat. The atmosphere is completely different, as the stadiums are smaller, and even the crowd sounds are different, reflecting the smaller crowds and close up feeling of a minor league game.
In addition to the new features, MVP Baseball 2004 it fixes a few things, such as fielders facing the wrong way when catching pop ups. There are still a few issues, such as the times when the game doesn't select the best fielder for you to make the play once a ball is hit into play, and it doesn't autoswitch to another fielder if he is closer to the ball. The frequency of the CPU hitting triples on balls hit to the gaps is a bit questionable, as this happens fairly often. However, the CPU doesn't seem to steal bases at all.
MVP Baseball 2003 was a great game, and MVP Baseball 2004 stands out as a polished and refined version of it, retaining all the things that made it great and improving on it. All this results in what may be the best baseball video game ever.