Major League Baseball 2K5 Hands-On
We go behind the numbers in our look at MLB 2K5's career mode.
In our previous hands-on look at Major League Baseball 2K5, we focused on how the game plays on the field. New game mechanics such as maximum fielding, the dramatically different pitching interface, and the base-burner mode, which essentially allows you to play offense from the point of view of the base runner, set this title apart from last year's game. In this preview, we wanted to take a look at some of the other game modes found in the title to give you a feel for the different ways you'll be playing MLB 2K5 once it reaches store shelves in early March.
The game's career mode, dubbed GM Career, lets you play a virtual game of "moneyball" as you take the reigns of the day-to-day operations of your favorite major league team or up to four teams total. You'll begin by creating a virtual general manager, choosing a name and likeness for yourself, and then heading off to hire your managerial staff. Each position you can pick--manager, pitching coach, batting coach, and head scout--contain at least two core attributes: a letter grade that denotes the batting or pitching skill, and salary. A mere $500,000 for a pitching coach might not sound like a lot of money, especially when you're dealing with a budget of around $50 million but, remember, this is the same salary pool from which you'll be dipping to pay your overpaid, underperforming veterans as well. Spend too heavily in the beginning of the season and your payroll, and team, will likely suffer the consequences by the trade deadline.
Once you've shored up your staff, including your minor league managers, you'll be presented with a list of team goals you'll be expected to accomplish over the life of your employment contract with the team. Goals are dependent on the quality of the team you're taking over as well as the fans' expectations. In our GM career, we took control of the Chicago Cubs--a team that has met with some middling success over the past two or three years, despite their lovable loser reputation--therefore, our goals were ambitious from the get-go. These goals included making a profit, meeting a spending limit of just over $65 million for the season, acquiring a player, and getting rid of second baseman Todd Walker. Oh, and also winning the World Series. Nothing like aiming high!
Each goal has an expected due date, as well as a status notification indicating that goal's current condition. Goals tied to specific player acquisitions are based around statistics from the previous season as well as overall attribute ratings. For instance, one of our charges was to acquire a speedy base runner, specifically a player who stole more than 30 bags last year or with a speed rating of at least B, and one with an overall rating of 75 or more. To make sifting through loads of player data looking for just the right fit for your team, you can view player cards for any player in the game to pinpoint certain characteristics.
Of course, the minor leagues are another obvious source for roster talent, and MLB 2K5 does its best to give you as much information on your double-A and triple-A teams as possible. Most effective are the hot prospects feature, which gives you a quick glance of some of the star players currently tearing up the minors, and the farm report, which summarizes your entire farm system over 48 criteria, including generalities like number of total players, player types (including power hitter, gap hitter, right- and left-handed pitchers, bunting specialists, etc.), RBI, and home run leaders. Find a particularly bright spot in your farm report and you'll be able to easily call your player to the major leagues to test his skills against the best in the business.
Major League Baseball 2K5 Quick Links
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- GameSpot Score 8.4 great
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- Release: Feb 23, 2005
- ESRB: Everyone
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