Major League Baseball Roundup 2005

By Brian Ekberg
Design by Marty Smith

Spring training is over and the MLB opening-day rosters are set. Over the past few weeks, batters have gotten their swings in order and pitchers have managed to shed a few pounds of that pesky winter weight. As teams prepare to hit the field for opening day, the MLB welcomes a new team, the Washington Nationals, which will replace the long-lamented Montreal (by way of Puerto Rico) Expos of last year. Players in strange new uniforms, like Pedro and Randy, will abound, and veterans will get used to new surroundings and teammates.

Things have been turbulent in the baseball video game world as well, reflecting an increasingly complex tapestry of competition among the biggest publishers in sports games. On the plus side, things aren't as bleak in MLB-land as they are for NFL-themed games. Whereas EA Sports' recent deal with the National Football League ensured it will be the sole publisher of NFL titles for the next half decade, a pact between Major League Baseball, the MBLPA, and publisher Take-Two means that Take-Two's 2K Sports development house will be the sole third-party publisher of baseball titles. In keeping with the terms of the deal, console makers can still play in the MLB sandbox, so we'll still be seeing baseball titles from Sony and Nintendo next year. Even Microsoft could get into the hardball game if it so chose--either by reviving the legendary High Heat series (which it currently owns) or the aggressively mediocre Inside Pitch franchise.

But that's next year, and here, in our Opening Day 2005 Baseball Video Game Roundup, we're concerned about the here and now. Even though we saw the passing of Acclaim's All-Star Baseball franchise, the hardball landscape is still as crowded as ever. In addition to the three currently available baseball titles--EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2005, 989 Sports' MLB 2006, and Take-Two's Major League Baseball 2K5--we've got more baseball releases ahead of us, including Nintendo's Pennant Chase Baseball and two PSP ports from EA and 989. As if that weren't enough, there are also a number of different baseball games available for your cell phone as well.

What it all amounts to is more baseball than perhaps any one sports gamer can handle, and as such, choices must be made. That's where we come in. We've put all three console baseball games in a head-to-head battle in five distinct categories--graphics, gameplay, presentation, online, and intangibles--to give you an idea of which game does what best. Baseball fans were lucky enough to have three solid games to choose from this year, and each title has its strengths and weaknesses and each category has a clear-cut winner.

So sit back, take a load off, and relax as we dive headlong into the extra-innings extravaganza that is our 2005 Baseball Video Games Roundup. For an extra special treat, be sure to check out our special Opening Day Baseball Roundup Video, designed specifically with the sports radio enthusiast in mind.

GRAPHICS

Graphics in baseball games are more than just pretty player models and attractive lighting. In true stat-obsessed fashion, baseball geeks have made a cottage industry out of picking apart every fielding animation, batting stance, walk-up routine, and pitching style in each game. It's no wonder game developers make such a big deal about the hundreds of animations they put into each year's game...after all, it's one of the attributes the most discerning fans demand.

MVP Baseball 2005

If graphical quantity were directly tied to quality, then MVP might be the winner in this category right out of the box. The game is straight up loaded with attractive animations that look faithful--both in their execution and in their variety--to the real game of baseball. Ground balls never seem to be played the exact same way twice in an inning, and home run-robbing wall grabs, if not exactly commonplace, are certainly exciting. We like the little things, such as pitchers wiping sweat off their brows in late innings (though taking their caps off to do so would probably be a more realistic touch), the spot-on batting stances and pitching styles, and the fact that managers look pretty realistic when they step out on the mound to confer with the guys on the field. This wealth of animation, besides adding to the overall atmosphere of the game, has tangible effects on MVP this year, especially in the pitcher/batter matchup. With the game's color-coded hitter's-eye feature, which denotes pitch types with a specific hue, pitching animations mean more than ever before. Hurlers who do a good job of hiding their releases in the game will be at a distinct advantage, while those who telegraph their pitch before it even leaves their hand might get bombed by an experienced player.

Player models are excellent this year. When you compare the virtual Nomar Garciaparra with his in-game portrait, for example, the likenesses will immediately stand out and the quality of the face mapping and overall body construction will be obvious. Stadiums have a nice epic look too, with a real sense of depth and size to them. Even if the stadiums aren't always 100 percent accurate, varied Jumbotron video angles and stadium-specific home run celebrations are...right down to the bell in Philly or the rising apple in Shea Stadium.

MLB 2006

This year's 989 Sports' baseball effort features more animations and smoother transitions between them, creating a remarkably realistic appearance to both fielding and batting. The stadiums found in the game are perhaps the most realistically modeled of any baseball game this year and feature animated advertisements, updating scoreboards, and stadium-specific intro movies for each matchup. True, the flow effects on the waterfalls at Angels Stadium of Anaheim look less like water and more like rapidly flowing mud. And other touches, such as the exact synchronization of windblown flags, tend to detract from the realism. For the most part, though, the game looks great. Perhaps the biggest room for improvement in the game's graphics can be found in the crowds, which look more like brightly colored dots from far away, and their cheering is perhaps a bit too synchronized for our tastes. Admittedly, it's a small gripe, which speaks to the overall quality of MLB 2006's visuals.

Major League Baseball 2K5

Even if players don't always look especially accurate in Major League Baseball 2K5--hippy-haired Johnny Damon looks remarkably clean-cut in the game, for example--they at least look like real human beings. This is mostly due to the amount of time developer Kush Games took with animations for facial expressions, like grimaces, grins, and gum-chewing. All that's missing, it seems, is the spitting of sunflower seeds. Perhaps next year. That same level of detail isn't as apparent in the game's action animations, however, particularly with line drives and pop-ups, which seem to work from a fairly limited animation palette.

All the ballpark-specific landmarks you expect to see in the game are present and accounted for in 2K5, from the line of fountains at Kauffman Stadium to the massive left-field scoreboard at Comerica Park. There's a trade-off, however, because as nice as the stadiums look--full of vibrant color and dynamic scoreboards--the city backgrounds can be fuzzy and more than a bit drab. Crowd animations and models are the best we've seen this year, especially up close, and it stands in stark contrast to the vaguely human-shaped polygonal models in MLB 2006, for example.

WINNER: MVP 2005

GAMEPLAY

So the games all look good. Great...now how do they play? That's the question we tackle here in the gameplay section. Gameplay includes everything from the quantity and quality of modes found in the game to the success of each control tweak found in the 2005 crop. So which game rises above the others to take the leadoff spot in the gameplay department? Read on to find out...

MVP Baseball 2005

MVP Baseball 2005's gameplay is defined by a vast degree of control over nearly every aspect of action that takes place on the diamond. A two-button pitching meter that has become a near standard in the genre takes an evolutionary step this time around, adding a yellow accuracy zone that will help you keep your pitches under control, even as your hurler tires. Hitting remains straightforward in MVP Baseball 2005. You still have some control over the direction you swat the ball (using the left thumbstick), and you can even adjust your player in the batter's box before a pitch is thrown. The hitter's-eye function is particularly cool, allowing you to spy pitches using a color-coded system that indicates the type of pitch (but not the location or speed) you should expect to cross the plate. The biggest upgrade to the game's fielding controls is the throw meter, which acts sort of like a simplified pitch meter. The longer you hold down the throw button, the stronger the throw, and the more chance the throw has for going offcourse.

Off the field, MVP's awesome control extends to the game's franchise-style modes. Did we mention the game features two such modes this year? The first mode is dynasty, which should be familiar to gamers. It will find you taking control of a single team over a maximum of 120(!) years. As general manager you'll be responsible for the success of your team on and off the field, by dealing with trades, shuffling players around the minor leagues (which includes triple-, double-, and single-A teams--the only 2005 baseball video game with that distinction), and learning about the vagaries of team chemistry. You'll also be operating under one- and three-year expectations from the owners of the team. These expectations will vary depending on your team of choice (no Pirates fan, you won't be expected to win the World Series), and your goals will shift as time goes on. New for 2005 is the other franchise-styled mode, dubbed owner's mode. Essentially an upgrade of the game's dynasty mode, complete with a host of financial responsibilities, owner's mode lets you get granular in your control of your favorite MLB team. As the owner, you'll be setting ticket and concession prices, organizing promotion days on your schedule, and even building a stadium from scratch. Though it feels strange taking a team like the Cubs out of Wrigley Field and into your own piddly created stadium, the depth of owner's mode is sure to please fans who love to crunch numbers as much as they love to jack home runs.

The gripe list for MVP 2005 is short, though the lack of a simple season or a playoff mode would probably top the list. If you're looking to shepherd your team throughout a single season, without having to worry about all the Billy Beane hoopla, you're probably better off going with another game. MVP is all about a fine level of control over nearly every aspect of the game of baseball, and as such, it reigns supreme in the 2005 gameplay category.

MLB 2006

Besides an exhibition mode, MLB 2006 features three different ways to get your hardball game on: season, franchise, and career. For those who would rather make plays than make deals, season mode is for you. The mode gives you a few general managerial duties to perform, but the majority of the administrative stuff is handled by the CPU. Franchise mode is perhaps the most comprehensive of all of this year's baseball games, giving you options for everything from team marketing opportunities to detailed facilities and staff duties. You'll build a staff from scratch, including a scouting corps that you can then assign to individual areas of the country for talent searches. On the marketing side of things, you'll be overseeing everything from lucrative television and advertising contracts to stadium sponsorships and promotions. Finally, career mode pulls you out of the GM's chair and lets you approach a career in the bigs from a completely different vantage point--that of an up-and-coming minor league star trying to make a name for yourself on an MLB roster. This mode includes remarkably player-friendly features, including the ability to quickly sim through games or only play your individual at-bats, which ensure that the game keeps moving quickly.

On the field, MLB 2006's release-point pitching meter looks a lot like that used in MVP Baseball 2005, though it should be noted that the old point-and-shoot method is still available if you prefer that instead. Fielding looks different this year, as the game combines fielder competence with user skill, resulting in an icon on the field that denotes the general location of where the ball will land. The more skilled the fielder, the wider the illuminated area to begin with (and, thus, the better chance you have of getting under the ball and making the play). On offense, the most interesting feature is the guess-pitch and guess-location options, enabled by pressing the R2 button on the PS2 along with a face button (for pitch type) and analog stick direction (for pitch location). Guess a pitch type or location correctly and your chances of making contact increase. Get it wrong, however, and you'll be nursing a sore shoulder from all the whiffs you take.

Besides the deep franchise and fun career modes, perhaps the biggest knock against MLB 2006's gameplay is its general lack of innovation with its on-the-field controls. There simply isn't anything in the game that is as much of a leap forward as MVP's hitter's-eye feature or MLB 2K5's much-improved pitching and baserunning controls. Yes, the new player-attribute-based fielding control makes sense and is well executed, but compared to the wealth of control options found in the other two baseball titles, MLB 2006 still lags a bit behind.

Major League Baseball 2K5

If this category were judged merely on innovation alone, 2K5 would probably run away with it. The game features a host of new control schemes, including a pitching meter that offers an entirely new spin on video game pitching control, and an in-depth running scheme that gives you direct control over how your players attack the base paths. First, let's talk about the action on the mound. The pitching mechanic in 2K5 is substantially different from those found in MVP and MLB, as it uses a reticle that tests your pitcher's accuracy on both a horizontal and vertical plane. The downside is this added complexity means that each individual pitch takes slightly longer to perform. But the added control over pitches (and, of course the increased demand on your concentration) makes this mechanic a big hit in our opinion. If you don't like the default K-Zone pitching, as it's known, the game also provides four other options for pitching interfaces, including one identical to the popular MVP Baseball 2005 style.

Running the bases also gets a shot in the arm in 2K5, and this is done through a system known as on-command baserunning. Essentially, this feature lets you take direct control of any base runner on the base paths, and subsequently leaves the batting more or less up to the computer (though you can give basic hitting instructions to the man at the plate). When in control of the runner, you'll be able to manually lead your runner off (or toward) the bag and choose the exact moment to make a break for it (or dive back to safety).

Other 2K5 additions are more controversial, such as the slam zone, which is essentially bullet-time animation that slows down the action and allows you to place a tiny cursor in the exact location of the pitch. Line it up perfectly and, more often then not, it's bye-bye, baseball. The good news is slam zone can be disabled if you so desire.

The franchise mode comes in two flavors: a traditional franchise mode and a GM career mode, which is essentially a franchise mode on steroids (probably a poor choice of terms these days). As in MVP, you'll have a number of goals to complete over the course of your GM career with a team that will cover your success in record books and the financial books. On the downside, 2K5's franchise modes aren't as comprehensive as those found in other baseball titles. There are only two levels of unnamed minor league teams and a dearth of administrative options in the GM career mode. Finally, stats aren't nearly as detailed in 2K5 as they were even last year. The number of tracked statistics has been cut nearly in half, from 80 in last year's EPSN Major League Baseball to only 50 this year.

WINNER: MVP Baseball 2005

PRESENTATION

Televised baseball broadcasts pound you with a seemingly infinite amount of information. Curious as to how Bronson Arroyo pitches against left-handed batters in night games during the second week of May? You'll have your answer in a couple of months. How this exhaustive information is presented in a baseball video game, whether through broadcast-style graphics, the announcing team calling the plays, or the ease of access to critical game information, can have a serious effect on your enjoyment of that game. Similarly, presentation plays a large role in the overall atmosphere of a baseball game. It wouldn't be a day at the ballpark without a few hecklers in the crowd or the sound of organ tunes filling the stadium. Here, we take a look at how each game presents to you the type of data you need to know to win.

MVP Baseball 2005

MVP Baseball 2005's presentation style is anchored by the commentary team of Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. Each time Krukow belts out another variation on his "meat" trademark, it elicits a smile. But for the most part the duo is pretty limited in their range. This isn't to say the play-by-play and color commentary aren't accurate, but it does tend to get old pretty quickly, especially when compared to the extraordinary amounts of audio found in MLB 2K5.

On the other hand, the pitch-history screen, accessed by clicking the left thumbstick, has quickly become an essential presentation perk in the game. The feature gives you a complete breakdown on each pitch a particular batter has faced on an at-bat basis, which is essential information if you want to break down how the opposing staff is approaching your batters. Another nice feature is the quick-access screens, which allow you to check out a massive amount of information--everything from individual batting stats and charts (versus both left- and right-handed players) to lineups on both sides of the field--without having to pause the game. You're even able to warm up pitchers and make defensive adjustment alignments from here.

MLB 2006

What's most curious about MLB 2006's presentation package isn't what it contains but what it lacks. This can be bad--such as in the curious lack of entry music for pitchers and batters--but it isn't always so. For instance, MLB does away with the majority of TV-broadcast graphics and camera angles found in other baseball titles, and instead it employs a crisp, clean look mostly bereft of distracting menus.

On the audio front, the game's centerpiece is the duo of Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell, who handle play-by-play and color duties, respectively. Campbell has never been the most exciting on-air personality, but his color commentary is enlightening if nothing else. Similarly, Vasgersian's efforts won't be raising your blood pressure at all, but the sheer volume of commentary, combined with the on-the-spot timeliness of it, makes for a great solid presentation package.

Major League Baseball 2K5

With the loss of the ESPN license to EA Sports, next year's Take-Two baseball game will have a tough road to plow in terms of presentation. After all, MLB 2K5's presentation values are unmatched this year, based largely on the tight integration of the familiar ESPN broadcast presentation, with which nearly every fan of baseball is acquainted.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the outstanding commentary found in the game, courtesy of San Francisco Giants and ESPN play-by-play announcer Jon Miller and color analyst Joe Morgan. Miller has a great cadence to his voice, one that rises and falls directly with the action on the field, and Joe Morgan's comments are always enlightening. You can tell the sound crew went the extra mile with Joe and Jon this year, even going so far as to include charming "fan mail questions" that are aired during paused games. Here, Jon and Joe will answer nitpicky baseball rules questions, similar to what they might do in a live broadcast. But the sound goodies don't stop there. 2K5 features a host of new crowd heckles, many of which are player-specific. A few choice examples: "Hey [Eric] Byrnes, remember to step on the plate!" and "Hey Melvin [Mora], we wanna see Mora-you striking out!" Add to that the familiar ESPN menus and graphics, the Karl Ravech pregame introductions, and the various wipes and camera angles that look straight out of the broadcast booth, and it's clear that Major League Baseball 2K5 has the best presentation of any game this year. What isn't clear is where the franchise will go next year now that ESPN is no longer part of the team...

WINNER: Major League Baseball 2K5

ONLINE

The good news is online play is now the standard in baseball games rather than the exception it was a few years back. This year, it's even easier to get online and play a few games with friends, no matter how geographically dispersed you are. Yet, as essential as online play has become, some games get it right and others get it just good enough. Read on to find out which is which...

MVP Baseball 2005

The biggest online news for MVP Baseball 2005 is the inclusion of tournaments in the game, which can involve anywhere from four to 16 players. Custom rosters are available online this year, along with the much-needed ability to pick your starting pitcher and choose your lineup before the game begins, a feature that was conspicuously absent from MVP Baseball 2005.

MLB 2006

There's one glaring flaw in MLB 2006's online features, and oddly it's the same flaw that marred last year's MVP: the lack of an ability to set starting pitchers and adjust lineups before an online game. On the plus side, 32-player tournaments are among the most robust found in any hardball game this year, and a handy gaggle of match-organizing features, such as e-mail and friends lists, makes getting a tourney up and running relatively painless. Unfortunately, similar to the offline game, we've seen several freezes during online matches, which is a shame.

Major League Baseball 2K5

League play is the highlight of 2K5's suite of online features. Available for up to 30 players, leagues are easy to create, can revolve around tournaments or seasons, and can be either private (for you and 29 of your closest friends) or open to the public. Statistics tracked in online leagues are extensive, and you can even keep track of your online leagues via league home pages on the ESPN Videogames Leagues Web site, which uses the ESPN themes to full effect.

WINNER: Major League Baseball 2K5

INTANGIBLES

Baseball is a game of intangibles--the every-inning mind games between pitchers and batters, the vagaries of hot and cold streaks, the curses that have plagued teams throughout baseball's history, and even the finicky fickleness of fandom. Nothing is certain in America's pastime beyond the game itself. In hardball video games, we consider intangibles anything that is featured in the game that doesn't necessarily fit elsewhere--minigames, manager modes, simulation features, even gameplay bugs that managed to find their way into the game. We take on the extras in this catchall category.

MVP Baseball 2005

In terms of depth, the inclusion of Single-A teams in MVP sets it apart from any other baseball title on the market, though the game runs right in the middle in terms of adjustable game settings and tracked stats. It also has the requisite home run showdown and a couple of pitching and batting minigames that are the kinds of fun diversions you expect them to be.

We really liked the inclusion of a manager mode--though we wonder why anyone would use this mode in a stand-alone fashion. Managing games in franchise mode makes a lot more sense and works well. Also having the option to simulate individual games--and, more importantly, to intervene at any time--is invaluable, though we wish this feature included the ability to sim directly to a specific inning, similar to how MLB 2006 handles things.

MLB 2006

We love MLB 2006's career mode, plain and simple. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see this player's-eye viewpoint of a career mode influence next year's baseball titles. The game even manages to find a way to make spring training fun--or at least tolerable--by giving you the ability to only play your at-bats or your defensive appearances. If the manager decides to sit you out for a game or two, you can skip directly over those absences. If your manager continues to ignore your obvious talent, you can take your gripes directly to him, request more playing time, a trade to another team, or a call-up to the majors. If none of these methods work, you can even take drastic measures and go to the media with your complaints...a move that will almost certainly affect your skipper's and team's opinion of you.

If anything, career mode is a new way of looking at baseball--one that works for gamers who may not be interested in the financial side of America's pastime but still want to feel a sense of long-term accomplishment. It won't surprise us at all if MLB 2006's career mode influences next year's hardball titles in a big way.

Getting through a baseball game can take a while, both in real life and in a video game. MLB 2006's fast-forward system, then, is a nice touch, as it lets you immediately skip to the next half inning or full inning, or even choose a specific inning to jump ahead to. If you've built up a comfortable 11-run lead in the third inning you'll be able to easily skip forward to the eighth, just to make sure that lead is still intact. Finally for the patience-impaired, it's worth noting that MLB 2006's loading times can be a bit ugly sometimes, though this isn't exactly breaking news for a PS2 game. What can be troubling are game freezes, which are more frequent than the developers would probably care to admit and are liable to ruin a Sunday afternoon of gaming, especially if you don't save your progress early and often.

Major League Baseball 2K5

ESPN gets a lot of things right; so many in fact that the things it gets wrong tend to stand out a bit more. We're thinking of bugs here, namely two annoying glitches that are prominent. The first is a fairly innocuous flaw that will sometimes cause the CPU to ignore your steal attempts completely and allow you to grab a bag totally unhindered. More serious, however, is the preponderance of wild pitches and passed balls that can occur in a game. It doesn't happen in every game, but when it does, you can expect it to get ugly. Fortunately, some intrepid gamers have found that some subtle slider settings seem to eliminate the bug altogether, which begs the question: Why couldn't the guys at Kush have done the same thing?

Glitches aside, there's so much to like about Major League Baseball 2K5: multiple variations on the home run derby minigames; trivia questions; an absurd amount of game challenges where you can earn tokens to unlock rewards; and a number of GM Skyboxes, the 2K5 equivalent of the Cribs found in 2K Sports' NFL and NBA titles. The sheer amount of stuff to unlock for your Skybox--classic teams, new stadiums, arcade games, classic jerseys, cheats--will keep you busy for weeks. Hell, there are even three distinct Skyboxes to earn. All in all, 2K5 is an impressive package marred by some unfortunate flaws.

WINNER: MLB 2006

TALE OF THE TAPE

COMING SOON

Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball

In our spring training baseball preview, we didn't have much to say about the GameCube-exclusive Pennant Chase Baseball. Here we are, a month later, and we don't know much more than last time. About the only certain thing is that the game has slipped from its original release date and is now due on store shelves in June. While we haven't seen the game in action, screenshots released in late February showed some interesting possible features in PCB, including a "home field evolution" mode that will let you upgrade your stadium--through additions such as press boxes, scoreboards, mower huts, and concession stands--as you progress through the game. The game also includes a franchise mode, rookie of the year honors, and an interesting tournament feature that seems to make use of multiple GameCubes in the same tourney. Could this be a herald of some sort of LAN network connectivity for the Nintendo GameCube? Hopefully we'll have that answer, along with a more detailed look at the game, in the coming weeks.

PSP Baseball Titles

With all the emphasis on the console baseball titles, it's easy to forget that the just-launched PSP will see a couple of hardball titles of its own in April. Both MVP Baseball and MLB are essentially remakes of their console equivalents, down to the similar features, menus, and even controls. You'll still be able to guess the pitch type and location while batting in 989 Sports' MLB, and the release-point pitching and throw meter for fielding are present and accounted for in MVP Baseball. The compromises for both titles comes in a reduced number of play modes and level of graphical detail, as well as long load times, which seem to be a problem on nearly every PSP game at launch. Though your wireless multiplayer mileage may vary, both games will take advantage of the feature. Also, the in-depth franchise modes in both games--such as MVP's owner's mode and MLB's career mode--are sadly absent on the handheld. While one could make the argument that such modes are extraneous for a mobile gaming device like the PSP, you can be sure that plenty of people will be clamoring for franchise modes to make their way to next year's batch of PSP games.

MLB On Your Mobile

Three mobile powerhouses (THQ, Jamdat Mobile, and Mforma) are heading to the plate this spring--all releasing competing hardball products. If you're one of the sad cases holding off on a PSP for now but still looking for a mobile hardball fix, check out our review of CBS Sportsline Baseball 2005, Jamdat Sports' MLB 2005, and Big League Baseball 2005 to find which cellphone baseball game is best!

TALE OF THE TAPE