Electronic Arts has always been the company to expect great sports games. Last year's "Madden NFL 2004" has been lauded by some as the best game of all time. This year, they bring us "MVP Baseball 2004," now called the best baseball video game of all time. Is it the best? Probably not. But is it good? You bet it is.
A baseball game is no good without good controls. The controls in "MVP" may seem quite confusing at first glance, but once you sit down with the game, it becomes almost second nature.
There are some quirks, however. I still have yet to figure out how to move my outfielders back or bring my infielders into double play position. The AI also controls the runners, so sometimes the runner will be running back to base despite instructing him otherwise. There is a major glitch where runners are not detected, forcing you to reset the system. That is, of course, never fun.
The primary feature of the game is the Dynasty Mode. With Dynasty Mode, you can control a team and its minor league affiliates for 120 seasons. You can draft people before the first season -- so it's possible to have Ichiro, Magglio and Carlos Beltran on one team and control the team's destiny.
Sure, it's possible to cheat and play against yourself to give your team supreme power, but who would want to do that for 162 games? Therefore, it is important to keep players happy by giving them adequate playing time and by supplying them with a satisfactory contract. Happy players mean you will win more games in stimulation mode.
Dynasty Mode can become very complex for minor baseball fans. You have three teams to control, and each team has four lineups. Every time you make a trade or send somebody down or bring somebody up from the minors, you have to make sure each of the four lineups work or else your changes will be nullified. Also, Dynasty Mode takes up a good 300 spaces on your Gamecube memory card. It's not much lower for the PS2 or Xbox.
Unfortunately, other than the Dynasty Mode, there's not much else to the game. There are two ways to jump into a game: Quick Play and Exhibition Mode. There is no difference between the two, except that you can pick your lineup and starters as well as the stadium in the latter.
There are two showdowns: Home Run Showdown and Pitcher Showdown. In the former, your goal is to go a certain distance, and you get points depending how far your hits goes. In Pitcher Showdown, your goal is to rack up strikeouts. Both modes are best for multiplayer.
Then there's MVP Mode. It's not really a gaming mode, but if you complete certain challenges in a complete game, you get MVP Points, which you can use to unlock classic uniforms, classic stadiums and classic players.
But the MVP mode does provide some problems. Sometimes the MVP Points don't save. Spending several hours unlocking Robin Yount and finding out that your data has been erased is quite a frustrating experience. Plus, it is still a mystery to me how to use the players in Exhibition Mode. Another problem is that you can unlock Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan and Orlando Cepeda, but you can't unlock George Brett.
The graphics are pretty standard. The player models look decent, although the faces still look somewhat like they have been pasted onto polygons. There is some slowdown, and load times can get pretty nasty.
One of the best features of the game is the commentary. Duane Kuiper and an assistant keep the game going with excellent quips and analyses. Thousands of lines have been pre-programmed, so as to keep the commentary fresh. It is, however, quite odd to hear the commentators tell the manager to go to the bullpen after the reliever gives up one hit. On-field sounds, unfortunately, don't live up to the commentators.
There are half a dozen baseball games coming out this year. It's definitely wise to put this game on your list.
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