After playing MVP Baseball 2004

After playing MVP Ba

Im a big fan of World Series Baseball, but after playing MVP 2004, I just might become a fan of EA again. I didnt play last year's version, but this year's version looks solid. If you have one of the latest graphics cards and a rig for a pc, the pc version is for you. On check swings the home plate ump will ask for an appeal. Crowds are very much into the game. Though Ive only played at Yankee Stadium you the crowd would boo or chant "Let go Yankees". I felt I was at a real ball park. The controls are easy to learn even for beginners. Every pitch or throws from the field a meter pops up. The more you meter is full the harder the throw from the fielders. Throws to the cut off man is very nice. Pitching is very easy. Also the strength and accuracy of your pitches depends on where you stop the cursor on the meter. This is just a brief review of the game, because I have to get some work done. :cry:

 

Yeah, all of those throwing meters were in there last year. It's a great game, can't wait to load up this years version.

I'll hook up with you for some PC action once I get it, maybe tomorrow?

 

Did this come out today?

 

I believe so. I think the scheduled date was March 9th.

 

Anytime. I also purchased the controller you recommended on an earlier post. Plays pretty much like the PS2 controller. Hopefully by tonight I should have the controls pretty much memorized. EB and other stores should have it either late tonight or tomorrow morning. I pre ordered and got it Fed Ex this morning.

 

Yeah, they all got the PC version today, I think the console version will be on the shelves tomorrow.

 

What kind of controller is recommended? Also what specs are recommended to run this game?

 

I'm still debating on the PC or Xbox version. PC would be cool cause it's online, but I don't know how much I'd play it online. Xbox would be cool cause I can take it to a buddies house to play him, I can still use my pc for other stuff while I'm playing... dunno yet.

 

I would highly recommend the Logitech Dual Action gamepad (only $19.99):

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=11,CONTENTID=6951

The PC version has a default control scheme for it, and it's based around the PS2 dual shock.

 

I just got the PS2 version. Will be testing it out today.

How much space does MVP take on the PC?

 

Well I picked up the XBOX version today and here are my thoughts
Love the pitching and batter interface. Love the pitching meter. The AI is pretty good so far. (only 4games in though). Hitting is very tough. I like the idea that there are no speed burst when running so you wont get robbed of a hit. The walls in the outfield act like walls and have unpredictable bounces.

I would love to play this online on the PC but my graphics card wont support it.. DAMN GATEWAY!!

 

Wow, great game (MVP). I'm very impressed. The gameplay is solid, as good as last year's and the animations and little details are just awesome. My 64MB GF3 Ti200 was chugging at 1024x768x32, I may have to bump it down to 800x600 for smoother play online.

Getting the XBox version today to scratch my offline baseball franchise itch. My only complaint is that the rosters are REALLY old (January) but I guess that comes with being the first to market. If EA is on the ball like last year, they'll have a roster update for the PC version right after opening day.

I'll be spending the next few weeks figuring out the sliders for a good offline game, but so far default AllStar seems very very good.

 

Just wondering for those who buy the XBOX version who won't have official roster updates except for off of Action Replay, is A-Rod on the Yanks and Alfonso on the Rangers, and Maddux on the Cubs? Just wondering as I might buy the game .

 

No, the rosters are as of 1/15/04, so those trades are not in the game.

Action replay will be our saving grace for the XBox version, I'm sure someone will have an updated custom roster out by this weekend for both the PC and XBox versions, and EA will have an official roster update for the PC version by the first week of April.

 

This game really surprised me yesterday. I didnt think EA had turned this game into this. I was right that it wasnt EA but EA CANADA just like they have been turning around all the EA sports game. Great game though. The only thing that irks me is the fielding. Everything else plays smooth...except went to move around when you have the ball. But my bro showed me how to attack the ball to get throw people out. Double plays were hard until i started attacking the ball and not waiting for it to get to me.

I played 1 game online in the EA sports NAtion thing. Pretty smooth. MANDATORY roster update right before you can even get into the lobby...not that it put anyone on my METS in the correct position or had Katz Matsui lol. IT was still all fun and all. Played exhibition game. In Shea againts some guy using the Dodgers. I beat him 10 - 4. Struck out 6 batters. I stole 3 times with Jose Reyes. I beened one of his players by mistake and the guy pressed triangle to charge the mount. His player got ejected. So the game continued. He then laters starts blasting balls right next to my players head. He finally hits Cameron in the leg with a 90 mph 4seam fast ball. I was gonna charge but i has ahead and didnt want to lose one of my star players. As sooon as i get on first the umpire throws Nomo out the game for retalition lol. The other guy and i laughed for a good 5 minutes before resuming the game. Hit a homer with Jason Phillips in the 7th inning. Too bad my bro took it back to the store today.

I did managed to play about 6 games offline with my neighbors and brothers before 2am in the morning lol.

||Pros||
-pitching and batting interface.
-Features.
-EA paid out their ASSES for so many licenses(coaches, umps, hall of famers, dead legends, jersey's, AA and AAA teams, that god awful annoying music for the menus. Turned it off permanently after playing my first game and more i didnt get to see)
||Cons||
-Fielding Camera and fielding is just plain for me. I did learn that setting up is part of the game and all but damn the push too mush on this in my opinion. Plus guys in the outfield(CF, RF, LF) seem to make too many damn stupid decisions(i had it on assisted fielding).
-Music
-default rosters and updated rosters still suck for the moment anyway.

I will be getting this for the PC though. EA has surprised me with this game on a definite.

 

I now have both the XBox and PC versions. I'm VERY impressed, there are so many cool details in this game, where do I start.

I love the check swings. When the catcher calls for the 1st or 3rd base ump to make a call, it shows a over the head view animation (in a PIP) to show how you went through the zone.

If you whiff on a pitch, it will do a similar type of over the head or sideways PIP view slowmo replay. Nice touch.

You can click the left thumbstick and pull up a pitch history chart for each of your AB's with that player, it will show each pitch, if it was a ball, strike, contact, etc. Very cool.

I recommend everyone with the XBox or PS2 version to watch Harold Reynold's MVP Tips section. Great stuff there on some of the nuiances of the game.

Yeah, the XBox rosters are way out of date, but that's not a huge deal. It took me all of 5 minutes to make the major trades and put Arod at 3B, etc, and edit SF's leftfielder to make him Barry Bonds (had to change his appearance, bday, number, made him a lefty, etc... but I left his attributes alone). What's cool is that after you make him Barry Bonds, the announcers will call him Bonds (kinda like the NCAA games where you can edit in the real names and they'll use them).

Fielding is tricky at first, you really have to charge the ball, but I had last years version so I feel right at home. My PC league used assisted fielding, so games wouldn't be decided due to lag or fielding issues. I'll probably play all of my games against human opponents on assisted fielding, rather than manual... and only use manual against the CPU for my season.

Last year's game had a HR derby. This year's has it, but they added a pitching contest as well that is alot of fun.

I can already tell that this will be my favorite MLB game this season and will get most of my time, it's too bad that EA doesn't support XBL (yet) cause I can't see ASB or ESPN competing with this game. It won't even be close (but I'll still get one or the other to play in our league of course).

 

Too bad PS2 players can't play PC users online like players are able to do in Final Fantasy XI. I would have bought MVP already if that was the case. :cry:

 

Yea, MVP rocks, I really hope 2005 is on LIVE.

 

A few tips:

-start off on AllStar difficulty, Pro is too easy

-turn up the CPU and Human OF speed +5 (helps cut down on triples)

-always try and get 100% on the pitching meter. This will make for better pitches and the CPU will actually chase balls outside of the zone if you are throwing nasty stuff at 100% on the meter. Also, it will tire your SP out more and you won't see your starter going past the 6th or 7th inning in most games cause he's gassed.

-boost the human contact and power slider ~10-15. It won't give you that many more hits, but it will make the CPU pitchers fear you a bit more and throw more balls (leading to more walks, which is a good thing).

That's all for now, back to the game...

 

I can definetly say that the first time you play MVP to figure out the pitching meter can be a rough game , It took me a little while to relize you have to hold the button to build up the power as I kept trying to do the start stop stop method and it was like throwing BP pitches and everyone was just crushing the ball against me. So now that I made it through Pitching 101 on to Batting 101 now, this game would be so much fun on Live, I just hope that ESPN or ASB comes close to this one.