Customer Reviews for MVP Baseball 2003

MVP Baseball 2003
by EA Sports

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Video Game Reviews of MVP Baseball 2003

Customer Review: Good, but not great
Summary: 5 Stars

Cons:
-You hardly have control over your baserunners (fixed with newest patch)
-Is it even possible to steal a base?

-No home run derby :(

EDIT: The newest patch avilable on easports.com fixes many bugs. It also fixes the baserunning and fielding systems a little bit. Ea games really cares about their games and customers. I am going to change the rate from 4 to 5 starts :)

Customer Review: Stranger in a strange land
Summary: 5 Stars

Customer Review: Quite a bit of fun
Summary: 4 Stars

Rather than go through all the good points which have already been mentioned, I wish more miscellaneous features were included and would be implemented in a future version. While I understand the designers decided to focus on mostly on the action so as not to bore the player, I would like to see, for instance, the catcher throwing the ball back to the pitcher, rather than having the ball mysteriously materializing in the pitcher's hand every time!

Also, where are the coaches and manager? Yes, a team's staff can change at any given moment, but if you have the options to trade players so they appear in different uniforms, why can't they do the same for managers/coaches? I'd like to see managers visiting the mound when the pitcher starts to become inefficient. And views of the bullpen, so the announcers would say, "Now warming for [particular team], [relief pitcher.]

In-between innings, they should also have the box score in addition to the upcoming players for the inning. And when a player comes up for bat a second (or more) times, I want to see the stats for the current game, not the updated batting average and such.

There should also be more signature calls to their respective stadiums. It's rather generic to hear: "and it's off the wall!" when you're playing at Fenway Park and the ball bounces off the Green Monster. When you hit a dinger at Yankee Stadium, why not mention when it lands in Monument Park? And why are players so complacent about an ump's call? Can't they argue and even get thrown out of the game if they get too far? There should be more camera angles and also a more active crowd. Why every stadium seems to be sold out is beyond me, no matter how bad a team is. There should be some kind of random element to this, based on how well they're performing in the standings.

There should be some views of the crowd during the game, like the "real" game itself. It gets boring when MVP 2003 is all game, but lacking the bells and whistles that the "real" version has.

The players don't always respond correctly. When you see instant plays of dingers, you see the pitcher running and reacting like a normal base hit had occurred. Most pitchers usually stand on the mound, turn around to look at the trajectory, and hope it's not gone. :) Also, the fielders tend to be too proficient for their own good. A lot of them seem to run toward the ball, with the back facing home plate, rather than simply taking a few steps back to make the catch. If you hit a foul down the first base line, the first basemen turns towards the area of the ball and extends his mitt, as if he was going to catch it.

Another thing missing is when the home team gets a winning run in the bottom of the 9th or extra innnings. It's especially annoying when you get the proverbial walk-off homer. The announcers just talk away before duly mentioning that the homer is hit and that the game is over. I'd like to see more jubliation on the field, not just the team clapping for winning every game. And the losing team should show more emotion, too, not just linger on the field. They should be dejected, heads bowed, sitting in the dugout ready to eat their towel, etc.

Weather and other elements (ballboy/ballgirl, flying debris, birds, etc.) should also be included. And the scoreboard for stadiums should be worked on so they show real information. And during the game, they should flash scores in progress, so you have an idea where your team is. Not every stadium uses fireworks, so it is out of place seeing it just about every time.

When a player is injured, show it! Show them reeling in agony or trying to walk off their injury. A simple message that a player is hurt and is being replaced doesn't cut it. I suppose I'm pushing it by wishing confrontations between teams (i.e., the dugouts empty) would be included, but I guess they really need to keep the game family friendly. Otherwise signature fan chants from certain stadiums would've been included. :)

It's still a pretty fun game regardless of the trivialities I wish were included. ;)

Customer Review: Good game, for first version
Summary: 3 Stars

THE BAD
1) the hot/cold hitting zones idea is pointless. Just never pitch to the blue zones, and they'll never hit a home run.

2) base running AI is buggy. Sometime players try to take extra bases at riduculous times (like on a bunt base hit), and they stay put on 2-out hits when they should be running with the crack of the bat, and individual baserunner control, expecially when you have more than one on base, is so difficult, it's almost impossible to get everyone doing what you want before they're thrown out.

3) The opposing pitcher delivers much too quickly, often even before the score/ count is displayed on screen, or before you've had time to take a lead or plan what you want to do.

4) a lot of the small details of baseball are missing, that I hope will be implemented in the 2004 version. Things like...
- having to warn up pitchers in the pen first
- being able to shift alignment around of your defense (with more fine control than there is now, and without reverting to standard alignment for every batter that comes up.)
- more access to stats of opposition and your own team during the games, so you can make substitution decisions better.
- a more advance batting interface ... as it is now you only have to get the timing down, position of swing is handled automatically, which takes half the fun and challenge away if you ask me.

Overall, a very good game. I definitely recommend it if you're like me and need your baseball fix on days there are no games on TV. I really hope they improve upon this good start next season.

Customer Review: America's Pastime--MVP BASEBALL
Summary: 5 Stars

Quick advice, get this game if you LOVE BASEBALL. MVP BASEBALL rocks the house, don't buy High Heat or ALL STAR BASEBALL. EA you've done it again.