MVP Baseball 2003
by EA Sports
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Video Game Reviews of MVP Baseball 2003
Customer Review: it's NOT in the game
Summary: 2 Stars
The successor to Triple Play Baseball, despite having some nice graphics and other fancy shenanigans, is, in the end, a disappointment performance-wise. Most glaring is that despite this user running the game on a Windows XP machine with ample memory, the program SLOWS DOWN much too frequently, particularly in situations with runners on base. Additionally, routine plays easily made in previous versions (such as the double play) are inexplicably more difficult to perform this time around. And the decision to have different buttons control which base a fielder throws (rather than have just one "throw" button) -- why???Bottom line: very frustrating to play. Despite all the improvements made, some very obvious shortcomings significantly hinder the enjoyment of the game.
Customer Review: Good - not great
Summary: 3 Stars
As a long-time EA Sports customer, this game is a definite improvement over the Triple Play series, but still has a ways to go to be on par with the Madden and NHL franchises.I think this game is, at best, a 6/10. Baseball is historically difficult to represent in a video game, but there have been some good ones (Earl Weaver, the very early Triple Play versions, All Star Baseball 2002/3/4, etc.). It just seems if you can't simulate the gameplay, you might as well spend extra time on graphics/sound. EA clearly didn't do this.
Here is a breakdown:
Gameplay
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+ Games go pretty well - fluid for the most part
+ Scores are "lifelike" in all difficulty modes
+ Statistics are accurate for players league-wide
+ Batting, pitching, fielding, throwing meters are easy to use and customizable -- you just need a gamepad with 8-10 buttons
- Computer pitching is too fast - often I can't pinch hit because the computer is in the windup in < 1 second after an inning begins
- Home runs are extremely rare; computer never hit a home run off my pitchers in games I played throughout season
- There are a *lot* of bugs - ie: statistically a player sometimes doesn't get credit for a hit when extending a double to a triple, infield fly sometimes doesn't work (even though announcers announce it)
- There is an inordinate number of line/fly outs to the infield
Graphics
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+ Players look lifelike (in everything but mouth action)
+ Long-distance stadium view is good-looking, as is grass (except in SkyDome (too green for Astroturf) and Bank One Ballpark (dirt from pitchers mound > home looks cheap))
- Players don't appear to be correct height/weight
- Stadiums are a step back from any recent game -- the backgrounds are *very* low-res, cities (ie: Pittsburgh) are improperly rendered, and the scoreboard animations are the same rotating [stuff] from NHL series
- Fans look HORRIBLE - like NHL 2001 "cardboard cutouts" (only attempt at differentiating stadium to stadium is shirt colors - nor are stadiums more or less full based on game)
Sounds
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+ Sounds of ball off bat are rendered well
+ Crowd noise grows in a rally
- Stadium sounds are okay, but ballpark announcers aren't accurate (ie: Fenway and Pac Bell women)
- Play by play is inaccurate, annoying, and repetitive
Features
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- "Franchise" mode is HORRIBLE - nowhere near NHL 2003, All Star Baseball or World Series Baseball's (Xbox/PS2) franchise mode
- The Homerun contest is foolish, since it's extremely difficult to hit them...
- Franchise trade offers are unfair and biased towards the computer (similar to the NHL series)
Customer Review: Awesome rebuild of the EA Sports Baseball Franchise!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This game is awesome!! I wanted a good baseball sim after giving up on High Heat (which always had problems on PC's), and EA Sports has come up with a dandy! There are some things that will ultimately need upgrading (for example, a meter showing the pitcher's fatigue level would be good), but this is a game that was rebuilt from the ground up and two years in the making. In an interview, the rep from EA Sports said there will be more features added next year. The graphics are amazing - the ballparks are rendered beautifully, and the players look more realistic than ever, right down to their motions. The franchise mode is cool too, with the goals listed by team. And the announcers are better than ever - for the first time, they don't sound disjointed in their commentary - in fact, sometimes, like on TV, the game will be going on, and they'll banter back and forth and seamlessly go back to calling the action when a ball is hit(and I may be a little biased with this - I'm a transplant from the SF Bay Area who spent many a night listening/watching to Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, and watched Krukow win his 20th game in 1986 at the 'Stick) At one point, I just had the CPU play against itself, and my son and I watched the game, and it was like watching one on TV. Amazing!!
If you're looking for a good baseball sim that doesn't crash on your desktop (I run XP by the way), that really captures the realism of America's pastime, this is the one to get this year!
Customer Review: Average Just Average
Summary: 3 Stars
I picked this up from an EB store this week and can say this is very very average. Nothing great:Pros:
(1) Good visuals of players and stadiums
(2) Nice baseball AI
(3) Updated Rosters so far
Cons:
(1) Game moves very slowly
(2) Announcers are boring and repetitive
(3) Computer makes baserunning mistakes
(4) One game takes way to long
Unless you are a die-hard baseball fan, I would skip this one.
I enjoy the NHL 2003 and NBA game from EA sports much better.
3/5 stars
Customer Review: Wow...
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, EA Sports junked Triple Play and created a game from scratch. Now the graphics are even better than that of High Heat Baseball and gameplay is more real. The pitching/batting is completely redone with a realistic sense of speed (you'll really be tricked by offspeed pitches) and they also added strength meters for fielding for those who would risk a wild throw for an impossible pick off. Pitching is a bit tricky at first, but at least now you can have more than 4 pitches. There's also a new kind of Homerun derby that is more fun than the typical ones.I'm sure there are negative points we'll eventually find with the game but for now it's the best baseball game out there. If you like baseball, get this! BTW, I do not work for EA...