MVP Baseball
Score: 79% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Sports (Baseball)
Graphics & Sound: A few month's after Sony's baseball offering, MLB, EA is entering the pennant chase with it's own baseball game, MVP Baseball. Like it's competitor, MVP is a tweaked down version of the PS2 version of the same game. Whereas Sony's offering pulled out many of the more cosmetic aspects of the game, MVP keeps that stuff in and instead removes a few of the game's deeper play modes. Graphically, MVP Baseball is about as close as you can get to the PS2 version on a handheld. Unlike 989's offering, MVP retains all of the graphical fireworks from the PS2 version. Replays, batter walk-ups... you name it and you'll more than likely see it in the handheld version. The presentation details come at a small price, namely a few framerate hiccups or a pause or two between transitions. Even without the graphical glitz, MVP is still a solid title. Player models are accurate right down to individual batter stances and a few recognizable faces. Animations are also varied, and add a little unpredictability to games. One time a player may snag a ball with a diving catch only to make an over-the-shoulder catch a few minutes later. Stadiums don't look as good as MLB, which is one of the game's few negatives. The texture work, at least on the billboards and scoreboards, is pretty blurry. In addition the boards don't update to reflect what's going on in the game. Still, these are minor issues so it's not fair to really harp on them -- especially when you consider this is a launch title. Audio is your typical EA effort, complete with in-game commentary and EA Trax playing during menus. Overall the commentary is good, though it does get a little repetitive, which can get annoying. The duo of Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper are good, but come off as a little stiff and lack a that personable "spark". Other ballpark noises have been toned down, though they will show a little life and cheer (or boo) when something big happens in the game.
Gameplay: MVP Baseball sticks to the basic gameplay modes. In a move that seems to be geared towards the game's portable nature, deeper modes like Franchise and Minor League play, have been removed, leaving only Season, Exhibition and Home Run Showdown modes. Season mode is the longest of the three, and allows you to play though an entire season. You're able to manage some of the smaller aspects like player trades and lineups, but don't have some of the more in-depth management modes found in the console version. Exhibition is for the times when you want to sneak in a quick game without having to worry about standings or pitching rotation. You can also take on another player in Ad-Hoc Exhibition games, though an online play mode is sadly missing, giving a bit of an edge to MLB in the multiplayer department. Home Run Showdown is a fun mode to pass time. As with the game's normal batting interface, it's more luck of the swing than reading pitches and nailing the right one when it comes along. The mode becomes way too easy once you figure out an exploit or two that will guarantee hits. Aside from the removal of key modes, MVP's gameplay remains unchanged from it's console counterpart. The overall game of baseball is good, but just isn't as fun as the game found in MLB. There's no one tangible aspect that makes MVP feel like a "lesser" version, its more of a combination of little things that end up snowballing into one big problem. If it's not your outfield failing to go for a catch, it's the game assigning you control of a fielder who is nowhere near where the ball is. You'll also have to deal with little things like framerate hiccups or other assorted missteps.
Difficulty: The same can be said about MVP's difficulty level. It's impossible to say "easy" or "hard"; it just comes down to how things fall into place during a game. For example, there are times when the game can get a little home run crazy and hang up homers with nearly every swing of the bat. However, the next time you play, the hot bats go cold and the game plays like normal. What it really comes down to is how much fun the game is, an area where MVP is lacking. It's certainly enjoyable, but just isn't fun.
Game Mechanics: Pitching is one of the game's real strengths. After choosing a pitch, a curved meter pops up that allows you to control the release of the pitch. If you're able to release the ball within your pitcher's zone, you'll throw a good pitch. One of the more innovative aspects of the pitching meter is that it changes over time and reflects your pitcher's stamina. The longer he stays in, the smaller his zone becomes. Hitting is based more on timing, and a bit of luck, than actual skill. This is where the aforementioned "batting exploits" popped in. Basically, you can nail the timing down so that you'll hit nearly every ball that comes your way. It doesn't mean that you'll smash every one out the park, but it certainly ups the chances of that happening. MVP Baseball is a game that could have, and really should have, been better. Compared to the stellar console version, few things feel like they really fall into place in the PSP version, which suggests a rushed development cycle. If you're looking for a good game of baseball, MLB is probably your better bet. MVP still a good choice, but the experience isn't as fulfilling.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Trackmania: Sunrise