MVP 06 NCAA Baseball
Score: 89% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Sports (Baseball)
Graphics & Sound: After EA bought the exclusive rights to the NFL, 2K Sports shot back a volley of its own by acquiring the rights to the MLB (though the deal did allow for 1st party MLB games). This left EA in the same bind as 2K was with the NFL; they had a great engine and no license to use it with. However, it turned out that EA had an ace up its sleeve that 2K didn't. In addition to purchasing NFL exclusivity, they also snagged the NCAA as well, providing EA with something to do with their baseball game engine. The result is MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. Overall, MVP 06 does a good job of recreating the college atmosphere – that of a lazy afternoon at the ballpark. While MLB games might have a little more "buzz" surrounding games, the NCAA games have a more casual feel to them. Unless it is a game against a big rival or Regional/Super Regional playoff, they are a place where fans go to watch a good game of ball, eat a hotdog and socialize with the people in their section. Of course, this doesn’t exactly translate into a video game that well, which leads to a game that can feel bland at times. Fans coming from MLB games who may not have much experience with college baseball should expect a different look with MVP 06. Players are smaller and, since certain NCAA rules prohibit using the likeness and names of active players, expect to see a clone or two running onto the field. However, the hardcore college baseball fans do have the option of a player editor, so you can always rework player looks and add names to give it more of a "real" feel. As far as I could tell, the available stadiums look authentic (at least, LSU’s Alex Box Stadium looks like it should). While the game includes 120 teams, only a handful of stadiums are present in the game, which could lead to some disappointed fans. Presentation really doesn’t take full advantage of the ESPN license; and considering how big a deal EA made of acquiring it, you’d really expect more. On the upside, you have Mike Patrick calling all of the action and doing a nice job of it, but that is about it. You rarely see the ESPN logo anywhere, nor will you see camera angles that look like you’re watching a game on TV. Sure, a few little things are there, though I was actually expecting to find myself complaining about the number of ESPN references rather than asking for more. Commentary is decent, but not the best, which is probably due to a rushed development cycle and the commentator’s busy schedules – so I expect to see some improvement here next year. Both announcers tend to repeat themselves often and lack any sort of emotion. You could recreate Warren Morris' College World Series winning home run and Mike Patrick would react to it like it was a base hit in the first. Crowd noises are also spot on and ebb and flow like a real game. And, it just wouldn’t be college ball without the ding of the metal bats.
Gameplay: While it is something that could be argued about for years (and believe me, it has been), EA's MVP games have typically been looked at as being one of the top baseball games each season. MVP 06 NCAA takes the same gameplay that made MVP so good and simply replaces the MLB content with the NCAA – so fans of the series shouldn’t feel too put out. MVP 06 offers the traditional lineup of play modes, including Dynasty, Season, Exhibition and Online. Also included are mini-games that will help you get used to the game's new mechanics, not the least of which is the new Load and Fire Batting system which can really throw you for a loop if you try to jump into it feet first. One of the bigger adjustments any player will have to make with NCAA is that the game has been changed to reflect college rules and skills. However, don't interpret this as MVP 06 being a lesser game, it is just different. For one, these are college players who are still learning all of the ins-and-outs of the game, so you’ll see a few more bobbles, missed plays and errors than in a pro game. You’ll also see a greater number of miscommunications and botched plays, though these seem to happen more with the lower rated teams rather than the higher rated ones. College play also brings with it college rules. Home-plate collisions and take-out slides aren't allowed and the strike zone is smaller (which is meant to keep batters from crowding the plate and to help control pitcher's throwing zones) – all of which are meant to make the game a little safer. Also, bats are aluminum and ballparks are smaller, which help to increase the number of hits. Because of this, a 10-point "Mercy" rule is in effect, so games will end if you are ever beating your opponent by ten points. The game also brings in a number of gameplay changes not related to college baseball, such as new ball physics that see the ball bouncing all over the place when hit rather than the predictable areas they seemed to take in previous games. For those wanting more of a "Major League" experience, there is hope. While you can't play with MLB teams (though you can create convincing look-alikes with Create-A-Team), you can switch to "Summer Rules", which will replace the aluminum bats with wooden ones, allows take-out slides and removes the 10-run rule. A number of options and features are also available to players, adding depth to a game that could become pretty one-sided if given a chance. For starters, there's the Creation Zone that offers a full assortment of customizable content, including the option to create a player, team or even build your own ballpark. The last two options will become especially useful if your college team or stadium was left out this year's game.
Difficulty: All things considered, A.I. is generally good and tries to reflect the flow of a college game rather well. From what I've heard from other players, the new batting system is what really seems to be giving people the most trouble, so I would really recommend spending some time playing mini-games and in Exhibition games before jumping into a Season, Online or Dynasty game. It will take some time to get used to everything, but once you do there's no stopping you. Of course, you won't win every game and go to Omaha on a regular basis, but you'll put up a much better fight after giving the game some time. If the game's mechanics are giving you problems, say for example people move too fast or opposing outfielders seem to catch just a few too many balls, you can adjust one of 50 different sliders to make the game feel more comfortable.
Game Mechanics: MVP Baseball 06 once again continues EA's quest to work the right analog stick into every sports game it makes. Similar to the swing mechanic in Tiger Woods, the new Load and Fire batting system lets you swing the bat with the right analog stick. Pulling the stick back "loads" the swing with power while pushing it forward swings – hopefully resulting in a hit. You can also push the stick at an angle if you want to try and pull or push the ball. It takes a while to get into a rhythm, but once you do you'll find yourself devising all sorts of situation hits. Still, if after all that practice you're having problems, you can switch to either Classic of Zone-Hitting interfaces in the options. Analog control has also worked its way onto defense with Precision Throw Control. In order to throw a ball to a certain base, you must press the analog stick in that direction and, when the indicator turns green, throw. Hit it right, and the throw hits. While analog control works great for batting, it doesn't for throwing. I would even go so far to say that it is unnecessary and feels like it was thrown in to meet some requisite on a list. The system doesn't feel natural, even after practicing with it, and outfielders don't respond to the stick until after they catch the ball – adding a slight lag to a situation that requires precise timing. Switching to the Classic mode for outfielders is the first thing anyone should do before playing their first game. For a freshman outing, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball is about all you could expect. It's not on the same level as other EA Sports titles, but most of the problems are issues of tuning and could likely be attributed to a shortened development cycle. Even if you're not a fan of college ball (and there's no reason not to be), MVP 06 is still a great baseball game and worth the time, especially for $30.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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