Mvp 2004 Baseball Game - Page 4

Gromit · 03-16-2004, 03:12 PM

Am I to understand Sidewinders are not supported?

sixto · 03-16-2004, 03:16 PM

From what I hear, unless you have a double-thumbstick gamepad, you need not purchase this game. For that matter, I can vouch for the fact that this is true of NBA Live 2004, because I have it and it's worthless. Luckily it was cheap.

Gromit · 03-16-2004, 03:35 PM

Well, that pretty much blows.

sixto · 03-16-2004, 03:55 PM

Well someone who has the game should definitely weigh in, in case I've got it wrong, but everything I've seen leads to this conclusion re: the gamepad.

Gromit · 03-16-2004, 04:01 PM

Agreed.

Can someone who has MVP and a Sidewinder gamepad weigh in here? Are they compatible?

edm · 03-16-2004, 05:45 PM

You might find some help here. There are several posts regarding the gamepad compatibility issues.

I will say this, unless you're using a gamepad with at least one an analog stick, playing the game is pretty pointless. Due to MVPs pitching interface. Without an analog stick, you'll have to either throw pitches down the middle of the plate, or way outside.

A second analog stick is also necessary to take advantage of manual sliding and diving.

BigBambino · 03-28-2004, 11:33 AM

MVP 2004 is sweet. I think it has improved like Night and day from the 2003 game. I'm not that good at it right now, but i swear, i must have stolen 15 bases in my first game

MLBCenter · 03-28-2004, 12:28 PM

Two rosters have bonds in them. Check these threads:
http://forums.mlbcenter.com/showthread.php?t=5037

and

http://forums.mlbcenter.com/showthread.php?t=4818

If you download them please give feedback on the forums!!

Teflon · 03-28-2004, 12:43 PM

I was really surprised by this console title. I never considered it on the same footing with the baseball titles Acclaim, Sega, and EA have produced for the PS2, but this year's version is very much improved and very addictive. The graphics, player models, stadiums, and motion capture are as good as any of its competitors - which alone should give it a seat at the playing table - but the franchise mode is a step above any other I've seen for PS2 - or maybe 10 or 12 steps.

In Franchise mode, you control EVERYTHING. It's almost too much - like Baseball Mogul grafted to Madden on steroids. You pick when the playing field is resodded and what kind of pattern should be mowed into it, how many different concessions stands you add, whether you think the team needs a weight room, if you want to fly coach, first class, charter, or buy a private jet, (or take the bus if you're the Twins) if you want to add seats to the stadium, how much seats in each area of the stadium should cost, (and each major league stadium is represented faithfully in this regard- the seating areas accurately correspond to each stadium's real pricing distinctions- I checked! That means you can set the prices for the seats on top of the Green Monster in Fenway or at the field level club in KC.).

You negotiate your TV package - whether it's your local station or a regional sports net or you start up your team's own cable network like YES. You sell the different advertising areas in your stadium to specific businesses. You arrange for the promotions at the ballpark, and all the media marketing from context to players to be featured. Of course, there's hiring regional scouts, management staff, training strategies, and all the player finances, too.

I was expecting MLB Baseball to be about a 5 on a scale of 10. I bought it because I am still waiting for OOTP6 and All-Star Baseball to be released and thought this might be a bit of a diversion. Holy Crap! This might be the best game I buy this year!

Now for my criticisms - and they're few. MLB Baseball doesn't use a minor league system like EA. They use an "inactive" status for players not on major league rosters. Also, you can create players and save rosters, but I haven't figured out how to start a franchise from the saved roster. It appears to default. There's also a career mode where you can create a new player and follow him through multiple seasons. The beginning point allocations don't seem to be high enough to give him much of a shot at a successful career, however. I realize the large percentage of players who get to the majors have similar careers, but in a video game it should be more entertaining. Also, there's no way to just manage in the graphical environment. There's a text-style manage mode similar to EA's. The game is easier to play than EA's however, so you can set the fielding and baserunning to auto and just pitch and swing if you want. Frankly, running the full franchise, I'd rather just sit back and watch a game or two a season without making the on-field decisions as well. More owner or GM-like.

If MLB had a minor league model somewhat similar to EA's I'd easily give it a 10. (And if Vin Scully bothered to learn how to pronounce players' names in the American League.) If you love Franchise mode, rent this game and evaluate it for yourself. You will not believe its depth.

BigBambino · 03-28-2004, 12:43 PM

I hate Bonds

enuttage · 03-31-2004, 12:24 PM

Just a few comments on these games (reviving the thread), now that I've had the chance to briefly sample two of them on PS2...

MVP 2004 - So far, I'm really liking things here.

The bad: Some of the player screen manuverability bothers me. Especially the fact that it's hard to find defensive ratings for any player during the draft. And menu titles can be a bit vague. That, coupled with a truly crappy manual, make things a little frustrating.

The good: That being said...I can happily say that I don't remember *ever* having this much fun pitching and fielding. The little "power meters", for lack of a better term (and since I don't know what they're really called) are genius. I love that if you miss the mark on the way back for accuracy, that you miss your spot high or low over the plate (which can be deadly). To me, that's real. Guys miss their spots all the time, and sometimes it bites them in the ass.

I'm still figuring out the hitting part of things, but I think I've pretty much got it down. Simple, but not rediculously easy. There were too many hits (for my taste) in the game I played last night, but most of them were given up by me, so it's not fair for me to complain just yet.

I'm just starting to get into things, but I gotta say, the flow of gameplay is my favorite since High Heat, prior to them running themselves into the ground (Yeah, I'm bitter). You can actually draw walks! Which is more than I can say of any other game besides HH that I've ever played. Not a lot mind you, but it happens.

I never thought I'd *ever* enjoy an EA baseball game. Boy do things change.

MLB 2005 - Not bad, but needs some work.

The bad: My first game was a 12-inning affair which I lost in the bottom of the 12th on a bases loaded squeeze bunt by the CPU. Sounds cool, huh? Not really. I loaded the bases with no one out and fully expected that it might be the end for me when I had to face the 4, 5 and 6 hitters. The cleanup hitter threw me off when he squared to bunt. I threw a fastball low, inside and hard, hoping for a pop-up. Sure enough my catcher snagged the mishap. The 5-hitter comes up, and promptly squares to bunt, just like his buddy. Force out at the plate. Six hitter? You guessed it. Squares to bunt. WTF??!!! I was not pleased that some of the best hitters in the lineup ALL decided to squeeze bunt on me to end the game. NOT realistic.

The good: Franchise mode looks to be fairly deep, but no deeper than EA's, only different. There are about four millions options (as Teflon mentioned) from team transportation, to what kind of advertising you sell for the marquis in your stadium. But the actual player management aspect of things gets lost in the "inactive" status, and after that, the rest feels a bit gimmicky, but still entertaining to me. Just my op, of course.

To each his own.

Menus are easily navigable and fairly self-explanatory. But they didn't have to be, the game manual was pretty informative.

Overall, I like the game, but it just wasn't quite up to par with EA's offering. It felt a little too much like last year's game(s) to me, specifically the Sega/ESPN offering.

Again, I've been an EA-hater for years, but I think they may have me on this one this year. And keep in mind that my in-depth baseball sim of choice undoubtedly remains OOTP, so I'm looking for something in the console/arcade style that has depth, but above all, I want killer gameplay. EA seem to give this to me.

My only question will be whether I want to get the PC version (more tweakable), or the PS2 version, which IMO, after seeing screenshots here, doen't look as nice as the PC offering.

-E

PrestonKaye · 03-31-2004, 05:32 PM

I sucked at pitching first because if I went to throw a Curve (Square button) I would push the square button then when I need to get it in the green part for accuracy i thought you needed to press X.

My team is sick!!!!

Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Phil Neikro, and Mickey Mantle are the legend players in my Red Sox lineup

enuttage · 03-31-2004, 05:48 PM

Yeah, and of course after I posted this earlier, I've been reading about all the problems that franchise play has with player development.

If I do get it, it'll be for the PC, since at least there's hope of some god-like programmer swooping down and liberating us all from 40-year-old starter hell.

There's a great article by a guy on gonegold that looks promising.

I think I"ll be buying today, if I can find a nice price on it.

-E

p.s. PK, you playing on PS2, or PC?

BigBambino · 03-31-2004, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PrestonKaye
I sucked at pitching first because if I went to throw a Curve (Square button) I would push the square button then when I need to get it in the green part for accuracy i thought you needed to press X.

My team is sick!!!!

Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Phil Neikro, and Mickey Mantle are the legend players in my Red Sox lineup

I cant seem to unlock any players, how did you do it?

edm · 03-31-2004, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BigBambino
I cant seem to unlock any players, how did you do it?

You can grab the glass profile here. It will unlock all the stadiums, uniforms, and players

Joe Shlabotnick · 04-01-2004, 10:25 AM

Any tips on how to unlock all stadiums, uniforms and players on the ps2?

This game is addictive!

Teflon · 04-01-2004, 11:05 AM

If you unlock a player in EA's MVP Baseball and save the roster he's on, the player remains even if you don't save your profile. You can get all the players this way for the reward points needed for just a single player or two. Also, if you have enough points for a single stadium and two retro uniforms, you really have all you need since you can unlock different ones each time you start up if you don't save your profile when you finish.

A quick way to accumulate a lot of points if you aren't patient is to play a two player game controlling both sides, throw a perfect game and accumulate a lot of offense.

Joe Shlabotnick · 04-01-2004, 01:23 PM

That's pretty good stuff, Teflon, and thanks. But for my impatient, want-it-all-this-moment self, there's not just some unlock code that will open the door with one turn of the key (on ps2)?

BigBambino · 04-01-2004, 05:43 PM

Sweet, I'm Unlocking a ton of Playersss. I want to unlock a Whole team, and the play them Vs the yanks lol

Kezzek · 04-03-2004, 12:48 AM

LOL

Don't wrench that shoulder patting yourself on the back, Sparky. You've been termed a lot of things.

03-16-2004, 03:12 PM	#61
Gromit Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Holloman AFB, NM Posts: 164	Am I to understand Sidewinders are not supported? __________________ Owner of the 2010 GGNL World Champion Pensacola Pilots, 98-64

03-16-2004, 03:35 PM	#63
Gromit Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Holloman AFB, NM Posts: 164	Well, that pretty much blows. __________________ Owner of the 2010 GGNL World Champion Pensacola Pilots, 98-64

03-16-2004, 04:01 PM	#65
Gromit Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Holloman AFB, NM Posts: 164	Agreed. Can someone who has MVP and a Sidewinder gamepad weigh in here? Are they compatible? __________________ Owner of the 2010 GGNL World Champion Pensacola Pilots, 98-64

03-28-2004, 12:28 PM	#68
MLBCenter Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 19	Two rosters have bonds in them. Check these threads: http://forums.mlbcenter.com/showthread.php?t=5037 and http://forums.mlbcenter.com/showthread.php?t=4818 If you download them please give feedback on the forums!! __________________ MLBCenter.com- Baseball gaming/news site

03-28-2004, 12:43 PM	#69
Teflon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 154	MLB Baseball by 989 (Sony) for PS2 I was really surprised by this console title. I never considered it on the same footing with the baseball titles Acclaim, Sega, and EA have produced for the PS2, but this year's version is very much improved and very addictive. The graphics, player models, stadiums, and motion capture are as good as any of its competitors - which alone should give it a seat at the playing table - but the franchise mode is a step above any other I've seen for PS2 - or maybe 10 or 12 steps. In Franchise mode, you control EVERYTHING. It's almost too much - like Baseball Mogul grafted to Madden on steroids. You pick when the playing field is resodded and what kind of pattern should be mowed into it, how many different concessions stands you add, whether you think the team needs a weight room, if you want to fly coach, first class, charter, or buy a private jet, (or take the bus if you're the Twins) if you want to add seats to the stadium, how much seats in each area of the stadium should cost, (and each major league stadium is represented faithfully in this regard- the seating areas accurately correspond to each stadium's real pricing distinctions- I checked! That means you can set the prices for the seats on top of the Green Monster in Fenway or at the field level club in KC.). You negotiate your TV package - whether it's your local station or a regional sports net or you start up your team's own cable network like YES. You sell the different advertising areas in your stadium to specific businesses. You arrange for the promotions at the ballpark, and all the media marketing from context to players to be featured. Of course, there's hiring regional scouts, management staff, training strategies, and all the player finances, too. I was expecting MLB Baseball to be about a 5 on a scale of 10. I bought it because I am still waiting for OOTP6 and All-Star Baseball to be released and thought this might be a bit of a diversion. Holy Crap! This might be the best game I buy this year! Now for my criticisms - and they're few. MLB Baseball doesn't use a minor league system like EA. They use an "inactive" status for players not on major league rosters. Also, you can create players and save rosters, but I haven't figured out how to start a franchise from the saved roster. It appears to default. There's also a career mode where you can create a new player and follow him through multiple seasons. The beginning point allocations don't seem to be high enough to give him much of a shot at a successful career, however. I realize the large percentage of players who get to the majors have similar careers, but in a video game it should be more entertaining. Also, there's no way to just manage in the graphical environment. There's a text-style manage mode similar to EA's. The game is easier to play than EA's however, so you can set the fielding and baserunning to auto and just pitch and swing if you want. Frankly, running the full franchise, I'd rather just sit back and watch a game or two a season without making the on-field decisions as well. More owner or GM-like. If MLB had a minor league model somewhat similar to EA's I'd easily give it a 10. (And if Vin Scully bothered to learn how to pronounce players' names in the American League.) If you love Franchise mode, rent this game and evaluate it for yourself. You will not believe its depth.

03-16-2004, 03:16 PM	#62
sixto Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,271	From what I hear, unless you have a double-thumbstick gamepad, you need not purchase this game. For that matter, I can vouch for the fact that this is true of NBA Live 2004, because I have it and it's worthless. Luckily it was cheap.

03-16-2004, 03:55 PM	#64
sixto Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,271	Well someone who has the game should definitely weigh in, in case I've got it wrong, but everything I've seen leads to this conclusion re: the gamepad.

03-16-2004, 05:45 PM	#66
edm All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,999	You might find some help here. There are several posts regarding the gamepad compatibility issues. I will say this, unless you're using a gamepad with at least one an analog stick, playing the game is pretty pointless. Due to MVPs pitching interface. Without an analog stick, you'll have to either throw pitches down the middle of the plate, or way outside. A second analog stick is also necessary to take advantage of manual sliding and diving.

03-28-2004, 11:33 AM	#67
BigBambino All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Auburn, ME Posts: 1,315	MVP 2004 is sweet. I think it has improved like Night and day from the 2003 game. I'm not that good at it right now, but i swear, i must have stolen 15 bases in my first game

03-31-2004, 12:24 PM	#71
enuttage Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hill Country Posts: 2,431	Just a few comments on these games (reviving the thread), now that I've had the chance to briefly sample two of them on PS2... MVP 2004 - So far, I'm really liking things here. The bad: Some of the player screen manuverability bothers me. Especially the fact that it's hard to find defensive ratings for any player during the draft. And menu titles can be a bit vague. That, coupled with a truly crappy manual, make things a little frustrating. The good: That being said...I can happily say that I don't remember ever having this much fun pitching and fielding. The little "power meters", for lack of a better term (and since I don't know what they're really called) are genius. I love that if you miss the mark on the way back for accuracy, that you miss your spot high or low over the plate (which can be deadly). To me, that's real. Guys miss their spots all the time, and sometimes it bites them in the ass. I'm still figuring out the hitting part of things, but I think I've pretty much got it down. Simple, but not rediculously easy. There were too many hits (for my taste) in the game I played last night, but most of them were given up by me, so it's not fair for me to complain just yet. I'm just starting to get into things, but I gotta say, the flow of gameplay is my favorite since High Heat, prior to them running themselves into the ground (Yeah, I'm bitter). You can actually draw walks! Which is more than I can say of any other game besides HH that I've ever played. Not a lot mind you, but it happens. I never thought I'd ever enjoy an EA baseball game. Boy do things change. MLB 2005 - Not bad, but needs some work. The bad: My first game was a 12-inning affair which I lost in the bottom of the 12th on a bases loaded squeeze bunt by the CPU. Sounds cool, huh? Not really. I loaded the bases with no one out and fully expected that it might be the end for me when I had to face the 4, 5 and 6 hitters. The cleanup hitter threw me off when he squared to bunt. I threw a fastball low, inside and hard, hoping for a pop-up. Sure enough my catcher snagged the mishap. The 5-hitter comes up, and promptly squares to bunt, just like his buddy. Force out at the plate. Six hitter? You guessed it. Squares to bunt. WTF??!!! I was not pleased that some of the best hitters in the lineup ALL decided to squeeze bunt on me to end the game. NOT realistic. The good: Franchise mode looks to be fairly deep, but no deeper than EA's, only different. There are about four millions options (as Teflon mentioned) from team transportation, to what kind of advertising you sell for the marquis in your stadium. But the actual player management aspect of things gets lost in the "inactive" status, and after that, the rest feels a bit gimmicky, but still entertaining to me. Just my op, of course. To each his own. Menus are easily navigable and fairly self-explanatory. But they didn't have to be, the game manual was pretty informative. Overall, I like the game, but it just wasn't quite up to par with EA's offering. It felt a little too much like last year's game(s) to me, specifically the Sega/ESPN offering. Again, I've been an EA-hater for years, but I think they may have me on this one this year. And keep in mind that my in-depth baseball sim of choice undoubtedly remains OOTP, so I'm looking for something in the console/arcade style that has depth, but above all, I want killer gameplay. EA seem to give this to me. My only question will be whether I want to get the PC version (more tweakable), or the PS2 version, which IMO, after seeing screenshots here, doen't look as nice as the PC offering. -E __________________ The former GM of the WHBL Managua Four Roses *"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."* Last edited by enuttage; 03-31-2004 at 12:28 PM.

03-31-2004, 05:32 PM	#72
PrestonKaye All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cape Cod, Mass Posts: 849	I sucked at pitching first because if I went to throw a Curve (Square button) I would push the square button then when I need to get it in the green part for accuracy i thought you needed to press X. My team is sick!!!! Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Phil Neikro, and Mickey Mantle are the legend players in my Red Sox lineup __________________ --Championships aren't won on paper, they are won in a computer simulation!-- Vipors Baseball.... BITCHES Xenoz http://img184.exs.cx/img184/219/keblarsig2xy.jpg Flow Storm http://img47.exs.cx/img47/328/ab1copy8hs.jpg

03-31-2004, 05:48 PM	#73
enuttage Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hill Country Posts: 2,431	Yeah, and of course after I posted this earlier, I've been reading about all the problems that franchise play has with player development. If I do get it, it'll be for the PC, since at least there's hope of some god-like programmer swooping down and liberating us all from 40-year-old starter hell. There's a great article by a guy on gonegold that looks promising. I think I"ll be buying today, if I can find a nice price on it. -E p.s. PK, you playing on PS2, or PC? __________________ The former GM of the WHBL Managua Four Roses *"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."*

04-01-2004, 10:25 AM	#76
Joe Shlabotnick Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Row 12, Seat 7 Posts: 291	Any tips on how to unlock all stadiums, uniforms and players on the ps2? This game is addictive! __________________ This space for rent.

04-01-2004, 11:05 AM	#77
Teflon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 154	If you unlock a player in EA's MVP Baseball and save the roster he's on, the player remains even if you don't save your profile. You can get all the players this way for the reward points needed for just a single player or two. Also, if you have enough points for a single stadium and two retro uniforms, you really have all you need since you can unlock different ones each time you start up if you don't save your profile when you finish. A quick way to accumulate a lot of points if you aren't patient is to play a two player game controlling both sides, throw a perfect game and accumulate a lot of offense.

04-01-2004, 01:23 PM	#78
Joe Shlabotnick Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Row 12, Seat 7 Posts: 291	That's pretty good stuff, Teflon, and thanks. But for my impatient, want-it-all-this-moment self, there's not just some unlock code that will open the door with one turn of the key (on ps2)? __________________ This space for rent.

04-01-2004, 05:43 PM	#79
BigBambino All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Auburn, ME Posts: 1,315	Sweet, I'm Unlocking a ton of Playersss. I want to unlock a Whole team, and the play them Vs the yanks lol

04-03-2004, 12:48 AM	#80
Kezzek All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Keyboard - frantically typing in subtle insults to raise my self-esteem Posts: 973	LOL Don't wrench that shoulder patting yourself on the back, Sparky. You've been termed a lot of things. __________________ - Kez, P.E.