MVP Baseball 2005 Genre: Sports Publisher: Electronic Arts Platforms: PlayStation2, PC, Xbox, GameCube, Sony PSP Price: $24.00 to $49.99 THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS

It’s a good thing that Electronic Arts decided to reduce the price of its latest edition of MVP Baseball 2005. While it’s still a top-notch baseball game, the gamemakers have done very little to improve the series since last year’s version.

There are a few changes, but not enough to warrant a top ranking. The one big addition is the ‘owner’s mode,’ which allows gamers to act as a regular George Steinbrenner: create a franchise, build a customized stadium and even pick your coaching staff. There’s even an option that allows users to create food and concession stands, turning ‘MVP Baseball 2005’ into a modern-day ‘Rollercoaster Tycoon.’

But after that, there’s little to differentiate 2005’s version from ‘MVP Baseball 2004.’ The corny announcer catchphrases haven’t changed. Neither has the gameplay. Not even all of the rosters are up to date.

Once again, this year’s game favors pitching. So if gamers like 1-0 matchups, they’ll love this one.

There are a few minor changes, but the difference is negligible to those who aren’t baseball dorks. For example, take a bad swing and the batter will lunge over the plate to hit the ball.

One of the best improvements in last year’s edition was the ability to play with farm teams. This year, users can now play with Single-A ball clubs. Though one drawback with using the minor-league teams is that the rosters are mostly compiled of randomly generated players.

It is a great thing to call a hot player up from Double-A, but when users haven’t the slightest clue who their minor-league equivalent is, it kind of defeats the purpose.

After this year’s edition of ‘MVP Baseball,’ EA Sports should hold onto its title of being the best baseball game on the market. EA lowered the price of this year’s game to $29.95, down from nearly $50 last year. It did this to compete with ESPN’s baseball game, ‘Major League Baseball 2005,’ which is selling for $19.99.

EA’s MVP franchise doesn’t have the selling power as its Madden football series, so the price change may be necessary to keep a strong hold of the baseball market. If gamers are itching for a new baseball game, namely, the roster updates for 2005, then ‘MVP Baseball’ is the game to buy.

Those new to the series won’t be disappointed; it’s the long-time EA Sports fans who may feel like they’re not getting everything they can out of their money. But because of the $20 price deduction, they shouldn’t have reason to complain.

Published on May 10, 2005 at 12:00 pm