ESPN BASEBALL EDGES OUT MVP BY A STRIDE! It's spring time, time for the inevitable smell of fresh grass and baseball fever. This year I expected real improvements from all three contenders. ASB2005, MVP Baseball 2004, and ESPN Baseball. I was surprised in certain areas and disappointed in others. This is the break down of the good and bad. ASB 2005: Nice stadiums, fair crowd representation, great commentary and sound, fair player models and faces, poor gameplay mechanics. Overall 3 out of 5. MVP Baseball 2004: Good stadiums, poor texturing, fair crowd representation, good commentary and sound, excellent player models and 3-D faces, good gameplay mechanics. Overall 4 out of 5. ESPN Baseball: Incredible Stadiums, great crowd representation, good commentary and sound, good player models and faces, excellent gameplay mechanics. Overall 4.5 out of 5. You be the judge for yourself.… Expand

After the gushing review on ign and teamxbox, I was expecting the holy grail of baseball games. What I found instead was clunky, awful PS2 graphics, horrible textures and no xbox live support. Rosters are not updated with the exception of a-rod on the yankess and the minor league system is not that appealing. The stadium textures and lighting are poor on the xbox and the fielding is still a great concern. Couple all of this with no stats accumulated year to year and you have a novelty of a baseball game. MVP might be for some people, but it is certainly not for me. I have an open mind when it comes to sports and I am not to brand specific. I am eagerly awaiting the offerings from sega and acclaim now.… Expand

This really is a good game. Many new features. Two things i didn't like. 1: No downloadable updates. 2: Outfielders get stuck in corners giving players like David Ortiz a inside the park homer instead of a double. Other than that everything else is a 10.

Sorry, Sega. This game has you beat even without online play. The pitching system is phenomenal... it was actually a challenge and an enjoyable one. Fielding is far better in this game than Sega's, and the use of the second stick for dives, jumps, and leans is brilliant ? and the EA game does a better job in choosing the correct fielder. Batting however is probably gonna turn some people off... instead of aiming for where the pitch is going to be in the strike zone, the left stick is used to direct where the ball will go when it's hit. As long as your timing is good and the ball is pitched in a decent spot, you'll hit it. But all things considered, this is a fantastic baseball game with intuitive controls and a huge fun factor. There are a handful of minor technical glitches but they're not that much of a detriment. This will most likely be the best baseball game to come out this year with 989's MLB 2005 proving to be the only competition.… Expand

I love this but there is a certain problem with it i baught this game two days before MVP 2005 came wich pissed me off. Otherwize i think this game is pretty good, I just hope this MVP 2005 comes out on GameCube soon!!

Best Baseball Game Ever... Nicholas A. Should Be Called Nikki Because He (She) Probably Is A Girl And Has Never Played A Real Game In His(Her life).

It would have deserved a 10 if there were some little things done here or there. But for the most part it is one hell of a game. There is always room for improvement but the trend of getting better year by year is certainly appealing (unlike when Triple Play was still around). Keep up the good work EA, and don't let yourselves get arrogant about the product and the great trend will continue.

The best baseball game this year.

MVP Baseball 2004 is definitely the best baseball simulation to date. Ea Sports did a fantastic job of bringing the ballpark feel to the game. Pros: Gameplay, Control, Player Models, Animations/Fluidity, Crowd Cons: Texturing, minor Clipping issues, minor collision detection during plays, minor AI glitches Overall, MVP is a definite purchase without question. Hopefully, MVP Baseball 2005 will address the other minor issues.… Expand

You know the cliche' "Opinions are like a..holes, everyone has one and they all stink at times"? Well, I'm here to stink it up and say this is a fun game but I'd have been happier if it sold for $40 out the gate instead of $50. But that's EA for ya. Whoever rates this game below a 7 probably has some personal issues, maybe hates EA cuz of their lack of online support for Xbox. Hey, you bought the game knowing it was on Live, so why complain about it now. If it's such an issue, don't buy it. This game looks good and the little details by FAR outweigh the nitpicky stuff. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Compare this to WSB 2K3 and no doubt, you'll agree MVP 2004 is in a class of it's own. Who said WSB has good graphics? Every other guy looks like the same pointy headed dork and claps his hands the same way after every hit. Also, the demo of ESPN baseball was crap. But there may be potential - too bad I'm not rich enough or care enough to own both games. … Expand

Even with out Xbox Live this is the best Baseball game ever released. #1 reason I choose this over ESPN MLB, the base running system is so simple and easy to use (compared to the clumsy ESPN base running control)... and all the other controls are very well done and easy to learn and use. So unless online play is a must have for you, get MVP 2004.

The best baseball game in the market now...period.

This game is the BEST baseball game made to date. And I'm not talkin bout even close to anything else out there. Nevermind, the absolute ridiculous graphics from player animation to the general presentation. Nevermind, the controls from diving, hitting, pitching...because it's all there. How about the franchise mode, allowing you to play as the Major League team AND it's AA and AAA affiliates! How nuts is that??? You have to truly appreciate your players spending years in the minors and watching them develop over the years. Budgeting your team so that you make smart decisions with payrolls. Not only is MVP Baseball 2004 the best baseball game out there; it's easily one of my favorite games ever IF not #1. If you got a Box, you MUST buy this game.… Expand

The best sport game ever made, wait until 2005.