PlayStation 2
Released in 2005 by Sony Computer Entertainment
Grade: B+
With rich baseball logic, smooth action, and clean graphics, this game is highly playable despite the fact that it’s two generations old.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the third of nine editions on PS2. It’s the last baseball game with a one-year-ahead title, released prior to the 2005 season. Sony introduced “The Show” name on the next edition, MLB 06: The Show, to get the years right. This game’s direct competitors are EA’s MVP Baseball 2005 and 2K’s Major League Baseball 2K5.
Praises and gripes
The sharp graphics and lifelike animations are immediately obvious. Looking out from the catcher’s eye view, you have a user-friendly view of each pitch, and swinging feels intuitive. Aside from a “guess pitch” mechanic that influences your chances, hitting is simple as can be. Point the thumbstick and hit X.
On the mound, this game is the first in the series to use the pitching meter (heavily influenced by EA’s baseball games), where three presses determine power and accuracy. What I love about the pitching meter is that you can purposely mistime your release to get subtle pitch variations. An early release on a change-up makes the ball hang longer in the air. A late release on a curveball makes the ball dart suddenly at the last moment.
Pitchers have an energy gauge and confidence gauge, but the gauges for individual pitch types didn’t come until later in the series.
In the field, the action looks lifelike and plays fair. Batted balls are sprayed all over the field, and fielders go after them realistically. The baserunning controls could be more intuitive though. The first time I played, I accidentally put two runners on second base, resulting in a (gasp!) glitch, where the CPU tagged me out but the play continued until the end of time … or until I sent a runner to third and he was thrown out. (Luckily, I played more games and didn’t experience any more glitches.)
Some of the graphical and presentation elements aren’t quite up to snuff with later versions. The ball sometimes disappears instead of landing clearly in the catcher’s glove. And when you hit a home run, the camera view is supposed to add drama, but actually adds confusion. I once thought I hit a foul ball but actually hit a home run.
The game is fleshed out with plenty of gameplay and presentation options. “Fast play” cuts out almost any extra moment of time, which I love. There are three difficulty settings, but you can tweak the sliders to your specific skills. I can’t imagine ever getting so good that the CPU couldn’t keep up.
It’s a fantastic game. But I don’t think you’ll play it today, even if you have crazy PS2 nostalgia. Each game in the series seems to have minor improvements without messing up anything good from previous games, so you can do better. But playing this game right after playing other baseball games from the same year, it’s no wonder that The Show is the king of baseball today.
*Last little note* This is the first version with Matt Vasgersian on play-by-play instead of Vin Scully.