This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
MVP Baseball 2005 | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | EA Canada |
Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
Series | MVP Baseball |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows, PlayStation Portable |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Sports |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
MVP Baseball 2005 is a baseball video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It features Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez on its cover. It holds the full Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and Major League Baseball Players Association licenses. Like the previous instalments, the game includes real-life announcers Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, who are best known for their roles as the announcers for the San Francisco Giants. [1] The game received positive reviews across all platforms and is retrospectively considered by baseball fans as one of the best sports video games ever made.
Later in May 2005, a PlayStation Portable version of the game, titled MVP Baseball, was released.
MVP Baseball 2005 consists of 30 Major League Baseball teams and includes all licensed players within the Major League Baseball Players' Association. Barry Bonds notably does not appear in the game due to his withdrawal from the MLBPA's licensing agreement. His "replacement" is a fictional player named Jon Dowd. Dowd bears no resemblance in appearance to Bonds, but his skills mimic those of Bonds. Similarly, Kevin Millar, who was not a member of the MLBPA, is also absent from the game, replaced by a fictional player named Anthony Friese.
The game features authentic minor league teams and actual minor league players, including double-A and triple-A-level farm teams. Additionally, 2005's instalment includes ball clubs from the High Single-A ranks, providing each MLB team with three levels of minor league farm clubs. Unlockable features include two legends teams, 63 legendary players, 15 classic stadiums, five fantasy parks, and more than 100 retro uniforms. Rosters are current as of January 12, 2005, and the game includes the then-new Washington Nationals, along with their then-temporary home, RFK Stadium. New rosters could be downloaded to the Xbox and PS2 versions via their online play menus.
MVP Baseball 2005 includes an exhibition mode, a manager's mode, two different franchise modes, a scenario editor, and a variety of baseball-themed practice games. In the exhibition mode, players can quickly set up a game against another team, selecting a starting pitcher and adjusting the line-up if needed. The manager mode simulates gameplay based on players' choices before the opening pitch, with outcomes displayed in a running box score rather than visually depicted swings or plays. The scenario editor allows players to adjust 20 different variables, such as the teams involved, inning, count, and base situations. [2]
A minor glitch in Duane Kuiper's commentary concerns switch-hitters currently at bat, where he may claim the batter hits better from one side despite conflicting power and contact stats. For instance, although Lance Berkman's default power and contact stats are higher when batting left-handed, Kuiper may assert that Berkman hits better from the right side. Another discrepancy occurs when Kuiper mentions Hack Wilson setting the MLB single-season runs scored record with 192 in 1930, whereas Wilson actually set the MLB single-season RBI record with 191 in 1930. Additionally, the uniforms of the single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks are misspelled, with an extra "L" in "Wilmington". [ citation needed ]
Both the dynasty and owner's modes keep track of events and statistics. Injuries and suspensions occur throughout the season, requiring the players to adjust line-ups accordingly. Other teams will offer trades, and some players' own players will ask to be traded. On the statistics side, the game keeps a running tally of the current and previous season statistics in 64 different categories, along with 120 years' worth of league-leading stats.
Dynasty Mode enables players to draft and manage a team for up to 120 full seasons, including spring training games. Responsibilities include setting line-ups, making trades, and shuffling players up and down through the team's three minor league farm clubs. Team chemistry, rivalries, and player moods are also variables in the dynasty mode that can be strengthened or weakened by win–loss records, player salaries, playing time, and position in the batting order or pitching rotation. The players' moods can be monitored via face icons in each player's profile. If a player is unhappy or wants to be traded, the player may send a message in MVP Inbox asking the players if they could consider their desires. The game gives the player a changing series of 1 and 3-year goals to live up to. Meeting these goals boosts managerial rating and team chemistry. Failing to do so has the opposite effect. Games can be played in real-time, or chunks of the season can be simulated in one fell swoop. The dynasty mode in MVP Baseball 2000 had a bug that made it impossible for computer-generated players to evolve into A-list superstars unless the players actually played 95% of the team's games. That was fixed in the 2005 release. It's now possible to give players an added stats bonus by playing the batting and pitching mini-games during spring training.
Owner Mode is similar to Dynasty Mode, with the addition of ownership and financial responsibilities for the team, similar EA's Madden NFL games. Here, players can set ticket and concessions prices, hire staff, buy, and sell new stadium shops, schedule promotional giveaways, and various stadium upgrades (such as scoreboards, additional seats, home run fireworks, and luxury boxes). The goal is to manage the team successfully for 30 years. There are a variety of player, team, and financial reports to look at that show team's progress on a daily and yearly basis. In Owner Mode, players may design a custom ballpark for their team. The ballpark editor lets the players pick from a set list of various locations, field shapes, and seat colors, as well as specific wall, grass, and dirt designs. It also lets players add on additional seating levels and grandstands throughout the course of their careers.
The most prominent new feature in the game is the "Hitter's Eye" system, which turns the baseball different colors in the pitcher's hand (white for fastballs, red for breaking pitches, green for off-speed pitches, pink for sinkers and orange for knuckleballs) and leaves a trail as the ball flies through the air toward the plate to aid in hitting, which game developers said had been too difficult in previous versions. In addition to the Hitter's Eye, an Owner Mode feature and pitching and hitting Mini-Games were added. [3] Other minor features include the ability for the managers to argue with the umpires at any time (automatic ejection for arguing balls and strikes) and a slow-motion overhead view of the plate that can be accessed after every pitch (pitch/swing analysis) to see pitch location or the batter's timing. Games can also be rained out, forcing players to play doubleheaders. Minor league teams from the California, Carolina, and Florida State Leagues (High A) were added to their respective teams. However, most Minor League rosters are incomplete and feature developer-created replacement players. The game also supported online play, but as of 2008, the servers for the Xbox and PS2 versions are unavailable.
The soundtrack for MVP Baseball 2005 includes nine songs, all by different artists. The game was the first release for four of these songs, from artists ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Bravery, Hot Hot Heat, and Louis XIV. The soundtrack is widely held as one of the best in-game soundtracks of the 2000s.
By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of MVP Baseball 2005 had sold 1 million copies and earned $29 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 55th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2001 in that country. Combined console sales of MVP Baseball games released in the 2000s reached 3.5 million units in the United States by July 2006. [4] In 2006, the game held the 98th spot on IGN's reader's choice top 100 games. [5]
Aggregator | Score | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC | PC | PS2 | PSP | Xbox | |
GameRankings | 87.53% [6] | 84.57% [7] | 87.10% [8] | 66.78% [9] | 86.96% [10] |
Metacritic | 88/100 [11] | 85/100 [12] | 87/100 [13] | 67/100 [14] | 86/100 [15] |
Publication | Score | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC | PC | PS2 | PSP | Xbox | |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.67/10 [16] | N/A | 8.67/10 [16] | N/A | 8.67/10 [16] |
Game Informer | 8.5/10 [17] | N/A | 8.5/10 [17] | 7/10 [18] | 8.5/10 [17] |
GamePro | N/A | N/A | [19] | N/A | [19] |
GameRevolution | B+ [20] | N/A | B+ [20] | C− [21] | B+ [20] |
GameSpot | 8.8/10 [22] | 8.7/10 [23] | 8.9/10 [24] | 7.7/10 [25] | 8.9/10 [24] |
GameSpy | [26] | N/A | [27] | [28] | [29] |
GameTrailers | 9/10 [30] | 9/10 [30] | 9/10 [30] | N/A | 9/10 [30] |
GameZone | 9.2/10 [31] | 9/10 [32] | 9.3/10 [33] | 8.3/10 [34] | 9.3/10 [35] |
IGN | 9.2/10 [36] | 8.8/10 [37] | 9.2/10 [36] | 7.5/10 [38] | 9.2/10 [36] |
Nintendo Power | 4.5/5 [39] | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | N/A | N/A | [40] | [41] | N/A |
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 9/10 [42] |
PC Gamer (US) | N/A | 85% [43] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
The game was met with positive to average reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 87.53% and 80 out of 100 for the GameCube version; [6] [11] 87.10% and 07 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; [8] [13] 86.96% and 86 out of 100 for the Xbox version; [10] [15] 84.57% and 85 out of 100 for the PC version; [7] [12] and 66.78% and 67 out of 100 for the PSP version. [9] [14]
The game was given an award for the best sports video game of 2005 from X-Play .[ citation needed ] In May 2013 the game ranked fourth on a "Best sports video games" list by ESPN. [1]
MVP Baseball 2005 was a finalist for PC Gamer US 's "Best Sports Game 2005" award, which ultimately went to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 . [44]
After EA lost the license to make MLB video games, EA ended support for the game. Despite this, the game's modding community continues support and releases annually updated rosters and alternative leagues (e.g. MVP Caribe, MVP Mods, etc.). [45] [46] [47]
MVP Baseball was a baseball game series published by EA Sports, running from 2003 to 2007 with five games produced. In 2003, MVP became the official successor to EA's long-running Triple Play Baseball series, and it simulated Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2005. However, an exclusive licensing deal between Major League Baseball and Take-Two Interactive in 2005 prohibited EA Sports from making another MLB game until 2012. In response, EA made NCAA college baseball games in 2006 and 2007, but discontinued the series in 2008 because of poor sales.
Need for Speed: Underground 2 is a 2004 racing video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is the eighth installment in the Need for Speed series and the direct sequel to Need for Speed: Underground. It was developed for Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions were developed by Pocketeers, and a PlayStation Portable version, titled Need for Speed: Underground Rivals, was developed by Team Fusion. Another version for mobile phones was also developed by Ideaworks Game Studio. Like its predecessor, it was also commercially successful, selling around 11 million copies worldwide and breaking sales records in the United Kingdom.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions, Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X versions, Sensory Sweep Studios for the Nintendo DS version and EA Canada's Team Fusion division for the PlayStation Portable version and published by EA Sports for GameCube, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable and Mac OS X. An N-Gage version was planned but never released.
Madden NFL 06 is an American football video game released in 2005. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for color commentator John Madden. It is the first Madden game for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360 and was a launch game for the 360. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is on the cover.
FIFA 06, known as FIFA Soccer 06 in North America, is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released in the United States on 4 October 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo DS. It was later released for PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance and mobile phones.
Pro Evolution Soccer 5, known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 9 in Japan and North America, is a 2005 football sports simulation video game developed and produced by Konami as part of the Pro Evolution Soccer series.
NBA Live 06 is a 2005 installment of the NBA Live series released for Windows, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, and mobile devices. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports publishing label. The game features several game modes, including Dynasty, Season, Playoffs, or Free Play. It features Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat on the cover. This was the last NBA Live game on the GameCube and it also was the first NBA Live game on the Xbox 360 as a launch title and on the PlayStation Portable.
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is a racing game developed by Sumo Digital and published in 2006 by Sega. It is the ninth title in the series, and the final one to have a physical release. Outrun 2006 is an updated version of OutRun 2. The game is split into two parts: a conversion of OutRun 2 SP and "Coast 2 Coast", which includes single-player races and challenges, and local network and internet multiplayer.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 versions, Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows version, and Team Fusion for the PlayStation Portable version, and published by EA Sports for GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360.
MVP 06: NCAA Baseball is the fourth edition of the baseball video game series developed by Electronic Arts. Because of Electronic Arts' loss of the Major League Baseball (MLB) license to Take Two Interactive in 2005, which held the exclusive MLB license until 2014, the publishers decided to transition the MVP series to feature NCAA baseball, joining the publisher's NCAA football and basketball lines. MVP 06 was released on January 17, 2006 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles. The athlete on the cover is former Texas Longhorn David Maroul.
Madden NFL 07 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the first in the video game series to debut for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles as launch titles and the last Madden game to be released on the Game Boy Advance. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.
FIFA Football 2005, also known as FIFA Soccer 2005 in North America or simply FIFA 2005, is a football simulation video game released in 2004. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, mobile phone, Gizmondo, N-Gage and the Game Boy Advance. The tagline for the game was: "A great player needs a great first touch". FIFA 2005 is the twelfth game in the FIFA series, the ninth in 3D and the final game in the series for the PlayStation. FIFA Football 2005 marks the first time to include the seventh-generation handheld game consoles. The Japanese version of the game went by the name of FIFA Total Football 2 and was released on 9 December 2004. FIFA Football 2005 is the last licensed game to be released for the PlayStation in North America.
Pro Evolution Soccer 6, known as Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 in the United States, is a video game developed and published by Konami. Released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows platforms and following on the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable afterward, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is the 6th edition of the Pro Evolution Soccer series for the PlayStation 2, 2nd for the PlayStation Portable and 4th for Microsoft Windows. It is the first game to debut on the Nintendo DS and the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version features improved graphics, but retains gameplay similar to the other console versions. The edit mode has been stripped down for the Xbox 360 release, due to time restrictions. The graphics engine on the PC does not utilise the next-gen 360 engine but is once more a direct conversion of the PlayStation 2 engine.
Madden NFL 08 is a 2007 American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It features Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young on the cover, and San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish-language version. This was the first Madden game made for 11 different platforms. It was released on August 14, 2007 for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. A Mac version was released on September 1, 2007. This was the last version of Madden to be released for Microsoft Windows until Madden NFL 19, and the last video game for the GameCube produced and released in North America.
MLB 07: The Show, produced by San Diego Studio, is a baseball video game for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP. It is the only first-party MLB-licensed video game for the 2007 season, and the only baseball game available for the PlayStation systems aside from Major League Baseball 2K7.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2008 in Asia and sometimes called World Soccer: Winning Eleven 11 (PS2) in North America, is an association football video game in the Pro Evolution Soccer series by Konami. The game was announced on 18 June 2007. Its title is different from the other Pro Evolution Soccer games in that it is of a year and not a version; this was due to EA Sports' FIFA series naming their titles with two digit numbers, which would seem that PES was a year behind FIFA. It was released for Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 And mobile. The game sold 6.37 million units worldwide. PES 2008 was succeeded by Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. This was the first game of the series to be released for the PS3 and Wii, as well as the first game in the series to be internationally available on a Nintendo home console.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is a football video game in the Pro Evolution Soccer series, which was made by Konami. It is also the exclusive licensed game of the UEFA Champions League. The Wii version is known as Winning Eleven Play Maker 2009 in Japan. PES 2009 was succeeded by Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.
NFL Street 2 is an American football video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox on December 26, 2004. It features then-New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey and rapper Xzibit on the cover. The game is compatible with Madden NFL 06, as players can import their Own The City players to it. The game's compatibility also extends to other EA games like Need for Speed: Underground 2, SSX 3, Madden NFL 2005, NCAA Football 2005, NFL Street, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, NBA Live 2005, and NBA Street Vol. 2, where if players have these games on their memory cards, they can earn 25,000 points in the game.
Major League Baseball 2K5 is an MLB licensed baseball simulation video game published by 2K. MLB 2K5 is available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The previous game in the series made by Sega Sports was ESPN Major League Baseball back in 2004. Unlike the other "2K5" branded sports games, this was published by 2K, making it the first Visual Concepts-developed sports game not to be published by Sega, though Sega's logos are still seen in the background of menus and ballparks. The game included Web Gems instant replays, K-Zone pitching, Slam Zone hitting, and baserunner mode. The game was released in late February 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. The cover baseball player was New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Later that year, an upgraded version titled Major League Baseball 2K5: World Series Edition was released during the 2005 MLB postseason.
Another factor in MVP's favor: The game allows greater access to its innards than most titles. [...] 2K's failure to match MVP's approval rating despite several years of running unopposed on the PC market, made MVP the go-to game for modders even as it lost its looks relative to 2K and The Show. The community's support peaked from 2005 through the first PC edition of 2K in 2009, tailed off for a time, and then ramped up again once Take-Two abandoned the PC market in 2013 and canceled 2K entirely last year. A decade of EA development made MVP the best baseball game on the PC market in 2005, and a decade of amateur development has helped it keep that title in 2015.