ESPN Major League Baseball (PlayStation 2)

Reviewed by

Frank Provo

on 05/07/2004

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Page 2

The one interface that hasn't changed at all is the one that involves baserunning. To advance all of your runners, you just need to push the square button. To stop runners in their tracks or to send runners back, you can push the triangle or circle buttons. You can send individual runners to the next base, while the ball is in play, by simultaneously pressing the square button and tapping the appropriate direction on the control stick. This setup gets the job done, but it's a bit outdated compared to the way MLB 2005 and MVP Baseball 2004 handle baserunning. Those games let you control individual base runners by first pressing different buttons on the control pad. Take MVP Baseball 2004, for example. If there's a runner on second and the batter hits a single to shallow right, you can push the triangle button to select the runner on second. Then you can tap left on the directional pad to select third base and have him run there. The runner will take third easily, and the batter will stop at first base. In ESPN Major League Baseball, you need to push the square button while simultaneously pushing left on the directional pad to tell the runner on second to move to third. The problem here is that the square button is also the command that tells all of your base runners to advance to the next base, so if you push left too late, there's a chance that the runner on first will keep going and get tagged out at second.

ESPN MLB uses a timing-based hitting interface.

Generally speaking, ESPN Major League Baseball gets more right, in terms of gameplay, than it gets wrong. The baserunning system works, even if it isn't optimal. On the pitching side of things, it would be nice if intentional walks and beanballs were available as stand-alone options on the pitching menu. Since they're not available, you have to call for a pitchout four times to put a runner on base intentionally, or you can toss a slider at a batter's chest when you want to give him some chin music. Other games allow you to make these moves at the touch of a button, so it's pretty silly that you need to throw wild pitches just to do them here. The hitting physics are fine. Balls hit high in the zone tend to turn into pop flies, and balls hit low in the zone tend to result in ground balls. Breaking pitches, such as curveballs and sinkers, are more likely to result in weak grounders and bloop hits than fastballs and change-ups are. That's in line with reality. The artificial intelligence is aggressive but fair. Even though CPU opponents have a good eye for pitches while ahead in the count, they'll swing at strikes outside of the zone when they're behind. On the base paths, the CPU will try to steal and lay down drag bunts when you least expect it. If there's a man on first with only one out, don't be surprised to see the CPU attempt a hit-and-run to prevent a double play. Also, even though the baserunning interface isn't very precise when the ball is in play, it is (at least) set up to allow you to preload stolen base and hit-and-run attempts before pitches are thrown. That way, you don't have to worry about mashing anything but the swing button once the pitch is released.

If you actually take the plunge and spend 40 bucks to bring ESPN Major League Baseball home, here's a rundown of what you get: All 30 MLB teams and their stadiums are available, along with 16 different All-Star teams, six classic stadiums, and a team composed of legendary Hall of Famers. Each team has a number of different alternate and throwback jerseys to choose from. The rosters are current, as of opening day, but the included player editor lets you create an almost unlimited number of custom players. If you have a Network Adapter installed on your PS2 and use broadband Internet service, you can play against other players in exhibition games and download roster updates throughout the season. Online play in the PS2 versions isn't as seamless as it is on the Xbox, but it suffices all the same. The lobbies take nearly 60 seconds to load, and there is no visible indicator to tell you how good your connection is to other players. When you do get a good connection, play is generally smooth and lag-free. When you don't, the frame rate chugs along like a kid's paper flipbook.

Players like Ichiro, Maddux, and A-Rod look fine. Sosa, on the other hand, isn't the only player with a disfigured mug.

Other notable features include the ability to save games in progress, gameplay sliders that allow you to adjust the pitching, hitting, and fielding abilities of CPU and human players, and the option to store your own user file, which the computer uses to keep track of your personal pitching and hitting charts, in addition to maintaining the trophy room that holds the awards you win in the game's various play modes.

The most significant new feature added to this year's game is its first-person mode. When you choose the first-person camera perspective, you see everything through the eyes of the active player. This means that when you're at bat and are running toward first, you'll see the action through the hitter's eyes. When you're pitching, you'll see the game through the pitcher's eyes. If a hitter makes contact with one of your pitches, the viewpoint changes so that you can go after the ball from the fielder's perspective. Unfortunately, while it is a good concept, the first-person setting is more of a gimmick than a playable mode. It's impossible to tell the difference between balls and strikes as a hitter and when you're out on the field, because the switch from one perspective to the next is so fast and bewildering that it's almost impossible to follow the ball until it's right on top of you. The developers tried to compensate for these shortcomings by dumbing down the CPU in this mode, but that's no solution.

Otherwise, the list of modes is about what you've come to expect from any decent baseball video game. The typical exhibition, playoffs, season, and franchise options are available, as are four other modes that you've no doubt become familiar with under different names in other games. The GameCast mode is a weak knockoff of the manager mode from EA's MVP Baseball 2004. It allows you to both simulate each at-bat of a game in progress and make substitutions during the game. But unlike EA's version, you can't call for steals, bunts, intentional walks, or beanballs. You can, however, dive into the middle of a game--to start playing it normally--whenever you like. The duel mode replaces the home run derby from World Series Baseball 2K3. Basically, each player chooses one pitcher and one hitter from around the league and then competes to see who can throw the most strikes and score the most hits off of the other player. The third new play mode is the situation mode, which is basically a scenario editor. It lets you change a variety of options--such as the inning, the score, how many runners are on base, and who is at-bat--to set up your own general what-if scenarios.

This is what you see while batting in the first-person mode. It's impossible to tell where the ball is going.

The last of the new play options is an enhanced variation of the franchise mode called GM career. In the GM career mode, you not only have to set the lineups, make trades, and sign free agents, but you have to do so while keeping the owner happy at the same time. Each owner has a different outlook for his team and sets different goals for the GM, based upon that outlook. If the owner wants to make money, he'll give you a budget cap to stick to but won't mind the standings too much. Sign Sammy Sosa to this owner's team and he'll beg you to get rid of this expensive contract before the season starts. On the other hand, if you work for a maverick owner who's driven to make the playoffs, he'll give you a bigger budget and will let you pick up a few top-rated players. Your ability to satisfy the goals set by the owner affects the budget you get for the following season and helps to determine whether or not your contract is renewed when it expires.

Since the GM career mode is an offshoot of the franchise mode, it's not a bad idea to play through a few seasons in the franchise mode to get the hang of setting lineups and making player transactions before you add an irate owner to the mix. The franchise mode is deep enough to satisfy even the most devoted baseball buff. You're in charge of every aspect of the team's roster. This includes drafting players, making trades, and participating in offseason signings, as well as setting lineups, managing the disabled list, performing minor-league call-ups, and deciding when to give your players some rest. Tired players don't perform as well on the field, so it's necessary to provide a day off once in a while. In addition to paying the players you sign, you also have to spend money on the managers, coaches, and scouts that support your team. This support staff isn't just window dressing either. Good coaches will keep veteran players at the top of their games longer and will help minor leaguers progress into All-Stars. Player progression is one of the better aspects of the franchise and GM modes. A young player with an A-level of potential is destined to turn into a superstar within a few years, while a rookie with a C- or D-level of potential will likely remain a journeyman player during his entire career.

Accomplish the owner's goals in the GM career mode, or you'll be fired.

The main drawbacks to the franchise and GM career modes in ESPN Major League Baseball are the same shortcomings that were true of World Series Baseball 2K3 a year ago. The minor league system still only has one level, as opposed to the multitiered systems that you'll find in other games--especially MVP Baseball 2004. One minor league roster is more than enough to hold onto draftees and second-string players, but it's easy to be envious of the actual AAA and AA teams that MVP Baseball has. The ability to participate in spring training games is also absent, which is disappointing, since every other game currently available has this feature. Besides these omissions, everything else you could want is here, including CPU-instigated trades, fictional rookies, minor league development, weekly and postseason awards, retirements, Hall of Fame inductions, historical statistics, statistical tracking in more than 80 categories, and so on.

None of the new modes are exactly groundbreaking, and neither are the pitch, turbo, and confidence indicators that have been added to the control setup. Even the revamped ESPN look is simply window dressing when you get right down to it. Other games this year let you manage minor league teams, control specific base runners, or juggle the careers of individual players. These are major improvements. For ESPN Major League Baseball, Sega opted to stick with what worked last year but made a few minor tweaks and additions here and there. So, like last year, this is a great game. However, it's one that the other games have had time to catch up to and, in some areas, surpass.