MVP Baseball 2004

High Heat faded into the sunset, and that puts the suddenly Yankee-like MVP Baseball 2004 at the top of the preseason picks.

This season, MVP Baseball 2004 seems primed to rocket to championship form?EA Sports must have toiled like fiends to put this much new stuff into the game in one year. The improvements begin where they were needed the most: the controls. Players can now choose when fielders will dive or jump for a ball, and better yet, the throwing meter can be pre-loaded. As you run to collect the ball, you can start filling the meter for a quick throw, eliminating that brutal pause that slowed tight plays.

At the plate, batters can use the left analog stick to pull the ball, pop it up, and more, while base runners can also use the stick to dive headfirst or slide around catchers at the plate. The innovative golf-style pitching meter and picture-in-picture base running also return to the diamond, while new PIP windows show your mistake when your batter takes a strike.

Winter Work
On the features side, MVP adds tremendous depth. The already sharp Dynasty mode is beefing up with the official minor-league licenses?you?ll get 30 AAA and 30 AA teams with real players (as long as a player was called up at least once, he?s there), and you can promote/demote players as you see fit. Team chemistry will play a big part in those decisions?icons will indicate whether players are satisfied, ready for a trade, or dragging down team morale, and you make the moves to keep your team at peak performance.

Simulating games is getting a lot more fun too?you can play a few innings, sim a few innings, flip-flopping to your heart?s contact. And the cool sim-based Manager mode lets you take on that behind-the scenes role, ordering pitchers to walk stars, batters to bunt, and much more at a fast clip as you make decisions for each at-bat.

Fall Form
A slew of other features are hitting the field too: charging the mound, legendary players, warming up pitchers, mound visits, PS2-only online play, PIP views of the bullpens, and a boatload of A.I. tweaks. In hands-on time with a preview version, the game played just great, easily earning the status of leading pre-season favorite (it will also be released on the GameCube and PC).

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