Rating

B+

Specific Ratings

GameplayA
GraphicsA-
Learning CurveC+
Replay ValueB-
SoundA

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Outstanding, realistic gameplay
  • Great graphics and fielding animations
  • Commentary!
Cons
  • No Franchise Mode
  • Difficult to hit well at first
  • Rough wireless play

MLB (PlayStation Portable)

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Summary

A great start to PSP baseball.

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Description

Though a fairly young console, the Sony PSP already has two high-quality baseball titles to offer: EA Sports' MVP Baseball and 989 Sports' MLB. MLB is the better of the two, offering an incredibly authentic experience not far off from the PS2 version of the same game.

MLB's gameplay really shines, and its heart lies in the pitcher-batter interface. Mastering hitting requires good baseball knowledge, as guessing the type and location of pitches is crucial. Once you get the hang of how to do this effectively, hitting pitches will gradually become easy. When you first start playing the game however, hitting is darn near impossible. The pitches move at a much higher speed than any other baseball game I've played, but this serves to accurately recreate the intensity of the pitcher-batter duel. However, this renders it necessary to put a good bit of time into the game in order to enjoy it.

Pitching is easier than the hitting to pick up and learn, and it's very similar to the MVP-style meter pitching. The implementation of the pitching meter in MVP Baseball 2003 was widely regarded as the best innovation in a baseball game in ages, and MLB deserves credit for unapologetically aping the system because of how awesome it is. Fielding is great too, as the controls are mapped nicely and are a good fit for the PSP's layout. However, I have noticed a small bug in the fielding in which my players will sometimes field a ground ball and automatically throw to home plate instead of to first base as I desire. It's frustrating because it happens two or three times a game and sometimes it makes a big difference. I don't know if it's something I'm doing or if it's a widespread problem, but it's definitely annoying.

The graphics are incredible for Sony's first-generation handheld game. The player models are lifelike and their animations are realistic as well. It doesn't feel very inferior to the PS2 version of the game at all, and that game was widely regarded as a good-looking game. If anything about the visuals is disappointing, it's the crowd, but that's a usual problem with baseball games anyhow. The actual stadiums are accurate and impressive, and almost all of the hitters' batting stances are there. Overall, it's one slick and authentic-looking package.

Sound is amazing as well. MLB is the first PSP sports game to feature full commentary, and it's better commentary than found on the console versions of MVP Baseball 2005 and MLB 2K5. Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell have tons of lines, so their commentary really isn't too repetitive. I was really impressed with the sound effects too. The crack of the bat and the crowd, among other things, sound great.

There are some areas, however, where MLB isn't up to par. 989's decision to exclude the franchise mode is puzzling and disappointing. Perhaps next year they will implement one. In addition, the wireless play is also difficult to configure and use, and I still have not successfully used that mode. Finally, there are no unlockables, so if those are your thing, you'd have a better time with MVP Baseball.

MLB is a great game for a great system. Anyone with even a mild interest in baseball should enjoy it.

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