Ya know, this game really plays a great game of baseball.

[pberardi]

Please forgive me if this post belongs on the impression thread. But I feel the need to defend this game after the blungeoning its been getting. You all have a right to be upset about the roster issue. Rosters are part of putting out a quality product.

This game plays a great game of baseball. I'm an older guy who isn't ashamed to admit, I'm hooked on baseball games...all of them. It started with the love of baseball and buying MVP03 for my kids. They learned the rules and intricacies of the game. It helped them learn what tagging up is and fouling a ball with 2 strikes is not an out! You could see it on the little league field. The kids that know the game and the ones that are lost.

Low and behold, I became addicted and since I'm too old for little league (and analog swings, I play classic and it still plays great), this is my outlet.

There was a time when hitting 36 HR's in a season won you the HR title in MLB. There was a time, small ball, sacrifice, bunting, moving runners, stealing bases were a dominant part of the game. This game captures that. After hittng my 27th HR in 30 games with Travis Hafner on MVP 05, (I play on AS with "negative" contact so no assumptions please) I decided it was time to play a game where hittng HR's wasn't the dominant part of the game.

There is something about an amateur athlete who gives it his all without receiving a multi-million $ contact to do it. This game captures that. There is something about hitting a HR and have it land in a cabbage patch, this game captures that. There is something about getting fooled on a pitch and hittng a weak grounder. This game captures that. There is something about diving for a ball and having it dribble off your glove for a "nearly great play", it captures that.

This game captures the essence of baseball. How achieving great things is indeed difficult and challenging. But when you do achieve, you are jumping for joy like a little leaguer who hit his first double!

Call it innocence, call it a desire for nostalgia? but the interface between batter and pitcher is so real that you look forward to every at bat. The AI pitching sequence is very realistic. You cannot guess location and pitch as easy as MVP games of past. Having 3 curveballs thrown in a row when you've determind that a fastball is coming is frustrating but it's the only game in which I don't feel cheated when striking out.

I will support the college baseball series despite some poor judgement on EA's part.

[davewins]

MVP does play a great game of baseball (with the bat in hand) but on the mound it's a flop and has been since MVP 03 for me. It was the biggest love/hate relationship I ever had because it happened for 4 years every half inning. MVP 03-07 is the same thing. Hitting is fun and for the most part pretty realistic but pitching you could aim a splitter low and away and throw it with full effectiveness 99.9% of the time. I felt like the ball was a laser guided bomb and when I was picking my pitch and aiming it I was "painting" the target because it would go right there eveyr single time no matter how tired I was. I gave up a total of ZERO walks in 4 years. This is why I was so happy to see Rock and Fire was finally here and they FINALLY re-did the pitching mechanic. Well, R&F plays great for its first year but it definetley needs some improvement to say the least.

If MVP's hitting was in MLB: The Show then we would have the best game of baseball to date hands down. The Show does the job in the pitching department. I give up walks (perhaps too much sometimes) because there is a random factor in there. I can throw a "perfect" pitch with the meter (which is not hard to master no matter how hard the meter is) most of the time but not hit that spot exactly. It's very well done. The hitting however is weak. The CPU mind as well have the SS play directly behind 2nd base and the 3rd basemen play where the SS plays for EVERY single batter because that's where I get hits the entire game. I hit it to the left of SS or to the right of 2B about 5% of the time and that's over-estimating. In MVP I get in front of it and I pull the ball as well as get hits opposite field and up the middle. The Show needs an overhaul in the hitting mechanic and possibly the physics engine for the bat-ball contact. No way you should be hitting HR's off the inside of the bat. You should be fouling that off or breaking your bat at best. If you watch the replays you will see this in The Show. MVP's replays will show that you got the sweet spot on the ball because of good timing and proper placement of the stick (zone hitting).

[pberardi]

Quote: Originally Posted by davewins

MVP does play a great game of baseball (with the bat in hand) but on the mound it's a flop and has been since MVP 03 for me. It was the biggest love/hate relationship I ever had because it happened for 4 years every half inning. MVP 03-07 is the same thing. Hitting is fun and for the most part pretty realistic but pitching you could aim a splitter low and away and throw it with full effectiveness 99.9% of the time. I felt like the ball was a laser guided bomb and when I was picking my pitch and aiming it I was "painting" the target because it would go right there eveyr single time no matter how tired I was. I gave up a total of ZERO walks in 4 years. This is why I was so happy to see Rock and Fire was finally here and they FINALLY re-did the pitching mechanic. Well, R&F plays great for its first year but it definetley needs some improvement to say the least. If MVP's hitting was in MLB: The Show then we would have the best game of baseball to date hands down. The Show does the job in the pitching department. I give up walks (perhaps too much sometimes) because there is a random factor in there. I can throw a "perfect" pitch with the meter (which is not hard to master no matter how hard the meter is) most of the time but not hit that spot exactly. It's very well done. The hitting however is weak. The CPU mind as well have the SS play directly behind 2nd base and the 3rd basemen play where the SS plays for EVERY single batter because that's where I get hits the entire game. I hit it to the left of SS or to the right of 2B about 5% of the time and that's over-estimating. In MVP I get in front of it and I pull the ball as well as get hits opposite field and up the middle. The Show needs an overhaul in the hitting mechanic and possibly the physics engine for the bat-ball contact. No way you should be hitting HR's off the inside of the bat. You should be fouling that off or breaking your bat at best. If you watch the replays you will see this in The Show. MVP's replays will show that you got the sweet spot on the ball because of good timing and proper placement of the stick (zone hitting).

Davewins: I've been reading your MLB thread with great intrigue and agree with you. However, I play on Veteran on MLB with pitch speed at zero. (This is 06, not the demo). I experience a multitude of hit variety, nothing compared to MVP, and I hit the ball to all fields. I agree that I shouldn't be able to pull the ball on the inside part of the bat as the replay will show. But that's the game, nothing we can do.
My issue with the show 06' was the pitch speed is to darn fast and I can't seem to pick up the pitch break or judge the pitch which of course leads to too many k's.

I agree on MVP's pitching. It's too simple and I win too easily. This of course leads to boredom. That's why I pick weak teams in both 05 and NCAA at least I have to battle a little. It all comes down to what your preference is. For more pitching and challenge, go with MLB. For better hitting and winning most of your games, go with MVP. The college game does make hitting a bit more difficult and this keeps the game closer.

[pberardi]

Quote: Originally Posted by davewins

MVP does play a great game of baseball (with the bat in hand) but on the mound it's a flop and has been since MVP 03 for me. It was the biggest love/hate relationship I ever had because it happened for 4 years every half inning. MVP 03-07 is the same thing. Hitting is fun and for the most part pretty realistic but pitching you could aim a splitter low and away and throw it with full effectiveness 99.9% of the time. I felt like the ball was a laser guided bomb and when I was picking my pitch and aiming it I was "painting" the target because it would go right there eveyr single time no matter how tired I was. I gave up a total of ZERO walks in 4 years. This is why I was so happy to see Rock and Fire was finally here and they FINALLY re-did the pitching mechanic. Well, R&F plays great for its first year but it definetley needs some improvement to say the least. If MVP's hitting was in MLB: The Show then we would have the best game of baseball to date hands down. The Show does the job in the pitching department. I give up walks (perhaps too much sometimes) because there is a random factor in there. I can throw a "perfect" pitch with the meter (which is not hard to master no matter how hard the meter is) most of the time but not hit that spot exactly. It's very well done. The hitting however is weak. The CPU mind as well have the SS play directly behind 2nd base and the 3rd basemen play where the SS plays for EVERY single batter because that's where I get hits the entire game. I hit it to the left of SS or to the right of 2B about 5% of the time and that's over-estimating. In MVP I get in front of it and I pull the ball as well as get hits opposite field and up the middle. The Show needs an overhaul in the hitting mechanic and possibly the physics engine for the bat-ball contact. No way you should be hitting HR's off the inside of the bat. You should be fouling that off or breaking your bat at best. If you watch the replays you will see this in The Show. MVP's replays will show that you got the sweet spot on the ball because of good timing and proper placement of the stick (zone hitting).

Davewins: I've been reading your MLB thread with great intrigue and agree with you. However, I play on Veteran on MLB with pitch speed at zero. (This is 06, not the demo). I experience a multitude of hit variety, nothing compared to MVP, and I hit the ball to all fields. I agree that I shouldn't be able to pull the ball on the inside part of the bat as the replay will show. But that's the game, nothing we can do.
My issue with the show 06' was the pitch speed is to darn fast and I can't seem to pick up the pitch break or judge the pitch which of course leads to too many k's.

I agree on MVP's pitching. It's too simple and I win too easily. This of course leads to boredom. That's why I pick weak teams in both 05 and NCAA at least I have to battle a little. It all comes down to what your preference is. For more pitching and challenge, go with MLB. For better hitting and winning most of your games, go with MVP. The college game does make hitting a bit more difficult and this keeps the game closer.

[jeffruby]

i agree completely (still playing 06 ver however)...im back to it.....

best game for different reasongs....its so detailed and can be very very challanging!!!! analogue fieding is The bomb

can really feel differences between people based on speed/fielding abilities/arm


playing the show demo....hitting to easy.....fielding is VERY VERY automatically easy....and no differences between players in field is very discouraging

[pberardi]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeffruby

i agree completely (still playing 06 ver however)...im back to it..... best game for different reasongs....its so detailed and can be very very challanging!!!! analogue fieding is The bomb can really feel differences between people based on speed/fielding abilities/arm playing the show demo....hitting to easy.....fielding is VERY VERY automatically easy....and no differences between players in field is very discouraging

Interesting. The point is that every game has its arcade like play to it. The problem is most folks on the MLB board won't even hear of it.

[ghm125]

Quote: Originally Posted by pberardi

Please forgive me if this post belongs on the impression thread. But I feel the need to defend this game after the blungeoning its been getting. You all have a right to be upset about the roster issue. Rosters are part of putting out a quality product. This game plays a great game of baseball. I'm an older guy who isn't ashamed to admit, I'm hooked on baseball games...all of them. It started with the love of baseball and buying MVP03 for my kids. They learned the rules and intricacies of the game. It helped them learn what tagging up is and fouling a ball with 2 strikes is not an out! You could see it on the little league field. The kids that know the game and the ones that are lost. Low and behold, I became addicted and since I'm too old for little league (and analog swings, I play classic and it still plays great), this is my outlet. There was a time when hitting 36 HR's in a season won you the HR title in MLB. There was a time, small ball, sacrifice, bunting, moving runners, stealing bases were a dominant part of the game. This game captures that. After hittng my 27th HR in 30 games with Travis Hafner on MVP 05, (I play on AS with "negative" contact so no assumptions please) I decided it was time to play a game where hittng HR's wasn't the dominant part of the game. There is something about an amateur athlete who gives it his all without receiving a multi-million $ contact to do it. This game captures that. There is something about hitting a HR and have it land in a cabbage patch, this game captures that. There is something about getting fooled on a pitch and hittng a weak grounder. This game captures that. There is something about diving for a ball and having it dribble off your glove for a "nearly great play", it captures that. This game captures the essence of baseball. How achieving great things is indeed difficult and challenging. But when you do achieve, you are jumping for joy like a little leaguer who hit his first double! Call it innocence, call it a desire for nostalgia? but the interface between batter and pitcher is so real that you look forward to every at bat. The AI pitching sequence is very realistic. You cannot guess location and pitch as easy as MVP games of past. Having 3 curveballs thrown in a row when you've determind that a fastball is coming is frustrating but it's the only game in which I don't feel cheated when striking out. I will support the college baseball series despite some poor judgement on EA's part.

awesome.... agree 100% now if EA can put this on all next gen platforms 360, ps3,...if it returns? I will buy it again...

[Joey B.]

I was actually waiting for the MVP 07 to come out before I bought the XBox 360. (Since all I play in NCAA baseball and NCAA Football).

Imagine my suprise (and disappointment) when it was not offered for the next-gen (much less the XBox).

I love playing the the college games much more than the professional (MVP & Madden) games.

Maybe it's becuase I use to play and coach college baseball, but I would rather watch a college game than a professional game.

I too am a older gamer that likes the simplier game play options. I agree that this game is a good baseball game. It is as close to a real baseball game that a video game can get. However, I also love the graphics (the real stadiums, the uniforms, the animations) and wish that EA could take this even further to include team specific chants, traditions and other things that add to the college experience.

I also wish that all the teams could be included (with their stadiums) with a more realistic schedule.