Now That EA has the exclusive rights to the ESPN brand, they are trying to find the right way of using it in games. NCAA Baseball is the most in depth game out there for fans of collegiate hardball. Offering several modes and mini-games, it’s loaded with features but is it going to appeal to every fan of baseball? It seems EA is heading in the right direction and trying to create a more realistic feeling in the controls and looks. They nailed the controls and the deep dynasty mode but how is it overall? Read the full MVP 06 NCAA Baseball review and find out.

Gameplay

First off being a college sports tile means hundreds of players and that is great. Of course they needed to create players and add the attributes so this means while the teams are real, the players are all just made up for the sake of the game. While this may not be a big deal for some fans, others may find this hard to adjust to. You will find all the game modes that sports fans expect including exhibition, home run derby, dynasty and online. Saying this game is loaded is an understatement.

You will want to try the play-it-now or exhibition mode and the home run derby to adjust to the batting styles. You have three styles of batting to learn and it is almost like swinging an actual bat, especially the new Load and Fire batting system. Once you get used to or find the style that you can do well in, then it’s off to the meat of the title, the Dynasty mode. Here the goal is simple: win and go on to the NCAA World Series. Once again, after the season there are recruitments and other duties much like the NCAA football game and it can get pretty deep. It works and makes it feel realistic without going overboard. Of course you can create a player and place him in the line up. The create-a-player mode is easy to use, but could have been a bit deeper with the options but not bad overall. Every aspect of the game has new controls that have not been seen before in a college game. Pitching, fielding and base running now look and feel realistic. While the overall gameplay throws you deep into the real game, the presentation and ESPN angle can get lost in the emphasis of the gameplay mechanics.

Unlike past attempts, this one will take players at least a good hour or more just to learn of all the features and controls. They may have added too many new ones at once for a new title. Then again fans are wanting and expecting more from sports games and this one delivers in a big way. While the names and numbers are all made up, the teams and rivalries are very real and will play an important factor in the dynasty mode. Knowledge of the history of collegiate baseball is not needed since each team has a rating to start making it easy to know who is a contender. While the ratings play a huge part, the rest of the season can be blown on the wrong starter or a newly created player being placed in the line up. The amount of freedom found in the game is staggering. You will also have to remember The NCAA has special rules to ensure safety, meaning no throws to the head by the pitcher and no take out slides at home plate. You do not need to be an expert, just get ready for a few different ways of defense on offensive options.

Control / Playability

As mentioned, it really will take about an hour or more to learn all the controls and get a feel for each one. Thankfully, this can be learned during game play and you can set the controls to the basic ones until you feel ready for the more advanced controls. Pitching will remind you of the kicking meter in the old Madden versions. You will need to know the right place to release the ball and the right part of the plate to aim. As far as batting, the new Load and Fire batting is very realistic and perfect for the theme of this title. However, patience is needed to learn to pull off the perfect swing. The fact you can adjust the settings for fielding, pitching and batting was a smart move and makes it easier to learn. All of the controls respond very well and are more an exercise of practice than anything else.

Xbox Live

Another great Lobby set-up from EA and looks just like NASCAR or any other sports game. Easy to find lobbies with the added option of voice chat and quick access to your friends list make it a breeze to find competition. They added the sports ticker once again and the real ESPN feature of the game is the up to date news directly from ESPN news desk. Up to date scores in every sport and the ESPN news is geared more with baseball in mind, which makes the lobby pretty cool to be in. You can create a private room, enter a tournament, or see the record of who has challenged you to play. Simple, easy, and I noticed no lag during the games I played. One feature that is great is anyone who drops will get marked for it on their record and the other player gets the win. Just remember lag is based on how strong your connection is and the person you are playing.

Graphics / Presentation

Here is where the added features and advanced controls may have added a bit more strain on the developers. The graphics are good and the models are decent but are not up to par with other EA sports titles out there. At times it looks a bit dark and in need of some tweaks. It just seems lackluster and, thankfully, the gameplay makes up for it. Also it seems they have not really found where to use the ESPN way of televised events for this one. You hear ESPN but it does not have that look and that is my only major complaint since the cover points out that the game features ESPN. It may be a case of rookie syndrome and next year will look great instead of just okay.

Audio

Here again, the sound effect are good and the commentary decent but gets lost with the overall gameplay and everything that is happening. The commentary is not nearly as deep as I had hoped for but does it makes sense to what is happening during each game. Now in all fairness, with all the teams in the game, it may take time to beef up the commentary and get the sounds down pat. Overall the EA Trax fit. This is a nice rookie attempt and surely next year the game will find its right mix of action, sound, and graphics to match the great gameplay.

Replay Value

MVP 06 NCAA Baseball is the most impressive, realistic game I have seen in a long time. It won’t dazzle you with graphics or great sound but it works together well. It is not the type of game that anyone can just sit down and master the controls quickly. Instead it offers gameplay features sports fans will love. Throw in the mini-games other modes and the online aspect and it is certainly worth the $29.99.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 8.1/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

MVP 06 NCAA Baseball may be in need of a little polish in the graphics and sound areas. However, no baseball game has offered the type of features found in this one. It shows that sports games are getting more realistic and are trying to give gamers what they want; a sense of real control over all aspects of the action. Baseball fans will want to play this one and the budget price makes it hard refuse.

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