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Rivalry Competition Comparison

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: March 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The springs here and that means the Baseball game Rivarly by MLB 2K5 and MVP 2005. Since MLB locked up MVP there will be no rivarly till 2012. Last year's winner was MVP. But this year's winner can be different

Graphics

MVP: Good faces, good animations, but arcadic player details. Stadiums are good, grass look realistic. But those photocopied crowds took away the credability- 4/5
MLB: Phenomenal Face graphics, good animations but not better than MVP. Stadium looks good!! Best things are crowds. Polygonal Crowds. They even have cutscenes too!! And guess what.. Day Progression! Play on the sunny places and compare the shadows in the 1st inning to 4th inning- 4.5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Commentary

MVP: Er.. Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow speaks like talking to grandson about memory of war. Sometimes they get out of the topic and boring- 3.5/5
MLB: Phenomenal commentaries by Jon Miller and Joe Morgan!! Fantastic!- 5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Musics

MVP: Err.. those soundtracks are bad as hell, especially 'Tessie'.- 3/5
MLB: Good musics for sports and CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS! Made by ASB and improved by MLB- 4.5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Sound Effects

MVP: Nice crowd noise, nice umpire calls, nice bat sounds, period- 4.75/5
MLB: All of them all nice, but bat sounds are too lound- 4.25/5
Winner: MVP 2005

Pitching

MVP: New Precision bar is here with fussier and harder!! It's hard to make pitch accurate, there's no other options- 3.75/5
MLB: K-Zone is simpler and more accurate than Precision bar. If you don't like it, you can choose more!! K-ZONE 2, Power Pitching, Cursor- 4.75/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Baserunning

MVP: Erm, no change. A lot of errors on it- 2.5/5 !!!!
MLB: New On Command Baserunning feature is good and made baserunning simpler. You can experience yourself by using baseburner mode (actually that really fascinated me)- 4.5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Batting

MVP: The new Hitter's Eye feature made your batting simple. Just like bad foul swings, colors on the ball (red, green, white), and the ability to move around the box. And boy, I do love it- 4.75/5
MLB: Same as last year with Contact Swing and Power Swing (I call it 'Steroid Swing'). But new *** feature 'Slam Zone' took away the credability. It has no meaning- 3/5
Winner: MVP 2005

Fielding

MVP: The Big Play Control is back! I enjoyed it last year, but robbing and sliding is hard as a hell. Double play is simple though- 4.25/5
MLB: New thing called 'Maximum Fielding' is here and it's easier to rob homer!! Double play is simple and I could do triple play too if possible!- 4.5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Glitches:

MVP: No Lefty Glitches! I'm real happy about that, and no fielding glitches whatsoever!- 5/5
MLB: Erm, the game is good except for several glitches on Wild Pitches, and CPU roster arrangement glitches- 3/5
Winner: MVP 2005

Player Accuracy

MVP: No Sosa in O's, that means Ordonez is in FA still, no Iguchi. The player ratings are messed up too!! Manny Ramirez is Overrated. Carl Pavano, Big Unit, Beltre, and Aramis Ramirez were SO underrated. That's the one of those major problems- 2.75/5
MLB: No Sosa in O's Again... that means you-know-what. But player ratings were not messed up. Good!- 4/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Online

MVP: New EA Online!! But it's slow and ONLY 5 innings? EA's got long and winding road to go- 3.5/5
MLB: There's online as usual. It's faster and you can play 9 innings and home run derby as well!- 4/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Franchise

MVP: The Owner Mode rocks! It's even better than MLB 2005 (SONY)owner mode! It's completely good! There's Dynasty mode too!!- 4.75/5
MLB: Okay, there's enhanced GM Mode, Franchise and Tournament, but face it, they are not good enough to catch up Owner Mode. But you can be fired, or get more money in GM Mode- 4/5
Winner: MVP 2005

Extras

MVP: They got Mini Games which just really fascinates me, but nothing else-4/5
MLB: The Skybox is AWESOME as The Crib. In the face mode is good too! It's the game that you can disable the opponent's ability by earning the point!- 4.5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Price

MVP: 29.99. - 4.5/5
MLB: 19.99, a steal! - 5/5
Winner: MLB 2K5

Average:

MVP: 3.93/5 = 78.56%
MLB: 4.25/5 = 85%

Overall

MVP: 86
MLB: 93
Winner: MLB 2K5

This year's winner is MLB 2K5. But, hey MVP was good too. They just had last effort that looks just like last years, but badly.

P.S.: I hope this comparison review was helpful. But you can try both and compare it. Just try it.

It's fun, but still needs some work...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 17
Date: March 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Sega Sports is gone, so now we have Visual Concepts (their old sports devloper) working with "2K Games and developer Kush." Visual Concepts can just focus on baseball thanks to E.A. swiping their greedy hands on the NFL license. But hold on to yourselves, this will be the only baseball game on XBOX for years. Unless Microsoft decides to step back on to the bandwagon, with no more E.A. MVP Baseball after this year, I think they should consider it.

Anyway, now we got Visual Concepts and Kush games with the hold of the MLB license and E.A. will have no more baseball. Sega Sports is gone, but we still got baseball from Visual Concepts. MLB 2K5 is Visual Concepts first game without Sega by their side. I have to say, as a whole, this game is whole heartedly worth spending 20 dollars on but I'll say to you it's not the best baseball game this year. MLB 2006 on the PS2 I feel is the best game this year. MVP is a close 2nd and here we have 2K5 in a close 3rd. I think 2K5 plays so much better as an online experience as Visual Concepts has proved year after year so keep that in mind when buying.

What to expect:
The big change this year is the batting and pitching aspect. No longer is the "aim and pitch routine". The game now requires you to line up 2 cursors, much like a free throw routine in the old NBA Live Series. You have to line up 2 targets in a cross hair, the closer you are, the more accurate the pitch. As a pitcher gets tired, the cursors move faster, thus making it harder to launch and accurate pitch. It works well, and feels great, and is a good fresh change from the norm. If you don't like it, I believe it can be toggled off in the options screen so you can play it the old way. Batting still has a cursor, but before the pitch, the batter "on a bad pitch" has the ability to guess the location of the throw. If you guess the diretion, you'll douse the pitcher with a hit or even a home run. The guessing game feature is quite simplistic, but freshens up the game in my opinion.

Custom soundtracks, while not as important to some, is a welcome addition for baseball. Not only can you apply your custom music to the stadium atmopshere, whether it'd be playing between pitches, between innings, after a big hit or great catch, you and customize a music tune for each of your players as they come to bat. How cool is that? Get your big gun guys pumped up with a flurry of AC/DC or Eminem or what ever trips your trigger! I wouldn't reccommend playing the barney theme song though, might not pump you up as much. But the custom soundtracks is a big plus considering E.A. still refuses to offer it in their sports games.

The graphics look good in 2k5,but I think MVP and MLB 2006 has it beat overall. Animations are choppy at times and I thought even last year the animations looked a bit more fluid and smooth. I just didnt' have as much fielding,it felt, well not as fun as MVP. I still wish the other baseball games would take after E.A. and use that throwing meter, I like the ability to control the power of my throws, but you don't have that option in 2K5. But great looking players, batting stances, and (potentially) fluid gameplay is doused by average animations while fielding. But it's not to the point where it's bad and hurts the game, it's just not as good as MVP and I expect more from Visual Concepts. One fresh I feature added is the "control the runner" behind the base. When you have a batter up and a man on base, you can take control of the runner and let the batter work on his own. It really gives the game from freshness. It really makes you feel in control of your baserunner and I felt it easier to steal bases.

The players faces look better in MVP, but 2K5 still gets the job done. Batting is still a blast. I really think it's fun to go up against a pitcher and it feels like baseball. Some people don't like the 2 button interface for batting, there is normal, and power swings. Some like it, some don't. I like the ability to slam one out every time, but I think it balances it out because if you use the powerswing too much, it's much easier to strike out when you're using your power swing.

Visual Concept added the "Slam Zone this year". This allows your batter to have a chance to guess where the ball might go after the pitcher chooses his target. The screen goes into a closeup battle between pitcher and batter and the game goes into a Matrixesque mode and slows down into slow motion and zooms in on the ball from the pitchers hand. During this short 5 second outing, the batter and pitcher have to tap at the button continuously during the slam mode as fast as they can to gain power for both the batter and pitcher, when the ball reaches the plate, take your shot. Whoever wins the battle will have a better chance at having a positive and if you tap out the pitcher enough, expect a big hit. Sounds confusing, but it's quite easy to get into and can be toggled on or off in the option screen. It usually will only happen when the pitcher disrupts a pitch or throws wildly, so don't expect it much.

Fielding seems to work fine with the exception of the breakups in animations. It still is a great playing game and I really love baseball, so for 19.99, really, what is not to like?

Custom soundtracks, good graphics, (including sweet looking stadiums, great player models and faces), good sound, good gameplay and good game overall is a bit put down by average animations that should have been better. If you only want to spend 20 smacks, 2k5 is the way to go. Online is great too, so keep that in mind when you pick one or "both" baseball games this year. Both are great in their own right.

Much more fun that MVP Baseball........

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Why?

- Better graphics
- Better controls (sometimes less is more)
- Much better production values. You feel like your at a real game.

Well worth $19.99!..............

Best Baseball game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This year's competition's winner is MLB 2k5. But don't get me wrong. Here's why.
I also bought MVP too, but it was trash compared to MLB. MLB had good graphics, good faces like Tejada, Sosa, Kevin Brown, you name it! I don't know why people are crying for gameplays. It seems fluent and easy. GM Career is cool. You can see potential of players and promote and demote easily! Skybox was the coolest! You can post the image, unlock things, play darts, air hockey and watch TV! And the price 19.99,,, you can't beat that!
Save your precious 10bucks for MLB and don't buy toxic MVP!

The most innovative Baseball game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I got MLB and MVP both. I liked them both at first, I played more, and I finalized that MLB was better than MVP. Since Take 2 got the MLB license, and locked MVP up for 7 years, they could have been better, but best this year.

PROS:
Better Graphics than MVP
Great Animation (Don't ever listen to IGN.COM)
Commentary at best (added Joe Morgan)
Good player ratings.
Day Progression (Play the game in Shea or Yankee Stadium and check out the difference between 1st inning to 5th inning)
Better Gameplays
Two Modes to play (Pure Baseball or Videogame)
Best Franchise Mode this year by GM Career mode
Enhanced Minor League
Customized Soundtrack!!! (All Star had it last year and MLB 2K5 enhanced it!!)
Unlockable Classic Legendary TEAMS (Not only players)
K-Zone Pitching is VERY accurate
Accurate batting stances (Sosa, A-Rod, Manny, and More) and Pitching styles (Never saw Livan Hernandez pitching style accurate than Ever!)

CONS:
Slam Zone (I don't know how they got that idea)
Too much fielding errors (however I can go over with that)
Batting looks good but hard
Gameplay could have been better
Few commentary errors

I loved it, and I recommend you guys to buy it and you'll probably like it. Save your 10bucks

Believe the hype ESPN MLB 2K5 is the winner this year!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Having bought all of the 2K5 sports series, I was eager to purchase MLB 2K5. With Spring Training starting in a few days and an estimated street date of March 2 for MLB 2K5 I didn't know if I could wait. But it's in already and even before spring training started. I am very pleased with this game. The graphics are great, batting is perfect, and the best improvement for any baseball video game ever is the pitching. For only twenty bucks I highly recommend this game. After reading the so-so reviews for MVP if you're deciding which game to purchase this should be a no-brainer

Go Twins!!

Sweet!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was so dissapointed at ESPN MLB last year, that there were bunch of dust at the ESPN MLB cd case... . Well this year, they lowered the price, so I thought I might try it. And.... I. T. W. A. S. A. W. E. S. O. M. E. !!! I never know they really got upgraded from last year!!! Like their ad. 'Not Enhanced, Not Adjusted, Not Tweaked'. It's completely new game!! The features were just great! Skybox, where you can adjust pictures, unlock things, play darts and rest! There are deeeeeepened ESPN Presentation too! That knocks out MVP! But the coolest thing is the Graphics and Animation. There are LOADS of Crowd Cutscenes, Best Face Graphics (Loads better than MVP), and good animations!! Don't buy MVP... it just waste your 10 bucks! Buy MLB and you won't be dissapointed!

PS: I also just heard Take 2 (the company of MLB 2K5) took away the MLBPA License for 7 years!! No more MVP!! Well I feel bittersweet anyway

Just got MLB 2k5 too...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: February 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

[Prolude] Sorry Boston Guy but the winner of opening day will be Yankees and Schilling will get clobbered again by Sheffield again.[smiley]
I just got MLB 2k5, it just killed MVP!
1. Graphics were actually good. Sosa looked good, Beckett doesn't have joker smile again, and It's looking good like two years ago. Certainly, it's silky and beautiful.
2. The roster real updated again just like last year! Sosa guy was in O's! Not like MVP (they must have done on 1.15/05 again)
3. New color anaylst Joe Morgan was real simulating! I'm glad they ditched that retard guy out.
4. Skybox was totally actually good! I say, that was BEST feature that came out in baseball game ever. Skybox is just like a place you can unlock teams, players or jerseys. Or you can see the replay picture that you've saved too!
5. K-Zone was not too easy than I thought. It was kinda fussy, but EA's precision bar is worse.
6. There were more cutscenes than EVER!
7. You can choose the player's batting music soundtrack! (all custom)

Conclusion: MLB 2k5 just kills MVP on graphics, gameplays, audios, and everything.
MY OPINION: It was good thing that T2 locked MVP for 7 years.

[epilogue]: Again, Boston Guy, Yankees is the one that will smile first, second and last!

Wild Pitches

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Is there a way to cut down on the wild pitches. Too many a game.

SO COOL YET TOTALLY BLOWS.............

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm sure you guys are wondering how a cool game can blow so here's the word. I play the games and I play franchise mode. Here's my response on both issues....

Gameplay: GREAT. K-Zone is so awesome to use. You can use pinpoint accuracy in throwing your pitches. To balance this out, when the pitcher starts getting tired or a big slugger is at the plate in a pressure situation in a close game, the cursors go faster. To throw the ball, you must first move the cursor to the desired location. Then you hit the corresponding button. Y may be for a slider, A for fastball, B for cutter and so forth. You pick your spot, hit the button and a horizontal cursor moves across the screen and you simply hit any button (A,B,Y,X) when it lines up with the initial location and then vertically the cursor moves and you again hit a button to line it up. If you miss too far left, the pitch will go left. If you miss high or low, it will go higher or lower. It makes it fairly tough at times to be accurate which is how it is in real life. If that was confusing, if you've played basketball and used the free throw system, this is exactly the same but it's not as frustrating as in basketball where Shaq NEVER makes one.

Turning double plays is easy. Fielding can be a challenge at times if you don't get your player in proper position but overall, very easy to do. You shouldn't make too many human errors with the controls. Batting, depending on the difficulty level. Don't use legend at first or you will be frustrated. Start off with rookie and develop your swing and PATIENCE and work your way up.

Graphics, pretty life like. Very nice overall. Great part of having an Xbox, you can add your own stadium music, batter intro's etc. Takes a lot of time but it's worth it if you are into that kind of stuff.

When playing with two friends, it's easy to see the pitch with the K-Zone. To solve this, simply, change it to a meter system and the K-Zone disappears. You lose total precision yet with the vibration on which tells you when you are out of the strike zone, you can still get your pitches fairly close without your opponent knowing where the pitch is coming. Very nice they added this. Makes playing with others fun.

Overall 5 stars.

Now, onto the franchise mode.

Totally freaking blows.

Contracts: Not real amounts. Some players make more and some less than their real life counterparts.

I played a game three times and it wouldn't save. I HAVE to have accurate stats and I don't want the CPU to have to simulate a game for me. I had to. It wouldn't save. Also, you can't save a game in the middle of it as in Madden 2005. You must simulate it or shut your Xbox off. I suggest, shut off the Xbox. When you simulate and then reload the season without saving, that's not fail proof. I lost once through simulation (I accidentally hit simulate instead of play game) and reloaded and play the game later. I really did lose. It was the fourth game of the season and I should've been 3-1. The standing showed 3-2. It somehow counted the loss that never was. Very homosexual. One time I had to quit a game midstream because I wasn't ready for legend mode. I was losing 6-2 in the 7th. I ended up winning 10-4!!!!! Tell me where that teams two runs went? To top that off, it mysteriously saved it. I simply simulated and quit the season WITHOUT saving because I simulated and then shut the Xbox off. Suggestion, NEVER simulate regardless.

CPU ALWAYS tries to screw up your lineup no matter what you tell it. If you don't keep a good memory on who last pitched, CPU will try to pitch someone twice. If you make a trade, it's over with. Your whole rotation is in shambles. CPU is just ignorant.

There are a few good things however in the franchise mode. You can do a GM franchise season or whatever and you have to choose a team and work for the GM. Depending on his managing style will depend on what tasks you must perform. Money grubbing owners (Royals, Pirates) who care nothing of winning will want you to keep costs and complete minimum even if it means trading your best player like Beltran to the Astros for minor leaguers or whatever complete rip off occured a few season back with the Royals. Of course, the Yankees want nothing short of a championship or you'll probably get fired really quick. It's cool to mess around with until the GM tells you to axe your favorite players because he's overpaid. You won't always get fired if you ignore his wishes as long as you do the most important one. In my case, it was winning and I won several titles so who cares if I got to keep my favorite player if I won a World Series. The owner wasn't too pissed.

Minor leaguers: You can promote, demote and check out stats for your minor leaguers. At the end of the season, a progress report is issued and shows how your players are doing. When making trades, be sure to click with the analog stick to check out the players profile and his potential. It's always good to sneak in a minor leaguer or two in a big trade as they will be the future of your franchise. Especially the Kansas City Royals or someone like that. They can't afford anyone but minor leaguers and seem to be a farm team for the Yankees and the rest of the MLB.

Overall, with the stats errors, CPU retardation and stupid fake contracts, it's a 1.

Balanced out, I give the game an overall three. It's fun, until you run into problems (all the time).

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