MVP Baseball and ESPN MLB released early

[The Czech Republic 0]

Oh shit shit mother of fuck! Carlos Zambrano broke his arm right before the All-Star break and he'll be out for 68 days! He was having such a good year. 2.50 ERA or so, about 10 wins. My five-headed monster of Wood-Prior-Zambrano-Maddux-Rusch has been slain. I'm doomed.

[The Czech Republic 0]

So I trade a pair of relievers to Pittsburgh for Oliver Perez. While the Pirates are in town. What a heelish move.

[Matt Young 0]

I finally played MVP on Live, and damn, does it suck badly. I love the single player mode, but Live does not cut it.

 

Since MLB 2K5 has gotten good reviews, it's only $20, and it has online leagues like the other ESPN games, I'll be getting it tomorrow. Even if I don't do a franchise on it, I can at least have some good online play to complement MVP's great single player experience.

 

So Failed Mascot, you will have someone to discuss MLB 2K5 with even if it is someone you hate.

[Matt Young 0]

I swear to God, this game (MVP) does not want me to win 3 straight games in Owner's Mode. I had won the first 2 contests and dropped the last in each of my previous 3 series going into my 3 game set with the Mariners at Comiskey Park.

 

I won the first 2 games and then went up 3-1 in the 7th inning of game 3 on surging Joe Crede's 4th home run in 6 games. The very next half inning, the M's got an inside the park home run after Jermaine Dye let a routine fly ball roll right past him. That scored 2 runs to tie it up. The very next at bat saw Ichiro hit a triple and then score following an error on the throw to the plate. I went down 4-3.

 

Luckily, I got some guys on base in the bottom of the 9th, tied it on a sac fly from Juan Uribe, and then won 5-4 via a Frank Thomas single. Finally, a series sweep and a 3rd straight win to bring my record to 9-3, tied for the best in the majors.

 

This game's out to get me... it's true. But I still love it.

 

MLB 2K5 shall be mine today, so I'll be able to experience some good online baseball, assuming Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (which I'm also getting today) doesn't suck away all my game time.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I won 12 in a row

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I'll check MLB 2K5 out eventually, but it sounds like someone's finding a new glitch everyday.

[Matt Young 0]

I won 12 in a row

It's easy to win with the Cubs.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I'm playing as the Cubs, but since I did a fantasy draft, I've only got two members of the actual Cubs squad. I just won my third nail-biter in a row against the Pirates.

 

Thanks to my shitty hitting, I was down 1-0 until the 8th when Odalis Perez started to lose it. I got a pair of singles and then Jeter made a questionable play on the ball hit by my pinch hitter. Instead of getting the force at second, he threw the ball to home for a play that wasn't even there.

 

So I had the bags full and B.J. Upton at the plate. Second pitch and bam, I get hit, tied game. Alfonso Soriano then drove in a pair, Blalock grounded into a DP (I swear to god I have at least three a game) and Lee drove in a fourth with a sac fly.

 

In the bottom of the inning, Adam Kennedy hit a two-run shot, but I was able to close things down with Lidge in the ninth. Thanks to the fantasy draft, normally bad teams like the Brewers and Pirates actually have competitive teams.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Has anyone tried out stealing bases yet? I remember last year's game made it virtually impossible to swipe a bag, but I haven't dabbled in it enough this year to see if it's still the same (although I have been thrown out each time I've tried).

 

I also noticed that I forgot to turn off unlocked players being included in Owner's Mode, and thus, have the pleasure of pitching to Johnny Bench.

 

Oh, and I still suck at hitting. I've become convinced that getting a single is fairly worthless, since I hit into a DP right after almost everytime. Since MVP 2005 lets players throw to someone who's not yet at the base, breaking up a DP is almost impossible.

[Matt Young 0]

So I got MLB 2K5.

 

I played a couple of games and I hated it. I mean, it was less enjoyable than getting raped up the ass with a razor sharp dick while doing calculus homework. It induced a headache. I could barely finish a game, it was so bad. It made me long for the days of Mike Piazza's Strike Zone on the N64.

 

However, once I got used to things, the game is alright. It's not as good as MVP, the animations and camera suck, and the pitching and batting systems are flawed, but it's a fun, above average game. Worth $20, but nowhere near the quality of 2K Sports' basketball and football games.

 

I took the game online and lost 4-1 to the Giants (although the loss appears on my games history, it didn't appear on my record... weird). The online play was really fun and was a lot smoother than EA's online play. It was actually just as smooth as playing offline. So even if I don't do a franchise on MLB 2K5, I can at least enjoy some fine Xbox Live action and maybe join a league.

 

I only hope that 2K Sports improves the overall game by next year to complement the awesome online play.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

So I got MLB 2K5.

 

I played a couple of games and I hated it. I mean, it was less enjoyable than getting raped up the ass with a razor sharp dick while doing calculus homework. It induced a headache. I could barely finish a game, it was so bad. It made me long for the days of Mike Piazza's Strike Zone on the N64.

 

However, once I got used to things, the game is alright. It's not as good as MVP, the animations and camera suck, and the pitching and batting systems are flawed, but it's a fun, above average game. Worth $20, but nowhere near the quality of 2K Sports' basketball and football games.

 

I took the game online and lost 4-1 to the Giants (although the loss appears on my games history, it didn't appear on my record... weird). The online play was really fun and was a lot smoother than EA's online play. It was actually just as smooth as playing offline. So even if I don't do a franchise on MLB 2K5, I can at least enjoy some fine Xbox Live action and maybe join a league.

 

I only hope that 2K Sports improves the overall game by next year to complement the awesome online play.

and Failed Mascot stands by that game

 

 

I got MVP for $10 bucks. It's pretty fun, but lately I'm just occupied with that pitching mini-game. It's addicting.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

What's everyone averaging for salary for the minor leaguers? I'm losing money daily and it's mainly because of player salaries. Further inspection showed that Zambrano is only being paid 300K a year, while I had a couple guys in A and AA ball making 400 and 500K. Needless to say, I raised Zambrano's salary and traded away some of the pricier minor leaguers.

 

Anyone got any tips for turning profits in Owner's Mode, though? It's ridiculous for me, since I paid for the second level of restraunts, but since I'm short of funds, I can't actually afford to ya know, STOCK them, and thus, they're just an expense.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

How about not overexpanding? I started out small with just a manual scoreboard and a few food stands and one game room. I'm turning a nice profit that way.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

So I got MLB 2K5.

 

  I played a couple of games and I hated it.  I mean, it was less enjoyable than getting raped up the ass with a razor sharp dick while doing calculus homework.  It induced a headache.  I could barely finish a game, it was so bad.  It made me long for the days of Mike Piazza's Strike Zone on the N64. 

 

  However, once I got used to things, the game is alright.  It's not as good as MVP, the animations and camera suck, and the pitching and batting systems are flawed, but it's a fun, above average game.  Worth $20, but nowhere near the quality of 2K Sports' basketball and football games.

 

  I took the game online and lost 4-1 to the Giants (although the loss appears on my games history, it didn't appear on my record... weird).  The online play was really fun and was a lot smoother than EA's online play.  It was actually just as smooth as playing offline.  So even if I don't do a franchise on MLB 2K5, I can at least enjoy some fine Xbox Live action and maybe join a league.

 

  I only hope that 2K Sports improves the overall game by next year to complement the awesome online play.

and Failed Mascot stands by that game

LOLILIKESEGAGAMEZ2005~!~!~!

[Bruiser Chong 0]

How about not overexpanding? I started out small with just a manual scoreboard and a few food stands and one game room. I'm turning a nice profit that way.

I didn't overexpand. I have the second level of seating (20,000, I believe) and the lowest level restraunts. There was no money left to purchase anything else after that (aside from a promotional day here and there). The auto-draft of the minors is what killed me, since I overpaid on many of the players that were drafted for me.

[A Happy Medium 0]

I picked the White Sox as my team as well....they need a different ballpark anyway.

 

Nellie Fox Field..yup

 

Went 500 the first year...win the division the next...won the world series in 07..and now am struggling in the divison series against Oakland. I hate the fact that I traded Buerhle for Oswalt. I should've gone after someone who doesnt fall in stats at 29.

 

But eh, I have a young group of players in the field I can keep around for a good five years. I love building guys up in the mini games. Nothing like making Aaron Rowand MVP material.

 

I will now start to build the Nationals. Great project.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

LOLILIKESEGAGAMEZ2005~!~!~!

It's incredibly glitchy and yet you push for everyone to get it. I don't understand that.

 

 

Bruiser- You asked how to turn up profits and yet you know what you did wrong? Simple, DON'T DO WHAT YOU DID WRONG. And I still think you overexpanded, especially if you are in your first year. You shouldn't have all the top level upgrades in the first year. Those comes later with time and money.

 

edit: Ok you have just the second level seating and one restaurant. My point is don't spend all your money in one day/few days. You should set aside money in case you lose money in the first year, so you'd have something to spend next year.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

LOLILIKESEGAGAMEZ2005~!~!~!

It's incredibly glitchy and yet you push for everyone to get it. I don't understand that.

Because I don't want to be the only one stuck playing it!

 

If I can dig up another $10 I'm going to bring this back and get MVP depending on a few things.

 

Did they fix the lefty power thing?

Did they fix the strikezone that seemed to be off center by a good 3 inches towards the right?

Does the CPU consistently run into the wall at Fenway while the ball sits there on the ground?

These were all things that turned me off of MVP last year.

 

As for this game my main problems with it are...

 

Batters look stupid after making contact. Their bodies always have the extreme pull contortion and it just seems weird.

There's no such thing as a screaming line drive. They sound good off the bat and then they just kind of float to give the infielder time to catch up with them.

Infielders make plays they never should be able to

Fielders run much faster than the hitters. Even after toying with the sliders I can't come up with a balanced system.

I either have a close game or completely blow a team out. There's no middle ground where maybe I'm up by 5 runs and a team comes back.

Everytime I get a runner on the new pressure system makes the opposing pitcher throw a bajillion wild pitches.

 

There are positives to this though

 

I love the pitching system. Its easy to understand and at the same time not too easy to perform. As pitchers get tired the difficulty of pulling off the pitch you want becomes more difficult. That makes it feel more realistic.

 

The pressure system when you the player are in tight situations. You don't throw a million wild pitches so it works. The control rumbles to simulate unsettled nerves and it becomes hard to really throw a pinpoint accurate pitch depending on the pitcher. Schilling doesn't become too unsettled in key situations but a young guy like Bronson Arroyo does.

 

The presentation is fabulous. The ESPN stuff works real well and I don't repeatedly hear about Lobster Cola or other stupid shit. I was hoping that with the X-Box version I'd get some Baseball Tonight stuff seeing as how NFL 2K5 has NFL Primetime...no such luck though and hopefully that will be changed in next year's game.

 

For $20 you really can't complain a whole lot, but still I'm a diehard baseball fan and if the above gripes I had were fixed then I'll dig up that extra $10.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

LOLILIKESEGAGAMEZ2005~!~!~!

It's incredibly glitchy and yet you push for everyone to get it. I don't understand that.

Because I don't want to be the only one stuck playing it!

 

If I can dig up another $10 I'm going to bring this back and get MVP depending on a few things.

Don't your local Gamestop (if there is one near you) have that deal where you can get MVP for 10 bucks if you traded in another 2005 game (like Madden or NCAA or whatever)? Though if I recall correctly, the offer will expire soon.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I have neither of those games and the closest GameStop to me is on the other side of the city which makes it a near 40min drive. Its easier to go to EB, especially when both myself and my father have done bussiness there for so long that they give us better deals than they do most others.

 

I'm going to look into picking up MVP today but I'd still like to know if the Fenway glitch was fixed. Czech told me the other stuff was worked on.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

It seems to be. I didn't experience that glitch in my MVP yet. Though I only played in Fenway twice so far.

[Cartman 0]

I haven't seen that glitch at all either so I think it's safe to say it's fixed.

 

Lefty glitch is very fixed.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

ok, cause it really took away from the game watching random CFers running in place near the triangle while the ball was an inch away from them.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

For those in Owner's Mode using existing ballparks, are there costs like there'd be with a created park (i.e. additional seating, scoreboard, etc.)?

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I have MVP now so I can be considered cool and a part of the in-crowd.

[Cartman 0]

When you begin Owner mode you have to make your own stadium, BUT, you can play in the normal stadiums as much as you want and the game will "pretend" you are playing in your new created stadium. Ticket sales and concessions are all the same no matter what stadium you play in.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Outpost finally shipped MVP to me for $25, so hopefully I'll get it soon.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I sold off my restraunt just to see if I could save up enough coin to invest in some concessions, since I'm still in the red for daily income. I understand this is a building process, so I'm not getting to down about this. It's frustrating, but winning it all in the first season doesn't leave much else to be desired in subsequent seasons.

 

And just for future reference, my starting lineup looks like this:

 

LF - Milton Bradley

2B - Alfonso Soriano

3B - Hank Blalock

1B - Derrek Lee

RF - Willy Mo Pena

C - Miguel Olivo

SS - BJ Upton

CF - Kenny Lofton

 

I've got Carlos Zambrano and CC Sabathia in my starting rotation, Urbina setting things up and Lidge closing. Overall, my pitching is my saving grace until I get hitting in check.

 

I'm looking to dump Lofton, but no one will take his hefty contract, so I may be stuck with him for a while.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I went with Dynasty and after beating RJ on Pro 7-3 I upped the difficulty to All Star and lost 1-0 in extras.

[Matt Young 0]

So does anybody play either game on Xbox Live? I definitely prefer 2K5 online (although MVP's better overall), and the game's growing on me as far as offline paly goes as well.

 

I can't believe I despised MLB so much at first. It's good, just not MVP good.

 

P.S. I hate SlamZone.