News Post

Three Things MVP 05 Still Does Better

05:19 PM - May 7, 2009 by RaychelSnr

MLB 09: The Show has been out for over a month, and many baseball gaming enthusiasts have hailed the game as the best baseball video game ever. As a baseball elitist myself, there is no denying that the game is extremely impressive.

It has been five solid years since I have enjoyed a baseball game as much as this year's iteration of The Show. Because of this enjoyment level, I have found myself glued to my PS3 cultivating my Road to the Show career and running a somewhat successful Detroit Tigers dynasty.

Read More - Three Things MVP 05 Still Does Better

Game: MLB '09: The ShowReader Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSPVotes for game: 90 - View All

MLB '09: The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 61 WatchdogXC @ 05/08/09 09:55 AM

After seeing the first screenshot, I thought you'd mention the pitch feedback being better knowing how early or late you were or the check swing feedback. I much prefer the hitting in the Show because I can't hit a home run on every fast ball up and in. I loved MVP 2005 and played it for over 3 years before I got my PS3 and the Show, but it shows its age now. I tried going back to it after playing the Show last year and I just couldn't finish a game. It was way too easy to pitch as I could spot every pitch where I wanted to.

The main thing I liked about MVP better than the Show was the fielding throw meter. I really liked the difference in abilities on how easy it was to make a hard throw. It was a staggering difference going from Omar Vizquel in 2004 to using Jhonny Peralta in 2005 defensively.

I personally don't have a problem with The Show's baserunning controls. They make perfect sense to me.

I still wish either game would have let you put anyone on the DL regardless of injury like the All Star baseball games did on N64.

# 62 huskerfan4life @ 05/08/09 09:59 AM

I agree with you 100% I would hope that the SCEA people on this site would try to implement these next yr

# 63 MFazio23 @ 05/08/09 10:22 AM

I agree with a lot that you said about MVP, but it seemed like you moreso just wanted to bash The Show rather than praise MVP.

You seemed to undermine your points by talking about what The Show does wrong more than what MVP does right.

# 64 EWRMETS @ 05/08/09 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkrich83


	I couldn't disagree more. I have the PC version of MVP 05, and feel it's the one of the most overrated games of all time. I think due to it's premature demise, people seem to place it in higher esteem than it should be. I agree with the article on the baserunning, I hate the baserunning in the MLB series, imo, it's always beeen counter intuitive. But to that end, I hated the hitting and pitching systems in MVP 05, particularly the hitting system, and I felt it's results were questionable at best. I love the fact that in The Show ratings matter, and there are a plethora of them. In MVP the hitting system, and ratings system felt way dumbed down. Power hitter up? Press up and inside and wait for an inside pitch. Whammo home run. I also felt the franchise setup in MVP was ok, but not great, and somewhat simplistic.

Spot on. I missed MVP when I didn't have a PS3 and was stuck with 2k but now that I have the Show, there is no comparison. Even if the Show didn't have the best presentation of any sports game in history, the gameplay alone is ten times more advanced than MVP.

# 65 hitstreak13 @ 05/08/09 11:39 AM

I am strictly a franchise guy. Having MLB 09 the show has been a great experience. The graphics, gameplay, commentary, RTTS, etc. have all been superior. Franchise of the show is freakn fantastic, but just couldn't get into it (to each his own

). However, I have to agree with this gentlemans' article in regards to franchise in MVP 05. In this franchise mode, you do have to set your own payroll for fear of forfeiting your franchise due to lack of funds. Hell, I am playing one right now on my ps3 as the Nationals and am having a ball with it.

No sports game has been able to match 05's franchise at all. The concept of starting with a few million and trying to build a unique stadium all the while trying to field a competitive team required tons of strategy. Try signing a trio of guy for over $400 million (like the Yanks) as the Nationals and see how long you last, not very long. Baseball requires immense strategy on and off the field and MVP 05 did a fantastic job in implementing this. In my franchise, I am $2.5 million in debt, despite a payroll of only $52 million (50 games in). This will force me to either cut payroll or add talent. However, in adding talent, I have to make sure that the daily expense that I pay him would not exceed the increase in daily revenues or I would even lose more money.

Like I said, the show is a freakn fantastic game and I do play it a few times a week, but their franchise need a little tweaking. I'm sure if MLB 10 incorporates create a stadium and/or team, uses MVP's franchise model, and tweaks it's transportation system, MVP 05 will no longer be talked about.

# 66 HustlinOwl @ 05/08/09 12:38 PM

Why is this being posted on The Show forums?

# 67 slickdtc @ 05/08/09 12:39 PM

I think I've played enough of MLB 09 The Show to form an opinion on this. God knows I've played way past my share of MVP Baseball 2005 (just on the XBOX). I'll break it down into categories:

Pitching - Lots of different opinions on this regarding MLB 09. Personally, I went with Classic interface. I didn't like that the Meter pitching in MLB 09 didn't determine where the pitch was going. I understand it shouldn't always be perfect when you hit it in the sweet spot, but it always felt like it was just a dummy interface, like my input didn't matter. I'd rather have it go fully off ratings and sliders using the Classic interface. They do a good job of showing that you don't always have control over where the ball is going. Though I'd like to see some guys be able to spot pitches most of the time, pitchers that are notorious for their control. Obviously, MVP 05 let you spot your pitch pretty much all the time. Hardly ever gave up any walks. I guess I learned to deal with this, but as a simulation, yes, it should have been changed. I'll give the nod to MLB 09 here.

Batting - I like both the systems, to be honest. I think MVP was a bit too easy to influence where the ball was going. However, I loved the hit variety in MVP. I don't feel like I have as much control with it in MLB 09. Which maybe, that's how it should be. Neither is bad by any means though. I guess we'll take a split here. I think they both do a good job.

Fielding - I just don't like MLB 09's fielding at all. The fielders don't have a sense of urgency some times, the throwing meter means nothing, balls go through your guy. It's just not good and something they definitely need to look at next year. MVP, on the other hand, is one of the few games that really pulled off fielding well. Best fielding in a baseball game I've ever played. Animations were good, throwing meter actually worked, I liked the diving controls. I guess you'd see a ball go through a guy every now and then, but I don't know... it just didn't happen to me as much as it does in MLB 09. Definitely give the edge here to MVP 05.

Baserunning - You know, at first I didn't like MLB 09's controls. But as I play more, I'm really getting used to them. The "New" controls are basically opposite of how MVP's were (using left analog stick to select runner instead of the face button... then of course, face buttons were to tell where to go instead of the D-pad like in MVP). I saw that the "Classic" controls were what MVP had but I had actually grown accustomed to "New" that I was having trouble going back. Imagine that. So after practice, it's become pretty natural to me. Of course, I loved MVP's as well. I'm sure they took practice when I first started playing that game. They were flawless once I got used to them. But the actual baserunning in the game, specifically stealing, is way different. MLB's poor, there's no two ways about it. You have to be an expert to steal successfully on a pitcher using the "go early" method. And the other method, hitting L2, is a complete crapshoot. Also, you get picked off the base wayyy too much. Even with the slider all the way down. MVP, I feel, did a great job with stealing. And the sliders really worked for the stealing. You'd get picked off, but not nearly as much as you do in MLB. MVP gets the nod here because of the stealing.

So that's 2 wins for MVP, 1 for MLB, and 1 wash. But I think they're pretty even... both battles between pitching and batter were great. MVP did the fielding better, though that can be rectified with Auto fielding in MLB. But it's the stealing that really sets MVP apart from MLB 09. It really does take a big part of the game and that's what's holding MLB 09 back for me.

# 68 ehh @ 05/08/09 12:42 PM

The only time I've gotten the itch to play MVP '05 PC in the last two months was the other day when I had a game in my Yanks franchise at Detroit where in a tie game I hit three balls that were perfect/wheelhouse and all three wound up being harmless groundballs right at an infielder. It was with Tex, A-Rod and Posada too. The randomness of hitting gets me a little PO'd sometimes. I just kinda shrug my shoulders and stare at my TV like, "Well, what else am I suppose to do?".

# 69 Shinyhubcaps @ 05/08/09 01:15 PM

I don't get the hate for Guess Pitch. It's a video game. Some accommodations have to be made to bridge the virtual gap and make the game more interesting for the player. The same is true for the pitch meter. You could say, "Oh, real baseball players don't have to press buttons to choose pitches" or whatever, but the point is, it's a video game, and it will never replicate the actual thing.

As to whether or not batters guess pitches and location, they do. In a double-play situation, you look for pitches low and at the corners. In 2-0 counts, you look for low fastballs. You can still guess pitches and not swing, and vise versa. It's not an absolute system, but it is somewhat realistic. More importantly, it's a good tool in the game.

# 70 Bumble14 @ 05/08/09 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shinyhubcaps


	I don't get the hate for Guess Pitch. It's a video game. Some accommodations have to be made to bridge the virtual gap and make the game more interesting for the player. The same is true for the pitch meter. You could say, "Oh, real baseball players don't have to press buttons to choose pitches" or whatever, but the point is, it's a video game, and it will never replicate the actual thing. As to whether or not batters guess pitches and location, they do. In a double-play situation, you look for pitches low and at the corners. In 2-0 counts, you look for low fastballs. You can still guess pitches and not swing, and vise versa. It's not an absolute system, but it is somewhat realistic. More importantly, it's a good tool in the game.

I understand your point, but "guessing" a pitch, and "looking" for a certain pitch are completely different things.

When at the plate you can be looking for a specific pitch, say low fastball like in your example. As a hitter, you are not going to pick that low fastball up until you get a solid read of the release point of the pitch to #1 verify you are getting a fastball, and #2 read how the pitch is moving. This is what MVP hitter's eye was able to convey that guess pitch is not.

The key difference is that in real life even if you step to the plate with the mindset that you will sit on a low fastball, you are not going to be tipped of that decision as the pitcher begins his windup like in The Show.

Hitter's eye may have been gimmicky, but it simulated the plate vision of a true at bat- guess pitch is gimmicky for the sake of being gimmicky.

# 71 Kado456 @ 05/08/09 01:40 PM

I've read through the responses here, and it would appear the main ingredient that people are glossing over is the "MOD" factor of MVP. I know this may be a little unfair towards the show, but my "Modded" version of MVP is hands down the best baseball game I own. The mod factor is what is keeping MVP alive, and anybody that has had the joy of enjoying some of the superior datafiles available for the game knows what I'm talking about, if you haven't experienced a modded version of this game then your are truly missing its true beauty.

As far as out the box, one thing MVP has that wasn't mentioned is the user controlled "MAnager Arguements" the Show has to put this in the game next year.

# 72 kehlis @ 05/08/09 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shinyhubcaps


	I don't get the hate for Guess Pitch. It's a video game. Some accommodations have to be made to bridge the virtual gap and make the game more interesting for the player. The same is true for the pitch meter. You could say, "Oh, real baseball players don't have to press buttons to choose pitches" or whatever, but the point is, it's a video game, and it will never replicate the actual thing. As to whether or not batters guess pitches and location, they do. In a double-play situation, you look for pitches low and at the corners. In 2-0 counts, you look for low fastballs. You can still guess pitches and not swing, and vise versa. It's not an absolute system, but it is somewhat realistic. More importantly, it's a good tool in the game.

I agree with a good portion of what you are saying.

But why would a batter be looking for low pitches in dp situation let alone a 2-0 count, I used to look for something I could drive up in the zone and liked to stay away from low pitches which are more likely to cause ground balls than high pitches.

There is a reason pitchers attempt to keep the ball low in the zone in DP situations.

# 73 countryboy @ 05/08/09 01:44 PM

I'll just say that I would take the Show over MVP. Why? Because back in the day, I took All Star Baseball over MVP.

# 74 clownbaby @ 05/08/09 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	I'll just say that I would take the Show over MVP. Why? Because back in the day, I took All Star Baseball over MVP.

Second that

# 75 Bumble14 @ 05/08/09 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	I'll just say that I would take the Show over MVP. Why? Because back in the day, I took All Star Baseball over MVP.

Ohh, you're one of "those" guys. I was wondering how long it would take to get your kind involved in this discussion

Just kidding. All Star was a great franchise as well- never quite got to MVP level for me, but it was a gem back in the N64 days.

# 76 OhCanadian @ 05/08/09 02:07 PM

Beautiful article. I agree with 90% of what you said. MLB 09 is still a great game though and has FINALLY allowed me to put away my Xbox MVP 05 for good.

# 77 countryboy @ 05/08/09 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	Ohh, you're one of "those" guys. I was wondering how long it would take to get your kind involved in this discussion Just kidding. All Star was a great franchise as well- never quite got to MVP level for me, but it was a gem back in the N64 days.

All Star lacked the on-field explosion to truly be an icon of baseball gaming. But off the field, it was pure baseball.

# 78 hitstreak13 @ 05/08/09 02:42 PM

All star was a pretty solid game. However, the point system and lack of sliders (there wasn't any) ruined the game for me.

Does anyone remember game impact? This is perhaps the best thing in sport gaming history. Yankees/Redsox matches will always be a 10/10 come August and September. Every game will be sold out. That was pure innovation right there. No other game has been able to duplicate that marvelous franchise feature.

# 79 acarrero @ 05/08/09 03:14 PM

Personally, I'm not a fan of Hitter's eye. It just confuses me to see a red ball or green ball. If you take hitter's eye off, in MVP you can still see the different rotation of the ball as soon as it leaves the pitchers hand. To me it has the same effect as hitters eye and feels more realistic than watching a purple ball light up in the pitchers hand.

Also, lets not forget it was actually MVP 06: NCAA Baseball that blew away all other hitting systems with the original analog batting. To this day, it is still the best system for batting on any baseball game out there IMO.

# 80 adembroski @ 05/08/09 03:20 PM

MVP's hitting system is the primary reason I haven't bothered to pick up the show. Pitching issues in MVP are solved by 3rd party tweaks.

MVP 05 as edited by the community is the most realistic baseball game ever, period. That's my #1 requirement for a game, and you simply cannot beat MVPs hitting system.

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