News Post

Three Things MVP 05 Still Does Better

04:19 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

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Member Comments

# 81 Woodweaver @ 05/08/09 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adembroski


	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.

Never picked up The Show, but MVP can't be beat....hmmmm.

# 82 cardsfan2222 @ 05/08/09 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitstreak13


	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.

I remember game impact. I always hated April games against the Padres, when it would be 1 out of 10. The Show has finally made matchups better, as Cardinals/Cubs games are always sold out.

I still have MVP 2005 for the PC, and have played more seasons than I remember. I never modded it, I may have to try that and see what its like. It's too bad EA lost the license, because it would have been interesting to see how SCEA and EA would have tried to outdo each other to make the best game.

I really don't get why people try to compare them, and say one is better than the other. They both have their qualities, and their downsides. Stat lines are far more accurate in the Show, as over the course of a season, you don't have all of your starters with 15-20 wins, and have 4 or 5 players with 30 or more home runs. I had David Eckstein hit 25 home runs in MVP, simply by waiting for a high inside curveball.

The biggest advantage I would give MVP is fielding, both CPU and human. There was a distinct difference between gold glovers and average fielders, and you knew not to run on certain players arms. In the Show, you can just as easily be thrown out by a poor thrower as a great one.

I thought MVP was also better at extra base hits. Sometimes I feel like the runners are too slow in the Show, because I have to slide into 2nd on a double that should have easily been a stand up double. MVP also had doubles down the line that would rattle around in the corner, and in the Show it seems like those hits die in the outfield grass, or are cut off before getting to the wall.

Overall though, I still enjoy both games. I pretty much exclusively play the Show now, but I know I could still go back and play MVP and enjoy it.

# 83 Nilsen31 @ 05/08/09 03:12 PM

MVP 05 was the best baseball game and did a lot of things right, it's tough to compare and say the older game is better...but I think I agree, because I play very little outside of Be A Pro mode because of the frustrating gameplay flaws you talked about. I really agree w/ feeling a lack of control over your hitting at the plate. and baserunning sucks, just use a basic system like MVP did. I played the heck out of MVP and the actual 9 inning games vs friends or even CPU were fun...The Show...not so much.

# 84 Nilsen31 @ 05/08/09 03:13 PM

** Road to the show ** wutever the features called :P

# 85 jpup @ 05/08/09 03:14 PM

the article is nonsense and should not be posted in this forum. We can't discuss 2k in this forum and you guys should not post an article about MVP 05. Post it in the MVP forum where it belongs. There is simply no comparison between MVP and The Show. It's not even fair to MVP. The Show has been better for 3 years.

The discussion of the mechanics of hitting in the article is laughable.

# 86 ComfortablyLomb @ 05/08/09 03:45 PM

royal rooter, not ruler.

They were the Royal Rooters.

# 87 ComfortablyLomb @ 05/08/09 03:46 PM

I wish I could edit the first post... I've got both and I think MVP 05 is superior. Of course I've got it on PC and the mods take it to another level. The batting system and unpolished fielding in The Show just bother me too much to really take a liking to the game. It's a quality product and the devs obviously are very talented but it's just not for me.

# 88 mike8813 @ 05/08/09 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpup


	the article is nonsense and should not be posted in this forum. We can't discuss 2k in this forum and you guys should not post an article about MVP 05. Post it in the MVP forum where it belongs. There is simply no comparison between MVP and The Show. It's not even fair to MVP. The Show has been better for 3 years. The discussion of the mechanics of hitting in the article is laughable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike8813


	I don't understand the writer's logic in dismissing the Show's hitting mechanic. To say that you can't bring your hands in to pull a ball or extend to go oppo is wrong. To pull an inside pitch: have your PCI inside, swing early. DONE. To hit an outside pitch the opposite way: have your PCI outside, wait the extra split second, swing late. DONE. Average those out and you hit it up the middle. Am I missing something here?

I'm glad I'm not the only one baffled by these false knocks against the Show's hitting mechanics. (The SCEA representative also agrees with our logic)

The ability to use the left stick to influence which side of the field you hit to was evident all the way back in the '06 version. Anybody remember the "King of the Diamond" mini-game?

# 89 teampunjabi @ 05/08/09 04:30 PM

Personally I think its nonsense to say the hitting in MLB 09 is a gamebreaker. And the pitching is superior to MVP. The baserunning can be adapted to and once you get the hang of it, it works great. This game has a DEEP learning curve, and I think that is why people get frustrated with this game.

# 90 thdudeabides @ 05/08/09 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickdtc


	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.

I second most of this, but I'll add hitting that I thought hitting in MVP was better then anything The Show has done. When you hit a home run in MVP you knew it was gone immediately. Same if you hit a weak ground ball.

In The Show you can never tell how good you hit the ball until the animation kicks in. A homerun "feels" no different then a ground ball back to the pitcher in The Show. They just haven't been able to recreate that feel.

# 91 jpup @ 05/08/09 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thdudeabides


	I second most of this, but I'll add hitting that I thought hitting in MVP was better then anything The Show has done. When you hit a home run in MVP you knew it was gone immediately. Same if you hit a weak ground ball. In The Show you can never tell how good you hit the ball until the animation kicks in. A homerun "feels" no different then a ground ball back to the pitcher in The Show. They just haven't been able to recreate that feel.

That's just not true.

# 92 thdudeabides @ 05/08/09 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondoman


	Ummm, I seriously have no idea what you are talking about. THere are many homeruns in REAL LIFE that you do not know are automatically gone after it is hit. Then there are some that are hit and you know for sure it's outta here. The SHow recreates this wonderfully IMO.

Sure when your sitting in you living room watching a game and a player hits the ball you don't know how well they hit the ball, but I guarantee you the player knows immediately how well he hit that pitch, thats the "feeling" MVP had, The Show just doesn't have it.

# 93 jpup @ 05/08/09 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thdudeabides


	Sure when your sitting in you living room watching a game and a player hits the ball you don't know how well they hit the ball, but I guarantee you the player knows immediately how well he hit that pitch, thats the "feeling" MVP had, The Show just doesn't have it.

That's your opinon and IMO it does.

# 94 thdudeabides @ 05/08/09 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpup


	That's your opinon and IMO it does.

Who else's opinion would it be?

# 95 thdudeabides @ 05/08/09 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondoman


	I just disagree. When I nail a pitch, just nail it, I know it, it feels great. I don't know what you mean that you can't feel it cuz I can whether it a screaming liner, or a dribbler that I barely got bat on. . .

As jpup so brilliantly put it, thats just my opinion.

Sometimes I'll get a pitch belt high and I'll swing thinking, ok I nailed it, and it ends up a dribbler to short. Next time, same thing and its a homerun, I honestly can't tell the difference, not all the time, mind you but a lot.

I've got about forty games in, maybe with some more games under my belt I'll feel the way you do.

# 96 choadler @ 05/08/09 05:56 PM

My take on this. SCEA gives us loads of options to customize the game the way we want it. Someone complaining about guess pitch when it can be turned off seems strange and looking for gripes. Just turn it off if you don't want to use it.

I like that I don't have to use a certain control scheme for running. I use the classic controls for baserunning and have very little complaints about it. Is it as intuitive maybe not, but certainly not noteworthy in an article.

I think the fielding in MVP is better. That is a fair assessment. I have turned auto fielding on and enjoy it that way.

I enjoy the challenge of trying to read pitches and guess pitches (without the game mechanic) and love the challenge of the Show hitting system. I hope they do not change it. I don't need to see yellow, green or orange balls flying at me. If they choose to make that an option, so be it.

I found the left stick mechanic of MVP to be rather mundane. Basically, I found myself holding up and to the left or right waiting for the right pitch to hit a homerun. I like using the PCI to try to guess a zone or look for a pitch in and see the results of that...Seems more rewarding.

# 97 NumberOneRB @ 05/08/09 06:16 PM

I'd have to say I just about agree with everything he said, albeit the article came off as being a bit harsh on the Show. I would also include the fielding mechanics from MVP being MUCH better than the Show. I can't tell you how much fun my friends and I had making all the great plays in the field using the great right stick diving/jumping mechanics, and the meter throws to the plates were so smooth it was a thing of beauty.

There was just something about the hitting and ball physics in MVP that made me feel that not only was I in full control of my hits, but that no hit was EVER the same. The type of pitch, ball velocity, ball movement, ball location, and direction of the batter's swing all combined to give you the great organic results you would expect from a real game of baseball. While playing the Show (great game btw), I still sometimes get that feeling that the location of the hit is a bit predetermined regardless of the location of the pitch and how well I actually hit the ball, (some of the double play moments come to mind).

The Batter's Eye feature was actually a very underrated feature, even though it was simplistic in its implementation. I think if there was anything we learned about MVP's gameplay/physics additions, it was that although they were all relatively "simple" additions in their iteration, they came together so well and made one of the more pleasantly complex, organic displays of true baseball of any gaming generation.

# 98 bukktown @ 05/08/09 06:24 PM

One thing RBI baseball still does better.... it takes much less time to complete a game.

# 99 thdudeabides @ 05/08/09 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NumberOneRB


	There was just something about the hitting and ball physics in MVP that made me feel that not only was I in full control of my hits, but that no hit was EVER the same. The type of pitch, ball velocity, ball movement, ball location, and direction of the batter's swing all combined to give you the great organic results you would expect from a real game of baseball. While playing the Show (great game btw), I still sometimes get that feeling that the location of the hit is a bit predetermined regardless of the location of the pitch and how well I actually hit the ball, (some of the double play moments come to mind.

This is how an intelligent person explains what I was trying to explain a couple posts back.

# 100 SDwinder @ 05/08/09 06:38 PM

One thing we really need to clarify here is what version of MVP 05 are you comparing here? The XBox, the PC out of the box, or the PC modded.

I never played the XBox version but I hear it was lacking compared to the PC versions. However, the PC out of the box was pretty mediocre. But, with the mods and data files, it became a completely better game. Graphics and playability became MUCH better.

With that said pitching is much better on The Show, no doubt. Pitch control was too easy in MVP. I prefer the hitting model on The Show too. Because of my personal on the field career experience, I want as realistic experience as possible without cheats and gimmicks.

That means no Guess Pitch/location. I do that on my own already. My bonus is squaring the ball up and getting an appropriate result.

That means no Batter's Eye. Might as well have a flashing neon sign stating what the pitch is during the windup. Same thing! If game pitch physics are programmed realistically, I will be able to determine what type of pitch by the arm angle/release point, spin, and arc of pitch. Just like in real life! What a revelation.

The Show does this stuff right. And when you put Fielding on Auto, but with Manual Throw, you have a very realistic game.

I still am not comfortable with the baserunning controls on The Show, when controlling more than one runner at the same time , like I was with MVP using a Logitech Rumblepad 2 controller, . I run into too many outs, because it doesn't seem intuitive to me. This is the one part of the on the field game that bugs me.

Also, I miss the Cut feature of MVP where you could choose to make a Cut after you had already thrown the ball. This is real life and should be in The Show. I really thought they would add that in this year after not having it last year.

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