Published on June 20th, 2008 | by simeon

MLB 2005

With the temperatures starting to warm up around the country, the boys of summer are about to take the field for the 2004 Baseball season. While some fans know their team has little chance for the postseason, it does not diminish their enthusiasm for their favorite team.
989 Sports has given fans everywhere a reason to rejoice with their fantastic MLB 2005 release. Fans on perennial doormats Tampa Bay and San Diego can now hope to compete for the cyber pennant to ease the pain of long suffering fans.
With all the Major League teams and players represented, players can chose to play against the computer, another player, or hookup online for the ultimate road trip. Players can also select exhibition play, or full season as well as the popular home run derby. With variable skill levels, MLB 2005 offers unlimited playability as players can always find harder opponents to offer a new challenge.
The detail level of the players and parks is amazing as little details such as the picnic area at Tropicana Field and the monuments at Yankee Stadium are here. Playing as my local team, The Seattle Mariners, I got a charge out Edgar Martinez spanking a pitch off the monuments in deep center field against the Yankees. The facial expressions and characteristics are amazing and closely detail their real namesakes. Ichiro is still the fastest guy on the field with a cannon for an arm, while Sammy Sosa and Bonds can still launch balls into orbit.
As good as the graphics are, the music, sound, and voice acting the game is good as legendary broadcasters Vin Scully and Dave Campbell provide all the analysis and comments that make you feel like you are in the show. I thought the trivia and other quips by the duo to be an amazing addition and added greatly to the game experience. The game also has some great features such as Franchise mode where you can call all the shots like a big GM and the Eye Toy, which allows you to take your picture and put on the body of a big leaguer. For those with less free time, you can simulate portions of a season to allow you to save yourself for the playoff drive. Simply put, MLB 2005 is a flawless and amazing game that is as close to being there as you can get. It is by far the best Baseball game I have ever played and holds its appeal even after numerous games.
Gameplay 5/5
Graphics 5/5
Audio 5/5
Value 5/5/5
Fun 3/5
Genre Sports
Platform PS 2
Rating E
Publisher Sony