MLB 2005 Critic Reviews

While the actual gameplay doesn't look as nice as it probably could, the sound is well done and the game's commentators have plenty of good quips.

Yes, this game is better than "MVP Baseball 2004" by EA Sports, Acclaim's "All-Star Baseball," and "ESPN Baseball."

Overall, the presentation and gameplay of MLB 2005 combine to form one of the best baseball titles we've seen in years. This is a huge success story for 989 Sports.

From the bottom of the pack, 989 Sports has brought it's Baseball series from the brink of horrible, and just made such a turnaround. From online gameplay to a dynamite graphics, I would be unfair and wrong if I didn't give this game the score I did.

MLB 2005 has a great tactile feel - in your first trip to the plate, you'll notice right away how much the ball moves like it should coming off the bat...Will have strong appeal to diehard baseball fans.

With great visuals, fine audio, pleasurable online and solid gameplay, MLB 2005 is a recommendable purchase for any PS2 baseball fan.

While you can't help but grimace at some of the game's texturing and awkward batting stances, the gameplay package is as solid as can be. The fielding interface is especially praiseworthy, and in my opinion, this year's best.

The nice thing about MLB 2005 is the customization factor. For example, if you are batting, you can dumb down the controls so all you have to worry about is timing. See the pitch, time it, swing, and hit it. But for the true fan, who seeks to be totally immersed in the game, you can take over complete control of the batting.

Animations are silky smooth and the over 3,500 personalized animations put the realism over the top.

With a graphics overhaul (989 Sports: think louder and brighter with your color scheme) and more forgiving gameplay, MLB could be comparable to High Heat Baseball in its depth.

The key is MLB doesn’t concentrate on doing just one thing right, it maintains doing all things very well and in the end I can’t help but give MLB 2005 my pick for best baseball game this year.

More for the casual sports gamer than the hardcore sports sim fan, but it has a lot of nice features that will make that first group quite happy with it.

The sound and graphics are much improved over MLB 2004, but there were an assortment of strange graphic tics that drove me absolutely nuts.

A remarkable turn-around, MLB 2005 manages to combine depth of play with ease of control for a solid baseball title that stands out against the competition.

If you look at where the series was the last time we saw it, the turnaround that the MLB series has experienced is amazing.

It's what's on the field that counts, and even with some AI hiccups, the gameplay predominantly delivers. This is a solid, fun ball game. If the same forward leaps are made for the next outing, it will be batting cleanup.

A good choice for the casual baseball gamer who focuses more on multiplayer and online versus solid deep franchise play.

Yes, there are quirks here and there, but the single player modes like Career and Franchise are exceptional for this title. Online play is implemented extremely well.

Compares favorably to the other baseball games that are currently on the market, especially if online play or a franchise mode are the features that matter most to you.

The problem is that MLB 2005 brings absolutely nothing new to the table in terms of gameplay.