MVP Baseball 2003 is an entirely new game from EA Sports, although it’s steeped in the history of the aforementioned Triple Play. With MVP Baseball 2003, just about everything from graphics to gameplay has been re-tooled, and the result is one of the top baseball games released this year. From a franchise mode that lets you hop into the action whenever you want to an intuitive new batting/pitching interface, MVP Baseball 2003 is easily a candidate for the Golden Glove of gaming.

Since you’ll spend most of your time with the batting/pitching interface, any conversation about the gameplay should necessarily begin there. The interface is entirely new in MVP Baseball 2003, with a behind-the-batter perspective that shows not only the strike zone but also each individual batter’s "hot zone." This is a nice inclusion, because you immediately know where to pitch and where not to pitch for certain batters. As nice as it is, though, it’s also slightly arcadey, and hardcore baseball-sim fans will probably scoff and not needing to "live and learn" between innings and batting rotations.

Pitching itself is very similar to EA’s (and most other companies’) golf games in that you begin the pitch by pressing a button, press the same button again at the top of the strength meter and depress it one final time at the bottom. The success or failure of each pitch (and depending on your pitcher, you’ll have different pitches available) is determined in large part by your ability to hit "targets" along the meter. Fortunately, the game’s not so brutal that you’ll commit a balk if you miss a target, but the pitch will be much more accurate if you nail the green zone.

Locating your pitches throughout the strike zone is equally intuitive, with a ball-like icon that you can maneuver before the pitch to "tell" your pitcher where the ball should go. In two-player games, this could naturally be a disastrous inclusion, but EA was gracious enough to include a "fade" option that allows the icon to gradually disappear as you move it around the strike zone. I personally had fun moving it one way and then switching directions before pitching to my opponent. And he thought he was cheating….

Speaking of the batter, when you’re in the batter’s box yourself, the expected batting options are all there to ensure you have almost complete control of your swing. For example, by pushing the thumbstick up and to the left while hitting the swing button you pop the ball up into left field; pulling it down and to the right will hit a grounder past first base. You’re also able to control your base runners through this interface, with a diamond in the top left (or right, depending on your left- or right-handedness) showing the base runners and their proximity to the bag.

If there’s a downer to stealing bases, it’s that stealing is both A) relatively easy (unless I’ve just got mad skills) and B) announced rather loudly by the commentators. In concept, the announcer’s play-by-play is realistic, so it’s safe to say that this feature adds to the game’s simulation qualities. In reality, though, the announcements have a tendency to act as a crutch to "lesser" fielders who wouldn’t have otherwise noticed the base runner moving. This is mainly an issue with multiplayer games, but it’s something you also notice in single-player games.

Fielding can also be somewhat troublesome, although it’s ironically the result of EA Sports showing some innovation. The AI is pretty solid, even if the players themselves are somewhat slow, but once you get to the ball, prepare to swear on more than one occasion for forgetting the innovative pressure-sensitive throwing system. MVP Baseball 2003 has a nice (in theory) new feature that allows you to tap the throw button for short tosses and really hold it down for long bombs. This is presumably designed to mimic the real-life windup that players would have to do to heave the hardball from deep right field to third, but I can’t even count how many times I darn near dropped the ball at my feet because I tapped the throw button rather than held it down.

Once you get used to this system, it’s actually quite handy, and you can appreciate its finesse. But in those instances where you’re in a tight-as-latex game, your old gaming habits will kick in, and you’ll forget about the nuance entirely and throw the ball like it’s 10 tons of stone. And don’t get me started on the fact that there’s no dive or jump button because the computer controls all of that detailed fielding "action." Honestly, you should prepare to be frustrated for about a season of play.

Fortunately, MVP Baseball 2003 includes some solid franchise options that will probably keep you playing for more than that first season, meaning that these "initiation" issues are almost a moot point. When you choose your team, you’ll be tasked with certain objectives that you need to complete if you want to call your season a success. If you’re the Yankees, you’ll have some high (World Series) expectations. If you’re the Reds, you’ll just need to keep Ken Griffey, Jr. in the lineup for more than a week. (Sorry, Junior.)

Simulating games is also handled well in that you can hop into the action at any time to take over a losing situation or to revel in the glory of a five-point blowout. In addition, simulations make use of an intriguing momentum/morale meter, which makes your team play better or worse depending on their performance. Defeating a rival will increase your morale more than pounding on a bottom feeder, and of course losing to them will hurt more, as well. Fortunately, the swing in morale (pardon the pun) isn’t nearly as drastic as that in a few street-inspired basketball games out there, so it comes off as not too arcadey.

Say what you will about Electronic Arts and the company’s perceived "port-itis," but MVP Baseball 2003 looks good no matter how you slice it. Sure, all the systems can support the signature batting and pitching stances of familiar players, but the trick is that those players - and indeed all of them - actually look fantastic while going through the motions. For starters, the uniforms look great: not too wrinkled, but not too smooth, either. Goldilocks would be proud. The characters’ faces are also well-rendered, with the Big Unit’s mug looking as mangled as ever.

Given the new batting/pitching interface and "popup" base-running GUI, it would sound as though there would be too much going on graphically to let you focus on the game itself. Let me assure you, though, that the game’s graphic balance is amazingly uncluttered and even.

Surely the jam-packed interface would lead to framerate issues, then? Not at all. I must admit I was surprised at this, given that the base-runner GUI shows the players all swaying, the stadiums are drop-dead gorgeous and every inch of the infield and outfield is textured with high-resolution artwork. Amazingly, the framerate never stutters. Not even the real-time shadows cause a blip.

Maybe it was the horrifically two-dimensional crowd, then. Or perhaps the audacious omission of the throw-back pitch from catcher to pitcher (Randy Johnson knows magic?). Either way, MVP Baseball 2003 is, generally speaking, a sight to behold. One of the best-looking baseball games out there.

As I mentioned in the gameplay section, the commentators do a fantastic job of calling the game, even to the point of giving some players and unfair advantage, and their comments seldom suffer from the awkward delay that plagues many sports titles. They also keep the conversation rather fresh throughout, although the authentic nature of their commentary isn’t as "fresh" as, say, the outlandish commentary in MLB SlugFest 20-04.

The crowd noises in the game are some of the best I’ve heard. Whether you’re at home swinging for the fence or on the road throwing a slider, the realistic fading in and out of chants and the "hum" of the crowd really make you feel as though you’re sitting on top of the plate. The sound effects are equally capable, although you can only do so much with the crack of the bat or smack of a ball hitting leather.

As with any sports game, you’ve really got to be a fan to keep playing for a long time. But if you’re reading this review, chances are you’re a baseball fan, so don’t worry about this game collect dust. The franchise mode discussed earlier is a true boon to MVP Baseball’s replayability, and playing through multiple seasons can entertain even the most casual baseball guru.

Unfortunately, early reports said the game would support four players, while the final, shipped product only supports two. It’s still fun with just you and a friend, but MVP Baseball 2003 could have had so much more panache with four-player support that it’s almost disappointing that it’s "standard" in this respect. Of course, the fact that it’s not online-enabled in any of its versions detracts a bit, too.

I’ve got to say, for rookie game in a market flooded with console baseball titles, MVP Baseball 2003 performs as well as Ichiro in his debut season. Heck, the game even performs well compared to more-established franchises, which speaks volumes since it was published by a "large, slow-moving company."

Although it takes a while to get used to the control innovations, MVP Baseball 2003 is, in the long run, one of the strongest baseball titles this year. It’s not without its rookie mistakes or creases to iron out, but this debut leaves me excited to see what next season holds for the MVP Baseball franchise.

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