How to Play MVP Baseball
The MVP Baseball video game franchise from EA Sports is as successful as it is fun. The realistic baseball action allows you to pretend you're actually stepping into the batter's box, facing down the best pitchers of yesterday and today. Perhaps best of all, you get to play using real major league baseball players and teams in the authentic stadiums. Because of the realism, MVP is somewhat complicated, ensuring you control all facets of the game. Here are some basics and strategies for playing MVP Baseball that will help your team win your division.
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Things You'll Need
- MVP Baseball video game from EA Sports
- Platform from which to play the game
Instructions
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Learn how to handle the controls so well that you don't think what your fingers are doing. This isn't so hard for basic actions, including pitching and hitting, but success in MVP Baseball requires you to steal bases. The controls will vary by system, but in order to steal a base while playing on PlayStation 2, you must get a batter on base, then select the runner and hit the directional button toward the base you want to steal.
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Accumulate MVP points, as that allows you to unlock bonuses. To get these, you will have to accomplish specific in-game goals, such as pitching a shutout or hitting two home runs in one game with the same player. There are dozens of Hall of Fame players available and several old-time stadiums that provide you with new experiences in the game. For example, with 4500 MVP points, you can unlock Ty Cobb. Add him to your team's roster, and voila: You have one of the best hitters of all time in your leadoff position. Stocking your team with some of the all-time greats can make you very difficult to beat.
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Figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the players on the other team and balance them with the strengths and weaknesses of your players. For example, according to Jim Chamberlin at GameFAQs, the Anaheim Angels' pitching staff is ranked 20th in the game, but their base runners are ranked first. When you're playing the Angels, you should get your big sluggers in the game because they will likely tee off on the pitching. You should also put your best-throwing catcher in the game because their excellent base runners will likely try to steal on you.
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Obey the hot and cold zones while hitting and pitching. The game will display colored areas in the strike zone to show where the batter hits well and hits poorly. If you're batting and you are red down the middle of the zone, wait for a pitch down the pipe and hit it with a power swing.
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Use the pitching controls to your benefit. The power meter will track back and forth before each pitch. Do your best to reach the middle each time, ensuring an accurate, fast pitch. After a while, your pitcher will get tired. When you're in an important game situation, go to the menu and have the pitching coach come out to the mound. When you resume the game, your pitcher will regain a little bit of energy.
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Tips & Warnings
Face the challenge of competing in "owner" and "dynasty" modes. While it is a lot of fun to play a single game, it can be fulfilling to draft a team of all of your favorite players and play every game of the season to see if you can win it all. In owner mode, you even get to set the ticket and concession prices. Dynasty mode allows you to build your team over several seasons, forcing you to stay within a budget and draft new players. Play the minigames in order to improve your hitting and pitching skills. It can be tempting to use the best players each time, but using some of the lesser players can improve your play to a greater degree.
