by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

Baseball may not be quite what it used to be in Canada, but the sport continues to offer the most titles in video game circles. Over the years, 989 Sports has fallen further and further behind the pack on the diamond with some really poor outings. This year, a major rebuilding effort with MLB 2005 closed the gap but not enough to play within the big leagues.

The most obvious improvement here is in the graphics. Instead of having players who look nothing like their real-life counterparts, player models now have very distinctive features. Player animations have allowed for more realistic movements, and the detail of the stadiums is also a marked improvement.



But the more things change, the more they stay the same. 989 Sports games are renowned for having players stop like robots once the play is over, which is something that has to be fixed next year. Not to mention that there are some blatant clipping issues and a lack of innovation in the Franchise and Career Modes.

The only thing that helps MLB 2005 get a passing grade is its solid online game, which isn’t the best out there, but still good enough to compete in.

Publisher:
989 Sports/Sony

Platform:
PS2

Rating: 6/10