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MLB SlugFest 20-04
by Hector Cortez
Tuesday, March 11 2003
Slugfest isn't going to win over the sim-philes, but Slugfest is as good as an arcade game can get and shouldn't be missed.
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Title:
MLB SlugFest 20-04
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Platform:
Gamecube
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Publisher:
Midway |
Developer:
Midway Sports |
#
of Players: 1 - 2 |
Genre:
Sports
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
March 2003 |
Grapevine:
Addictive and funny, MLB SlugFest 20-04 delivers upon its reputation as being different. |
Last year, Midway Sports came out of nowhere and delivered the most entertaining baseball game ever made! Would this year's edition be worthy of a purchase or would it be the same thing with different packaging? Well, I can safely tell you that this year, Midway Sports got it right on the dot. As good as an arcade game can get, MLB SlugFest 20-04 shouldn't be missed.
Midway is known for its over the line sports games, such as NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, and Redcard so it was a no-brainer that last year they decided to start SlugFest. To much surprise by comsumers, SlugFest went on to become the best selling PS2 baseball game of 2002.
Addictive and funny, MLB SlugFest 20-04 delivers upon its reputation as being different. No boring you down with all the Sim factors of other baseball games, SlugFest takes you by the hair and drops your ass right in on the action. So easy to pick up and play that you'll be hitting homeruns all the way to Iraq with the help of Turbo and the power-swing button or striking out you opponents with a variety of pitches!
This year's edition comes with new features that are great additions to the game. They are Create-A-Team, customizable instant replays, Home Run Derby, sigature batting stances, On Fire pitching, expanded and updated rosters, uniforms, and stadiums, and new wachy commentary.
Create-A-Team lets you create an All-Star team consisting of players from different teams. You want Sosa and Bonds on the same team? Go for it! Customizable Instant Replays let you relive your glory with full control of camera angles, speed, etc. Home Run Derby lets you pick a player and an opponent as you duke it out to see who can hit the most home runs. Very fun to play. My record is 11. Yeah, its weak, I know but I've got work to do... like write this review for you, so don't laugh! :-) Signature batting stances are just that, authentic stances for the players. On Fire pitching means that the pitcher will become engulfed in flames after a successful string of pitches. While On Fire, pitchers have infinite Turbo and can make better pitches. Expanded rosters means if a player got traded then it is in the game. Your favorite team get a new uniform? It's in the game along with all the authentic MLB stadiums!
As a pitcher you have the choice of throwing a fast ball, changeups, curve balls, or screwballs. When I say fast balls, I mean fast balls! 125 mph pitches are a normal thing in Slugfest. Too fast for you, then maybe a changeup which ends up at a snail pace of 55 or so mph? Or maybe you are into the screw balls, well then you are in luck, these are the wackiest screw balls that you will ever pitch! They will literally spin in tiny circles as they approach homeplate. Fun, fun, fun!
While batting you can choose to use the normal swing or the power swing. Along with these you can use the Turbo button for an extra boost! Hitting is somewhat easy, depending on the difficulty setting, it is all about timing. Time the pitch correctly and its bye-bye baseball! Trust me on this one, you wont want to go back to those other traditional baseball games after you've played Slugfest. None of that sissy icon batting!
Feilders make outrageous diving catches and leaps, run fast, can run faster with turbo, catch on fire with good batting and can throw a frozen rope to home from the centerfield wall.
While in the outfield, you can dive for balls or jump for them. You can also use Turbo to run faster and throw harder. To throw to a base, just use the D-Pad and press the throw button. Right is for first base, up is for second base, left is for third base and down is for homeplate. You can also switch to any outfielder on the fly by pressing B, giving you full control of the game.
Visually, Slugfest delivers! Players are all nicely modeled with a buff look, this is after all a Midway Sports game. Players have many animations and all move in a realistic way. On some occasions when you hit a homerun, a very cool animation will play. It is the ball you hit flying at hyper-speed with smoke trailing from it like a rocket, very cool. The stadiums all vary in size and style, just like their real life counterparts. But what Midway game would be complete without cheats to unlock special stadiums. I wont give them to you here, but they are out there and they will make the game even better. The downside to the graphics are the crowd and the player faces. The crowd looks 2D-ish and doesn't really vary. The player faces are a bit repetitive. They vary but not much and they sometimes resemble the real life players.
Sound wise, Slugfest has the most entertaining commentary ever in a baseball game! The announcers are downright funny that you'll actually look forward to hearing a new line. The announcer text varies greatly. Occasionally some phrases will be repeated but for the most part you get something fresh and new everytime you play. And if you are new to SlugFest then you can go into the Options menu and set the commentary to 20-03 and 20-04 for hundreds of more lines!
Sound effects are nicely done aswell. Players' names are announced in the background by the stadium announcer, pitches have a zing to them depending on their speed, and when players get hit, you'll know it!
Overall, MLB Slugfest 20-04 is a must buy game for anybody looking for something different and that hasn't played last year's SlugFest. For those that did play it/own it, you should check it out for the new features, although a purchase is up to you. Great visuals, commentary and gameplay make this a great addition to your Xbox library. Great job Midway!
--- Hector Cortez
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