MLB Slugfest 20-03

I’ll have to admit that I was overly excited about Midway giving the game of baseball a somewhat extreme make-over, and after having played MLB Slugfest 20-03, the Boys of Summer just seem a lot more interesting when they’re on fire.

Unlike the more serious baseball simulators out there, Slugfest 20-03 revamps the sport with a more tongue-in-cheek attitude and an emphasis on action.  In this game, you are encouraged to play at your dirtiest and throwing a bean ball at a player is as easy as pushing the B button on the Xbox controller. Whether the other player will run across the field to punch out the pitcher or run to first base crying like a kid who just scabbed his knees is just one of the many surprises this game has in store for gamers.

There are four different game modes: QuickPlay, Challenge, Season and Tournament.  QuickPlay throws you right into the action while Challenge has you picking a team and going against all thirty MLB teams.  Season takes players through an entire season as you play through fifty-two games and Tournament is a multiplayer mode where you and a friend (or seven other friends) can challenge one another to find out who is the true champion.

The controls are more arcade quality, leaving the player to concentrate on batting or pitching without the complexity of your average baseball simulator.  Pitching, for example, is not burdened by a pitching interface seen in games like World Series Baseball.  Instead, you select four different pitch types (e.g. curveball or fastball) and delivering it eight different ways just by holding the directional pad.  Batting is a lot easier too, although in this game you can power swing or hold the turbo button back for an extra burst of energy.

You might be asking yourself what is so radically different aside from a turbo boost--so let’s get to it.  Slugfest 20-03 rewards good batters by bringing him closer to a powerful turbo boost and you’ll see it in the form of the player smoking white fumes.  When he makes a homerun or manages to run home, the next time he comes to bat he will be literally on fire.  Flaming players will have a turbo meter that doesn’t run out and can hit, run and throw with more power than before. You can also slam your fist into another player instead of simply tagging him or you can knock the ball from a player and make a run for home.

You now have the option to hit a player with a bean ball, which is a new and welcome feature that hasn’t been done before.  After your opponent hits a ball to, say, way past center field, your first baseman can hit the running player, thus slowing him down enough for your other player to throw the ball to first.  On the field, waiting to run to the next base, your player can hit the player holding the ball--knocking it off his hands--and you can make a run for it.

All Major League teams are present and accounted for and so are all of the known players such as New York Yankee Derek Jeter or Texas ? Alex Rodriguez and play through seven innings.  The single player game has five difficulty settings (Trainee, Rookie, Pro, Veteran, All Star) and the player AI provides a good challenge without being frustratingly difficult.  The only bad thing about this game is that the action might seem repetitive in places.

This is also a very gorgeous looking game with sharper graphics for the Xbox.  Each real-life stadium is high on the eye-candy factor and gamers will even love the way audiences look as they wave their hands or clap.  The players look great too and all of them are recognizable, although sometimes their expressions can look a bit odd.  But it’s the special effects and player’s behavior in the game that makes the grade.  If you slap a home run, the ball leaves behind a smoke trail while your opponent drops on the ground and has temper tantrums.  When your turbo boast is up, the flames engulfing your athlete looks amazing.

The sound immerses the player in right away when the first player steps up to bat.  You can hear everything from the crowds in attendance cheering their team on down to the PA system introducing batters or playing inspirational snippets of tunes to pump up the crowd.  The players themselves grunt and the bat connecting with the ball has got to be the sweetest sound in the game.  There is also a two-man commentator team that calls the plays nicely but also provide hilarious observations and quips that are so unusual to hear.

Sports fans looking for a different kind of baseball game will find MLB Slugfest 20-03 an interesting twist in a really great sport. Aside from the occasional repetitive feel, this is an amusing and wildly entertaining game.  If you enjoy the Blitz games, you’ll enjoy this take on America’s past time.

Gameplay: 8.2
Thankfully the game’s controls lean more towards an arcade-feel and this keeps it from becoming as complex as past baseball titles.  Pitching and batting are just easier and keeps this game from becoming too complicated even with the Xbox controller.

Graphics: 8.7
The stadiums have never looked this good and even the crowds look authentic and look less like cutouts.  You’ll be amazed how Dodger Stadium looks exactly like Dodger Stadium even when the game is taken place at night during a slight drizzle of rain.

Players are also nicely modeled and perfectly detailed from their faces down to every crease in their uniforms.  While many of the big boys resemble their real-life counterparts, others look downright unusual (Jason Giambi isn’t that big-boned, is he?).  However, it’s the special effects (such as flaming players or smoking bats) and player behavior (bats appearing out of nowhere so athlete can catch it and twirl it) that brings visual humor to the game.

Sound: 9.0
Aside from looking good, the stadium’s sound effects are filled with a number of audible effects such as crowd cheers, PA music and on-field players calling out to teammates.  There are a number of authentic sounds throughout the game (e.g. bat smacking a ball or the sound of the ball landing on a glove) and some really strange and unnecessary ones (a player screaming like a madman after having stolen a base).  During the main screen, two great songs--one heavy tune from Dry Kill Logic is also featured in a music video--keep you company.

Commentary is made by a two-man team that are usually spot-on in places and can sometimes repeat a few phrases here and there, but their banter is just very funny.  Their remarks begin at the loading screen and bring up unusual topics about the Heimlich Maneuver to what exactly is in a ballpark hot dog.  It’s just so refreshing to hear a less serious side to play-by-play commentary in a sports game and it really works here.

Difficulty: Medium
There are five different difficulty settings gamers can choose from if any of the modes here prove to be too difficult.  The game’s default setting, Pro, is quite challenging and the computer-controlled athletes prove to be intelligent . . . although sometimes they may seem to magically know where the ball will land after you slam it on to the field.  Still, the game isn’t so difficult that you’ll be pulling your hair out in frustration trying to outsmart the opponent AI.  They also make in-field mistakes.

Concept: 9.0
If you’re familiar with NFL Blitz 20-03 or RedCard 20-03, then you already have an idea what Slugfest will bring to the game of baseball.  Aside from outrageous power-ups and turbo-powered players, Slugfest tries to be humorous and fun and is actually successful at it.  Most of the Major League Baseball rules are here but others are bended to create a game where you’re allowed to knock the ball off another player’s hand.

Multiplayer: 8.7
Slugfest 20-03 is a great game to play against a friend or a group of friends.  Although the game allows for two players in almost every mode except for Season mode, four to eight players can choose a team and play against one another in Tournament mode (e.g. winner takes on the next person in the group when his team is up). And since this is no ordinary game of baseball, other players will surely appreciate the interesting power-ups and fights.

Overall: 8.4
Step up to the plate, sports fans, MLB Slugfest 20-03 is just too fun and addictive to pass up.  With great graphics, top-notch sound and amusing gameplay, this is baseball at its most wacky and enjoyable.