MVP NCAA Baseball (videogame) [Archive]

TannerBoyle

01-19-06, 03:14 PM

Well, this game has been released so maybe its time it got its own thread...
Did anyone pick this game up yet? What are your opinions so far? I'm going to grab it on my way home from work tonight. College baseball will be a welcome change from MLB, I think.

RhodyYanksFan

01-19-06, 03:36 PM

Are there any rule differences between college and MLB? What makes this game different from a MLB game besides the uniforms and no-name players?

chanman7483

01-19-06, 08:23 PM

Are there any rule differences between college and MLB? What makes this game different from a MLB game besides the uniforms and no-name players?

the DING off of an aluminum bat.

MassNYYfan

01-19-06, 10:16 PM

If that's the one with Felton on the cover, then I say buy it just for that. :D

Ooh, baseball, not basketball.

I can read. :-hide-:

AustinTXHorn

01-20-06, 03:09 PM

Bought it last night and loved it. It's selling extremely well. Probably mostly around California and down south, I assume. Can't see it selling very well up there in New York where college baseball is almost nonexistant outside of St. John's now and then.

The analog hitting was nearly impossible for me. And I was committing 5 errors a game with the analog throwing. Had to switch both back to classic.

Can't wait 'til next year when they have all of the teams and all of the ballparks.

RhodyYanksFan

01-20-06, 03:11 PM

Bought it last night and loved it. It's selling extremely well. Probably mostly around California and down south, I assume. Can't see it selling very well up there in New York where college baseball is almost nonexistant outside of St. John's now and then.

The analog hitting was nearly impossible for me. And I was committing 5 errors a game with the analog throwing. Had to switch both back to classic.

Can't wait 'til next year when they have all of the teams and all of the ballparks.

Yeah, there's zero college baseball coverage up here. Personally I don't miss it. The Yankees take up all my baseball time.

How many teams do they have if you say next year they'll have all of them?

mentalgidget

01-20-06, 03:21 PM

Bought it last night and loved it. It's selling extremely well. Probably mostly around California and down south, I assume. Can't see it selling very well up there in New York where college baseball is almost nonexistant outside of St. John's now and then.

The analog hitting was nearly impossible for me. And I was committing 5 errors a game with the analog throwing. Had to switch both back to classic.

Can't wait 'til next year when they have all of the teams and all of the ballparks.

I bought it last night at the Gamestop in Milford, CT. I got the last copy. the guy said it had been flying off the shelf (thanks, capatin obvious) so the sales up here are better than you'd think, which is surprising.
I am very impressed with the game overall. I agree that the analog hitting is pretty hard, not to make contact but to make solid, consistent contact. The create-a-park feature is pretty cool.
The player interaction is pretty cool on home-runs (only observed when the comp, Lafayette!! took me deep!) They way they congratulate each other is pretty realistic
The play by play is probably the best I've heard from a baseball game...ever. None of that crappy catch phrase type stuff that usually riddles teh games. It's just called the way it's played, makes a difference.
If you're a baseball fan at all I suggest grabbing it.

AustinTXHorn

01-20-06, 03:35 PM

Yeah, there's zero college baseball coverage up here. Personally I don't miss it. The Yankees take up all my baseball time.

How many teams do they have if you say next year they'll have all of them?
All of the division 1 schools. I want to say that's around 286-ish. I think there's about 130 on this year's game. They also only have 16 of the actual ballparks because they had to put it together at the last second this year but they said they'll have all of them next year.

I bought it last night at the Gamestop in Milford, CT. I got the last copy. the guy said it had been flying off the shelf (thanks, capatin obvious) so the sales up here are better than you'd think, which is surprising.
I am very impressed with the game overall. I agree that the analog hitting is pretty hard, not to make contact but to make solid, consistent contact. The create-a-park feature is pretty cool.
The player interaction is pretty cool on home-runs (only observed when the comp, Lafayette!! took me deep!) They way they congratulate each other is pretty realistic
The play by play is probably the best I've heard from a baseball game...ever. None of that crappy catch phrase type stuff that usually riddles teh games. It's just called the way it's played, makes a difference.
If you're a baseball fan at all I suggest grabbing it.
Wow...that's good news. I was worried about how well it would sell but it seems to be selling extremely well.

TannerBoyle

01-20-06, 04:35 PM

Only played a couple games last night, so here's my early thoughts.

Analog hitting is tough, you have to time it so it's a fluid step and swing. If your controller is shaking at the 'back' end before you swing, then you're holding your step too long. It'll take some time to get the timing down.

Analog fielding is sweet, you hae to pay attn or you're airmailing the ball all over the diamond.

Pitching is the same as MVP, but the pitchers are worse, so it's harder. Also you may have the option of throwing 5 pitches with a guy, but only 2 of them might be any bit effective at all, so you have to rely on those.

Atmosphere is pretty cool- college-like. Looking fwd to starting a dynasty- does anyone know if you can use a created stadium for an existing team in Dynasty mode?

Create a stadium is cool, but create a team is weak in comparison to NCAA football.

DiMaggio5CF

01-20-06, 04:40 PM

Is it even out yet? Circuit City.com says it's not available in stores.

dirtdogman5

01-20-06, 05:23 PM

does anyone know if you can use a created stadium for an existing team in Dynasty mode?

Yeah, just regularly create a ballpark on the main menu and then save it. It will be in the options to select a stadium when you play a game in your dynasty.

AustinTXHorn

01-20-06, 05:59 PM

Is it even out yet? Circuit City.com says it's not available in stores.
Yep...got mine from GameStop yesterday.

ZYanksRule

01-20-06, 06:37 PM

Yep...got mine from GameStop yesterday.

Looking at some screenshots, and from my experience in Austin, DF Field looks pretty realistic...

I feel like I can show my friends where they had us broadcasting QU v Texas last year :lol:

Panamaniac42

01-20-06, 07:18 PM

I'm excited, I preordered and t's supposed to arrive tomorrow.

The producer interview from the site is pretty good:

http://www.easports.com/mvp06/news.jsp?id=producer

Brinkman: We did our best to capture NCAA Baseball to a “T”. For the most part the games are the same, but with a few notable differences:

Slide rule on force play – OR no take out slides
No collisions by runner – OR no home plate collisions
Option to use aluminum or composite bats
No warnings when you hit batters, you are just gone if it’s deemed intentional
10-Run Rule
Batting helmet – 2 ear flap
Strike Zone – Bigger in college
DH rules – There are some differences with regards to how the DH is handled
EA SPORTS: How many NCAA teams are in the game?

Brinkman: There are 285 universities that sponsor teams in MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. We couldn’t add all the features I listed above and add every NCAA D-1 team. Working with our licensing partners, we pared the list down to what we believed to be the 14 top conferences, which encompasses 128 teams. Next year, we hope to have every D-1 team.

Also the players are supposed to look more like they are hustling than the pros, and no excessive celebrations on homeruns.

AustinTXHorn

01-20-06, 09:14 PM

Looking at some screenshots, and from my experience in Austin, DF Field looks pretty realistic...

I feel like I can show my friends where they had us broadcasting QU v Texas last year :lol:
I was surprised...it does look realistic. They even have the softball stadium, I-35, LBJ Library, and football practice facility in the background.

Hopefully they have Quinnipiac in next year's game. ;)

ZYanksRule

01-20-06, 10:45 PM

I was surprised...it does look realistic. They even have the softball stadium, I-35, LBJ Library, and football practice facility in the background.

Hopefully they have Quinnipiac in next year's game. ;)

Yea, that would be awesome. Really cool if they have our Little League stadium look real. ;) :o

26 and counting

01-20-06, 10:59 PM

This game isn't available on GameCube, correct? I'm not going to buy an XBox or PS2 just to play one game, so I guess I won't be able to check out this game.

Panamaniac42

01-20-06, 11:13 PM

This game isn't available on GameCube, correct? I'm not going to buy an XBox or PS2 just to play one game, so I guess I won't be able to check out this game.

I had the same f*cking problem, for now I am going to be playing the game on a family friend's PS2.

They have slowly been phasing out GC, NCAA football was not available on GC this year much to my dismay.

YanksForLife

01-20-06, 11:39 PM

I had the same f*cking problem, for now I am going to be playing the game on a family friend's PS2.

They have slowly been phasing out GC, NCAA football was not available on GC this year much to my dismay.

Yeah I am pissed, not to mention the only MLB game coming out on GC this year is 2K6.:(

Panamaniac42

01-20-06, 11:48 PM

Yeah I am pissed, not to mention the only MLB game coming out on GC this year is 2K6.:(

I am going to buy an XBox 360 eventually, but i have other priorities I need to be allocating my $$$ to.

Dannman103

01-21-06, 09:41 PM

is it out for gamecube? i didnt see it on amazon.com

DiMaggio5CF

01-21-06, 11:31 PM

is it out for gamecube? i didnt see it on amazon.com
Nope. X-Box and PS2 only.

BronxBaumer

01-22-06, 02:03 AM

No PC? That sucks. Why the change?

Stupid Flanders

01-22-06, 07:10 AM

I'm disgusted by the whole exclusivity thing, I dunno if I will buy ANY sports games, period

Stupid Flanders

01-22-06, 07:11 AM

Also the players are supposed to look more like they are hustling than the pros, and no excessive celebrations on homeruns.Thats crazy, college players get more props for a homer than a prop does...

chanman7483

01-22-06, 11:19 AM

Also the players are supposed to look more like they are hustling than the pros, and no excessive celebrations on homeruns.

General question - when a player doesn't hustle, we remember it, but how many players in the pros don't hustle? Also - except for a few guys like Bonds and Edmonds, how many players actually pose and flaunt down the line after hitting one?

DiMaggio5CF

01-22-06, 12:21 PM

I broke down and bought the game. It's pretty decent, but the whole swinging with the right analog stick takes some getting used to. I was about to switch back to classic style (not the default) when I finally figured out the analog, but I'm not a patient person.

I found that turning the difficulty setting down to the Junior Varsity level let me get accustomed to the swing style, and then once I started to rake, I immediately set it back to Varsity level, where I hit the same HR (same distance, could still pull the ball, etc.) just not at as high a rate.

I would recommend playing with generated names. The other option is to play with just uniform numbers, but that gets surprisingly annoying.

TannerBoyle

01-22-06, 01:44 PM

General question - when a player doesn't hustle, we remember it, but how many players in the pros don't hustle? Also - except for a few guys like Bonds and Edmonds, how many players actually pose and flaunt down the line after hitting one?

Andruw, Ortiz, Manny, Sheff, A-Rod, Soriano, Griffey, Sosa, Gomes, etc etc...

I'm starting to really love this game- it plays better than MVP last year. The game punishes you if you slop off even a bit. I generated names, then renamed everyone on St Johns to people I know, and am doing a dynasty of 5 inning games. One thing I don't like is how long it takes between pitches with the batters kicking their cleats, fussing with the batting gloves and all that nonsense.

Espinosa's Glasses

01-23-06, 02:44 AM

I love this game...

I just got done playing it...

For those of you that have it... try playing at Lehigh... It is so damn hard to see the ball coming out of the pitchers hand

DiMaggio5CF

01-23-06, 09:47 AM

The stadium editor is da ................, though.

I built a ballpark in the Yankee Stadium Style, not copied exactly, but with the basic idea of a short porch in right and death valley in left.

To the wall in RF is 310ft, and it's 350ft to the wall in LF. The RCF gap is as deep as the LF line. CF is 420ft.

I also made the fences 8 ft high so my outfielders can try for some leaping grabs (although I haven't been able to do any yet). None of that 20-ft fence bull................ for me.

Shadowkan

01-23-06, 11:21 AM

My first impression of the game is that it's a great baseball video game. The analog swing is difficult at first, but it gets easier with practice. The analog throwing on the other hand can be a nightmare (i think i made approximately 6 throwing errors the first game). The new features make the game more difficult and fun. It makes you feel like you have more control of the game.

I do have to agree that the wait between pitches gets annoying. But that's the only negative for me. I love the build a stadium feature...

Kulish29

01-23-06, 12:24 PM

My first impression of the game is that it's a great baseball video game. The analog swing is difficult at first, but it gets easier with practice. The analog throwing on the other hand can be a nightmare (i think i made approximately 6 throwing errors the first game). The new features make the game more difficult and fun. It makes you feel like you have more control of the game.

I do have to agree that the wait between pitches gets annoying. But that's the only negative for me. I love the build a stadium feature...

You can turn the throwing back to the pitcher feature off you know.

DiMaggio5CF

01-23-06, 08:27 PM

You can turn the throwing back to the pitcher feature off you know.

The throwing back is fine; it's the time that the batter takes to get ready that sucks. Does turning off the throwing back feature also keep the batter from fixing his glove, banging his cleats, etc.?

I personally don't mind the batter taking extra long, but I can see how it would be annoying.

yankeesAZ

01-23-06, 08:30 PM

Just picked up this game today. Anyone play online yet? So far, I like this game and it will hold me over til MLB 2k6.

TannerBoyle

01-24-06, 10:36 AM

Digging this game more and more as I get into it. I found a few issues that I was having could be fixed with the Gameplay Tuning sliders. On the Varsity level, my pitching is pretty good- most of the runs I give up are due to just stupidly hanging a pitch, or because of throwing errors (still getting the hang of the new throwing mechanism). The things I fixed were:

- Bumped up the outfielders speed a bunch (+25 or so). Seemed like way too many routine base hit type grounders were getting thru the IF, then right past the OF all the way to the wall.
- Bumped the user contact and power each to +10. I hit zero home runs in my first 10 games or so before I adjusted these. I'd been making decent contact, but increasing power has allowed me to start mixing doubles and HR in with my many singles.

Espinosa's Glasses

01-24-06, 11:14 AM

Everybody is seeming to have the homerun problem but me... but I swing for one every time... and I think thats why... I hit 3 a game on average...but that is down from the amount I could hit in MVP... We would play an MVP season with the Yankees... and the HR amounts usually exceeded the amount of games played... but like I said I sit on high to middle inside pitches for a whole at bat...

DiMaggio5CF

01-24-06, 01:01 PM

Everybody is seeming to have the homerun problem but me... but I swing for one every time... and I think thats why... I hit 3 a game on average...but that is down from the amount I could hit in MVP... We would play an MVP season with the Yankees... and the HR amounts usually exceeded the amount of games played... but like I said I sit on high to middle inside pitches for a whole at bat...

I also don't have a HR problem. Like you, I try for them often, almost always with my 2-5 hitters. I'm actually having trouble with the contact hitting; I actually make plenty of contact, I just can't them out of the infield and they're just routine grounders.

I haven't had a blow-out yet, but I'm 5-0 with UCF and I've won two 2-1 games (both games of a two-game series, and I came from behind in both games), and one 7-6 game.

mentalgidget

01-24-06, 01:13 PM

I've solved the analog swing problem. (I was pulling it abck way too early) Now I can hit them regularly. I hit 1-3 per game and ahve hit them with probably 7 of my batters (Rice). I've also hit 2 using the contact swing.

Still loving this game!

DiMaggio5CF

01-24-06, 01:28 PM

I've also hit 2 using the contact swing.
I haven't done this yet, but I did drill one to the wall with a contact swing by my (scrub) number 7 hitter.

mentalgidget

01-24-06, 01:33 PM

I haven't done this yet, but I did drill one to the wall with a contact swing by my (scrub) number 7 hitter.

one was with my leadoff hitter on teh first pitch of the season and the oethr was with MY scrub 7th hitter.
Is anyone having difficulty pulling homeruns with right handers? I can yank balls down the RF line with lefties but with righties, if I homer, It's usually to right center

DiMaggio5CF

01-24-06, 08:23 PM

I just found out that if you argue a call and get tossed, the CPU will take over the roster changes, so you lose your pinch hit/run and bullpen priviledges.

And the CPU manager will throw your pitchers until their arms fall off. I just lost to Clemson by a score of 7-6 (on a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the ninth) because the CPU manager left my start in until his stamina dipped below 30%, and on the last pitch of the game my reliever (the only one he brought in) had a stamina of 17%.

So if you're going to argue a call, only do it in the ninth inning with your closer on the mound, and make sure you get your money's worth.

BronxByTheBay

01-24-06, 08:38 PM

Rented the game today. I can't help but wish it was the MLB game.

Ultimately it's just too hard for me to get into the college version. I won't be buying this one.

yankeesAZ

01-24-06, 09:00 PM

I just found out that if you argue a call and get tossed, the CPU will take over the roster changes, so you lose your pinch hit/run and bullpen priviledges.

And the CPU manager will throw your pitchers until their arms fall off. I just lost to Clemson by a score of 7-6 (on a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the ninth) because the CPU manager left my start in until his stamina dipped below 30%, and on the last pitch of the game my reliever (the only one he brought in) had a stamina of 17%.

So if you're going to argue a call, only do it in the ninth inning with your closer on the mound, and make sure you get your money's worth.

That's pretty cool and realistic.

ZYanksRule

01-24-06, 10:55 PM

About HR's, college players hit alot less of them than the pros do. Taking QU, only one guy had over 10, everyone else last year was under 5. Now, the better teams will have a guy with 15, but it is not commonplace.