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Screens & Info Updated: 3/17/2004

Along with a finally announced April 15th release date, Sega Sports sent over a nice new set of screens showcasing ESPN Baseball's detailed Franchise mode.

When it comes to the business side of baseball, the mind-boggling transactions, injury updates, scouting reports, and office politics make managing a baseball franchise an insurmountable amount of work. In ESPN Major League Baseball, you'll find out all about the good and bad of running a baseball team from the sidelines and in the office through the new GM Career Mode. Play the role of a GM and take a hands-on approach to managing the business of balancing the on-field tactics as well as the off-field transactions, all in the attempt of keeping your owner happy. Owners have their own personality (i.e. Maverick, Dictator, etc.) and team focus (i.e. Make Money, Improve Team, etc.) that you'll have to work with, especially since they'll be assigning you goals every season. Meet each of the goals and you'll be rewarded with more money to spend on the team as well as a pay raise. Failure to meet the owner's goals and you'll be packing your bags faster than you can say strike three.

Another new feature for ESPN Major League Baseball's Franchise Mode is the GameCast. Now, players can simulate every out of every inning and view the action like they were watching an ESPN.com GameCast. Players can make pitching changes, defensive substitutions, and even call for a pinch hitter and runner while simulating in the GameCast. Finally, if your team is getting shelled late in the game, gamers can opt to jump into a game to take full control of the action.

The rich history of our national pastime echoes with the legendary voices that through the years have brought the action on the field to life. Through these great storytellers of the game, the baseball experience becomes more immediate, and distinctly American.

ESPN Major League Baseball is proud and honored to bring the recognized and respected ESPN voice talents of Jon Miller and Karl Ravech to this year's game. As a play-by-play commentator, Jon Miller is without equal in the game today, and he'll call the balls and strikes in the warm, familiar style that ESPN Sunday Night Baseball fans have grown accustomed to over the past fifteen years. Meanwhile, Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech will serve as our in-studio commentator, introducing each matchup and previewing the starting pitchers for the day's ballgame.

In addition to ESPN Major League Baseball's expert commentary, this year's game will also feature even MORE of what gamers have been calling for: retro jerseys. You'll find a number of new duds that range from the 1916 Brooklyn Dodgers through the 1952 St. Louis Browns and all the way through alternate jerseys of the '80s and '90s.

The national pastime has remained fundamentally intact; three strikes for an out, four bases for a run, and nine innings in a game. But like all things that pass with time, evolution has changed and advanced the game of baseball. Pitchers are craftier in changing their ball speed and movement, fielders are faster and more athletic, and most of all you’ve got to have the poise and confidence to execute and perform when you’re in the bigs.

Innovations and additions abound in ESPN Major League Baseball, starting with Power Pitching. Confound whiffing batters with cut fastballs and power curves or befuddle power hitters with palmballs, knuckle curveballs, and even the infamous slurve. With new Clutch Gameplay enhancements, execute amazing fielding plays by utilizing speed boosts to get to the ball faster or boost the speed of your fielder’s throw to get the timely out on the bases. Finally, pay careful attention to the Confidence Meter for each of your players; your performance on the diamond can increase or decrease your Confidence. Strikeout the side with your pitcher and you’ll throw with greater accuracy and velocity. Get an RBI to take the lead, and not only will your confidence soar, so will the ball next time you’re up to bat. These three gameplay enhancements are just a small part of how ESPN Major League Baseball has improved to meet with the standards of baseball today.

Besides releasing brand new screens of the very impressive '04 version of World Series baseball (now called ESPN Major League Baseball), Sega has detailed some of the anticipated online gameplay features.

"Baseball is a sport filled with legendary contests," states Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. "Whether during an inter-city showdown or a heated match-up between division rivals, the dramatic battles between pitchers and batters have created some of the most memorable moments in sports history. Adding online play to ESPN Major League Baseball is key to capturing this competitive spirit. Gamers will now have the ability to create their own extraordinary moments as they battle others from anywhere in the country."

ESPN Major League Baseball will include the only complete online league experience for PlayStation 2 owners. The online leagues will give gamers across the nation the ability to create, manage and compete in leagues crafted in the distinguished style of the worldwide leader in sports - ESPN. Once they have completed a league game, gamers can instantly review online statistics and analyze play-by-play GameCasts that are automatically uploaded to the league page. ESPN Major League Baseball will also include voice-chat support for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox.

"Baseball fans instantly recognize the names of Jon Miller and Karl Ravech," says Greg Thomas, president of ESPN Videogames. "Jon is considered one of today's best baseball commentators and his voice instantly registers a comfortable warmth for baseball fans when they listen to him call the balls and strikes. Meanwhile, Karl brings a distinguished poise to his broadcasts for both ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter. Together, they bring a new level of ESPN integration into our game."

In addition to adding these two ESPN heavyweights, ESPN Major League Baseball will feature brand new ESPN integration elements to enhance the broadcast atmosphere. New television-style cut scenes and dynamic close-ups build the drama of the game. ESPN-styled wipes, overlays, the innovative K-Zone and GameCast are additions gamers will also see this spring. K-Zone is an exciting, exclusive visual tool integrated by ESPN used to visually create each batter's unique strike zone. GameCast is another innovative tool that gives the user an in-depth, pitch-by-pitch analysis of simulated games, and also allows the player to join in a simulated game in progress at any time.