Midway has done what I thought was the impossible - make the world's most boring sport fun and exciting without resorting to the same old same old. The gameplay in MLB Slugfest 20-03 is dialed in. The controls are sweet, and manages to overcome the inherent quirkiness of the Nintendo controller. I have never enjoyed playing a baseball game like I've enjoyed this one. The action is fast-paced, and dead patches are kept to a minimum, which is my main complaint about baseball.

The graphics are stellar, in fact they're even smoother than the PS2 version. Player faces are nicely detailed, and look very close to their real-life counterparts and the animation of the on-screen avatars is varied and smooth.

What about the extreme tweaks in MLB Slugfest, you ask? Well, with turbo running speeds, super fast pitches, battle royals in the infield and purposefully nailing opposing batters in the head, MLB Slugfest makes the game of baseball fun again. Loading times are slightly improved over the PS2 version as well.

I can't stress this enough: MLB Slugfest 20-03 has made a believer out of me. It looks great, and more importantly, it plays great. Cutting out the deadwood that infests real-life baseball was a great idea, and Midway should be very proud of what they've accomplished here. Whether you're a baseball fan or even if you can't stand the sport - you owe it to yourself to check out MLB Slugfest 20-03. GameCube owners should rejoice at this title gracing their console of choice, and I wholly recommend it as a worthy sports title for your shelf.