MVP 06 NCAA Baseball continues the same solid control and precision that they made famous in their pro baseball series. What’s more, this is not just a new college paint job splashed onto an old engine. EA has made some new and innovative strides in creating the most involving and inventive baseball game to date for the company. Even though the game has been completed in less than a year, EA didn’t pull the old rush job and release the game featureless. Sure, the package may not give fans everything, but there are plenty of teams, features, and even online play to give gamers a full year of college baseball gaming until next season.

Visually EA has created the college atmosphere, but due to the availability of actual players, the game does come off rather bland more times than not. Expect to see similar if not identical players even on the same team, as the player selection is rather weak. With baseball, it seems more evident as there are no helmets or masks to distinguish one from the other. Even so, the player models themselves are small in stature and give gamers pre-roided players and typical physical structure much like today’s college athletes. Animations are fantastic, and since these aren’t pro level players, you’ll get even more animations due to bobbles, errors, and missed plays. The stadiums look authentic, but there isn’t a large selection of them to choose from. With over 120 teams, only 19 stadiums are available, which doesn’t give off a home field advantage atmosphere. The presentation is good, but there is a lack of the ESPN license that EA made such a big deal about acquiring. Sure there is glimpses of it, but the overlays, screen wipes, etc. are standard EA fluff. If you look quickly, you will see it in the sports ticker and ESPN Radio Sports Center, but unfortunately not much else. I really hope to see EA integrate the license better in the future.

Audio is spectacular and is headlined by ESPN’s very own Mike Patrick and Kyle Peterson calling the action. It is very apparent that these guys had little time to lend their voices and you will hear repeated phrases more than once a game. The crowd atmosphere is brilliant and what you would expect from smaller venues. Of course, all your sound effects are implemented and sound as realistic as ever, from the ting of the metal bats, to the ball slapping the catchers mitt on a third strike call.

Gameplay is where MVP takes gamers in and won’t let go. The ball physics are incredible, as you will see varied hits that go all over the field, miscommunication from players, which lead to errors and botched plays, and authentic box scores. The A.I. plays as good as the kids they represent, so if a team is rather shabby, expect them to lose focus after a few mistakes, but better teams know how to win and keep their composure longer and even will come back from insurmountable circumstances.

The biggest addition to this year’s game is the Load and Fire batting system. You can now swing the bat with the right analog stick, which feels very genuine and realistic. There are multiple swing types, depending on which buttons you press along side swinging the bat, which will determine if you are wanting to pull the ball, hit a grounder, or go for the fences. EA has made sure that the motion of swing is very important, as you cannot just hold back on the stick until the ball crosses the plate, this will result in a weak hit or dribbler. Instead, you need to utilize a full swing motion and read the pitchers release time in order to be successful and get the ball off the fat of the bat. There is also the ability to use the right analog stick to throw to bases, which takes practice to be effective.

As mentioned earlier EA has provided gamers with a good amount of options and features. The Creation Zone allows you to personalize your experience from the ground up. You have a create a player, create a team, and even create a ballpark option to create that new juggernaut team on the road to Omaha. You of course have to have gameplay modes to utilize your new team, and EA provides just that with a full dynasty mode, single game, season, online play, and even mini games that let you hone and sharpen your skills and to practice the new game play mechanics. Most of the mini games are rehashes of past MVP games, but that doesn’t mean that they are less fun.

In the end, I am very pleased with what could have been just another cash cow for EA, as they really released a solid baseball title that looks and feels like college, not just college teams on the old MVP engine. Even if you don’t know who these players are, don’t follow college sports, but you do want a great baseball experience, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball fills the void, at least until the big boys start the new season. At only 30 bucks, you would be a fool to pass this up.