MLB Review - PSP

It's a drag that reputations stick around so long, at least when they're negative. Back in the original PlayStation's heyday, 989 Sports made its name on solid sports games like NFL GameDay. But the move to the PS2 has been disastrous, and 989 Sports has become synonymous with lousy simulations. The company has had a hell of a time kicking that rep, even with two stellar baseball releases for the PS2. Now, MLB on the PSP might finally kick the curse.

Meager Modes

Much as in EA’s rival MVP, players won’t find a wealth of game modes. Options include exhibition (single game), season and online. The season mode does track alternate lineups, trades, injuries, deep rotation info, and a steady stream of stats. The lack of a franchise mode--truly MLB’s stellar component on PlayStation 2--is disappointing, but the season play is exceptionally deep for a portable title.

The online play is less satisfying than digging into a season, primarily due to lag. Joining a game is fast and consistent, but some of the online games suffer from enough lag that pitching and batting become entirely based on luck. Fielding isn't as big an issue. When playing locally via the ad-hoc network, the lag disappears for head-to-head games.

Handheld Home Run

The effort saved with the skimpy play modes, however, seems to have been guided towards presentation. MLB may not be flashy--it's the definition of a workhorse--but with lines this clean, who cares about flash? Player models are accurate and not at all exaggerated, with recognizable batting stances and some very good jumping and diving animations. Stadiums look fantastic as well, and are just as well-proportioned as the players. Surprisingly, 989 has included several options for viewing each aspect of the game, so pitching can be observed while behind the mound, and a high camera can be set as default for fielding.

Load times are relatively short--half-a-minute to enter and leave a game, and none between batters and innings. Chalk that up to a lack of on-deck animations and other superfluous cutscenes. Most of us skip all that when playing on a console, anyway. And while the rock and hip-hop menu soundtracks are pretty lame, the in-game audio, including color commentary, is solid and convincing.

Swinging for the Fences

Of course, all that doesn’t matter without performance. Batting is fantastic and sometimes even subtle; there’s enough time to see the pitch and make a strategic decision. This alone is enough to trump EA’s offering. Pitching likewise works well, with a handful of selections per hurler and a three-tap meter to throw. And while fielding feels decidedly less arcade than most baseball titles, it performs splendidly once players see the timing of throws.

Superficially, there might not seem to be much difference between MLB and MVP, especially since only the most patient player will spend much time playing online. It's the respectable hitting that makes all the difference. With solid action at the plate, MLB becomes the best handheld baseball game on the market. That it’s also the best-looking doesn’t bother us one bit.