2008 Woodie Awards
MVP Baseball 2005
Jonathan Stone
Issue date: 3/23/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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This year's version not only has the same game mode, but has introduced the next level, Owner's Mode. Owner's Mode starts by building a very basic field for any professional team chosen. From there, the team starts out with two million dollars in the bank. That money can be used for trading for higher-paid players, signing more players, or buying something to improve the ballpark. Before the start of the first season, attractions need to be purchased for the newly created ballpark in order to get fans in the seats and to increase revenue. These attractions include concession stands (soda, popcorn), stores (retro baseball hats, baseball cards), and special attractions (restaurant, arcade). Next, prices need to be set according to the game impact. The higher the impact of a game is, the higher the prices should be. With a low game impact, the ticket prices should only be slightly lower, while all the other prices should be much lower as well. Since the fans will feel the ticket prices are high, add a promotional give away in order to get the fans to show up.
With the money generated, more prestigious, higher-paid players can be signed or traded, or upgrades can be purchased for the ballpark. Seating upgrades allow more fans to sit in the ballpark. They are the best upgrade to purchase because it guarantees an increase in revenue. Buying more stores and concession stands may increase revenue, but there is a chance that the fans will not respond well to new options. Other upgrades such as homerun celebrations, an outfield patio with a restaurant, and advertisements are great ways to attract fans to the ballpark. Of course, the easiest way to save money is to trade away high-paid players and buy seating upgrades. Once there is a steady income, only sign players the team can afford. By minimizing expenses and maximizing revenue, it makes it much easier to make a profit at the end of each year.
EA Sports has also added mini-games, which are available as an exhibition on the main menu and as a way to improve five batters and five pitchers during Spring Training in Owner's Mode. There are three mini-games in total. The first is a hitting game. It challenges the hitter to hit different pitches in different locations on the plate all over the field. The game shows where the pitch is going to be on the plate, and shows what direction to hit the ball. The hitter earns points based on hitting the ball to the correct direction, and how far the ball travels. On the field, there are ramps to project the ball further, vortexes which send the ball backward, moving tractors worth 1,000 points per each time hit, and objects such as cars behind the outfield fence that are also worth points when hit. However, if the ball goes in the opposite direction, it will result in negative points. If the ball goes foul, it yields no points.