Major League Baseball 2K5

Major League Baseball 2K5 or, in short, MLB 2K5, is an MLB licensed baseball simulation video game published by 2K Sports. MLB 2K5 is available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.^[1] The first edition of the series, powered by ESPN. Unlike the other "2K5" Branded sports games, This was published by 2K Sports, making it the first Visual Concepts-developed sports game not to be published by Sega, though Sega's logos are still seen in the background of menus and ballparks. The game included Web Gems instant replays, K-Zone pitching, Slam Zone hitting, and baserunner mode. The game was released in late March 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. The cover baseball player was Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. Later that year, World Series 2K5 was released during the 2005 MLB postseason.

Commentators

The commentary is delivered by the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Karl Ravech introduces the games from the studio.

Features

Exhibition: Play against the computer or head-to-head with a friend.

Franchise: Play multiple seasons with your favourite team.

GM Career Mode: Become a team's GM and try to accomplish certain goals given by your owner while building a good team.

Online: MLB 2K5's online mode includes both games and online leagues.

Reception

Reception for the game was positive, though its competitor MVP Baseball 2005 was often seen as being a better game. GameSpot gave the game a score of 8.4/10, saying that "what sets MLB 2K5 apart from other baseball video games is how great it looks and sounds ... Major League Baseball 2K5 is a big step in the right direction for Take-Two's (formerly Sega's) video game baseball franchise. Last year's game, to be kind, was full of bugs and had modes that didn't actually work as advertised. All of the modes in this year's game work like they should and there seem to be hardly any bugs, although the few you will probably run across do have the potential to be very annoying."^[2] IGN gave it a similar score of 8.5/10, writing that "MLB 2K5 still has a ways to go if it intends to compete with the memory of MVP next year. The animations need a complete overhaul, the AI definitely needs a reworking, and the Franchise Mode has to see significant innovation outside of a nicer interface", but that overall "MLB 2K5 is a great experience worthy of a spot on your shelf."^[3]

Exclusive license

In 2005, in response to EA Sports' exclusive license with the National Football League and ESPN prohibiting any NFL 2K games for the foreseeable future, Take-Two Interactive signed an exclusive third-party licensing contract with Major League Baseball (MLB), MLBPA and MLBAM to produce MLB games. The agreement, which runs from Spring 2006 to 2012, allows for the console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to produce MLB titles for their respective platforms, but bars third party developers such as EA Sports from continuing or developing their own MLB games.

References