MLB SlugFest 2006

UPC: 031719269488

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: Midway Home Entertainment

Developer: Midway Home Entertainment

Category: Sports

Style(s): Baseball

Synopsis: What do you get when you take the etiquette out of Major League Baseball? The answer must be something like Midway's MLB SlugFest 2006. The game is designed to offer the fast-paced, exaggerated action that fans of the series have come to expect, including towering home runs, solid tags, and acrobatic circus catches. Real-life teams and players from the MLB are featured, but in this game they've got super-human abilities and winner-take-all attitudes. These Boys of Summer can throw bean balls, execute "On-fire" fielding, or break-up a double-play, Ty Cobb-style, by sliding into second with spikes held high. Three modes of play are available: Season, Playoff, and Challenge. New in this "2006" edition is a create-a-player feature that allows gamers to build their own unique power hitters and ace pitchers. ~ Damian Francis, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

There are help screens during the game and the manual is fairly easy to follow. The back of the manual also includes directions for trick pitches. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The graphics are fuzzy and not very detailed. Players and stadiums are out of proportion, and the animation is not particularly fluid. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

MLB SlugFest 2006 is a lackluster game that sends Midway's once popular and enjoyable series off on a sour note. Previous versions of SlugFest managed to put an exciting twist on the traditionally staid game of baseball by adding an NBA Jam style of exaggerated gameplay, while at the same time providing many of the hallmarks of more traditional baseball sims. Unfortunately, while the gameplay is still the same, features like a franchise mode and online play have been completely removed. What's left is a stripped-down and dated game that is nothing more than a last-ditch money grab before Midway's MLB license expires. The SlugFest series has always attempted to provide a more exciting, up-tempo, and simplified game of baseball. The inclusion of a turbo meter means that players sometimes have superhuman abilities to bat, throw, run, and jump. Players also catch fire if they get a few hits in consecutive at bats. The pitching is also rather user-friendly, allowing gamers to select a pitch, pick one of nine locations in the strike zone, and then simply decide whether the pitch should be a ball or a strike. Pitching isn't oversimplified though, as there are a number of trick pitches that can be made using a string of button combinations, and with pitching success comes the ability to throw unhittable special pitches that defy all logic and physics. Easy pitching and super hitting and fielding make the game fun, but nothing is as fun as the ability to beat up other players at will. Not just after a bean ball, or a play at the plate, but whenever two players come close to each other they can throw down in an attempt to move up a base or knock a baserunner off the bag. Or, they can just fight for the heck of it; and there really is nothing like throwing an elbow into the ribs of a first baseman. MLB SlugFest 2006 can be fun, but there are so many things about the game that are inadequate, underdeveloped, and just plain bad. Gamers have the ability to create players, or whole teams, but there isn't much of a reason to do so because everything gets erased after the 52 game season. It is easy to tell that not too much work went into the details of the game. The rosters, and even some stadiums, are out of date. For example, the Detroit Tigers moved Comerica Park's bullpens from right field to left field and brought in the left field fence in 2003, yet the stadium in the game does not reflect the changes, despite three years to get it right. It is one thing for developers to focus on gameplay, but it's another to simply ignore blatant errors. In the end, MLB SlugFest 2006 is a mildly entertaining game, but those looking for an alternative to traditional baseball games would be better served by playing the older releases in the SlugFest series. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

MLB Slugfest 2006 is a fun two-player game, so there is a decent amount of replay value; however, no online play and no franchise mode significantly decrease the replay value for individuals. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The sound is adequate as is the music. The commentary, however, is annoying, often has little to do with the game, and terribly unfunny. The color commentator has a hideous voice. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

This game can make for some good, silly fun, but there are very few game modes, and the game modes that are available are pretty skimpy. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.