MLB SlugFest: Loaded
By: Matt Chin on February 27, 2004
Publisher:
Midway
Developer:
Midway Sports
Release:
June 2004
Midway's MLB SlugFest series is known for its arcade-style gameplay, and MLB SlugFest: Loaded will continue the tradition with over-the-top animations, turbo-speed running, scoreboards that explode in a shower of particle effects when it gets hit with the ball (see the video we uploaded), and the ability for a player to catch "fire". However, MLB SlugFest: Loaded won't be as shallow as most arcade-style games, due to the inclusion of the Baseball Mogul engine into its franchise mode. This should add enough depth to keep more serious baseball fans interested. In fact, Midway boasts that it is "arguably the deepest Franchise Mode ever in a baseball videogame."
Other simulation-like features include customizable instant replays, which will give you complete control over the game's numerous camera angles.
Perhaps the biggest highlight in MLB SlugFest: Loaded's list of new features is the online mode (broadband only). Voice chat via USB headsets will be available, and there will even be an on-screen sports ticker tape that allows players to track real-life Major League Baseball games with a live news feed from MLB.com. In other words, you won't have to keep pressing the "TV/Video" button to switch between ESPN and SlugFest: Reloaded to see if your favorite team is winning or not. An online tournament mode is also being planned.
As for the sound, MLB Slugfest: Loaded will provide a completely original soundtrack, with tracks from Ivory Wire, Buckfast Superbee and Flipswitch. And yes, Tim Kitzrow and Jim Shorts will be returning to do the commentary this year.
With a promising new franchise mode, Network Adaptor compatibility, and the same wacky gameplay that we've come to love -- MLB Slugfest: Loaded could very well be the best baseball game of 2004. We'll have more information as soon as it becomes available.
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