While it seems that all eyes are on EA Sports and Visual Concept’s baseball game this year, it’s easy to overlook other interesting prospects out there.  While MVP Baseball 2005 and MLB 2K5 are near and dear to my heart, it’s the overlooked ballgame that I root for and with good reason.  You see, while MLB 2005 didn’t exactly light our fire last year, MLB 2006 is a game you’ll want standing side by side with those other two ball games.  So pull up a lawn chair and see why this year 989 Sports has really outdone themselves.

Last year’s attempt was nothing to sneeze at although there seemed as though there was something missing.  It didn’t lack solid controls because the controls, while there were a few shortcomings in the fielding department, worked like gangbusters.  It wasn’t the Career or Franchise Mode because they were good . . . just not deep enough for die-hard fans.  And it wasn’t the neat use of the Eye Toy’s built-in USB camera because what fan doesn’t want their own face on their created player.  It just lacked a few of the things that could have completed the game enough to leave sports gamers satisfied.  Well, this year is a different story and the reason is simple: they gave us more of what we loved about the game and fixed what we didn’t like.

The result is a game die-hard fans can really get into and the less serious fan can just pick up and start playing without struggling at all.  The game modes range from Quick Game, Exhibition, Career, Season, Franchise, Home Run Derby and online multiplayer.  Both Career and Franchise Mode now feel more complete in that it’s deep enough to keep fans more than busy until next year’s game.  Franchise Mode has you running your club, dealing with every aspect of the business from the business end and a managerial standpoint.  You’ll be keeping an eye on budget and your team’s morale.  Career Mode, on the other hand, has you creating your own player (using the Eye Toy you can snap a photo of yourself and plant it on a head model to create a player that looks exactly like you) and then put him on a team.  You’ll take your player through an entire season so this is, by far, one of the most personal Career modes you’ll find.

The AI of the computer-controlled team has improved greatly, adding more challenges and, better yet, more surprises to each game.  You’ll find the other teams reactions to pop flies and line drives vary from inning to inning so you won’t expect Sammy Sosa catching pop flies the same way.  Sometimes they even miss, thus adding more realism to the mix.  Here some more goodies, you can tweak almost every aspect of the game’s settings such as turning on (or off) the Guess Pitch Display, the Auto Baserunning or even turning off the Hot Zones.  Want more goodies?  The game also offers loads of teams even the AA teams are available.

Batting is handled a bit better this year with the R2 button that brings up a pitcher’s pitch history.  Using the same button you can guess the pitch type and anticipate it.  Speaking of pitching, the game adopts a MVP Baseball 2005-styled pitch meter that works beautifully in this game and thus makes pitching all the more fun.  Hold the X, release and hit the X button again at the appropriate indicator and you can release accurate fastballs.  Fielding feels right as well, although Baserunning in this game is my new true love.  You just have to love a game that allows you full control of whether you’d like to forget stealing third and head back to second with the push of a button.

MLB 2006 is also a multiplayer dream come true and I just don’t mean because the online multiplayer mode works great whether you’re using a Broadband or Dial-Up connection.  I’m talking about the fact that you can play just about every mode (with the exception of Career Mode) with a friend.  You can even play Franchise Mode with a friend and, of course, Home Run Derby.

Visually the game is a whole lot prettier than last year and MLB 2005 wasn’t a bad-looking game at all.  This year, though, we’re looking at players that are now looking a lot like the real deal.  I’ve seen Mike Piazza rendered horribly in past MLB games but when the camera panned over to him as he walked back to the dugout I had to pick up my jaw from the floor.  From the creases on the uniforms and various player animations, it’s great watching these boys of summer at play.  The stadiums are also nice to look at although you’ll find areas within the same stadium that look a bit on the plain side.  Still this isn’t really a complaint seeing as how you’ll easily recognize your favorite ballpark and the little park introductions are downright neat.  Overall, this is one good-looking game.

Sound-wise you’ll hear a lot coming from the fans, fellow players, the umpire and even coaches--although what we hear isn’t loud enough to really make out.  You’ll hear umpires call out strikes and you’ll hear players cheer on their teammate who steps up to the plate.  You won’t hear any hecklers but the sounds of fans chanting and enthusiastically clapping their hands with a “Let’s go, Padres! Let’s go!” is great stuff, indeed.  Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell handle the commentary and it’s great.  Campbell’s chimes in with some great little comments here and there but it’s Vasgersian that steals the show since he calls the plays like he sees them and even interrupts himself to point out some great plays as they happen.  Occasionally you’ll hear some of the more witty comments repeated again and again (sometimes within the same inning) but it never gets way out of hand.

989 Sports’ MLB franchise blossomed from a baseball game fans should be keeping their eyes on to a complete package that fans should seriously consider buying.  If you’re looking for a solid baseball game with excellent modes, good looks and online multiplayer done right then MLB 2006 is a game you should definitely check out.  Sure it’s not as overly flashy as the other major contenders but it’s certainly well worth the price of admission. 

Gameplay: 8.6
Last years game showed a lot of promise and was almost worthy of competing with the two current Big Boys but this year MLB 2006 just feels more complete and plays even better than before.  With a few tweaks and improvements we’re looking at a fun PS2 ball game.

Graphics: 8.8
Once Derek Jeter steps up to the plate you’ll really see the visual improvements.  While there are some plain spots here and there in the environments and the fans look extremely bland, there are some great stadium introductions and more natural player animations.

Sound: 8.0
The stadium sounds are nicely detailed and you’ll really hear the fans and the coaches out there.  The licensed tunes aren’t really great but if you like bands like Papa Roach or Chevelle you’ll like this.  As for the play-by-play and color commentary it’s great but some comments just get too repetitive.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI is excellent this year and they do manage to pull off some really excellent plays so you’ll be really challenged even in the Rookie difficulty setting. 

Concept: 9.0
989 Sports really piled on the extras this year bringing back great features like Eye Toy support that allows you to snap a photo of yourself and create a player that looks exactly like you.  Career Mode and Franchise Mode are a lot deeper and you can play online.  In short, this is one complete baseball game and mama likes.

Multiplayer: 10
It’s all about the multiplayer and you’ll be able to play just about every mode with a friend.  Top that off with an online multiplayer mode that uses both a Broadband or Dial-Up connection and you’re in multiplayer heaven.  Broadband works best here, though.

Overall: 8.9
MLB 2006 is a whole other ballgame that not only looks great but plays like a game worthy of giving this year’s MVP Baseball and MLB 2K game a run for their money.  The new additions and improvements just make this one a solid and engaging PS2 baseball game.