Great game, minors rosters need work
926565
This game is awesome. I've always been a big fan of the Road to the Show (RTTS) mode, in which you create a player, and try to take him from the draft, through the minors leagues, and make him an established major league player. In the past, this mode was limited because of the arcane advancement system. Goals like "don't strike out" prior to the at bat (uhh, duh, what could be more obvious in a baseball game), or "hit a home run here" made the mode feel more like an achievement-fest, as opposed to actually trying to play good baseball.

I'm happy to report, that is all gone now! In its place is a logical system which gives out points for having a good at bat (working a count from 0-2 to a walk for instance) or hitting a sacrifice that advances a base runner. Your goal is not predetermined going into the at-bat...you can gain points in any at bat, based on any good outcome. This completely revamps this system, and makes it an extremely more playable mode, long term.

All the expected updates are there, with new stadiums, roster moves (thanks to an immediate sony update which takes care of most roster moves since the game shipped), and new minor league teams (Royals fans--the Storm Chasers are in). Unfortunately, the minor league rosters are a bit messed up. I know they can't put the players names in ever (since they are not in MLBPA yet), but in the past it seems like the minors players at least mirrored who was actually in the system (for instance a top prospect would be represented in by stats/height/weight etc., and you'd just have to edit the name). It appears more work will have to go into the minors portion of the roster this year to make it representative, for those who are sticklers for those kinds of things (and I am, personally).

Playstation Move fans, all I can tell you is some parts of the game are capable but I don't know which ones, and to what extent, as I have absolutely no interest in Playstation Move.

Not many changes to graphics, but none were really needed, IMO. This is consistently one of the best next-gen sports games out there. Baseball fans: buy it and do not look back.
1057422
I have always hated paying $60 for just a roster update.  This year the game has some fundamental differences that make it a better game than in the past years.  The ability for a runner to break tackles, or get tackled by 8 guys at the same time.  The game play is much slower and takes a few games to get used to, the end result is a very smooth more realistic game play.
4389068
I am a long-time Madden player, but I do also enjoy watching the AFL and my Avengers during the offseason. I knew this game was going to rock since it was made by EA Sports (who creates the Madden line), and I purchased the game on the first day it was released.

Graphics:

EA Sports seems to use the same player graphics machine as the Madden series, so you can't go wrong there. However, the atmosphere is not quite as sharp. The surrounding fans are still the old 2-d fuzzy figures, the music is limited, and the opening sequences do not replicate the Arena style. Electronic Arts does take a swing at cheerleaders and routines, but don't expect too much from that end of the game. :)

Controls:

Same as Madden, except turbo is "R1" and not "X" on defense and kick returns. Each receiver has own icon to pass to, "Triangle" is throw away, and there are options to tuck the ball to prevent fumbles. The kicking meter is easy to grasp after a while, and everything else is simple to remember. The manual does a great job of explaining the controls, the rules, and the ideals of Arena Football to first-time players.

Gameplay/Realism:

Running is as hard as in the real game, so look to rely on passing. The fatigue option is exceptional, and you can pick on tired players in the opponent's defense. It is easy to control wide receivers with the "Be the Receiver" feature. The game is fast paced as usual, and referee penalties are scarce. Wall hits are fun, especially flying over the walls into the stands to dive for out-of-reach passes. Telemetry helps you spot weaks areas in your or your opponent's defense, and repetitions or signs of passing or running situations in real time. The playbook is ultra-limited, which means gameplay does get a little boring after quite some time, but that's easy to deal with. Receivers run yo-yo and loop motion routes as in the real game, and they realistically tire from running too many streak or fly/go routes down the field. On defense, the playbook offers limited but sufficient schemes in zone and man defenses. Artificial Intelligence is reasonable and adjustable.

Modes:

As with all upstart games, Arena Football offers limited gameplay modes. In addition to the common "Play Now" mode, there is the "Season" mode where you can lead a team to an Arena Bowl Championship. You can also start a new team or adjust the uniforms of an old one.

Rewards:

In addition to the regular bonus and game preview footage from EA Sports, you can also unlock a seemingly endless amount of classic teams, including as the New England Steamrollers. These can be unlocked by completing milestones such as intercepting 4 passes in game, stopping a team 4 times during a game, setting records, doing different moves for the first time, or completing training tutorial challenges.

--------------------------------------------------

I highly recommend buying this game. It will be a keepsake (after all, it is the first-ever Arena Football game excluding Kurt Warner's), and you will enjoy the speed of the game compared to Madden. The game is both high-scoring and very morally rewarding, in a sense. Your view on how the game is played with drastically change for the better after you play this game.
456345
My boyfriend is addicted to this game and it is pretty fun. You will never run out of things to do because they update it every week (to keep the roster up to date) and again every month or so to add new challenges. There are a million things to do. There is a trading card section which is what we've played the most. You collect cards and add those people to your team. There is a live auction house which is fun on its own. You can also play as a coach, teammate or entrepreneur and you can draft people.
1429758
So many people say that NBA Live 2004 is a bad game. This is not true. Yes, it's true, there are some flaws to the game, but overall, the game is extremely well put together. However, here are some things that the people at EA Sports need to work on.
1. Players need to be able to get back on fast breaks better. When I say this, I mean your players, not the computer's players. It seems that the computer can always get back on fast breaks much quicker than you or your team mates can.
2. The people at Ea Sports shouldn't do stupid things, like making your player miss a WIDE OPEN DUNK, and the computer hitting a completely contested shot. This does happen when you go up by 10 or more points, so just remember this.
3. The people at EA sports need to understand that when a man gets beat, another man can't come out of no where to block a dunk. Yes, it can happen sometimes, but with this game, it happens frequently.
4. EA Sports needs to create a downloadable patch to this game so that people can update their rosters and make the season exactly how it is now.
5. EA Sports developers need to find a way to get the crowd sound more realistic. They need to make them sound like they are actually at a basketball game. This needs to be done, especially when the team that you are controling makes it to the playoffs. If your team does bad, the developers should make it sound and look like there are less people at the game. This , and all of the other things that I have mentioned so far would make the game much more fun to play.
Everything else about this game was done extremely well. The commentary was good, and the graphics are also very good. The only other thing that the people at EA Sports need to work on is finding a way to do the starting line ups in every game and make the anouncers shine the spotlight on which ever player they want after the starting line up is finished. They also should try including pre-season games in dinesty mode. And when you substitute a player, you should be able to see him coming off the bench. It would make it look more realistic.
2031038
Admittedly I haven't played a baseball game for quite a few years (since probably Hardball 5?), but having bought Triple Play 2001 for my PC I was very impressed.
It is easy to learn in the Beginners mode and becomes  more challenging thereafter. There is a wide variety of options, including  single games, a season and of course the home run derby.
The graphics are  excellent, with each of the stadiums I have been to in rl being faithfully  represented. The marquis players are represented quite well both facially  and in their batting styles, and the graphics during gameplay are very  smooth. The trading system is quite good, and although I haven't done it  myself, I know some of my friends would LOVE the ability to perform a  complete league draft.
There are only a few minor criticisms I would  level.
* The pitchers tend not to throw many balls, and drawing a walk is  quite difficult.
* The starting pitchers get tired too quickly, about 60  pitches and you are more or less done.
* I say about because  unfortunately some stats I consider important are missing, especially while  playing a game, such as a pitch count for instance. Having the ability to  see a standard box score during a game would have been a good  idea for  me.
* Errors are strangely incorporated. With errors on, I will see 4 or  5 in one game, and then won't see another error for 10 games or so, I would  have preferred a little more regular than they are.
But all that aside, I  have spent probably several hundred hours playing this game and am yet to  tire of it...If you like baseball and baseball games, get it, for me it has  proven money well spent!
3579175
NCAA 14 is a pleasant surprise over last years addition. A new menu system is much smoother to use and load times have decreased. (NOTE I have yet to play online.)

Game Play:

Tackling feels more real as players bounce off each other and breaking tackles feel more honest.

Passing is much easier as receivers often will pull off amazing one handed catches. This also helps with more interceptions and should be toned down a bit in a patch. So if you like a passing offense you will love this game.

Defenders feel a bit more sluggish getting off the line in 14 over 13. I think this is a better fit for the game as in 13 you could easily jump the snap every play now you have to work for it.

Over All:

Well worth the money and a huge improvement over NCAA 13. I can't help to feel the game was made to be on the PS4 as the graphics look a little more cartoonish similar to what you saw when they made NCAA for both the PS2 and PS3. The PS2 felt slightly brushed over and cartoonish but the PS3 looked beautiful and smooth.
4573826
... There are plenty of options includiong full seasons, trading, roster creating, creating player,exibitions, and all star games. There is defianly a lot to do. Now in the actual game it is quite fun, especially with more then one player but you will have to overlook serious flaws to do so. Numerous fielding and batting errors can seriously derteriate the games funness, but not too much. There is still a lot of fun to be had making your own team and taking them to the world series. So, anyfan of baseball, on a limited budget, should defiantly pick this up, despite it shortcommings.
626364
MLB 14 The Show was a good PS4 game. It was the first on the new generation. It definitely looked nice, but overall changed very little. Road to the Show, Diamond Dynasty, Franchise- they were all good, but to say they were new would be a lie.

15 is a version of 14 that, while not changing the game completely, makes improvements that are definitely worth the $60 upgrade. Diamond Dynasty is the online portion that lets you customize everything from uniform to roster to name and logo. It's very deep, allows you to create exactly the team you want, and unlike 14 it actually works. 14's was a mess. Too complex with contracts and training and the points system, online games lagged to the point of unplayability. But 15 allows you to collect and keep cards forever. It also introduces a RTTS-like character for your team. The online portion is not laggy and works. Overall, this is the big game mode for this game.

RTTS is a fan favorite, of course, but it's getting repetitive. It's still fun, but the points reward system is still broken. It punishes you for at-bats that you don't take 3 or 4 pitches before you get a hit, and that is dumb. I shouldn't get 6 points for a base hit on the second or first pitch. Overall, it makes points harder to come by unless you go up to bat waiting and allowing pitches to go by.

I don't usually play Franchise, but from what I've seen it's also simplified and that should be a good thing.

But the gameplay is the big deal here. It has not changed tremendously, but compared to 14 it's no longer a generic baseball game. The camera watches the ball for a second or two after hitting it, watching it into the field from the perspective of the batter. Anyone who has played baseball knows the feeling of putting the ball in play and this new camera technique captures that experience perfectly. It's satisfying to say the least. They've also changed the pitch circle to direct your swings to change the camera ever so slightly to follow the ball into that spot and direct the hit, but you lose visibility of the strike zone if it goes out of that spot. I haven't seen much reason to use this, but it's better than the circle to follow the pitch. Baserunning is still pathetic, though, and this is painful. Running in RTTS is fine, but playing as a team and trying to get runners to advance sucks. Multiple times I've had runners continue to run after choosing the specific base, and it makes no sense. It's near impossible to run a player between first and second while sending a runner home. I'll have to change the settings to see other options, but this is the default and it's horrible.

Overall, it's better than 14, and since you can continue your player from 14 in RTTS mode it's a no-brainer to buy. However, I am disappointed that MLB 14 will be shut down soon online. They have done this every year and it's to be expected, but is the only game to have such a short life cycle online. For that and baserunning, this game is 4 stars, not 5.
504431
Great game play, great features, less bugs. There are other changes but it does seem that 2k has found their template and is sticking to it for the most part. Loading time is better than 2k16, especially for mypark. Still some game play issues where the ball will go through your player occasionally or glitch out of bounds. Also, beware that using the x button is becoming a burden, as the analog stick now gives the shooter not only more control over their moves but now also a higher shooting percentage. The game has been improved, just not that much. I understand that it wouldn't make sense to fix what isn't broken, but it will become hard to spend this money every year on a game that changes so little compared to other non-sport series. That being said, I'd buy this game again.
663287
Another excellent game from NBA2k. The MyPlayer/MyCareer mode is so much fun, and the graphics are killer. The gameplay is challenging and more realistic than 2K14. Head-to-head mode is also exceptional.

My one big beef with this game is the seemingly never ending stream of updates. If you don't install an update before game play there is a large annoying black box saying you must update at the bottom corner of the screen that doesn't go away...even when playing a game.

Overall I give this five starts. Loads of entertainment and a terrific value.
515469
This game is, in a word, FANTASTIC.  Corso, Herbstreit and Fowler's in-game commentary references your teams record, your opponent's tendencies, and other nuances in a very life-like manner, with no lag while the console loads the comments.  This game has excellent graphics, but it is the little things that make it great.  For instance, if you play in dynasty mode and are a middle of the road school, only a few of your games will be on TV and thus be announced by ESPN's crew.  The ones that are not on TV will only be announced by the PA announcer.  Also, recruiting is designed in a cool manner too.  I played this game for 6 hours a night after work.  For three days straight.  An absolute must-have game.
4877583
First the bad. You'll probably run into some weird glitches while playing, such as your wrestler twists into a pretzel, or maybe he float walks. The ropes at times act a bit weird, and the Road To Wrestlemania is not exactly my cup of tea this year. It is filled with many tedious backstage brawls, and you often don't actually finish the match yourself. You see, you have to weaken your opponent enough to where the Y button appears over their head, and lights up. Then you get a cutscene which shows you how the match ends. It's pretty lame to be honest. A majority of your matches in Road To Wrestlemania are like this, apart from your created superstars' "Jacob Cass" story. Nice to see WCW implemented here. The blood also seems to be toned down. Boooo. Also, the servers seem to always "not be available", for community creations anyways. They've never seemed to work properly since I've owned the game in late December, and to the day I'm writing this review. The online matches seem to work fine though.

The good. The graphics are great. Probably the best of any SVR game to date. The gameplay is fun. Universe mode is back, and pretty sweet. It's great to see all the belts you can swap for the current ones. Switching Raw or Smackdown for WCW Nitro and implementing the "WCW" spray painted heavyweight championship is awesome. Makes me remember the old days. There are plenty of unlockables, and downloadable wrestlers are cheap at a mere 80 points. The new physics system is still here, and it's awesome. It's great to suplex a guy next to the steel steps and have him actually hit the steps, as opposed to magically missing them. There's a new body limb targeting system in which you hold RB and the opponents body shows up, along with the damage level of yellow to red we're all so familiar with, and it allows you to target a specific area of the body. It might seem like I listed more negatives than positives, but this game is load of fun, and I do recommend it.
760333
I'm gonna come out and say it. Madden has SUCKED since it entered the "Next Gen Era." I only needed a couple hours to realize years like 10 and 11 were throw away years. 12 i refused to buy. 13 has got me rethinking my stance. CCM is very well done with its integration of social media and the personalities it gives individual players. The product on the field is solid as well with each play looking unique. You can't run the same play over and over and get the same result like you could in years past. A lot of that is due to the new physics engine. Speaking of, is this Infinity engine the same that was in Grand Theft Auto 4? The game still has its flaws as some of the customization of your career mode, but I can get over it. I really don't see the point in re-rated players anyway. Overal though this is a step in the right direction for Madden. Its only appropriate that they master a game towards the end of a console cycle (as they did with the PS2/XBOX era).
4217975
This is a great game that you will enjoy.  For those of you that are late in buying this game,  you will enjoy playing as NFL legends as well as some forgotten great players from the past.  It plays pretty much the same as 2K5.  You may not like the fact that there is no franchise mode.  Why would you have a franchise mode for players that are already retired anyway?  It's all about creating a unique team to battle online or against your buddy.  The only thing I don't like is the kicking system.  It will take a minute for some of you to nail down.  Always get Reggie White and or Barry Sanders on your team!
3217772
Ya know there's some good and there's some bad.

Cons:

*You know when you hit a double in the gap or down the line, it recosheds right back to the fielders, so its hard to go for 2 or even 3 bases unless he has a slow delivery.

*The Swing stick just sucks.

*When the fielders get the ball in right field very deep, and you are on third, you try to get home, but the outfielders have like super arms and it gets to the base very fast nomatter how far out you are.

*When they hit a groundball in the infield, you'd expect your infielders to charge the ball right? Wrong. They sit back and wait until the ball gets to them. If it's a fast runner, they have a great chance of getting an infield single on such a routine play.

*The infielders react like they are stuck in the dirt.

Pros:

*Player finder helps players you are looking for and is a great source.

*Home Run Derby's are fun. They give you 4 choices, Classic, Tag Team, Team(Have to unlock), and a game where you can call your shots.

*They have different kind of season modes like, a regular season, Franchise,and GM Career.

*The commentary is better than normal games with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan.

*Legend mode gives you a great challenge by the pitching being more difficult, and the hitting also (be careful with pitch selection and location).
1803041
My 10 year old son and I have a lot of fun playing against each other (although he wins most of the time). Can access recent teams or go back to classic champions like MJ's Bulls or Magic's Lakers.

If you don't mind not having the most up to date rosters like me, get the previous year's version to the current and save 50%.