2K Sports hasn't taken long to make the most of its status as the sole
third-party publisher of Major League Baseball games. In addition to
making an expected appearance on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the
studio's MLB 2K6 is also debuting on the GameCube, the Xbox 360, and
the PSP. The first details on the PSP version of the game have been
released and from the looks of it, it looks to be exactly what you'd
expect from a handheld version of 2K's popular hardball series.
First and foremost on the feature list are the season and franchise
modes, both of which will be bolstered by the same Inside Edge scouting
service that is such a big part of this year's console game. For those
who aren't familiar, Inside Edge is a scouting service that provides
detailed information on every player and team in the big leagues.
Owners and management pay big money to the folks at Inside Edge in the
hopes of gaining that tiny bit of insight that will give them the edge
over their competition. As a general manager in MLB 2K6, you'll be able
to spend part of your team budget on Inside Edge scouting, to try and
learn more about your opponents' tendencies whether on the mound, in
the field, or at the plate. In one example we saw running in the
console version of the game, if you have a pitcher "scouted" you will
see a percentage value on how often he likes to throw each pitch in his
arsenal. The Inside Edge scouting feature looks to touch on practically
every part of the game in MLB 2K6, and we look forward to learning more
about how it works in the coming weeks.
Other big features for the PSP game will be the full commentary
by the great team of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, online play for a
maximum of two players, an offline VIP system not unlike the one found
in last year's game (though with a greatly expanded list of tracked
user statistics), and World Baseball Classic mode. The WBC will feature
a 16-team tournament highlighting national teams such as the United
States, the Dominican Republic, Australia, and Japan, all vying for
hardball supremacy.
In terms of exclusive PSP features, the biggest news is the home run
derby career mode. The idea here is to bat your way up the competitive
ladder, knocking blasts against the biggest and best power hitters in
the game. Eventually, as you gain the respect of your opponents, you'll
be able to recruit them to your team in an effort to help you take on
the David Ortizes and Derrick Lees of the home run world. This being a
career mode, presumably it will keep track of all your home run derby
mode statistics, including things like home runs and...well, that's
about it, isn't it? We'll have to see more of the mode to get a feel
for how you progress through it.
Obviously, we're eager to get our hands on the PSP version of MLB 2K6,
if only to see what 2K Sports can do on Sony's handheld. While the home
run derby career mode sounds like a fun distraction, the real test will
be in determining whether the handheld version holds up to a console
series that has been steadily improving for several years now. We'll
have more on the PSP version of MLB 2K6 in the coming weeks.
Source: GameSpot