Midway Sports doesn’t bother with making sports simulations.  Instead, they’ve created a unique gaming experience that focuses on the brawl as much as the ball.  Guillermo Mota vs. Mike Piazza, Jose Mesa vs. Omar Vizquel, David Wells vs. everybody… these heated rivalries that spice up the majors are just typical subplots in MLB Slugfest, where every game is a war and every batting helmet is a target. MLB Slugfest 20-04, with its over the top flare, continues the tradition.  Baseball purists may gag at the thought of brawny players that redefine slugging percentage punching each other on the base paths, but arcade fans will delight in the simple interface and killer action in this year’s edition of MLB Slugfest.

There are a few modes to toy around with in Slugfest, but I doubt much time will be spent playing anything other than the quick play simply because playing through a season of outrageous baseball is simply that… outrageous.  Slugfest plays more like a pick-up-and-play game rather than a die-hard sports game.  The season mode does offer a 52 game season complete with league leaders and full running statistics, but is much simpler than any other baseball game’s season modes.  The home run derby mode is fairly customizable, with options for different types and locations of pitches, number of outs each hitter is allowed, and difficulty level.  It’s a glorified version of tee-ball, but can be very effective in releasing a little bit of aggression.  Challenge mode does little more than challenge players to beat each of the 30 major league teams and keeps stats for the duration.  Tournament mode allows 4 or 8 teams to battle each other in tournament style play, with the winner being the last team standing. 

The game itself is based loosely on baseball.  It’s still four balls for a base on balls, three strikes and you’re out, and three outs per half inning, but Midway takes certain liberties with America’s pastime.  Slugfest is full-contact, meaning baserunners can punch infielders or slide very hard into second basemen and pitchers can bean batters on purpose.  The addition of a turbo button allows for cannon arms, wicked fastballs, and juiced-up bats to add even more excitement to the game.  Most of the MLB players are in the game, and this year’s edition includes a bench and deeper bullpen, but several players who are everyday starters aren’t included. 

The batting and pitching interfaces are almost identical to last year’s version.  Hitting the ball requires little more than swinging at the right time and selecting one of nine areas (high, low, low & inside, etc…) in the strike zone.  Because the game is very arcade-like, swinging the bat is simple and making contact is a cinch.  As in other games, there is both a contact swing and a power swing.  The power swing puts a little more juice in the bat, but lowers the likelihood of making sweet contact.  Combine the power swing with the turbo button (R Button), and hitters can launch four-baggers that put low flying aircraft in danger. 

Pitching is almost as simple as hitting.  Simply select your pitch and chick it in there.  The pitches have more action than a John Woo flick, sliders dart into strike zones, knucklers hover all over the place, and curveballs drop from 12 to 6 with more bend than a yoga teacher.  Pitches are even more insane when pitchers max out their special pitch meter.  After throwing five strikes, pitchers have the chance to throw physics-defying special pitches that are fun to watch and nearly impossible to hit. 

Most of the fun of MLB Slugfest comes on the base paths.  Runners can slide hard into fielders to jar the ball loose, or just plain run them over with moves that are more WWE than MLB.  Unfortunately, the baserunning controls are a bit clunky, and advancing one runner while retreating another requires finger dexterity in the Carlos Santana range. 

The graphics of Slugfest are fairly good all around.  If you enjoy your ballplayers ripped and steroid-injected, you’ll love the player models in Slugfest.  More hilarious batting box approaches have been added, and returning sluggers will notice several of the old approaches have been retained.  New this year are some fantasy ballparks designed by Midway.  These can be used as homes for created teams, or venues for home run derbies.  The framerate flows smoothly in the game, and glitches in graphics are almost non-existent.

One of the best features of Slugfest is the audio commentary provided once again by Tim Kritzrow and Kevin Matthews.  The dual commentary plays well within the game, and never interrupts the flow as the commentators call the game while telling their stories.  I haven’t seen any other audio engine do this in a game, and it’s absolutely essential in a baseball game.  They do repeat some of their lines too frequently, but thankfully it’s a lot more entertaining than the drivel in most games.  The sounds of the ballpark are fairly standard and play second fiddle to the commentary.  There’s very little to the soundtrack, except a licensed song by Hoobastank. 

Slugfest 20-04 is a baseball game for people who don’t like baseball.  The simplicity and novelty of Slugfest are its strengths, but its lack of depth is a glaring weakness. 

MLB Slugfest 20-04 is rated E for everyone with elements of comic mischief and violence.   

Gameplay: 8.0

Slugfest is baseball at its simplest: easy button pushing and simple controls make this a game easy enough for Cactus leaguers.   

Graphics: 8.2

Although the graphics aren’t headed to Cooperstown, they do the job very adequately.  The player animations are excellent, particularly when two players collide into each other.

Sound: 8.7

Slugfest features some of the best commentary in any sports game.  It can get repetitive, but much of it is downright hilarious.

Difficulty: Easy

This is about as easy as baseball games get.  Midway designed the game to be fun, not complex.

Concept: 7.5

Slugfest 20-04 is basically a rehash of last year’s game with very few extras.  Not much new here.

Multiplayer: 8.5

What’s a slugfest without someone else to slug?  Playing against the computer may satisfy some, but gamers would rather have their friends feel the crunch of a collision at home plate than the GameCube.

Overall: 8.0

A simple and easy game, Slugfest 20-04 is a great sports game for non-sports fan.  If you don’t know the difference between a 6-4-3 double play and the infield fly rule but love to hit stingers up the middle, Slugfest 20-04 is a game you should check out.  Owners of last year’s edition won’t be getting much more from this year’s version except updated rosters and a few more animations.