Major League Baseball 2K5

Commentators

The commentary is delivered by the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Karl Ravech introduces the games from the studio.

Features

Exhibition: Play against the computer or head-to-head with another player.

Franchise: Play multiple seasons with a team.

GM Career Mode: Become a team's GM and try to accomplish certain goals given by the owner while building a good team.

Online: MLB 2K5s online mode includes both games and online leagues.

Reception

''MLB 2K5''

The game received "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. GameSpot said that "what sets MLB 2K5 apart from other baseball video games is how great it looks and sounds ... Major League Baseball 2K5 is a big step in the right direction for Take-Two's (formerly Sega's) video game baseball franchise. Last year's game, to be kind, was full of bugs and had modes that didn't actually work as advertised. All of the modes in this year's game work like they should and there seem to be hardly any bugs, although the few you will probably run across do have the potential to be very annoying." IGN wrote that "MLB 2K5 still has a ways to go if it intends to compete with the memory of MVP next year. The animations need a complete overhaul, the AI definitely needs a reworking, and the Franchise Mode has to see significant innovation outside of a nicer interface", but that overall "MLB 2K5 is a great experience worthy of a spot on your shelf."

''World Series Edition''

The World Series Edition received "generally favorable reviews" on both platforms, a bit higher than the original MLB 2K5, but both a few points shy of "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic.

Exclusive license

In 2005, in response to EA Sports' exclusive license with the National Football League and ESPN prohibiting any NFL 2K games for the foreseeable future, Take-Two Interactive signed an exclusive third-party licensing contract with Major League Baseball (MLB), MLBPA and MLBAM to produce MLB games. The agreement, which ran from Spring 2006 to 2012, allowed for the console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to produce MLB titles for their respective platforms, but barred third party developers such as EA Sports from continuing or developing their own MLB games.

References

References

1. (November 28, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 Webpage".
2. EGM staff. (April 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5".
3. Reiner, Andrew. (March 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5".
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5. Dodson, Joe. (March 17, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 Review". [[Game Revolution]].
6. Provo, Frank. (March 2, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 Review". [[GameSpot]].
7. Leeper, Justin. (March 2, 2005). "GameSpy: Major League Baseball 2K5 (PS2)". [[GameSpy]].
8. Leeper, Justin. (March 2, 2005). "GameSpy: Major League Baseball 2K5 (Xbox)". GameSpy.
9. Hobbs, Ronnie. (March 16, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 - PS2 - Review". GameZone.
10. Valentino, Nick. (March 8, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 - XB - Review". GameZone.
11. Goldstein, Hilary. (February 25, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5". [[IGN]].
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14. Nardozzi, Dale. (February 25, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5 Review (Xbox)". [[TeamXbox]].
15. "Major League Baseball 2K5 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". [[Metacritic]].
16. "Major League Baseball 2K5 for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic.
17. Miller, Jonathan. (November 21, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5: World Series Edition". IGN.
18. Nadrozzi, Dale. (October 25, 2005). "Major League Baseball 2K5: World Series Edition Review (Xbox) [Incomplete]". TeamXbox.
19. "Major League Baseball 2K5: World Series Edition for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic.
20. "Major League Baseball 2K5: World Series Edition for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic.
21. "2006 Awards Category Details Sports Game of the Year". [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]].