Title: MLB Slugfest 20-04 (This is the official styling of the title in all official material, and the year is always pronounced “twenty-oh-four” in-game. But some online sources write it as MLB Slugfest 2004, understandably.)
Platform: Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance
Release Date: March 17, 2003
Developer: Midway Games, Point of View, Handheld Games (GBA)
Publisher: Midway Games
Cover Athlete: Jim Edmonds
The second game in Midway’s Slugfest series, which brings the hand-to-hand combat, arcade mechanics, and horny cheerleader load screens of NFL Blitz to the sport of baseball.
Gameplay Video
Description
Pitches in Slugfest fall on a three-by-three strike zone grid, which the batter and pitcher choosing a target using the left analog stick. Pitches on the corner squares of the grid are more likely to be called balls than pitches in the other squares (it is also possible to turn off called balls in the game settings). Unlike other baseball games of this era, high breaking balls or off-speed pitches don’t seem to be more susceptible to hard contact than other pitches, making the batter-pitcher matchup more of a pure guessing game.
Both teams have Turbo meters which can be used to give additional oomph to hitting, pitching, baserunning, or throwing. Turbo is important for running in particular, because in this game it’s unusually common for runners to be thrown out at first on balls hit to the outfield.
There is a dedicated “bean” button while pitching, encouraging the use of tactical hit by pitches. Hitting a player with a pitch has a chance to lower their attributes for the rest of the game.
The first two hitters on a team that go two-for-two can be “On Fire,” like in NBA Jam. This gives bonuses to their attributes and gives them infinite, always-on Turbo on offense and defense.
Season Mode and Challenge Mode are the primary single-player modes. No trades are possible in Season Mode. It is possible to simulate games to get through the Season without playing each game.
Challenge Mode tasks the player with defeating all 30 Major League teams one by one, similar to a Mortal Kombat arcade mode.
Commentary is done by Tim Kitzrow of NBA Jam and NFL Blitz fame along with Kevin Matthews playing his comedic Chicago radio character Jimmy Shorts.
The default game length is seven innings, for a shorter, snappier play session. Anything between 4 and 9 innings is available for game length in the game options.
Roster
Slugfest 20-04 includes slightly scaled-down versions of real rosters for each Major League Baseball team with real player names. National League teams include six bench position players, while American League teams include only five, so all teams include 14 total position players. Each team includes six total pitchers, generally three starters and three relievers.
Credits
Additional In-Game Videos
The game’s PS2 disc is crammed full of additional videos, both Behind the Scenes footage and some creative cinematics for beating the game’s Challenge or Season modes.
Physical Media
