MLB Slugfest 20-04

MLB Slugfest 20-04 is the second game in Midway’s Slugfest series, which brings NFL Blitz's hand-to-hand combat, arcade mechanics, and horny cheerleader load screens to the sport of baseball.

MLB Slugfest 20-04

Release Date	North America: March 17 2003
Platforms	Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2
Developer	Midway Games, Point of View
Publisher	Midway Games
Team Names	Real MLB teams
Player Names	Real MLB players
Cover Athlete(s)	Jim Edmonds
Commentator(s)	Tim Kitzrow, Kevin Matthews (as Jimmy Shorts)
Preceded by	MLB SlugFest 20-03
Followed by	MLB SlugFest Loaded

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.

Additional In-Game Videos

The game 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

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  MLB Slugfest 20-04 PS2 box art