[RiderKamen]

MLB Dugout Heroes is the first fully licensed and online-based PC Baseball game in North America.
Featuring an easy learning curve and animated version of real MLB players. Draft your favorite players from any MLB era (false) to create your own team.

Practice against the computer or play online with others to level up your team and players and purchase new uniforms, bats, pitches, and more!
MLB Dugout Heroes is sure to be a smash hit for all baseball fans young and old (gamescampus.com)

Since the wait of the 'still' unreleased "Knuckleball Online" with anime characters playing in a kiddie fantasy baseball world; I wanted to play a baseball mmo for the first time. So I downloaded this free game called "MLB Dugout Heroes" by gamescampus, the home of Manga Fighter and Asda Story.
http://mlbdugoutheroes.gamescampus.com/index.asp

Artwork: The interface (menus, lobby, and etc.) look sleek and well put together. The clone models of baseball players were cartoonish but very acceptable (sorta like Nintendo's/Xbox's avatars). The fields or maps were great replica of real MLB stadiums but obviously having replica of fans in the bleachers would be too much work (especially those hecklers that be cursing).

Team Creation: Well all I know is that the first time you start, you'll be able select any real life MLB team with the 08'/09' roster.
This is one of the upsides to the game. No fake names like Billy Joe Bob or Bart Simpson lol.

Controls: For a baseball game which has many positions on the field, its very easy and intuitive. It might look complicated but once you use your gaming instincts or common sense, the controls become second nature overnight (or over a couple of minutes lol). Why? Well its set up like a shooting game for PCs.

Practice/Tutorial/Friendly Mode: This is not one of those mmos where they throw a crappy tutorial/practice mode and have you believing that your 'already' good. With in these modes you will learn how to hit, pitch, and even simulate a game against the computer. Once going through the tutorial, you realize that you have to take time to get better. You don't have to do the tutorials when u first start the game but its very helpful that you go through it.

Gameplay: Its just like any other baseball game. It gives you stats on your players, commentating, style of pitches, subbing, cusors for the pitcher and batter, and etc. So far the thing I haven't notice is fielding position; from what I know you cannot change that and it kinda sucks. On top of that, all the fielders are in automated mode until they catch the ball. So selecting a player to guide him in the right direction is out of the question. However, what makes this game slightly different from other baseball games is that you have items. Items not necessarily on the Mario Baseball tip, but gives the game that 'arcade' pop to it. Also what makes it different is that you can change power of the swing. If you want to hit homers or rockets, you change the batter swinging mode with one stroke of a key. Once the power swing mode is in effect, your batting cursor becomes smaller. So obviously putting a powerful swing on the ball becomes much harder but it can be done with time and practice.

Online Community: Friendly. Its not like other mmos where you get kicked out just because you're a noob (everybody was a 'noob' at one point). I've played 5 games without being cursed at lol. The community forum might tell a different story but there are GMs that monitor both the game and forum.

GRADE
-B


Pros: nice look, controls are intuitive, it has an arcade 'flare' to it.

Cons: Not having more control in-game, Power swing? Its not 'serious' as other baseball games (it all depends on what u prefer)

http://mlbdugoutheroes.gamescampus.com/index.asp

[RiderKamen]

1,2,3, mlb is the place to be