EA's MVP Baseball 2004 Swings for the Fences; Critically Acclaimed New Baseball Simulation Ships Nationwide

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2004--Get in the swing of things with MVP Baseball(TM) 2004, an authentic and deep simulation of America's pastime from Electronic Arts, which ships today to retailers nationwide under the EA SPORTS(TM) brand. With the MVP Baseball franchise's second outing, hailed a "landmark videogame baseball achievement" by Official Xbox Magazine, opening day has just moved to March.

MVP Baseball 2004, PlayStation Magazine's latest Game of the Month, is packed with gameplay innovations and improvements that put users in control at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths like never before. The EA SPORTS Pure Swing System offers unique swing types and signature cuts, a model that Electronic Gaming Monthly says "revolutionizes the art of videogame batting." The Big Play Control allows for diving and sliding catches, user-controlled slides, and home plate collisions -- all with a touch of the right analog stick.

An official Minor League Baseball license, a revamped EA SPORTS Dynasty Mode(TM) that lets players control all aspects of Class AA and AAA farm teams in addition to the parent MLB club, new Pitcher Showdown and Manager Modes, and all-new online play through EA SPORTS online on the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system as well as online play for PC round out what promises to be this season's grand slam.

Developed by EA Canada, MVP Baseball 2004 is available on the PlayStation 2 console, Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM), and PC-CD. The game is rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $49.95 for all three console versions and $39.95 on PC. The game's official website is www.mvpbaseball2004.com.