Okay, so the sports war between Microsoft and Sony abruptly ended earlier this generation when a couple of companies, known as Electronic Arts and Sega, stepped up with games of their own. XSN Sports soon evaporated quicker than Ryan Seacrest's appeal, and all Sony's sports line would become is a series of games that seemed like third-place contenders. Not so, however, for MLB 2005. Last year's baseball effort from 989 Sports turned out to be a welcome surprise, jam-packed with the kind of simulation goodies that haven't been seen since 3DO ruled the bases with their High Heat Baseball series. And the same can be said again for this year- although it's not the game on top, MLB 2006 is a grand slam of a game.

The game leans more on the simulation rules than either 2K Games' or EA's latest efforts, which seem more like a comfortable approach to baseball, keeping the rules in mind while providing a bit of arcade-like fun between the base-runnings. Not so with MLB 2006. Instead of trying to appeal with cutesy little efforts, it gets right to the meat and potatoes of things by delivering the deepest franchise and career modes seen in a baseball game this season.

The franchise mode runs the usual bases in some aspects, allowing you to work on communication with your team, while trading away members to improve your ball club. But there's a couple of things that stand out. The first is the ability to create a player (not an entirely new feature, but nice to have), and the second is a Player Morale System, which allows you to balance different aspects of your players for their overall effectiveness. Smallest things like salary, positioning, and even the time a player can engage in a game are measured here, and it's up to you to make sure everything is met to satisfaction. This may bore the casual players, but those hardcore into their simulation aspects will be in baseball heaven. (Some of you may miss some of the features in MVP Baseball 2005, like the stadium building and the successful Owner mode, but this is the next best thing if that game isn't your idea of a keeper.)

Then you have the Career Mode, where you can take your customized player and make them a better part of the team. You can train in particular programs to boost up their skills (and even skip past the unnecessary ones- why put a player through bunt training when it's their running that needs adjusting?), and work with them from the very beginning, from the AA/AAA minors all the way through the big leagues. This will take some time to invest in, but I'm sure there's players out there who would appreciate the deepness of this, seeing what it's like to start small and become a phenom. You can even put together your own gestures and stances, personifying your player like never before. This is a wonderful boost from last year's edition, and I can only hope next year's offers even more creativity.

If those modes aren't your idea of fun, you can always just go in and start playing around in the game itself, and the gameplay seems to be focused in every direction, just like last year. The pitching system that's in use here works on a confidence level, enhancing upon your "hot spots" and allowing you to throw a variety of pitches with a nice in-place system. It's not technical like Major League Baseball 2K5, but it does involve a color grid and a control interface that's not difficult, like a certain EA Sports contender. But be careful- too many bad pitches could possibly ruin your confidence level, so stay sharp and keep maintaining performance. You should be fine, as the controls back you up nicely.

Batting still feels natural, allowing you to choose between a swing and a bunt with ease and not running into the rut of hitting the ball in the same direction each time. The physics have been well-balanced here, and it shows with just a simple crack of the bat. Fielding also features improvement and now appears almost seamless, with the controls coming into play again where they need to but requiring you to do a little work so you don't end up making a sloppy play that costs you a notch in the "E" column. The line-up system that's used to show the distance of a ball from the field is nice, a good indicator of where you need to be to snag a fly ball and prevent an easy base run. Base-running offensively is about the same, but still works, allowing you to advance and try for stolen bases where necessary.

As far as graphics go, they get the job done. The visual interface represents the sport of baseball very well, as you get some good camera angles and a wide view of the field when fielding plays need to count- all at a smooth frame rate. The animation is superb as well, even capturing the smallest things like a simple pick-off lob to first. And the stadium details, while not dazzling, represent the real thing just fine.

Sound, however, is another department. The game delivers solid if not overwhelming commentary (it sometimes runs into a bit of repetition, but still works), but the rest of the sound effects seem a little fuzzed out, right down to the ball hitting the glove and some of the crowd reactions. I don't know if this was something that was intended from the general position on the field or not, but some more clarity would've bumped this up into classic status with ease. Maybe next year...

I also noticed that, while the game is sewn up together pretty nicely, it seems mostly basic in its presentation. Maybe this is because I was so spoiled by the presentation of Major League Baseball 2K5, with the fancy ESPN replays and features. It's not a bad interface, it just doesn't jump out at you like an attention-getting base-runner should. Think of a guy nailing a crucial grand slam into the stands to win the game. He rounds the bases, hits home plate, then walks back to the dugout, no high-fives whatsoever, sitting on the bench and drinking an Evian. Kinda like that.

Anyway, don't let the small negatives fool you. For a thrilling, deep, comprehensive baseball game, MLB 2006 is more than satisfying enough to put in your game library. It's not the absolute best baseball game for the year (Major League Baseball 2K5 has that honor, but just slightly), but it still rounds the bases accordingly and marks 989 Sports' still-steady position in the gaming world.