MLB Slugfest: Loaded is a contact sport. This year we�ve added over a hundred new animations including the ability to dodge bean balls and bowl over the catcher. But the violence isn�t what makes Slugfest an �extreme� sports game. The key is that it�s fast and fun, not tedious. Slugfest feels more like a videogame than like a �baseball game�.

On the Xbox, Slugfest is the first game to ship with XBox Live 3.0 � this includes voice chat, lobbies, Optimatch, 16-person tournaments and online rankings. On the PS2, we have a very cool new feature called the �Online Ticker Tape�. This means that through an arrangement with MLB.com, we will actually show live scores and headlines from MLB.com while you are playing Slugfest. So there�s no need to stop playing to see how your favorite team is doing.

Mogul mode is our new Franchise Mode. You start by choosing your favorite team and picking your home stadium (or choosing to build a team from scratch using the Fantasy Draft). Then you run your team for up to 150 season, playing as many games as you like and letting the Mogul engine simulate the rest. We licensed the award-winning Baseball Mogul engine, giving us the best simulation engine and trade AI available � and a lot of features you won�t find in other games. This mode includes scouting reports, news stories, player awards, year-by-year stats, minor league players, and the ability to set �Strategies� for simulated games.

In addition to online play, the biggest new feature is the new Franchise Mode using the Baseball Mogul engine. We�ve also added a ton of features to the game play itself like trick pitches, dodging bean balls and home plate collisions. There�s also an entirely new mode (called 'MLB Mode') that boasts new features like a 'Pitch Meter' and 'Batting Eye', and a handicapping system for players that aren�t evenly matched. We give the user the option to turn on or off any of these features so they can play the game exactly the way they like it.

We�ve changed from a 52-game season, to a full-season 150-year franchise mode. This will keep most baseball fans busy for a LONG time. Moreover, there are literally thousands of different configurations you can choose with the new game settings. So if you want to try the new pitch meter in conjunction with the new trick pitches, you can do that. Unlike other sports games, we have a ton of unlockable content this year such as fantasy stadiums, fantasy characters and DVD movies. For example, if you a homer in Wrigley, you unlock the �Midway Park� stadium. If you hit a homer in Midway Park, you unlock Subzero (from Mortal Kombat). Some of these tasks are easy, but some require serious practice (like hitting 10 homers in the same game).