Welcome to the Show! That is the tagline on the back of MLB 2006 from 989 Sports, and that statement could not be more accurate. Not only does 989 Sports bring every aspect of the game to the table, they do it all so well. Honestly, the only thing I have seen omitted this go round is the single A minor leagues. Everything else is there. Wild pitches, check, called 3rd strikes, check, a good pitch count for you and the CPU, check, check swings, check, broken bats, check, great animations, check, solid presentation, check, great controls, check, online play, check, roster updates online, check, widescreen presentation, check, and more. I can go on and on with what 989 has done right this year, the problem is finding things they did wrong. Sure, it is not the flashiest game on the market, there are reports of freezing in the game (even though I have only had this happen once in 40 games), but this game in the end does it right where it counts, and is extremely deep too boot.

MLB 2006 looks flat out fantastic, not only that, everything looks authentic. It does all this without the necessity to hide what it fails in with flashy overlays, or over the top presentation. All the essentials are present and done with near flawless execution. Beginning with the presentation, the game provides a TV style atmosphere complete with cut scenes filled with emotion, dramatic replays, and the "little stuff" including the catcher relaying the throw back to the third baseman after a strikeout, check swing appeals, active first and third base coaches, etc. The fluff stuff can be toggled off or on to provide speedy game play. The player models are faithfully detailed, complete with correct batting and pitching stances, player nuances from Sammy's hop to Nomar's twitch, and even Johnny Damon has his scary hippie look has been replicated to perfection. What stands out as well is how accurate the body proportions are for each player, these models are second to none. Faces are the most accurate and with the most players, complete with emotion and facial expressions. Want more splendor, you'll get it from the animations that are the best on the market. You'll see runners trying to bowl over second basemen on double play attempts, botched catches, botched throws, bobbled catches, backhanded throws, throws from the knees, throws lying on their back, etc. etc. etc.

The stadiums are just as impressive as the players are. Richly detailed stadiums that are alive, from the scoreboards to the architecture you can expect the unexpected each and every game. MLB 2006 has all the HR celebrations you would hope for, from the Mets apple, to fireworks from the smoke stacks at Great American Ballpark, it is all here and helps with the emotion the game brings to the table. Menus are easy to navigate through and what seemed complicated in last year's offering has been explained with more clarity. Toss in widescreen support for the first time in the series, even though progressive scan is still absent, and you have one pretty package. Overall, all you have to do is watch the opening video and you know you are in for a treat.

Audio also does a fantastic job of bringing the game to life. Sure all the typical baseball caterwauling, sound effect, crowd noise is here, but what stands out the most is the commentary. While some critics have gone as far to say that it is dry, have no idea what they are talking about. Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell do more than just call the game accurately, thanks to the progressive audio that 989 has patented, the commentary is ever changing throughout the entire season. You will know who is on a hitting streak, who is slumping, a miss judged play, etc all from the commentary. The real time play by play stands out heads and shoulders above the rest, even if the commentators are not Marv Albert excitable.

Game play is what it's all about, and MLB 2006 delivers the most accurate representation of the sport, so much that it rivals what the great High Heat series offered a few years back. Controls are very good whether you are batting, fielding, or pitching. Batting you have a few different options, depending on how difficult you want your game. On Rookie, you have straight up timed batting, Veteran level, you have 3 zones in which to time your hit as well as hit one of those zones to be successful, on All Star you have 9 zones to contend with, all provide accurate box scores depending on how good you are. Obviously if you are an All Star player and you play on Rookie, you'll cream the CPU. Fielding this year alleviates those can of corn catches as the fielding icon starts large and depending on the wind's direction becomes smaller and smaller allowing you to adjust to catch the ball. Other fielding wonders have you diving, leaping, and making close plays with ease. If I would like to see, anything added would be a way to get runners on their horse when a fly ball is misjudged or out of reach. Not necessarily a turbo button, but something close to that in retrospect. Lastly, pitching has been kicked up a notch (sorry Emeril) as 989 has "borrowed" the pitching meter from the MVP series, but in my opinion has taken that formula and improved on it, especially when your pitcher is pressured or in a tough situation. You have the option for the tried and true classic style of pitching where you pick your pitch, aim, fire, but the chance of walking someone are greater with the meter, and that's the way it should be anyway. The base running still has a few issues that need ironed out, not necessarily on the A.I. point of view, but control scheme in general. It is a basic concept, but can lead to results of mistakes if you do not hit a certain button in time or before. In addition, there is that bit of lag when a player is rounding the bag, and if you do not tell them to run way in advance, they will slow down when they get close to the bag. It is not a broken experience, but is one thing this series needs to fix in order to be perfect. Overall, this game just feels more like the game of baseball more than any of the other titles this year.

MLB 2006 is full of options galore. You have exhibition, season, franchise, career mode, HR Derby to last you until MLB 2007 comes out. The career mode, like last year, has you playing as one guy, yourself. You are trying to make the bigs, once there you can ask for play time, line up order, salary increases, all the stuff that big leaguers want, minus the steroids. In this mode, you also can incorporate the Eye Toy to really live out the experience. Franchise Mode has you running the whole freaking thing. You have to negotiate contracts, keep up not only player morale, but team morale, sign for TV time, billboards, make sure there are enough vendors, promotional giveaways, make sure the transportation from game to game is up to snuff, etc. etc. etc. You will spend as much time tweaking the off field demands as you do on the field, but that really adds to the value and fun of this title. Online play allows you to play in ranked games, tourneys, and playoff games against other MLB fans, complete with roster updates for your online and offline team. MLB 2006 really didn't forget much when it came to options this year, now if they could just get the Eye Toy feature to work in franchise mode.

What more can I say, I've been bitten by the love bug two years in a row, and gives me more reason to dust off my PS2 in favor of my Xbox. MLB 2006 is the complete package, and delivers the goods where it counts. If 989 can covert this magic over to the PS3, we may have a new leader in sports all over again, if only they can get their other sports to retain the high standards this game is setting. This is the game to beat.