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All Star? More like minor leaguer.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: March 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Let's get some things straight. I have read all of the other reviews and have noticed how much people have been praising this game. My opinion is quite different.

Sure the game has some great features like the Franchise and Expansion modes. The Expansion mode is fun, but only if you're interested in a team of mostly no-names who you can't trade because nobody else wants them. The game's got all the updated lineups and the graphics are impressive. The players actually do look like the players in real life and it's complete with all the trademark batting stances, etc.

However, the game play is very lacking. Akklaim did a great job with how the game looks but now with how it plays. Take for example the first two games I've played in my season. A 9-7 win and a 13-4 loss. Roger Clemens is too tired to continue after four scoreless innings? Michael Tucker hits three triples and a double in one game? Chris Singleton hits three homeruns? These things just don't happen, nobody can deny that. It's just not realistic.

Batting is difficult. You have to slam down on the button to swing. Most of the time all the guy will do is check swing at the pitch. Fielding isn't any easier. The players move slow and awkwardly towards the ball and then don't throw it to the base you tell them too. Plus there is a delay between when you push the button to throw and when they actually do it. Stealing bases is impossible as the directions in the instruction book don't actually work.

The gameplay of this game is definately not 'All Star' caliber. It's more like a minor leaguer trying to tread water and not succeeding.

ASB 2003 - Realistic Baseball Simulator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: September 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Yep, if you are willing to take the time to learn what the game can really do this is one heck of a baseball simulation and tremendously fun at the same time. There are some really essential options in this game that let you customize it to whatever realism and whatever difficulty you want. for example, you can turn off the pitching Icon and the vibration so that you have to pitch on "Feel". It makes the game a very realistic pitching simulator and as a pitcher tires it affects the pitchers control. Also, you can pick which fielders you want to control and which you want the cpu to control.

The hitting is too good to be true. Very difficult and on the All-Star level it takes some serious practice and skill but that's what makes it so rewarding when you get a hit.

The statistics come out very realistic when you play Franchise and Expansion mode which is the meat of the game.

The most important thing though is what are you looking for. This game is for the more mature and skilled gamers. Children and fans of the more Arcadish games will hate this.

Seriously though, take some time to play with the options and tweak the game to the way you want it to play. Also, this may sound strange but "READ THE MANUAL".

PLAYBALL!

M the P

Kind of underrated game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First of all i would like to say this is the most realistic baseball game i've ever played it has everything from the train sound at Seattle's Safeco Field to the home fans at Wrigley throwing the opposing team's homerun ball back. This game has way more realism than TP 2002,High Heat and Sega's World Series, some of it's amazing details include: Takeout slides, Players charging the mound, player ejections, Team Mascots, and Active Bullpens, the list goes on and on so all stop there, and i would rate this game's realism an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Now here's the most complained about part of the game, the gameplay, the gamplay has it's ups and it's downs, Hitting: the hitting on this game is kind of hard at first but you will get used to it, and this game is definetly not a homerun derby type, you get alot of scores like 4-3,7-5, and 2-0, so don't expect to be scoring 20 runs a game. The ball comes in alot faster so you have to have quicker reactions, but it's not that hard, i've had this game since may and already i can score 10 runs a game on Rookie. Pitching: the pitching is definetly this game's gameplay strong point, it is pretty easy to keep the ball in the strike zone and the pitches break right, once you've played this game long enough you'll be striking out people left and right on Rookie Mode. The defense is pretty simple, just go to the star and you'll catch the ball, but be a little in front of it, and don't expect to make alot of diving catches in the outfield because the ball either drops or it's a can of corn, so overall the gameplay is about a 7 on the scale of 1-10. Modes of Play: all i can say is wow! they have every mode of play the other games have and then some, ranging from Franchise mode to Batting Practice they've got it all, and they even have a Trivia Mode, the modes of play are about a 9, so i am rating this game a 4 out of 5 stars because the gameplay could be somewhat stronger, and the gameplay is the only part of this game that kept it from getting a 5, so i suggest you go out and buy this game if your into amazing graphics, the most realism in any baseball game ever made, and realistic gameplay.

Best all around Baseball Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have to qualify the above statement. When I say "all-around," I mean that, generally speaking, I found ASBB2003 to be more enjoyable than HHBB2003 and Triple PLay 2003. There are elements from each game that I enjoy, but ASBB2003 provides the most comprehensive fun and has, in my opinion, better replay value than the others.

Why is that? Plain and simple: the franchise mode. This is by far the most in-depth franchise mode ever created for a baseball sim on any console. (High Heat Baseball for the PC still has the best ever.) Triple Play and High Heat do not offer a franchise mode, and that's where ASBB's replay value far exceeds the competition. You have 20 years to guide your franchise. Throughout that 20 years you can create players and they improve as the franchise continues. You have a farm team and can bring players up and down as needed. There's a free agent signing period. And you can also watch as players break records and are inducted into the Hall of Fame. (Barry Bonds just broke Hank Aaron's Home Run Record.) The franshice system is terrific.

Graphically speaking, ASBB is not the best game. That honor goes to Triple Play. The graphics in ASBB are better than High Heat's but Triple Play's graphics are much more appealling, more colorful. The sound on the game is excellent, although the commentary gets repetitive. And as your franchise progresses some of the commentary is dated, e.g. yesterday Steve Lyons mentioned a player's upcoming season for 2002 and I was in franchise year 2009. However, I'd much rather listen to this than Harold Reynolds on TP sounding like Chris Rock over and over again.

Players are graded on a letter grade, which is kind of odd. And I can't seem to find players' ratings in individual categories (e.g. power, speed, etc.).

From a gameplay perspective, I'd have to say that ASBB is good. Again, High Heat Baseball is in a league by itself. (It's strictly for baseball purists, though, but that's what makes it so much fun!) On the other hand, ASBB is no worse than Triple Play's gameplay, but there are some flaws. For example, starting pitchers tire way too easily. The batting interface is extremely difficult to master. However, you can change it so that it's not so difficult to master. (Again, HH baseball has the best pitcher/batter interface around.) There are too many over the shoulder catches, too often the ball magically appears in a player's glove. Also the AI is decent, but not nearly as good as HH's. For example, I've played over 40 games now and not once has the CPU tried a pick-off at first.

The user interface is quite cumbersome. From the intro menu you have to plod through 7 different screens before you can load a franchise. And making a double switch during a game can be done, but it's not as seemless as High Heat baseball.

Now, it sounds like I didn't really like the game. To be truthful, there are many flaws with the gameplay and interface that need to be tweaked. But the extras on this game - the franchise mode, the create-a-player, the Home Run Derby, the ability to create an expansion team, the trivia game - all make this a very enjoyable game. I am a big fan of High Heat; as a baseball purist I find it to have the best gameplay available. However, ASBB's franchise mode elevated it slighyly over ASBB and exponentially over TP.

It would be nice to have a baseball game for my PS2 which has Triple Play's graphics and interface, High Heat's flawless gameplay and statistic tracking and ASBB's franchise mode and extras. Until that time, baseball fans should enjoy All Star Baseball 2003.

Bugs, Glitches, Poor Gameplay

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have been an ASB proponent since the first game on N64. I looked forward to last year, and was mildly disappointed. With a year under the belt on the PS2, I felt like this would be the year it would return to championship form. Sadly this game isn't even up to the level of the previous one. I have played through about 10 games. I say about 10 because the game froze twice during play. This is a fair sample considering I have two previous versions of the game. During this time I have experienced maddening glitches.
Where should I start? Hitting: Fastballs have to be right on the cursor or you are not getting close. Also fastballs get to the plate so fast you have no time to hit them. It seems although the hit detection is off. I was getting hits with the icon way off the ball, and swinging through pitches dead on. The baserunners are too fast. Mo Vaughn can steal bases! Fielding: Outfielders catching fly balls between their legs and dropping balls they look like they catch over their heads. There seemed to be about 3 errors on your team a game, usually two in the outfield(Cedeno mostly). Slow reaction time to commands. Glitches between fielders.
Then other bugs popped up. The pitcher would wind up but no ball would arrive at the plate. The computer player then hit the invisi-ball to center field, where the fielder ran with the ball in his hand but wouldn't throw it in. This happened for 5 batters then fine. It froze up twice. I really wanted this game to be good, and it wasn't. I hate to say it but I am moving on to another baseball franchise in 2002.

Good Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Listen I don't know where all these people are coming from who have played High Heat Baseball. That game is horrible, it blows. I bought it after reading the reviews on here and I knew I should have stuck with All Star Baseball. High Heat has bad graphics, poor gameplay, and absolutely no options. I think it must have cost ten bucks to make. Playing High Heat is about like watching a TV show on PAX, no fun. All Star year after year has been good and has improved every year. I've been buying them since the N64 days. So the only reason I wanted to write this review was to warn other people about buying High Heat. If you like baseball and want options and and more interaction, BUY this game, not High Heat. Thanks for your time. GO REDS!

Best baseball game out there!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best baseball game for the PS2 hands down! I have played most of them and this one kills them. If you've played ASB2002 and enjoyed it you will love 2003. It is a ton better with a lot of added options and animations.

The gameplay and graphics are the most life like of all the baseball games. The options available kill all the competitor games as well, such as franchise mode with expansion clubs and farm leagues. Imagine creating you own club and playing and managing it over the next 20 years.

Trust me when I say this game kills the other main PS2 baseball games (Triple Play, High Heat). If you want a game that looks like a cartoon and the game scores are 22-25 (that is just 5 innings) and your pitchers ERA's are like 30.00, then get Triple Play. If you want a PS1 like game with weak options and lousy animation then get High Heat. But if you want a great sim game that makes you feel like you are actually playing or watching a real game then you need to get ASB2003!

Lastly, the reason I didn't give the game five stars is for a few things that Acclaim can improve on. One thing is that I think the pitching got harder in 2003 as opposed to the 2002 version. The computer seems to hit a lot of extra base hits and not near as many strikeouts (even on ROOKIE level). Also you can break your bat in 2003, but I broke 4 in just the first 2 innings in a game (A little high I thought). Another big one is that you can't have a shorter season in expansion or franchise mode. It would be nice to have a shorter season than 162 games over your twenty year history of the club.

All in all this game is awesome and hands down the best. Don't even waste you time with the other games, Trust me!

An Adequate Game...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I haven't played this game enough to have made a final decision, but I want to comment on a few aspects. I don't have time to play full games often, and if you are like me and busy you can set the game to "manage only" and generate a count. Doing this, a game takes about 30 minutes.

The game has tons of features, including a minor leagues and create a player. It bugs me though that the computer automatically subs for tired players and forces you to use that line up.

Also, I don't think the graphics are that good because you only get one camera angle. Then the replay is shown after every play. This wastes time. I wish you could turn that off.

I think as time goes by I will have more fun with this game because it has so many features and depth. I would probably buy High Heat 2003 for the PC if my computer was fast enough to run it because I enjoy the simming aspects of baseball games. I think All Star 2003 is probably the best of the console games for simming a season.

Great Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: May 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Gameplay: The pitching is really simple and it's not too easy or too hard to strike a batter out. The batting is difficult and I was frustrated at first but after playing more I got the hang of it. Its very realistic and is the perfect difficulty but if you want, you can switch to easy hitting, where all you need to do is get the timing right and not location. 9/10

Graphics: Simply amazing. I can recognize all of the ballparks. By far the best for ps2 baseball games. 10/10

Sound: Lots of info. Above average. 7/10

Replayability: Enough modes to keep you interested for a very long time. 10/10

Overall: 9/10 (not an average)

Not bad, but then again not great.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Derek Jeter baseball is a pretty good game. Probably more realistic than Triple Play. Like Triple Play it has it flaws and its good sides too. The good 1) more realistic play 2) Automatic fielding 3)throwback jerseys during exhibition games 4) hall of fame teams 5) smooth graphics Now for the bad 1) Hitting is very very hard even on easy setting 2) you can only be one team per season. All in all a good game just missing at points. Hitting is very hard. Dont expect a 70 homerun season from Bonds on this game. But the hitting does give it a sense of realism. If you want lots of scoring and easy hitting go to Triple play. If you want more realism go to JEter. If you want to play more then one team a season you have to go to Triple play since Jeter doesnt offer that option. For graphics a slight edge to JEter.Also a flaw in both Triple Play and Jeter. Why ca npitchers only last 5 innings? I have played both games and pitchers are done by the 5th. Eve nif they have only allowed 1 run or a few hits.I DOnt understand this concept

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