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not any better than the last one

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

i mean cmon acclaim you cant get any better ok the graphics are better but the glitches are the same like where you dive for a ball ten feet away and it transports in to youre glove its just sad if you want a good baseball game for the year 2004 you should get MVP baseball 2004 thats the best baseball game on the market right now if i were you i would not get this game if you get this game im telling you youre wastin youre money

Improvement from 2003....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This new and improved All-Star Baseball 2004 game is slightly better than 2003. The gameplay has gotten better, the pitching is pretty much the same, the hitting is a lot more realistic and the new different gameplay selections are great.

A new feature to this game is: Scenario Mode, which is where you play a certain part of a game like Mariano Rivera on the mound in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and no outs and your objective is to retire the inning without the opposing team scoring any runs. Like all of the previous All-Star games, you have CREATE-A-PLAYER. This updated feature is so much better than any other one in the previous games. You have over 300 faces to choose from, a lot more batting stances and also when you work on your player's ability points, there is no limit. Remember in 2003 where you only could use 20 points? Well, in this game, there is no limit so you can make your character the best in the game. Tip: Don't give your player all A+'s becase the game will freeze near the end.

The best new feature to this game, which I love is the In-Game Save capability. So if you're playing a game during your season, you can save where you left off during the game, so when you re-load your season, it'll bring you right back to where you were. GREAT! In Season mode, a lot of different things have been added. In the General Manager's offive, there is a numerous amount of things you can do from: trading players, high minors and low minors rosters, disabled list, trading block (you recieve trade offers from other teams for the player you select), and Player Editor. What is Player Editor? Instead of just editing your created player, you can edit anyone in the major leagues as far as ability points, looks, batting stances, etc. For pitchers you change their pitches selection to your favorites. But, don't make it too easy and have all of your team A+. It makes it too easy.

There is a couple things that have gone down or haven't been improved too much. One is the pitching. Yes, it is a lot easier to hit the ball because it has slowed down since 2003. But, it is a lot more diffucult to get strikeouts when pitching. It makes your pitching stats more realistic to real pitchers today. But the cathces still has some flaws in it. Not as often, but you see it happen sometimes where there is a pop-up and the ball is ten feet to the side of your fielder and he still catches it. Things like that.

Overall, this a fantastic game. Many things have been improved, things have been created for better and funner gameplay and it worked. This game is definitely a must buy.

A very challenging, but ultimately rewarding game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for Christmas (2003) so I have had almost 3 months to play with it and get used to it. The fact that I've had so long to experiment with this game is significant, because if I had written this review right after I received the game (as it appears some of the other reviewers did) I might not have given this game such a high score.

This game is very challenging, definitely. It is not like other baseball games which are unrealistically easy to play. This is not the type of game in which you will be hitting home runs with 170 pound shortstops.

In the long run, however, it is a much more realistic game. The pitches are especially neat. While some games only allow pitchers to have the basic "fastball," "change," "curve," "slider," etc., this game has more specific pitches. Examples are circle change, 2 seam fastball, 4 seam fastball, knuckle curve, slurve, etc.

This game is more realistic from a hitting perspective as well. At first, you will find hitting very difficult. Do not be frustrated; you will eventually improve. I suggest looking only at the strike zone, not at the ball when it is pitched. There is an option allowing the placement of the pitch to be shown, and that helps a lot. That being said, this feature by no means makes hitting easy. Unlike other games, where you just have to get the timing of the pitch down in order to hit, this game requires you to get the timing and the placement down (all in a matter of 2 or so seconds). Ultimately this a more realistic way of approaching hitting. To some it may not be as much fun as the home run filled games you can have in other games, but to baseball fans, this game will be rewarding.

I have to say that baseball purists, actual fans of the game, might appreciate this game more than a kid who justs wants to play a little baseball. Getting used to the game takes a little (not too much, but a little) practice. The game is definitely geared towards the knowledgable fan. It keeps track of stats that most people don't pay attention to, like OPS and OBP. This attention to detail is very much appreciated.

This game also has plenty of side features you can entertain yourself with. Like many sports games nowadays, this game has scenarios. They are enjoyable, giving you specific tasks in game situations to accomplish. Another neat aspect is the fact that you can unlock other teams, most of whom are made up of legend players. Therefore, it is possible to play with Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, et al.

I would recommend this game to baseball fans who have a little patience to learn the game. If you take the time to master the game (and this shouldn't take too long) you will be rewarded with a rich and entertaining game.

great game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

120% better than all star '03, and still the best baseball game out there...

best baseball game out there

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

hands down. the most important attribute is the gameplay. it's the most realistic out there, which makes pitching and hitting fun. the discrepancy in the speeds of different pitches (eg fastball - changeup) makes the game. pedro is deadly in this one... still not as good as Baseball Stars for the original NES, but 2nd best for sure.

Only for the enthusiast

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game, but really only one I'd recommend for those who pay attention to detail and can appreciate the "little things", like commentator accuracy, player/stadium authenticity, etc. HOWEVER, don't get this game if you're looking for something you can just jump into and be competitive right away. It's fairly difficult to get your bearings and learn the controls, even if you've mastered past baseball games. Some controls come naturally, but actions like chasing down a fly ball, diving or jumping for a ball, etc, are difficult. As for hitting, you'd be better off getting used to disappointment for a while. Learning the pitch timing isn't so bad, but in an attempt to be more authentic, you pretty much have to guess where the pitch is going, even in rookie mode. They do have an "easy hit" mode where all you have to worry about is the timing, but then all you do is give the opposing team little pop flies and grounders that they'll automatically field without an error. And as for errors, you can forget about the computer getting an error that often. It happens once in a while, but not enough to be realistic. Overall, it's a great looking/feeling/sounding game- just don't expect to rent it and have it mastered without adding up some late fees.

LOVE THIS GAME

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Game play is GREAT, graphics, stadiums top notch. And beyond that you can play specials such as scenerio mode. This mode puts you in real game situations from the previous REAL season with the same line up, the same everything. You're facing Randy Johnson in the 9th with one out and you're down by 9 runs, go to it. Beyond the game play, they have included 3-d stadium tours of all the parks, many from the past and renderings from plans for Future shea, Fenway, etc. You can have "pickup" fun games where you choose from a Major Leaguers who are just standing around and play at a farm field, urban playground and more. The announcing is top notch with Tom Brennaman and Steve Lyons. The announcing is absolutely dead on right. I buy the new version the minute it comes out each year and play it to death. Buy it for the excellent game play, then be surprised by all the terrific extras. After a while I even unlocked real video interviews with players from the old Negro Leagues. Love this game.

All-Star Massacre

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 10
Date: November 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let's see...where to begin...I don't think I can take this game any longer. I played it for one night and then returned it to the store the next day, demanding my money back. Thank GOD it was a used copy. I got a credit for the store and bought a much BETTER sports game: Madden 2004.

All-Star Baseball is one of the WORST baseball games to materialize on ANY system. It's all eye candy and no substance with beautiful renderings of stadiums and horribly incoherent gameplay...and don't even get me started on the roster system.

I bought this game, HOPING that my friends were wrong and I was right. Not only were they right, I think I bought them all a drink the next night for being so correct.

I played a total of four-and-a-half games on this thing. The last half game was a game I gave up after the Tigers were kicking my tail 23-0, happily no-hitting me all the way into the 6th inning. In fact, I think I got a total of 3 hits over those 4 1/2 games and no runs scored. If only Acclaim was able to upload its throwing talents into the head of a current Major League Baseball pitcher, that pitcher would be as priceless as fine china.

You can't hit and your pitching can't even hold a candle to the invincible robots playing for the computer's team. It doesn't matter who you are playing, be it the Tigers, the Devil Rays, an elementary school T-ball team, you can't hit. Your players swing away cluelessly because of the incredible "simulation" feel. What kind of game makes you GUESS where the pitch is going to be. You have a 1-in-20 chance that you will guess right and even if you DO guess right, it doesn't help. You either swing and miss or just pop it up weakly for an out. If you get a hold of one and it goes deep into the gap, the computer tracks it down effortlessly as if it's wearing ACME Rocket Skates.

The ONLY time you can ever hit the ball is during batting practice and you STILL swing and miss because the ball flies at you at the speed of an F-16 fighter jet.

Just because you can simulate the feel of baseball doesn't mean you should simulate every aspect. You are making this game for children, too. If they can't win, they're not going to be happy and they are not going to spend hours, "getting used to the gameplay".f

The roster-system is a mess as well. You cannot make trades to save your life. You can't have more than 25 players on your team at a time, they make references to having a "40-man roster" but it's non-existent, and if you have just 1 too many of a certain position-player, even if it MATCHES the real-life line-ups of the team you are attempting to emulate, you can't do a damn thing to correct it so you can play with the line-up you just made.

Forget this game. I can't warn you enough how bad it is and I am begging 3DO to PLEASE hurry up and put High Heat Baseball on the GameCube.

--Matt

Not the game for you...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

So I read all the negative reveiws here and at other sites before I bought a new baseball game, but I bought this one anyway. So here are my thoughts!

It is a baseball game. In the academic sense, at least. The graphics are fine, the features are nice, but the gameplay is very weak in key areas.

First, the fielding controls are awful. Getting a fielder to a ball is a challenge, but invariably the player controlled fielders are strangely slow to turn and throw a fielded ball, making it difficult (or impossible) to keep runners from advancing. Second, the computer hits when it wants to. Know that you will be in close games, only to surrender 15 runs in an inning. For fun, I started pitching position players in those instances and actually had greater success pitching them than pitchers. (Try it!) A nifty strategy, but it isn't baseball. Third and last, running the bases is a chore. The controls seem to work some of the time, and the computer seems to make the decision for you the rest of the time. Very frustrating.

Lots of pluses here, but if you're looking for solid baseball play, look elsewhere.

Acclaim Sports hits a homer with this game!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: July 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the best baseball games around! The graphics are so cool and realistic! The game controll is so real, as just like you were playing in the game! This is a game that is good to buy so go get it!

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