Sports Reviews

I would just like to say that i am a huge EA Sports fan and that all their games i have played have been entertaining and have great quality and are not complex. Then, here comes MVP Baseball 2004. Some pros and cons:

Pros: Graphics are great ballparks and players look very realistic and sharp.

New EA Sports Big Play Control is cool. You get to dive for hit balls and slide into bases. Then after the players will have grass and dirt stains on their jersey and pants making the atmosphere feel real.

Cons: As you can see the 2 pros there are is just about the graphics and sliding and diving. The most cons in the game are of gameplay.

The game is difficult and the worst part is its not one of those where its hard the first day and after that it becomes easy. I've had the game for 2 months and still have it on rookie with user batting,fielding and speed up to 50 and the cpu's all on negative 50 and i STILL lose sometimes. The cpu just bats too well. They always hit grounders in gaps and you get get it then throw it into the base in time.

Also, piching is hard. You have no clue where the ball is gonna go. Example, sliders are supposed to go from one side to another, well my slider went in a whole another direction, it was more like a knucle ball.Have the time you hit the batter and get tossed but it was not even supposed to go near him, but the pitches are unnatural.

Now dont think im a sore looser. I love challenges. And thats what most EA Sports games have. But it is just frustrating to have a 10 run lead in the bottom of the ninth then the comes back and wins. Its possible. It can happen. But it cant happen in every game in real life, but does in this game.

Hopefully, their future versions of this game are better. I wont buy MVP Baseball for a couple years, but I will continue to purchase the other EA Sports games. I do hope the other EA games dont become this hard and fustrating.

Thank you for reading my review.

For years I have been a fan of the "All-Star" baseball games. When 2004 came around, I was hoping Acclaim would release All-Star 2005 for Gamecube and they didn't. So I was stuck with All-Star 2004. Then this new game came out called "MVP Baseball 2004" created by EA Sports, which was the game that was to replace All-Star. I finally rented the game because all my friends were bragging about how great the gameplay and graphics are. THEY WERE RIGHT! After 2 days of using the game, I was hooked. I bought my own copy before the rental was even due back.

I started my season with Baseball's greatest team, the NEW YORK YANKEES. I created my player to replace Soriano at 2B. I got my whole bullpen of All-Stars and my ultimate line-up of MLB's greatest players.

Here are the Best Features of the game:

Graphics - The faces, the uniforms, the stadiums, everything looks so real. Every time I play this game on my 36" TV, my parents mistake the game for a real-life Yankee game.

Gameplay - The pitching is unbeatable. The different types of pitches are extremely realistic as to the movement, the spin of the ball and the speed. The cool thing is if you pay close attention in instant replay, you'll notice the spin of the ball goes with the pitch. If the pitch is a curve, the spin is the real-life spin of a curve. The amazes me a lot. The small details like that are cool. The pitching gets a few tries to become an expert at. Also the baserunning and fielding is extremely realistic. The awsome jumps, dives, slides, and flips are utterly amazing. If you see Derek Jeter in action in this game, you'll see what I mean. The hitting does take some time to get used to. You don't have a hitting circle to line up with the ball to hit. It's not too hard to adapt to.

Features - This game features some gameplay modes that no other baseball game features. The first one is Homerun Showdown. Your up against any batter of your choice. The object is hit up to a certain amount of distance total from all your hits before your opponent does. For example, the total distance is 1 Mile. With all the distances of your hits adding up, you have to hit a total of 5,280 feet before the other guy. Be careful. If you hit a foul ball, you total will decrease based on the distance of the foul ball. If you miss a pitch swinging, you lose 100 ft.

The next feature and my personal favorite, the Pitcher's showdown. You can be any pitcher you choose and you pick the pitcher you're up against. You have to get a certain amount of strikeouts against any batter you choose before the computer. If the batter gets a homerun, you lose a strikeout.

There are so many new features in this game I can't even list all of them. This game definitely has All-Star Baseball beat by a mile.

Buy this game and you will find out why EA Sports is the BEST and always will be.

This is a fun, addicting game which is easy to learn, and continues challenging you through 4 different levels of skill. There are many different modes of play, including Manager Mode (control your team and make game decisions without actually controlling individual players), Dynasty mode, Exhibition, Homerun Showdown and Pitcher showdown. The hitting style is fun and simple. Unlike other games, it is not impossible to make contact. Also, the pitching style of this game is different from other games. It is harder to learn, but gives you more control of your pitcher. Another thing is that all players are edit-able. You can even create players.

Some minor cons: The commentators are dull, repetitive and somtimes frustrating, the music, although good, can get tiring and the ball can disappear in instant replays.

But that shouldn't stop you from buying it! This is the only fun, challenging and realistic baseball game for the Nintendo Gamecube and I highly recommend it.

I'm biased--my favorite sport is hockey. So I love this game, just like I loved NHL 2K. What's so good about this game? The hockey is realistic, you can play with international teams (and beat Canada), the puck actually looks like it's on the stick (unlike 2K), additional shot, pass and coaching options, and the goalies are stingy (unless you're playing rookie). The bad--don't look to the announcers to add to the game.

In NHL 2K, even on 'all-star'-fast, you could skate circles around the opponent (Hey, I was the Sharks, they're not that great), do a one-timer and put the puck in. Again and again. If you try to skate circles around the opponent in 2K2, your back will be glued to the ice and you'll here something like "he must be wondering why he didn't hear the train coming." Trust me.

The only real disappointment was the announcing. Different announcers than 2K, but they must read the same script as before. Only in this version, they emphasize the hits. A LOT. Maybe that's just because I keep hitting hard--or getting hit :-(. There is depth to the game--more coaching options, more puck handling and defense options. And don't forget about creating your own players. Nothing like scoring a goal with your last name on the jersey. Just DON'T CHECK my man.

I would highly recommend this game if you love sports on the dreamcast and don't mind a challenge or getting bruised a little.

This is a great hockey game. The graphics are realistic, and the gameplay is fun. There are a few things though. For one, when you use speed burst, usually you can get around all the people. The goalies also look a little weak (but this doesn't interfere with gameplay so dont worry about it). The only other thing is that you can't adjust period lengths. So games can get to drag on after a while, even though the timer does go fast.The announcers are a little slow, and they repeat a lot, but there are the occasional funny lines.Otherwise, this game is really great.

Those looking for a lets go score 10 goals in the first period type hockey game won't find it here, this is the real deal. NHL 2K2 is the best Dreamcast hockey game (then again, the only other DC hockey game is the original NHL 2K), but it is also the best hockey game released in years, maybe since EA's NHL '94 for the Genesis. First thing you'll notice is the graphics. Everything flows so smoothly and looks and acts so realisticly you'll swear your watching an NHL game. Now we get down to the real element of the game: strategy. Like I said, this is no arcade style hockey. The designers at Visual Concepts (also responsible for the DC's fantastic NFL 2K series) went through every NHL playbook they could, giving unbelieveable realism that has never been seen before in a video game. You have to work hard to score goals because the goalies do everything they can to stop you from scoring, they are actually like brick walls. You can change up your strategies on the fly as well, and though it will take some getting used to, you will be rewarded in the end. All in all, NHL 2K2 is a fun, challenging game that takes some time getting used to, but in the end you have one of the best sports titles ever made, hockey or otherwise, and it's a fitting send off for the Dreamcast.

I've always had a soft spot for boxing games, because they are the only fighting games that don't have annoying fireballs or gigantic swords or out-of-this-world moves. The problem, until now, has been that boxing games are button-mashing events, with little strategy. Thanks to the analog-stick control, Fight Night heralds a new and amazingly solid control systemt that rewards patience, strategy and skill over speed and luck. The control is very good (though could use some tweaking; where is the option to clinch?). The game's career mode is quite solid, and very addictive.

PROS: Amazing control, solid gameplay, depth. Great AI: opponents have distinct fighting styles; while one will stick and move, another will go toe-to-toe and pummel you with hooks. Good graphics and decent sound.

CONS: Difficulty level can vary; while some fighters might have the same ratings as you, they are usually able to absorb much more damage and dish out more than you, even with an even number of punches thrown. It's necessary for a challenge, I suppose, but it gets frustrating when you get to the top 10 boxers (Marciano, Norton, etc). I HATE the soundtrack to this game. While it is true that EA has decided to "urbanize" their sports title and score them with urban hip-hop beats, the music in FN is really pretty poor. At least they could have gotten some real rappers/artists. This leads me to my next point: there is a disturbing feeling of homogeneity in this game: it's ALL about hip-hop, and it can get a bit much. More disturbing is the lack of variety in fighter models: most look like bad caricatures of Hispanic gangbangers. How about some racial variety EA? Where are the white/Asian/Non-stereotyped black or latino fighters? My last criticism lies with the mini-games you use to boost your attributes between fights. Some of these are both stupid and frustrating (heavy bag, for one), yet there is NO way of practicing them, and since they are the only way of getting better, it can become annoying.

That said, this is a very good game, and probably the best boxing game ever made! If you have patience and are a fan of pure fighters, pick it up!

Fight night 2004 gives you a total punch control system. Witch is an awsome experience because you actually feel like your really beating up your fighter. For example if you push the right thumb stick right and up, you give your opponent a right hook. If u push the right thumb stick down and slide it up to the left you do a left uppercut. You will have to try it for your self.
Fight night 2004 gives you a 20 year career mode to fight your way through the ranks to the top for the belt(you fight 2 or 3 fights a year). You can create your own boxer for career mode or use a pro boxer that already exsits like Ali or Jones Jr. You start out fighting throught the clubs and then as you go u earn money from your fights (Tip:CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTS WISELY). Also when you progress you earn knew ring entrence themes, ring entrence effects, signiture punches, ect...
It is truly the boxing game of the year. Addictive and fun. So go out there and give them the old 1-2.

Overall I have to say that I love this game. It's easily the best boxing game I've ever played. That doesn't mean that there's not things that could be better.

Pros: The graphics are very well done. The motions of the boxers are great and the venues look good. The sound is well done with some very realistic punching and crowd sounds. I personally like the total punch control, but for those who don't like it (see other reviews) there are several other controller options to choose from. The fighters in the game use different tactics that can vary depending on how the fight is going, so there is no set formula to winning.

Cons: I like the fact that the fighters show damage, but it's too uniform. First your eyes get red, then you get a cut around your eye. That's it. There could have been much more variation. Bloody or swollen noses and lips would be more realistic.

Once some opponents start to lose they begin to walk backwards around the ring, moving just as quickly backwards as you do forwards. All this while they're on the verge of going down. This can mean that you'll be chasing an opponent around for most of a round trying to land a punch or two.

Pretty much all fighters will get up on the count of 6 or 7 on the first knockdown. I've fought over 50 matches so far and have yet to see a boxer KO'd on the first or second knockdown, they always get up. A bit more realism would be nice. If you're caught with an especially powerful shot, it should be a little more difficult to get up. I've had fights where I've knocked my opponent down 7 different times before he stayed down.

Finally I think it's unfortunate that your boxer in career mode automatically retires after 20 years while still at the top of his game. Perhaps your skills could diminish as you get older making it necessary to keep training to stay in the game? Then you could decide when to retire your boxer. Go out while still on top or take a chance of losing your title? As it is now you max out your skills after a while making it pointless to keep training.

Overall this is a great game that is worth buying. Hopefully next years title will be even better with some of these problems fixed.

so simple that my 4 yr old can win.

Sega's Tennis is the PS2 conversion of the Dreamcast instant classic Tennis 2K2, and I expected it to be a lot better than this, not to mention I wonder why this game wasn't polished enough before it got released. First off what happened to the graphics? The silky smooth slick graphics from Tennis 2K2 have been reduced to jagged edges on the players, weird shimmering on the courts, and overall poor texture quality which is just puzzling consider this is the PS2 we're talking about. But wait, I'm not done yet, the A.I. controlled doubles partners are beyond bad and constantly make mistakes making you have to scramble on a regular basis. Fortunately though, there is enough good qualities here to warrant a rental at least. The electrifying gameplay and extremely tight dead on control remain intact from the original, and despite the graphics the game is still undeniably fun, which was the heart of Sega's Tennis series, that even if you don't like tennis, you'll love the addicting video game. However, if you own a Dreamcast and Tennis 2K2, stick to it because that is the better version. But if you don't and you own a PS2, this is a decent pick up.

When I first played Virtua tennis in the arcade. I was thinking to myself that I wish sega would make this game for the PS2 because it was excellent. Then a few weeks later my wish came true and I heard that Sega was developing a tennis game for PS2. The day it came out I went down to the store and got it.

The One player mode in SST provides a great amount of fun. You create your own players (a man and a women) and you train them to go play in tournaments. The players level up like in final fantasy. The training consists of mini-games that train your serve, volley, strokes and footwork. The only problem with this one player mode is that in the beggining your players are awful at hitting the ball (probally like us in real life). But once you level them up it is great fun.

In terms of graphics they are good compared to anything the dreamcast could ever do. But Sega probally didn't use all of the pS2's availbable powere though because after a point the the courts and players look all grainy and it looks like something from a nintendo 64 but the in game graphics are really good

The control in SST must be one of the best ever for a tennis game. It isn't to senstive but not to sluggish, it is very responsive and you can basically place the ball wherever u like. And the people move just like in real life.

The multiplayer is great in this game. It can use a multi- tap adapter and you an play with four players. So u can have a Sega Sports Tennis party if u like. The only problem with it is that I can't seem to find anyone who is a challlenge for me.

When you sum up all of this games aspects up, you get one of the best tennis games ever made, far surpassing any of its competitors such as Mario Tennis and Smash-c Court Tennis

My Ratings out of five:

Fun Factor- 4.5
Graphics - 4.0
Gameplay - 5.0
Control - 5.0

Rock On!
Brian

Ok, I myself dont like surfing.This game is great fof everyone though.I dont have the game,but I played it at my friends house for hours,and i must say if you dont surf, you will still have maximum fun on it.With great graphics, good gameplay,and awsome surf spots.PS: yhis game has many of the same of the tony hawk series.Buy this and have fun.

one cannot avoid compering this game with transworld surf. myself? i enjoyed TWS much more than KSPS.
if you are a surfer you should have both but if you dont have a choice i would recomend trans world surf game.
kelly's game is slightly confusing, the graphics are not better than TWS like someone mentioned.
TWS has a better understanding of surfing, they put less tricks but their moves and tricks resemble reality at least (asides of the special tricks that are hard to pull).
in kelly game you can do everything on a wave, this makes the game a little .
again, both games are worth buying and i even wanted to give this one 4 stars (i gave TWS 5..) but with all the good reviews i thought its time to get real.

I am an avid surfer from the south pacific and I'll give my opinion from a surfer point of view. I think this game is pretty cool, but Transworld surf is better, why?

KSPS has awesome graphics, the water looks like real water, the surfers movements are fluid and real, however in this one you cannot choose what wave you want to ride,once a wave rises up you are compeled to take off and ride it. This doesn't happen in TWS, since if you want to skip an incoming wave you've just duck dive an wait for a nice one.

In KSPS it seems that the wave never ends and if you stand on the face of the wave without any kind of trick you won't lose speed and you'll be away of the barrel anyway. In TWS you have to work to gain speed in order to make some tricks.

In KSPS the waves has an excessive perfect shape (I wish the waves could be so perfect in real life)perfect hollow tube, etc, etc, however in TWS the wave has a random behaviour, you can be cutting a great wave and at any moment this closes out in one section or more, like real life.

It is very easy to perform tricks in KSPS which is good for a non surfer gamer, however I like TWS because you need to tune up your skills, if you do something wrong you'll be wiped out like real life.

If you are a real surfer I must say that I recommend both games because both are great, I prefer TWS over KSPS but this is my personal opinion

This game has to be the worst attempt at an extreme skiing game I have ever seen. The controls make it almost impossible to do tricks and ski at the same time. I don't recommend this game to any person who has enough common sense to know there aren't any real ski runs like the ones in this game. DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!!!

Finally a game for skiers! This game is extremely fun to play, and you will find yourself loosing hours playing it. The only bad thing about it are the game controls can be awkward since you can only steer your player with the left analog button, and you control the players jumps {rotations, flips, ect.} with the d-pad. Also, some may not like that it's only a one-player game. Lastly, it's a great introduction to the new world of skiing {freeskiing}. Ultimately it is SSX {show-off} on sticks.

Jonny Moseley Mad Trix is the first newschool/freestyle skiing game of its kind to be released for Playstation 2. In JMMT you compete to win skis, magazine cover shots, special characters and new levels. JMMT is not goal based like Tony Hawk's Proskater, in JMMT you start off with 1 practice level and 1 competition level along with 3 characters including Jonny Moseley and two other fictional characters. To progress to new levels you must win medals which are won by achieving high scores. When you start you are given slopestyle mode and a practice mode, you can access Big Mountain mode once you are very successful in slopestyle mode.

Controls:
In JMMT there is a very different controller setup than most games; however, it has similarities with many other games such as Tony Hawk, Cool Boarders and SSX. You perform grabs by using different combinations with the left and right triggers. You can tweak your grabs to achieve a higher score using the square button. To perform tricks as you approach the lip of a jump hold X and a direction or combination of directions on the D-pad(ex...down, down+right, down+left) and just before you leave the lip of the jump you release X (Just like SSX). You can also control your rotations and flips while you are in the are using the D-pad (Like Tony Hawk Proskater). You can only steer using the left analog stick which can make difficult gameplay at certain points. Each Character has a Signature Grab and Signature Grind. In total there are 14 different grabs to choose from and all of which can be tweaked with the square button. Grinds are performed by jumping onto a rail and pressing the triangle button.

Gameplay:
JMMT is a very surealistic game, is it possible to ever grind on the golden gate bridge? I think not, the un-realisticness of this game is good and bad. If you are a skier you would tend to want a more realistic game so that you could compare it to your true skiing style. If you are not a skier tou would tend to want a more arcade based game. JMMT has the best of both worlds. You can perform real life tricks however just like THPS you can take realistic tricks and bend reality and you can do triple rodeo flips. This game however depicts skiing quite accurately and it is a surprisingly good effort from 3D0.

Characters:
Non-Fictional - Jonny Moseley, Evan Raps, Tanner Hall, Vincent Dorion
Fictional - A.T. Barron, Miki Lijima, Phat Earl Grogan, Beth "Wild Child" Clark, Skier X

The two reasons that I disliked JMMT are because of its TERRIBLE soundtrack and a few gliches in the game.

I rushed out and got this game as soon as it came out and i'm still playing it. I have to give this game a rest on the graphics, because you have to admit they suck! The game play is awesome though. I love making the all-time team. It is very easy to figure out how to play this game after 3 or 4 tryes. I am extremely dissapointed in the following mlb games. They're more of a fantasy game. This game would be great if they made a remake of it for ps2 so that they could make the graphics top of it's class, i have to agree with the other guy who said that they should let you have the coach...screeming like in real life. Also i hate it that i have play three full seasons (160 approximently games) and not once has my players that i take to the max been injured another con. Oh well overall, one of my favorite 2000 games!

If you are a baseball fan, this is as good as it gets. There are many improvements over last years game. The graphics are much better, and players look more realistic. The Total Control Batting feature has been improved upon as well. In last year's game, you had the option of predicting pitch type, and location (the strike zone was divided into four areas), a correct guess of the location would cause the cursor to lock on, a correct guess of the pitch type would cause the cursor to get bigger, and guessing both would lock on with more power. Incorrect guesses make the cursor smaller. Because it was too easy to lock on and hit home runs in last years game, 989 improved upon this system. Now, average pitchers have 4 zones, but if you are facing an excellent pitcher, teh strike zone is divided into 8 zones, making it harder to lock on. Additionally, guessing either the pitch or the location only makes the cursor get larger, you must guess both to lock on. This leads to more realistic and predictable results, and encouraging offense that isn't simply swing for the fences in every at bat. A new Franchise mode has been added, as well as a Home Run derby.

This game is just all around tops. Scores and statistics that games produce are relatively realistic (ie no football scores), and you can move the outfielders and infielders around as the situation requires. This years game also makes it easier to steal bases (it was virtually impossible in last years game)

The only real faults of this game are that sometimes the ball moves a bit too fast (a line drive that lands in front of the right fielder can be thrown to first base, and beat the runner, something which never happens in real baseball) but these minor glitches are few and far between.

This is pretty much as good as it gets.

MLB 2001 is one the best new games of the season. No work needed here. If you want a game with all the gusto and less hype buy a baseball game from 989Sports. Preferably MLB 2001. It has great improvements. "Same dance, just a different tune." The buttons work the same to control the movements of players, which is one of the greatest plus's. The players stance, movement, and catch ability is greatly improved. Die Hard baseball fans have it all wrong about this one. It's the best game currently for the playstation. Believe me, I have played them. All I can say is,give it a try. Disappointment is for the mental-case baseball fan whom believes everything is currently perfect in baseball stats to predict a baseball game's outcome. How many times has a baseball fan been proved wrong in a real game about this one? Forget the twisted views and purchase MLB 2001 from 989sports. Let the baseball fan of the opposing team take all heat. PLAY ON!

I rented this game (luckily I didn't buy it) hoping it would be a good college basketball game. Man, was I wrong. I really wanted it so I could play with my favorite team, but found that my team wasn't even in the game, even though they are a division 1 school. In fact, the game leaves out a number of 1-A conferences. Some of the conferences they leave out have teams that make it to the tournament almost every year! I don't get it. The gameplay also is not good. I feel like I have almost no control over the ball handler. The courts are not detailed either. They all look the same (with the exception of the school logo in the center). I stress to you not to buy this game. I am just happy I rented it before buying.

This game is dabomb. The seasonplay and gameplay is cool also. The only problem i have against this game is it doesn't say there names. So if Carmelo Anthony went up and shot a jump shot the announcer would say #15 makes the J. It gets annoying after a while not knowing what player u are.

I think that this game is very enjoyable and it is a very fun game to play. When I am reading some of the other reviews I am thinking to myself "Who cares if there is too much of that, or too little of this." Those other reviewers are too interested in the minor and unimportant details of the game, and they are just finding reasons to dump on it. I love this game, and I think what makes this game the best is the crowd, and the commentary. First of all, you cannot go wrong with Dick Vitale screaming "That was awesome BABY!" at the top of his lungs. Also, the crowd reacts to everything that happens, when you have the ball they chant for you, the scream "Three!" when you shoot a three, just like real college games.
So who cares about the fact that sometimes your players start to make every shot they take, there are sliders in the game that let you adjust the accuracy, maybe these people never checked to see if you could adjust things before they wrote their reviews. But Whatever, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys playing a game for the fun of it, not because they want a total authentic experience, because the only way to get an authentic experience is to GO TO A GAME!

Big Game Hunter is a great game on the PS2. It's like real hunting with a lot more action. You won't just be sitting in one spot waiting for a animal to cross your path. Once you start your game you will see animals & you have to stalk them down and kill them. You can hunt 24 different animals. There are 2 game modes Career Hunt or Quick Hunt. There are 4 vehicals Truck,Boat,Atv and Snowmobile. You can hunt in Alaska and Texas and many more places. The Graphics are awesome. and You can play in 3rd person or 1st person. There are rifles,pistols,bows,and shotguns. The only problems I have with this game is when you walk it's so loud and there is no way to be quiet & that there is no trophy room for quick hunt just in career mode so you when you shoot a animal it doesn't go in a trophy room. Also there is a bullet cam so when you shoot you travel with the bullet until it hits the destanation.

Cabelas' "Big Game Hunter" is a great hunting game even for only moderately fans of tha genre (Hunting, of course). It is a great hunting game and if tha controls were better than it would've gotten 5 *'s.

This is a great hunting game. I got it for Christmas but am still playing it. There are so many animals to hunt, cougar, wild bore, all kinds of deer, moose, bear, bighorn sheep and a lot more. There are also a whole lot of guns and bows. They have got shotguns, rifles with great scopes, crossbow, bows and pistols. The bullet cam is a great feature. If you don't want it on you can just turn it off. THe same with the red dot that shows you where the animals are. There are all kinds of calls to get that great trophy. This isn't just a videogame cause its so realistic. There are also a lot of hunters to choose from. If you like hunting or even if you don't, I would suggest this game to all.

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

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.

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.