| All-Star Baseball 2003 |
| March 08, 2002 - Acclaim's All-Star Baseball titles are widely considered some of the best videogame takes on the sport available. Developed out of Austin, Texas, the series has over the years successfully mixed simulation gameplay mechanics, from a downright tough to master batting system to the usage of the full MLB license for real teams, players and statistics, with a dedicated attention to detail. The next-generation updates, starting with All-Star Baseball 2002 have grown considerably more beautiful than previous versions, with more robust player models, more animations, more clearly defined fields and stadiums, and more. The latest version, All-Star Baseball 2003 for GameCube, is by far the best sequel to the franchise yet. It's been polished up brilliantly and now not only plays much tighter, but more closely looks and sounds like the real sport it mimics. It once again makes full use of the MLB license for all teams, players and stadiums, and even includes a new Franchise Mode (in addition to an Expansion one) that is sure to set hardcore baseball fans into a perpetual state of drooling. But sadly, the game is not quite without flaws -- there are again some AI glitches and Nintendo's limited Memory Card 59 size has made a deep impact on the save features of the Franchise and Expansion modes. Features All 30 Major League teams, including logos and uniforms More than 900 players Official stadiums, with active dugouts and bullpens, real time scoreboards and jumbotrons, with stadium features All-new player models, featuring 3-D Cyberscan technology, giving All-Star Baseball 2003 the most realistic representation for player faces ever seen in a video game Future throw technology allows players to make incredible super-smooth catches and throws like never before Innovative 3D batting interface and power/contact swing selection User control over check swings Never-before-seen broken bats Season awards like the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie Of The Year, and Gold Glove Incredible gameplay depth with 10 game modes, including Exhibition, Season, Career, Franchise, Expansion, All-Star Game, Series, Manager, Home Run Derby and Batting Practice Franchise Mode allows users to play and build their favorite team for up to twenty consecutive seasons All-new Expansion Play allows baseball fanatics to choose a city, stadium and team logo, and add that team into the Major leagues for season play All-new Expansion draft, whereby users will draft from a pool of unprotected players and build a team of free agents and minor leaguers First time ever -- official in-game player trading cards, which enable users to collect, trade and unlock cheat codes throughout the game More than 50 stadiums to choose from, including 9 classic and 10 expansion stadiums Cooperstown Hall Of Fame team, featuring favorite sluggers from the past, such as Mike Schmidt, Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra Seven authentic stadium camera angles for television broadcast views First time ever -- a 3-man broadcast booth with Bob Brenly (Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 2001 World Series Champions), Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons. * Requires at least 151 blocks of data to save during mid-season in Franchise and Expansion Modes GameplayAll-Star Baseball 2003 is, like every other offering in the series before it, a full-blown baseball simulation videogame. Acclaim Austin has once again capitalized on the full MLB license for real teams, players, stadiums and everything in between, which is a must and indeed a standard for titles of this sort. But there are additions above and beyond the call of duty for the hardcore audience to enjoy, including nine classic stadiums and 10 expansion stadiums and a Cooperstown Hall of Fame team. This is all welcomed, but the real meat and potatoes -- other than the play itself, anyway, comes via the different modes and options available. There are 10 modes of play, including Exhibition -- standard game, Season, Career, Home Run Derby, Series, Manager, and Practice. There are even baseball cards to collect, which is a superb extra for extending replay value. |
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| Presentation 6.0 Graphics 8.0 Sound 8.0 Gameplay 8.0 Lasting Appeal 8.0 OVERALL SCORE 8.3 |