Cheap All-Star Baseball 2004 (Video Games) (PlayStation2) Price
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Baseball lives and dies by the pitcher/batter duel and All-Star has you covered here. How? By offering every option the competition can muster. You can use a cursor system (like MVP Baseball), a timing based system (less realistic, but good for new players), and a system like High Heat where you have to watch the ball carefully (most realistic). Each system works but the cursor-based option could is sub par: the information regarding where and when to swing appears too late. The gameplay has other flaws. Fielding feels soft, unresponsive and slow, and the AI is stupidly aggressive at times: stealing when it shouldn't and slugging when a sacrifice is called for.
All-Star has good graphics--not the best available but very good and the animations are all smooth and lifelike. You can even identify many players by their batting stance alone. The audio is a standout, specifically the commentary, which is accurate, insightful, and even includes entertaining side conversations about the rules and quirks of the game.
All-Star isn't quite the best baseball game you can buy for your console system, but it offers the best overall package if you aren't sure what you want. Good gameplay, good graphics, lots of options and extras, and a nice range of hitting options. Play ball!--Andrew S. Bub
Pros:
- Nice range of pitching/batting options
- Good graphics
- Terrific Audio
- Uneven, overly aggressive, artificial intelligence
| PLATFORM: | PlayStation2 |
| CATEGORY: | Video Games |
| MANUFACTURER: | Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. |
| TYPE: | Video Games, PS2 (PSX2), Sony Playstation (Play station) 2, Playstation2 (Play station2), Sports, Outdoors, Great Deals (Outlet store) |
| MEDIA: | CD-ROM |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| ACCESSORIES: |
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Customer Reviews of All-Star Baseball 2004
Terrible Gameplay I can best describe All Star Baseball 2004 with the following:A baseball game that cares more about features than gameplay and graphics.The graphics are okay.The batting cursor stinks.The fielding and pitching are okay,but the batting is so bad it takes all the glory away.All Star Baseball 2002 and 2003 had much better batting cursors,although I hate all batting cusors. Here's how I score this game. Batting: 2.5 Pitching:7.5 Fielding: 10 A.I.:8 Features:Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many! This is where All Star succeeds!There's a Career mode,Expansion mode,there are pickup games,there is trivia,there are hall of fame players,there are stadium tours,there are unlockable old negro leage and major leage stadiums and more!I never tried any of these features but unlockable stadiums will mean lots of replay value.10!I haven't paid attention to the sound but people say that it is from The Natural and that it is good.10? If you want really good gameplay,get MVP Baseball 2003.If you want features,there's a baseball game called All Star Baseball 2004.
ASB 2004 is not quite a home run
In All-Star Baseball 2004, Acclaim Sports tries to reclaim the title of 'Best Baseball Game' for the console market. Surprisingly, it does a good job living up to expectations.
The first thing you'll notice when you turn on the game is video of past great baseball moments combined with highlights from the 2002 season. Selection screens have been massively overhauled as well compared to ASB 2003. Graphically, the game has never been better. Grainy video effects are used in the 'Scenario' challenge which look great and make you feel like you're playing a classic game.
The best part of this game hands down is the 'Franchise'/'Expansion' mode. It may very well be the best simulation of Major League Baseball ever released. Like in ASB 2003, you can manage a team for thirty seasons, but that's where the similarities end. There are now two segments of the minor league system for each team (a high minors and a low minors), a 40 man roster, a Rule V draft, an amateur draft, ability to trade anyone on your team w/o calling them up to the big show, and a player editor for start. Detailed player ratings are back as well. Literally, one could spend hours just tinkering with your team (and all 30 if you wanted to. There is an option to control all team's General Managers) and not play the game itself at all. Did I mention downloadable rosters as well? No more going through the teams one-by-one. (You need a network adapter plus a broadband connection to use this, FYI.)
Another mode that shines is the 'Scenario' mode. In it, you take real-life game situations from last year and try to change the outcome (such as breaking up Derek Lowe's no-hitter and seeing if you can get Mike Cameron to hit his fifth home run of the game). The more scenarios you beat, the harder they get.
Unfortunately, this game doesn't hit a home run when you get down to actually playing it. The hitting interface is still difficult to master (even on the 'Rookie' setting). More often than not right away, you'll be striking out. The fielding interface is rough at times, as well. On balls hit to right field on occasion, the computer will tell the right fielder to back up 1st base instead of going after the ball. When you take control of him to go after the ball, he runs like he has weights tied to his legs. It's frustrating and an unnecessary gameplay glitch. Throwing errors are more common as well. (Now you can throw wide as well as high or low) For those expecting the ease of gameplay like in 'High Heat' or the 'MLB' franchise, you're not going to find it.
As a baseball simulation, this is the game to have w/o question. The abundance of options with the 'Franchise'/'Expansion modes simply crush the other baseball games on the market. The 'Scenario' mode is a challenge and fun to play as well. But, like any good simulation does, it accurately reflects how difficult it is to be a professional athlete and is reflected in the gameplay. And sometimes, it's frustratingly difficult. If you love attention to detail, and are a baseball nut, All-Star Baseball 2004 is the game for you.