All-Star Baseball 2000

"The gameplay is as addictive as GoldenEye or Zelda 64!"

Baseball games have always been the hardest sports games to simulate. However, All-Star Baseball 2000 will blow any baseball fan off his feet. With the addition of the Expansion Pak, the game will make you feel like you're actually on the pitchers mound!

The many gameplay options are a real treat. It has regular season, with adjustable amount of games, playoffs, homerun derby and quickplay. The overall amount of options in the game are a little confusing at first, but you will either not want to fiddle with it, or you'll quickly get the hang of it. Controls are also that way. They are confusing, like how to steal bases, how to adjust the aim of your bat, and other things like that. The pitching and hitting system is pretty creative, and simple, too. The challenge of the game will never wear out. Homerun derbies take a lot of practice, regular season takes a little patience, but overall, the gameplay is excellent, and very addictive.

The graphics and sound are among the average category. However, if you put in the 4 MB Ram Expansion Pak, the graphics will blow right off your feet! Not to mention the sound becomes so crisp, you'll be able to hear some of the individual cheers of the crowd. Unfortunately, the announcers are still there. The announcers take no time in becoming annoying. Their polite ways of saying you suck can really tick you off, and I don't want to go into their lame sense of humor. So, some advice to you; get the Expansion Pak and turn announcers off.

Replay-value, where sports games excel, ASB 2000 is no exception. As soon as you learn the basic controls, your gonna be playing this game until the wee hours of the morning. This game will last a long time, although, I suggest renting before you buy. Personally, I'd buy it.

Ups
Addictive gameplay and Expansion Pak compatible. Many different gameplay modes and options with many unique concepts. Very clear sound and graphics that are just short of perfection.

Downs
Annoying announcers, of coarse, you can just turn them off, but that option is so hard to find! Certain controls are hard to learn, and this can be frustrating.

Final thoughts
I really, really, really like this game, and I will buy it when I return it. It may seem weird at times that after a play is over, you might think that the game has frozen, because they don't move until after a few seconds. In addition, I think that you will like it too, as long as you give it a chance. ASB 2000 has come along way since ASB 99, it has improved in all aspects. You will find that in the beginning, it might be a little boring, but when you get the controls down, you won't wanna stop. My opinion, buy it, I can't express it more. Especially if you're a baseball fan. Well, I am starting to run out of things to say, so lets just get on with the final score, shall we?

Now finally, the final score. If you read my final thoughts, you will see that I love this game and think it's the perfect game. Therefore, the final score comes to the perfect TEN.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99