Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr.

"One of the better arcade-like baseball games that provides plenty of entertainment"

Introduction
The N64 has often fallen victim to many bad and good sports games. This game certainly wasn't one of them. Major League Baseball: Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. is the type of game that tends to be more unrealistic rather than realistic. You'll find yourself getting more hits than you normally should, and pitching doesn't give you as many strikeouts. Either way, Ken Griffey Baseball provides just what you're looking for, entertainment.

Graphics [8/10]
Back in 1997, the N64 was the up and coming system of it's time. The graphics were becoming better and better in games like Goldeneye, Turok, and Star Wars. Compared to today's standards, Ken Griffey Baseball holds up very well. The stadiums do appear the same as they normally are. With the green monster at Fenway park, or the vines at Wrigley Field, the details can be noticed. Even though the fans do look like small dots, you won't be admiring the view. Instead, you'll be focusing on the pitch. The player models do represent the actual players in both height and weight, but not in their faces. It was almost impossible to distinguish each player from another except for their jersey number and/or weight/size. Either way, the graphics do appear crisp and clean throughout Ken Griffey Baseball. The baseball speeds through the strikezone with realistic speeds and the animations are very fluent. Despite the lack of batting stances in the game, the pitching animations can be pretty cool. If a pitcher is getting tired, you can see him wiping his head. Or a batter might tip his bat to the end of the plate to make sure he has full extension on his swing. Either way, the graphics department in the game is very delightful despite repeated stances on the mound and in the batter's box. There was one thing that did disappoint me though. When a ball is fielded by infielders, many of the players made almost unrealistic throws. Many animations included players throwing under their legs or behind their backs. It sort of took out of the realism of the game, but we'll talk about that later.

Sound/Music [9/10]
This is one of the many key features of Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball that makes it so great. One of the best recognizable features is the full audio support from the announcer. Every single player in the game has a sound file for his name. Thus, you actually know who is batting rather than, 'No. 34 is up to bat'. Plus, you will also hear additional comments from the announcer on homeruns and strikeouts. Great audio clips for an N64 game. The sound effects are also very realistic. You can hear the whack of the ball on homeruns, or the muffle of the knuckleball. Changeups and curveballs tend to make more wind currents while fastballs stream through the air. You can even distinguish when a fly or ground ball is hit. That's how great the sound effects are in this game. The only music I heard was during the menu navigation and it wasn't too bad. Nothing to piss you off or keep your head out of sync.

Gameplay [7/10]
The game itself has its share of problems with the actual gameplay. Even though the game is suppose to combine arcadish qualities, I think it went too far. Let's start with the hitting game. First of all, the averages are insane in this game. The CPU tends to generate realistic hitting statistics while everyone on my team was batting a .500 average. I'm not sure if it's the computer AI or just luck, but it seems too easy to get a base hit. The games often tend to go high in runs with more than 20 scored per game! Every team that faces you should raise 20 ERA before the end of the series. Even though it feels great to get so many base hits and runs, it can also get extremely boring. The game almost makes you want to get out of the inning just so you can stop scoring runs. Pitching is also too easy. I have three starters that have 0.00 ERA and have already pitched three complete games. Even though I can barely get four or five strikeouts a game. The unfortunate problem with KGJB is that it lacks realism. Not only does it lack realism, but it's too easy. Fielding is also easy since your players tend to make amazing throws. For some odd reason, they can throw behind their backs and make all sorts of grabs. The game itself offers an exhibition, season, world series, and home run derby all for your enjoyment. You can also perform trades which seem somewhat unfair since you can end up with an all-star team in a couple moves. The outdated roster doesn't help either since many modern superstars aren't exactly super in this game.

Fun [6/10]
Even with the contributing gameplay problems, Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball is very fun at times. With its ease of use, you'll find yourself constantly playing Home Run Derbys or trying to get an all-star team. The arcade qualities of the game combine well with the player to make the game more enjoyable. However, the fun may not last long if you're constantly beating the computer non-stop. You shouldn't be surprised if your team is 81-0 near the all-star break.

Replayability [8/10]
Once you get hooked to this game, it's going to take a mortar shell to get you unhooked. I constantly found myself playing this game mainly because of its vast options. You can draft new teams in season mode and make all the teams random. You can sweep through the free agents in case one of your starters gets injured. It just has too much variety to become boring.

Difficulty [2/10]
Why so low? Because it's easy, pure and simple. There are no difficulty settings in this game, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps the developers thought the game would be hard, but I sure as hell didn't find it hard at all. The first time I picked up this game, I shut the other team out and won by more than 10 runs. It's just too easy plain and simple. The batting system requires that you place your hitting circle on the ball when it is pitched. Then the rest is up to timing and accuracy. Pitching is also easy since the CPU tends to not hit. The only challenge you'll find in this game is when you're facing a friend in a head-to-head game. Then strategy comes into play.

Final Factor [8/10]
Even though Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball seems a bit too easy, I urge you to rethink about purchasing it. Overall, the game itself is a great combination of elements including big name players and pitchers. Not only do you get a fun sports game that can provide plenty of hours of entertainment, you also get a game that shows how fun it can be to hit homeruns and strikeout batters. Out of all the baseball games I've played, this one ranks on my top five despite being easy and lackadaisical.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/02, Updated 07/06/02