Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest

"A Fun Game That Handles Pretty Well"

Intro –
Well there’s really not too much to introduce, it’s a baseball game, and technically speaking it’s the third in Nintendo’s assortment of games to bear Ken Griffey Jr.’s endorsement. It’s a very nice game indeed, and a beginner should have no problems picking up the basics quickly. So let’s begin.

Story – N/A

Graphics – 9/10
Here’s where Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest really shines. All the players look relatively realistic, but the details of their faces are kind of choppy. The stadiums are the main thing that caught my attention, they are all extremely detailed, and also this game features all of the stadiums quirks, like Wrigley Field’s ivy walls or Fenway Park’s gigantic wall.

Control – 8/10
Frankly, as far as sports games go, I found that controlling this game was really quite easy…after I got used to batting. You can set the style of batting to arcade (a little oval that you have to aim to hit the ball) or classic (the computer automatically aims for you, and all you have to do is press the button at the right time). Batting in arcade mode is certainly multitudes harder than batting in classic, but once I get used to arcade mode I found that playing the game is much more compelling than just using the classic mode. Although if you’re with some friends that are unfamiliar with the game stick with classic. Aside from batting playing defense and directing base runners is easy to say the least.

Music – 4/10
There are two things to note about this game’s music, and on sort of makes up for the other. First this game’s music is extremely annoying it just repeats over and over again like a broken record. Second the music featured is not very loud, so it’s almost hard to hear the annoying music (this is more of a good thing than a bad believe me ;-). Needless to say if you have a working radio or stereo anywhere near your N64 you’ll find that much more entertaining.

Sound Effects – 6/10
The sound effects and the commentary are all passable, but they certainly aren’t very memorable. The cracks of the bat can at sometimes sound slightly fake and the umpires don’t really say much you wouldn’t expect. If you become a veteran of this game Dave Neihaus’ commentary will quickly grow monotonous.

Multiplayer – 7/10
Take on your friends in a quick exhibition game or play with them in home run derby. This game doesn’t exactly offer anything additional to its multiplayer mode.

Fun Factor – 7/10
The only real exceptionable features of this game is its outstanding graphics, and its relatively easy to handle controls. Other than that it’s an average game, even sub-par with regards to the music. This is a great game to have if you enjoy a very simply set up baseball sim, that only takes a few hours to adapt to.

Replay Value – Medium
Considering it’s a sports game there’s no real end to it, as a result it does have quite a bit of replay value in it.

Challenge – Low
After you get used to batting the AI in this game is very simple to beat up on. I suggest that all veterans of this game should put it on its all-star (hard) setting.

Buy or Rent – Rent
Definitely rent this one first, and if you do buy it look for it used. Judging by the time this review is being written (8/16/02), I’m sure there’s a superior baseball sim out there at an equally used competitive price (around $10-$20)

Overall – 7/10
Except for some outstanding graphics and good controls this game is average. There’s really nothing too new or revolutionary about it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/02, Updated 08/16/02