All-Star Baseball 2003

"Not Perfect, but very close!!"

After hyping the game since the beginning of Feburary, I was excited when I finally got the chance to sit down and play All Star 2003. The game made me and my friend say ''wow'' after every new animation, and marvel at the gameplay.

Grahpics: 9. 2002 didn't have bad graphics, so 2003 follows that tradition. You can now recognize your favorite star by looking at their face, instead of trying to the look for the number. The fans look pretty good, and the stadiums are amazing! In the stadium, you can see planes taking off in Atlanta, clouds moving in during the day time, and neon K's when your ace pitcher strikes out batters.

Sound: 10. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs - the fans let you know this game is close. My friend and I played such an intense game strikeout-catchup, the crowd didn't stop their cheering from the 7th to the 9th. You hear the crack of the bat, and can tell instantly how the ball was it. The occasional heckler in the crowd is there too. The sound is just perfect.

Gameplay. 9. Most importantly, to clear anything up, on All-Star difficulty, this years All Star baseball is not a home run contest. In my franchise I have 3 in 2 games, and I feel very lucky to have them, and the only reason I have two is due to the fact of them leaving their pitcher in too long. Which brings me to gameplay. Everything wrong with 2002 was fixed. So yes, no more backwards throwing, the players catch the ball on the red star spot, and no more crappy AI base running. The stamina bar is true to life in this years version, when it starts to blink after their time, hitting is a little easier, and if they are still in, you'll crank the homers off of them. I have also given up a couple triples because of their agressive base running! The game also comes with a speed option, to make the games quicker. I personally didn't like this option, but some find it very useful.

Modes: 10. Franchise, Expansion, trivia contest (very fun for two big baseball fans), drafts, this game has it all. After a lot of exhibition, I played around with the Expansion and Franchise modes, to observe the options, and alls I can say, again, was wow. Records of every sort and kept, trades, farm team, the dl, computer offered trades. It was very addicting to to be the GM and sim, seeing if I could make it to the world series. You sign big free agents with points, and after a few years, you will have to release some big players, because you can't sign them anymore. It's very tough to keep A) the young up and comers, or B) veteran power houses. The trivia contest is a external mode, where you and a friend pick a team, and see who can answer the most hard questions. You score runs depending on who is highlighted when you get a correct answer. Example is, my friend got one right while Ichiro was highlighted for a double, I got one right while Bonds was highlighted for a ''run'' or point. The trading card touch is nice. I like after each game opening the packs, seeing if I can get any extra cheats, or something for next time my friends show up

Rent/Buy: BUY!!. This game has so many new features, that it would take a long time to be bored with them all. After playing a few games, try your luck at the trivia mode, or become a GM and lead your team to the World Series. This game has very accurate rosters (Feb 01) and is just an amazing experience, which reminds me, why am I here, when ASB is in the other room!! Pick this game up today!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/02, Updated 03/10/02