All-Star Baseball 2003

"One of the best games out there."

This game is great, and EASILY the best baseball game you'll find on the PS2(or for any system). It's nearly a perfect simulation of baseball, and can get you hooked on it.

GRAPHICS: 9.5
This is why you own a PS2. Great graphics and effects make this game look better than most games out there. The animations are topnotch too. A lot of players have signature batting stances. Ichiro's stance is different then Ken Griffey Jr's for example. There a multiple throwing animations also. The fields are detailed well, and the player's faces are like there real-life counterparts.

SOUND: 10
Thank you Acclaim! Acclaim has done the impossible. The commentary is actually GOOD! The commentators will give you background info on the batter as he walks up to the plate. They'll compare the teams before the game. The commentary is so smooth and flowing that it makes you feel like your listening to a real game. The onfield sounds are above-average also. The snap as a bat cracks, the cheering crowds, and catching sounds are all very realistic.

GAMEPLAY: 9
There are only a few things holding back the gameplay in this installment. First off, the positives. The pitcher/batter interface is second to none. As a batter, you can choose between a power swing which has less a chance of connecting or a weaker hit that has a higher chance of connecting with the ball. As a pitcher, you choose a pitch(each pitcher has different pitch EX. Pedro Martinez has Circle Change-up while Randy Johnson doesn't) then where you'll pitch. When pitching, you can throw to a base mid-wind up to get a player whose gonna steal out. When batting, you can signal a player to steal(on rookie and veteran levels the runner goes when the pitch is thrown to help beginners, but on All-star the runner goes when you press the buttons, so be careful). Now to the negatives. Fielding is a little harder than it should be. This was also a problem in 2002. If your a seasoned player in All-star Baseball, you'll be able to compensate, but beginners will probably have a problem. Secondly, batting can be tough if your used to High-Heat Baseball where you just have to press X at the right time, not line up a cursor and hope you lined up correctly. To counter this though, you can just pause the game, go to game options, and put Easy Batting On.

EXTRAS/MODES: 10
You have quick play which puts you in the action right away, MLB play which you pick teams and play. There's Expansion where you create a team and pick players from the free-agent pool. Then there's Franchise. You play 20 seasons with one team and make trade, free-agent signings, drops, and see Hall-of-Famers inducted. There's also a Trivia game, Home-run derby, All-star game(using 2000-2001 All-Star roster), and Fantasy Draft(which is really cool, you pick a team and EVERY single player is released and you draft a team).

PROS:
-Graphics
-Commentary
-Sound
-Pitching
-Batting(Depends on preference)
CONS:
-Fielding
-Batting(Depends on preference)

RENT/BUY:
Buy 100%.

OVERALL:
9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/02, Updated 03/16/02