Triple Play 2002

"This game is not a hit!"

Every year I rush to buy Madden football and NBA Live as soon as they are released and have always been impressed by the sports games that EA Sports produces. I have always balked at buying any baseball games because I didn't think they would provide enough action to keep me awake, well I bought Triple Play 2002 and was right in my assumptions. I have to say that although entertaining enough, it does not have the depth of Madden and NBA Live, which really hurts what would be an otherwise fun game. On to the review:

GRAPHICS 7/10

Compared to Madden and NBA Live the players' faces are poorly done for the most part, with their heads in particular looking almost cartoonish. It is obvious that the time was not spent to create many different face images, as almost all players look alike with the exception of eye and hair color. The movement of the players when batting, pitching, and fielding are very fluid and realistic, partially due to the fact that at any given moment usually only one player is in motion, which is not processor intensive, allowing for a faster frame rate. The field and stadium qualities are outstanding although the crowd has the look of the same 10 character images repeated throughout the stadium.

Sound 9/10

The sound was quite realistic, right down to the ''whoosh'' of a fastball sailing into the catcher's glove and the crack of the bat on a hard hit home run. The crowd noise was somewhat repetitive, and the soundtrack, although fittingly perfect for the game, lacked variety. The bright spot was the commentary of Bob Costas and Harold Reynolds, which I thought was outstanding. Their quips and exchanges were original and amusing, especially the 7th inning stretch.

Gameplay 5/10

This is where the game can be improved by leaps and bounds. Although the game is addicting, the options are limited as far as depth of play is concerned. EASports skimped on the Franchise mode and off-season activity which really takes away from the long term excitement generated by building a team, drafting players, and watching player progression. The in-game gameplay is quite simple with the cursor method for batting and pitching utilizing a point and click method, although it provides for different pitch types by pushing various buttons. Batting is simple, aim and push the button. The defense AI for user control could be vastly improved, it seems that the players I control do not have near the fielding ability that the cpu players have. When I hit, the cpu players always seem to be under a fly ball and the infielders are always in the right spot on a hard hit line drive, never missing a catch.

Replay value 5/10

Like I said above, there is no Franchise or off-season mode, so when the season is done, so are you. You can play with different teams or trade players and create new players to create a dream team, which allows for some variety.

Rent/Buy

Well.. I enjoy the game enough to not regret buying it, but if you enjoy high action games, this may be a game you want to rent first.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/02, Updated 08/01/02