MLB Slugfest 20-03

"Fun game, few detractions"

MLB SlugFest 20-03 Review by cale14aq

First off: This is a good game. You may think ''Blitz with baseball'', but you are only partially correct. Yes, the extracurricular violence, the trash talking, and arcade feel are here, but Midway has done a few choice things with this title to set it apart as a unique and fun baseball title. Read on...

Controls: 8/10
They are there. That's about it. However, in no way do they take away from the gameplay, so I can't take the score down. Baseball games aren't usually considered to be button-mashers, so controls aren't as important. However, these fit nicely, and are quite easy after playing a while. I do like the pitch control system. If you turn on balls (which is an option), the analog stick comes into play when pitching. Most certainly you will throw a bad pitch if you simply push the stick all the way to one side and pitch, but you can locate you pitches for more effectiveness with subtle movements of the stick.

The Learning Curve: I'd say 45 minutes to an hour. Right away, I could easily pitch and swing the bat, but it did take a game or two to figure out additional things such as sliding into a base, diving to catch the ball, and using the Turbo features (more on this in Gameplay).

Graphics: 9/10
Graphics are good, but not groundbreaking. Players have that arcade feel, as seen in other Midway games such as the Blitz series and NHL Hitz. They are larger than players in simulation baseball games, and are loaded with muscles. However this is not to say that they don't look good; they do! Players are crisp and actually have the faces of their real-life counterparts. A-Rod looks like A-Rod, and Randy Johnson looks like Randy Johnson; there's no such thing as ''Generic Players #1 and #2'' as far as faces go.

Framerate is solid as well, with no slowdowns. There are many animations that add to the game, such as outfielders that make show-off catches on routine flyouts, and many different animations that are shown when the batter steps up to bat. When players are ''on fire'', their shoes, bat, and glove shoot out flames, which look cool.

The Load Factor: Loading times are quite long, however are usually accompanied by pictures of supermodels in baseball attire, which helps a bit. :) Also, they threw in one other thing that helps the load times. During the loading before you start a game (which takes the longest), you listen to the two commentators talk as they would before a game. It's stuff like ''What are you doing this weekend'', etc. and is usually pretty funny.

Sound: 10/10
This category is where this game stands out most. Commentary is excellent, and is very funny. The two guys do a great job calling the game. A sample of their take of an at-bat: ''Here is Derek Jeter, who doubled last time up. Here's the pitch, and he gets a hold of it to right field!'' Their narration is very fluid, and as mentioned, they will bring in results from earlier to help the commentary. In addition to this, they often carry on hilarious conversations between pitches, about everything from soccer to beautiful women in the stands to last night's dinner. After playing about 10 games of baseball with this game, I still was hearing new commentary.

Repeatability, Repeatability? Ever muted a sports game due to the repetitive commentary? No need to here. Yes, you'll hear the same things if you play enough, but they are not overpowering and there are enough that the rotation will keep you from punching the mute button.

Sound effects are also well done. The crack of the bat, ever important in a baseball game, is there, as are effects such as sliding.

Gameplay: 7/10
This game is fun to play. The pitcher has four pitches to choose from, and the batter can swing for either contact or power or bunt, so you have many options. Fielding is good, and throwing is done by the old ''point to a base and press X''.

My favorite part of gameplay was the Turbo feature. Every half-inning, both teams' Turbo meters are filled. There are many ways in which the Turbo can used and refilled. Pitchers can make ''Turbo pitches'', which curve more and go faster (or slower), at the cost of some Turbo. They can gain a little back by throwing strikes, and a lot by striking out a batter. Batters can make ''Turbo swings'', that have a better chance of getting a hit, but that cost some Turbo. Extra base hits (which are common) refill the meter, as do stealing a base. Fielders can use Turbo to run to the ball, dive, or make fast throws. Managing and refilling the Turbo meter is crucial to winning, and adds to the fun.

Another cool SlugFest feature is this violence ability. Baserunners can punch the fielders who have the ball, and if they knock out the ball, they might gain a base. However, fielders can also punch, and have the chance of knocking the runner off base.

By far, the biggest detractor of this game is what I call the ''Midway curve''. When you go into the last few inning of a game, you better have a big lead, because the computer gets a superhuman boost. This has been seen on most every Midway arcade port, like Blitz and Hitz. I understand that arcade machines must be set to make the computer win often, because money stands to be made, but they need to fix this on console ports. It is very frustrating to take a 5 run lead into the last inning, only to get defeated almost every time. Yes, it's possible to win, but you need to be on your toes. The difficulty settings can help (there are 4), but the Midway curve is very frustrating.

Rent/Buy: Buy for most. This is a fun game. However, anyone in it for realism and accuracy to the real game won't like this title.

Overall: 8/10. It would get a 9 if not for the frustrating Midway curve.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/27/02, Updated 08/27/02