High Heat Major League Baseball 2004

"When it comes to baseball this year, get high. High Heat, that is."

On PS2 this year, there were many games to choose from when it came to baseball. The most notable being High Heat Baseball 2004, MVP Baseball 2003 and All Star Baseball 2004. Of all of the baseball video games, I chose High Heat. I rented all of the available video games before I wrote this, so I could be correct. Well, here's my review on the best baseball game around.

Gameplay: 9/10
This is where High Heat really stakes their claim as to being the best baseball game. The controls are fantastic, easy for a beginner to learn, and still great for a veteran, because though they are easy, it's very, very realistic. The in-game feel of it is amazing, because you can tweak the sliders every which way to get the most realistic stats. I have never quit in the middle of a game because of boredom.

Graphics: 8/10
Not the best of all the baseball games, but still up there with them. Improved very much from last years title, which was horrible to look at. To put it simply, the graphics get the job done.

Sound: 7/10
None of your pop stars will be found in this game, but the sound is up to par. Sometimes gets annoying or boring, since there is no lyrics, but that's just my opinion. I normally just turn down the sound and put on my stereo for most sports games, since they all get repetitive, but that's just me. You make the call on this one.

Replayability: 10/10
I still have not finished playing this game, and I got it on launch day. The stats are so realistic, its like you're really playing! I'm always trying to beat the records, and then top those...This is another place it defeats other games.

Game Modes
I always like to know the information about game modes for sports games before I buy them, so here's some info. High Heat has all the game modes you could ask for in a baseball game, with a Franchise Mode, where you lead your team through many years through retirements, Free Agent Losses, Playoffs, everything that would happen in real life would happen in Franchise Mode. Franchise mode even includes minor league systems, the names aren't real, but it's still a great thing to have. Career mode is everything franchise mode is, without the payroll problems. Here you just play baseball :). These modes include fantasy drafts also. It might not be the best, but hey, its better than some games that don't even have it! In the extra modes, you have your usual All-Star Game mode, where you play during the all-star game, the Home Run Derby, where you obviously try to hit homeruns. 2 vs 2 is worthless with a friend, but you can try it yourself, because I may be wrong.

Rent or buy? Rent
I say you should rent this game, because it doesn't tickle everyone's fancy, so you should make sure you like it before you spend mucho $$$ on it.

To sum it all up, High Heat is the best baseball game around this year, the most realistic, and the most fun. Please don't bash the game when you have not even played it. Thanks. Oh wait, this is my first ever review, so go easy on me, ok? I give High Heat Baseball an overall score, of 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/08/03, Updated 06/08/03