Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball

"Up-beat, exciting baseball"

Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is a simplistic, speedy baseball game with enough no-frills action to temporarily distract a fan of the sport that is willing to step away from the feature-heavy simulations.

Unfortunately, the lack of an MLBPA players license does hinder the project—instead of Barry Bonds slugging balls for the Giants, it’s S. Pickford. The only real player featured is Junior himself. The team names are the same, but a lot is lost without the ability to identify the major players, though quite a few of the players are somewhat recognizable because of their fake names (example: Fred McGriff, nicknamed ‘Crime Dog’, has an in-game name of D. Crime).

The batting is simplistic, perhaps overly so, in that you don’t even have control over attempting to ‘direct’ the ball. Swinging late won’t push it into opposite field, and jumping on the pitch early won’t pull it—it’s all up to luck. No cursors—just fast and slow pitches, and the insane curveballs to mess with the batter’s guess work.

However, the scores often remain fairly reasonable by baseball standards, as many of the hit balls are capable of being fielded. Surprisingly, making the diving stops and throwing out runners from the outfield is actually very fun, which juxtaposes many sports games, where it’s far more interesting to play on offense than on defense. This title presents the two aspects on equally entertaining levels.

The ballparks and players are brightly colored, but it’s the smooth animation that really brings out the character of the game. Players slide into the bases in attempt to beat long throws, leap up against the wall to bring back near-homeruns, and snap bats over their knees in frustration after striking out. Everything comes off as flashy and impressive, giving it a decidedly SportsCenter-y feel. The entire experience is more like a set of exciting highlights.

Unfortunately, any potentially similar success from the audio standpoint is ruined by the fact that just one background theme is present. This upbeat and catchy tune is nothing to worry about, but hearing it for every single game can get tiring, and represents the only real disappointment in an otherwise solid package.

If the overanxious baseball simulations are too intricate or long-winded for you, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball may be just what you need. It lacks the identifiable major league players, but otherwise manages to turn baseball into a fast-paced, enjoyable sport of excitement.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03