Baseball Season.

[raystorm]

Originally posted by gamevet
Baseball has had some great moments in sports history, but I'm more into the history of Football. The imaculant reception comes to mind.

I can respect that. Being born just a mile away from Yankee Stadium (though I'm a Mets fan ) I grew up around baseball. I dont know what that whole "imaculant reception" is.. guess it was some huge catch or something?

[stormy]

i fear no baseball game will ever match All Star Baseball for the N64 (wtf happened during the platform changeover? no more analog bat control!?!?!? gay!)

WSB for XBox last year was pretty damn fun though, if they fix a few things it could take the crown. Please, no more outfielders throwing pop flies back to the infield. NO ONE THROWS LIKE THAT!

[Gooch]

I currently own High Heat 2004 for PS2 and I love it. The visuals are significantly upgraded from last year's version, though they still fall far below the other games on the market. However, what HH 2004 lacks in flash, it makes up for in gameplay. The batter-pitcher interface is immaculately realisitc. In no other baseball game can I work the count quite like I can in High Heat (2003 included). Foul off 5 straight pitchers to stay alive? Fugghedabbouddit. Jam a hitter on a full count with a breaking ball so he does a limp wristed pop out to short since he was sitting on a fastball? You got it. Play a full season and have Thome hit 90 homers? Not in this game. I'll probably end up getting WSB, also, since I'm curious to see the improvements from last year's game.

[Brisco Bold]

I'm having a hard time choosing between High Heat and WSB myself.

It will come down to eenie-meanie.

[SpoDaddy]

It's not even a contest, All Star Baseball is clearly the best baseball franchise available. By the way, to all you baseball haters, shut up and move to France or some other homogay country where baseball isn't appreciated. This is America dammit, baseball and apple pie

[Astral]

Well i have ASB2004 and WSB2K3

All star has a load of options, only thing i dont like is trying to hit the baseball with the cursor(its ok when its off). The pitches may go at a realistic speed and movement but the speed of the batter swing is unrealisticly slow, which makes hitting the ball with the cursor is a pain.

WSB is a polished version of last years. The new double play animations makes infield defense quicker and more rewarding on the flip side the take out slide can make the infilder make an errand throw. All around the defense is much more balanced. Fielders dont always make perfect throws, outfielders can now hit their cutoff which then the cutoff man can also change the base to throw to. Also when they dive for the ball it doesn't always stay in the glove, it will skip out and away, which reminds me pitchers don't always catch everything that is hit to them too which is nice. Doubles have also been tougher to get, the fielders seem faster.

On the hitting side not too much changed though the power swing animation added alot to the feel of taking a really good cut. Also added some stratgy when hitting. Yea you can take off the cursors, overall there are alot more options to customize the game with.

[SpoDaddy]

Having played tons of baseball in real life, I can appreciate All Star's hitting interface because of how realistic it is. Hitting a major league fastball is still the hardest thing to do in professional sports, All Star is the only game that really captures that and truly rewards real hitting skills. You can play All Star forever because you can always improve and get better, and when 2 people that are very good at it go head to head it's bliss since it's like a chess match where your moves depend on your reflexes and skills as much as your intellect. I saw one silly review for ASB 2004 where the reviewer actually critisized it because, for example, Randy Johnson only has 3 pitches in ASB (2 fastballs and a slider) wheras in High Heat he has 6 pitches, and that extra variety is good. IN REAL LIFE RANDY JOHNSON ONLY THROWS A CUT FASTBALL A 4 SEAM FASTBALL AND A FILTHY SLIDER, NO MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER THROWS 6 PITCHES. I hate it when completely unqualified ignorant people review games, that reviewer should be ashamed of themselves. If Randy Johnson really had 6 pitches like in High Heat he'd be on the cover of the game because he'd be an unhittable pitching mutant and throw 35 shutouts a year.

By the way in most baseball games of recent years I've been able to clock a Randy Johnson fastball out of the park in my first time playing the game, that's unacceptable. A beginner shouldn't even come close to making contact with Randy Johnson's heater in a realistic baseball game.

I hate Randy Johnson, go Yankees!

[Astral]

I've had far less problems cathing up to 90mph fastballs in real life than in ASB, seriously. My problem with the batting is that while they got the pitching down, major leauge batters swing from 70-90 MPH, in ASB they feel half that speed, while WSB the bat speed feels right while the pitching is still getting there.

[SpoDaddy]

I've always thought the swing speed in ASB was dead on for a major league hitter, and I've never seen a baseball game even come close to the realism of ASB's pitching/hitting interface. World Series Baseball is definately the second best baseball franchise out currently, but it doesn't do anything better than ASB and does a lot of things worse. And then all the other franchises are just a joke. But then again I'm a baseball freak to the degree that the fact there's a baseball game where Randy Johnson has 6 pitches enrages me.

[Astral]

well its just preference to feel. There is still alot of little things, like bad pitching/hitting mechanics that would take forever to put all in.

And randy does have another pitch named Mr. Snappy. =p