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exellent game play but you can't save rosters!! What's the point?! |
| Thomas from Levittown, NY USA says (3/Mar/2002): |
Let me start by saying the game play is excellent! All of the bugs of the 2002 version seem to be worked out. The fielding and running is greatly improved. Triples are now possible and runners score from second on a single. The camera angles are much improved so that fielding is actually possible. Errors occur more frequently (I think this is a good thing as it makes the game more realistic). Runners actually tag up and steal bases. The interface is fairly unchanged. There are more pitching options available. The overall look of the game is realistic and if you just walked in a room and saw it played on tv you would think it was a real game. A fantastic edition is the farm system which includes 15 extra actual players that can be added to your roster. With that said, here is what will make this game useless and in several months extremely pointless to play. You can only use saved rosters in the season you are in!! You can not use a custom roster for exhibition games! If you start a new season you must recreate all your created players. You must remake all your trades and free agent signings! Everytime you start a new season! In season, you can't control signings or trades of other teams unless you are trading with them yourself. What does that mean? Come July when every team is making trades you have no control and have to face the default rosters from spring. You can only access your farm team so any player that you want who is on the farm you can't get! Oh wait, there's more! The computer makes trades that you have no control over! The first day of the season there were 30 transactions!! Mo Vaughn was traded from the Mets the first day of the season so when I play the Mets, Joe Shmoe will be playing first base and I have no control to change it! For me this completely ruins the game. What's the point of playing with your favorite team when you can't have the players on them that you want. I hope there is a way around this so it can be corrected. As for new added features, the trading cards are pointless. I don't understand why anyone would care about this. I have no use for the franchise mode or the expansion mode. This is an excellent game however it is completely frustrating that I can't use my saved rosters in anything except the season I am in.
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Great but far from perfect baseball game |
| The Chuckinator from Confused State says (8/Mar/2004): |
I really like this game alot, despite its few flaws.
One thing I have a big gripe with is how the computer will "draw" the ball where it wants to, for example sometimes when you are batting it looks as if you've hit a double or triple and the outfielder isn't close enough to catch the ball yet he still does. Other times when you are in the field, your fielder will stand a little ways away from where the ball is going to land and just lets it fall even though he "tries" to catch it.
If you have problems getting the people you want on your team, I have found that what you have to do is set up your roster before you start your franchise/season/series etc... for some reason you can trade whoever you want for whoever you want in the roster BEFORE you enter franchise mode (or whatever mode). This is what I did to update my Cubs team to close to their actual roster. Currently my record is 22-2.
Another thing that is a little annoying is that it seems that any level other than rookie is so hard that it isn't fun. Can't they come up with a level where it is competetive and fun but the computer doesn't murder you, or vice versa on rookie level?
However the graphics overall are really good, some of the things the announcers say when you hit homers are hilarious (ex. "Adios, Senor Pelota!"), and the Home Run Derby mode is awesome. Franchise mode is incredibly deep but you will want to simulate some games unless you REALLY REALLY want to play all 162 games. Great baseball game that is a must-have for PS2 baseball or sport-game fans everywhere.
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PS2 or NES? |
| A gamer from Chicago, IL says (14/Mar/2002): |
I rented this game for the PS2 from Blockbuster. Boy was I disappointed. I don't understand the baseball card feature. There should be an option to turn this off. Especially when it autosaves at the end of the game, and you think it saved the entire season. You have to then do another save to save the season.
The menus and such are very plain, and are somewhat hard to navigate. The graphics off the field look like they did when it was on a NES system. The on-the-field graphics are a little better. I don't like the fact that the player stats are only available when you view the franchise value screen or when you are trading/signing free agents. You can only see current salaries for players that are in your club. You can't see what a free agent is offering, or know if the guy you are getting for a high paid superstar is going to cut your payroll or raise it even more. In game controls are another thing. When you set the preferences (turn easy batting on (I hate having to guess where it goes) and game speed to fast, they don't stay from game to game. I saw fly balls drop what seemed to be a few feet infront of the outfielder. The OF didn't move, the SS had to chase it down. And other fly balls would seem to drop, and out of nowhere an outfielder is there squeezing the play. The announcing is good. The only annoying this here, is that all stats they report are from the real life 2001 season. So if you are in the 2005 year of your franchise, "In 2001, he hit .317 with 17HR and 12 SB'. This gets annoying as the years go on.
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Baseball Franchise mode, FINALLY! |
| Michael Green from Nashville, TN USA says (4/Apr/2002): |
I have been a sports game nut for many, many years. Unlike the other sports games that I buy every year (College Football, NFL, NHL, NBA) the baseball games have been big disappointments year in and year out, until now. I am a huge fan of the Franchise modes in the other sports series, but baseball has been missing this mode for reasons that are unknown to me. FINALLY, we have a great baseball game with a great Franchise mode. They even went a step further by adding a great expansion mode, which would be a great addition to the other sports series. Alas, it seems that no one can make the perfect game. You can’t see other team salaries when you are trading with them. You may trade for a player with a huge one year deal, when you had a guy with a good price for a longer contract. It also uses points instead of actual money for salaries. You can’t check player stats and rating when you are in your farm system mode. It has several other minor problems with the menu options, but for the first real franchise mode baseball games on the ps2 it has done well. The game has a few in game glitches as well. The defenders swipe at runners with their gloves way before they are near the bag (not actually touching the runner at all), but the runner is still called out. Also the ball will be way out of reach for the outfielders, but the ball magically is in their glove. Despite all of its flaws it is still by far the best baseball game on the ps2 to date. Far surpassing Triple Play and High Heat.
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lots of good things, several bad |
| dan from Fort Worth (texas), USA says (6/Apr/2002): |
I like the game in general but there are several things i don't like, And correct me if i'm wrong on these, Minuses: you can't play shorter games, i don't like playing all 9 innings cause it takes forever to finish a season -hitting is much too hard, some people that play video games ALL the time can get the hang of it, but for normal people like me that don't play that much, it's seems IMPOSSIBLE, i like the earlier batting modes from ASB '99 and '02 from N64, on these you can actually hit without haveing to play the game 23 1/2 hours a day to get the hang of it.
-the expansion teams away uniforms are all the same, except their helmets, they ALL have gray with black letters, and balck sox away uniforms
-the camera angles (even on replays) aren't as kool as the comercials, i wish they showed close ups of the players faces and stuff when they did replays of homeruns, and diving catches and double plays and stuff
-i like when it shows where the pitch is going before it's thrown, unlike the older versions of ASB this game doesn't show the ball before it's pitch which makes it harder
alltogether the game is fun, but if they fixed the above "prpblems" i'd play it more often
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Great but not perfect |
| Matt from Los Angeles, USA says (3/Sep/2002): |
I really liked this game from the minute I opened the case. The graphics were awesome, the sound was excellent, and I liked how the announcers said the name of the players. I also liked how the hitters actually charged the mound and can get ejected. And I also like how they finally have the computer reject trades. Unlike the earlier games where you could trade maybe a farm player for lets say barry bonds. And the thing I maybe liked most about the game is franchise mode and expansion mode. I love playing franchise mode on NHL 2001, and Madden 2002. But the game is not perfect. Like the earlier ASBs, the outfielders can go into superman mode and catch balls way in front of them. The game can get very frusterating in the first time you play it. It takes a while to get the hang of the hitting style, and unlike the earlier game, you can't jack homers or K hitters as you pleased. To some people this is a good thing, to others a bad thing. I like hitting homers as much as I want, but it is a good change. I also like the player development. Forgot to mention that. So this game is great but it has it's flaws. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.
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it's definately a step up |
| A gamer from Bucktown, WV says (22/Apr/2002): |
I first rented this game from the new movie store that just moved in along with Triple Play 2002 and High Heat 2003. Triple Play has great graphics but bad gameplay and High Heat just didn't get my attention. But then I popped in All Star Baseball 2003 and was blown away by the realism in this game. I'm currently 2-5 with the Pirates in my Franchise mode and I've promoted players from my farm team, placed players on the DL, and done so much other stuff. I can't wait to put Brian Giles in the Hall of Fame! The graphics are solid, realism is this games main thing, and the replay value is very high with the Franchise Mode. If your'e looking to buy a baseball game for your collection and don't think graphics are the only thing then go get yourself this game, because you won't be disapointed. I took two points off because sometimes the batters you face will hit a pitch for a homerun when there is no way it could of happened. The game is semi hard to master and I haven't even done it, but every time I play it.........let's just say with time comes success!
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Good, but not Great |
| A gamer from California, USA says (6/Apr/2002): |
I am not an avid baseball player, and I dont really like watching it on TV. However you dont have to like baseball to love this game. The detail is great and all of the stadiums look almost exactly like they do in real life. The only thing about the graphics in the stadium is that they are very blury in close up. However, it kind of freaked me out when I realized that the crowd had real faces. I also like the fact that the computer makes trades by itself. That makes the game a whole lot more realistic when you are not in control of everything going on. One of the things that really bugged me was the hitting. I preffered the hitting style from Triple Play 2001 where it was basically timing. You werent guessing what type of pitch and where it went. All in all the gameplay is good but could be better, that is why I gave it an 8. With a few improvments All Star Baseball 2004 could be one of the best baseball games ever made.
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This game isnt bad |
| Pete from Allentown says (3/Aug/2003): |
This game could be better but i mean i can play it but the BATTING sucks teh freakin curve balls just drop and u cant do anything. The pick offs suck and what ever happend to telling you the feet on a homerun i miss seeing how far i hit the ball. The scenario mode i like but its too hard u get stuck at some of them. The crowd allways stays the same and dosent cheer if you win or hit a homerun right now id rather play Tiple Play 99. Thats how bad the crowd is. Also what is up with ooo you need someone that this postion so you have to go and drop someone and pick someone up from that position. All the time every seat is filled at the game you play i mean in Franchise mode i thynk if your losing in your season some of the seats shouldnt be filled and the announcers need more things to say not the same old krap. Overall a 5 thats all im sorry.
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Best baseball game ever |
| Dave from New Jersey, USA says (31/Mar/2002): |
When i got the game i was surprised how good it was. I liked how it looked real. You can do franchise mode. In all the other baseball games for ps2 they don't have franchise mode. I read that one guys review about that you can't save your rosters you could. He is wrong. I gave this game a nine because it has good graphics and real game play. I didn't give it a ten because in the franchise mode some players went down in gradings. In the beginning of the 2002 season Sammy Sosa was a B+. In 2006 Sosa was a C. First of all Sosa should of been an A, but a player that had four 60 homerun seasons to be graded a C is unreal. But I can't complain because I was impressed of the game play and the graphics.
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Advanced Graphics |
| A gamer from Charlotte, USA says (6/May/2002): |
I love to play PS2 sports games, i enjoy sports in the season they're played. So I go out and by the newly Released All Star Baseball 2003 game. As soon as I looked at the back I knew this was the baseball game I needed. The graphics were amazing, my siter came in while I was playing and asked me who was winning. I said the Carolina Aviators (expansion team), I continued talking with her about the score and best hitters etc, when she finally realized it was a PlayStation 2 game. She thought it was a real game. She said this " I thought that those were real people, until I saw him using the controller." So I think this is the best Baseball game produced by PS2 yet.
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Best Baseball Game Ever |
| Joe Curry from Madison Heights , MI , USA says (16/Mar/2002): |
All Star Baseball 2003 is one of the best baseball games i have played in a long time it has excellent gamplay And i have no idea what that one idiot was talking about when he said that you can't save rosters. Why would you want to just put anyone you want on your team i mean that is just dumb and there is not point in playing then . Well i gave this game a 9 i think it is sweet when u bat and the outfeilders com out of no where and cath the ball that is pretty stupid so i decided not to give it a 10 but the graphics are excellent the commentary is sorda annoying but i dont mind but i like the game and if you like baseball games to this is the one you should buy
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Hard but Fair. |
| Luke from Colchester, England says (24/Jul/2003): |
All Star Baseball is a difficult game, but this is far better than an easy game which soon gets boring. The graphics are very good, particulalrly in regards to batters coming to the plate and pitchers releases.
I'm not claiming to be the best at this game, but i can hold my own ( 36-25 with nashville yellow sox), but there are too many homers hit by the CPU, whether the pitch is good or a mistake. This makes it hard as hitting homers yourself his hard, especially with the 'C' players they give you in expansion.
The game is challenging and, at times frustrating, eg some of the fielding is ridiculous, but i'm sure sticking with it will reap its rewards.
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Realism to a New level |
| A gamer from Lancaster, PA says (28/Apr/2002): |
I am a seasonal sports fan. Football in the Fall. Hockey in the Winter, and Baseball in the Summer. But I have to say, out of all the baseball games I have played. This one surpasses all. What's really neat about the game is the detail that went into each stadium and each of the player's faces. From their signature batting stances to the delivery of the pitchers. This certainly is a good addition to the baseball games for PS2. The only thing I really had a problem with is the option of a shorter game. Although there is just something about playing a 9 inning game and bringing in your closer to finish off the opposition by striking out the side.
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awesome |
| A gamer from cedar city, utah usa says (18/Mar/2002): |
I am a (self-proclaimed) baseball game guru and this is awesome. My pitchers' put on coats when running the bases. When playing in Wrigley the fans threw the home run balls back that were hit by the opposing teams. 99 mph fastballs are tough to hit and the runners round the bases. I love the game. They focused on the details and that makes it awesome. I love franchise mode and seeing how the prospects develop over time. The game is great. I would tell anyone who wants a baseball game to get this one.
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Best Baseball Game Ever |
| Matt from Maryland, USA says (15/Aug/2002): |
I am a gamer who in his time has played a lot of baseball games. Most of the baseball games I get I play them for 2 months or so and then get sick of them but its def. Not happenning with this game. I got it the day it came out and have played it pretty much every day since. The graphics in this game are some of the best ive ever seen. The season play is great that will keep you hooked. HOwever the best thing in the game is the franchise mode.
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Fair |
| John from Fresh Meadows, NY says (21/Mar/2002): |
I was very disappointed to not be able to see the extreme close-up shots of the players on the field or from different angles like the commerical. The auto replay is from shots far away. Otherwise, much of the details spent on the graphics of the stadiums and when a batter walks to the plate.
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