All-Star Baseball certainly lives up to its name. It offers the largest stable of former greats, some 50 in all, and it even offers many of the standouts and stars from the old Negro Baseball League. Its obvious Acclaim decided the best way to deal with the competition is to match it in terms of baseball prowess, but at the same time, outdo them in terms of extras: All-Star throws shovelfuls of extras. Extras like a trivia game, stadium tours, and DVD content. It even includes classic ballparks, just in case you really miss Shibe Park. There are seven fantasy ballparks in currently baseball-free North American cities, and you can pick and choose from over 30 mascots, making the expansion team options all the more interesting. All-Star also offers a deep franchise mode that rivals text simulations like Over the Top Baseball. Baseball lives and dies by the pitcher/batter duel and All-Star has you covered here. How? By offering every option the competition can muster. You can use a cursor system (like MVP Baseball), a timing based system (less realistic, but good for new players), and a system like High Heat where you have to watch the ball carefully (most realistic). Each system works but the cursor-based option could is sub par: the information regarding where and when to swing appears too late. The gameplay has other flaws. Fielding feels soft, unresponsive and slow, and the AI is stupidly aggressive at times: stealing when it shouldn't and slugging when a sacrifice is called for. All-Star has good graphics--not the best available but very good and the animations are all smooth and lifelike. You can even identify many players by their batting stance alone. The audio is a standout, specifically the commentary, which is accurate, insightful, and even includes entertaining side conversations about the rules and quirks of the game. All-Star isn't quite the best baseball game you can buy for your console system, but it offers the best overall package if you aren't sure what you want. Good gameplay, good graphics, lots of options and extras, and a nice range of hitting options. Play ball! --Andrew S. Bub Pros: Nice range of pitching/batting options Good graphics Terrific Audio Cons: Uneven, overly aggressive, artificial intelligence
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