GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Acclaim Studios Austin
	PUBLISHER
	Acclaim
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

There are times where you just can’t do anything but give props. For instance, the current edition of Madden is just stupid it’s so good. All Star Baseball has been a franchise that most of you know I’ve followed for years now. I wasn’t blown away when it made a jump to the GameCube but Acclaim has polished the title each year and added feature upon feature until this… All Star Baseball 2004 is the world’s best selling baseball game and this year it is also the best baseball game your money can buy. ASB 2004 has a ton of features, a polished front end and it basically hits a triple play of quality, playability, and refinement. If it isn’t on the perfection level of this year’s Madden 2003, it’s as close as you can get.

BTW, Sega; thanks for chumping out and leaving the GameCube without WSB2K3. If Acclaim keeps making baseball games of this quality, we’ll never miss you.

visuals

Since it’s N64 days, ASB as always been as pretty as a Brazilian beach. This year is no exception. The first thing that you’ll notice is that the game’s front end is bang-on excellent. From the gorgeous “lineage” movie at the beginning of the game to the great menu screens (bobble heads everywhere!), ASB shows off a polish in presentation that is befitting of a top-shelf sports title.

First I have to comment on the ease upon which you can access visual data when at the plate. If you hit the management option you can call up spray charts that show the percentage the batter you're facing has moved the ball around the field. There’s a hit tracker, and hot and cold zones, all at the touch of a button. Excellent damn work here because Baseball is all about number and Acclaim has made those numbers super easy to get hold of. Great freaking job! Also, the Fox stylized graphic at the top of the screen is excellent.

As for the in-game graphics, a lot of character touches have been added. This includes the umpire checking with third or first base umps on check swings, snapped bats that flutter ever so realistically, a tuned player intro, head-to-head pitcher comparisons at the start of a game; I can go on and on and on.

The players and fields are all crisp, although I would’ve liked to have seen some more face detail on the players. When I first saw Josh Phelps on the Jays in the game I have to say that there wasn’t much of a resemblance, but that in no way affected my enjoyment of the game.

ASB looks great.

audio

“Did he go? No!” That’s the exchange between the umpire and first base judge on a check swing. Nice! Acclaim has put a lot more effort into adding depth to the entire ASB package and the audio is also vastly improved. You’ll hear character elements such as that official’s exchange. In certain environments, like the city yard, you’ll hear all of the traffic in the background, not to mention the solid crowd audio and in-game sounds. Good stuff. One major thing that I liked was the inclusion of the tune from Smashmouth. It’s a befitting tune as the beautiful opening film travels through some of baseball’s greatest moments. The song is nice because it pumps you up to play the game and to be honest, the thing suits the game perfectly. Nice choice.

By the way, the Spanish commentating idea is brilliant, and the english-speaking commentators play it off as the SAP option as if you’re watching a game on FOX. Beautiful!

gameplay

Solid. I had some real issues with the first installments of this title on the Cube. It felt a little disjointed and lacking quality in terms of immersive gameplay. This version of ASB though feels “tight” all the way around. The game is easy to pick up and enjoy for even a casual fan. However, there are a full array of options that allow experienced gamers to strategize their approach to different hitters, for example the pitch history graphic. It tells you where you’ve been getting zinged and what areas to avoid.

Where I think that this edition of ASB excels is the incredible all-around depth. There are over 80 new features in this game, the AI is deeper (no more 3-0 strike pitches), there’s a wicked pick-up game mode and a silly franchise mode that will keep any sports buff drooling for years! Now, be warned, a franchise in ASB will hog a lot of memory card space.

Kudos on a few things here. First of all, if any game needed an in game save, it’s baseball. Nice job Acclaim!

The scenario mode is excellent and since baseball is all about managing different situations it really is befitting. The history in this game is excellent as well. There are a ton of legends and greats of the game represented here.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the pitch speed may be intimidating for some gamers. I personally found it as a challenge. The reason being is because you really have to pay attention to the pitchers’ location. If he’s working the top part of the zone you can guess that he’ll try to submarine a sinker eventually and just like in real baseball if you miss your pitch, you’re pretty much done. So if you’re sitting on a high fastball and you miss it, your at bat will fall part because the speed of the pitches doesn’t allow you to drag your cursor around the zone to chase the pitch. I find this challenging and frankly, a way more realistic representation of baseball. However, I think Acclaim may have made it a bit difficult on the casual fan of the sport. If you're a diehard and you want a tough challenge that will make you feel like you’ve belted a beauty when you do connect? This is it. You better get your BP in though if you even want to get near this ball!

multiplayer

Pick-up game mode is just so perfect for multiplayer baseball!! In it you pick guys one at a time and field a team just like you would in a backyard baseball game. It’s wicked!

overall

My thoughts of ASB the last few years were that it could be quite a bit better. Well this year I find that the game has really, really hit its stride. Let me break it down for you; the game is deep in both gameplay and play modes, it’s a solid feeling game in that the gameplay is tight, the presentation is super polished and the game has Madden-esque depth. I certainly advocate a purchase of this game. You won’t need to try any other baseball game this year or in the years beyond for that matter because the franchise mode and the overall game’s depth will keep you busy for a while.

This year’s ASB comes back to its incredible efforts on the N64. I love it. Period!

9.5/10