MLB 98

Sony's first baseball game, MLB Pennant Race, was the only weak link in their otherwise spectacular lineup of sports games. Hoping to improve upon last year's title is MLB '98-a game with a whole new name and 3-D look.

Sony claims that most baseball video games are too slow-and you know what? They're right. They promise that they'll deliver a game that plays fast, but also remains true to the sport by carrying all of the nuances and strategies that make baseball what it is.

As is the standard in most sports games, MLB will carry motion-captured, 3-D baseball players. This will pay off with colorful animations such as back-hand stabs, throwing the ball while on your knees and dramatic over-the-fence grabs. There will be many different batting and pitching stances On addition to different player sizes), allowing MLB '98 to re-create many of the baseball's more recognizable players.

MLB will be robust with features, especially when it comes to stats. Fifty categories of statistics will be tracked throughout the season, which might be a useful reference when it comes to trading players (you can create them too).

Sony promises to deliver the fastest, most intense baseball video game experience. With any luck, it'll play just as well.

Sony goes deep this year with Major League Baseball '98, offering hardballers all they could want out of an arcade-stylc baseball title. Not only does MLB make the jump to a more realistic polygonal look, but it also offers faster gameplay than the front-running Triple Play '98.

Welcome to the Show

Get ready to sharpen those cleats and cork that bat to take prime-time cuts in Exhibition, Season, or Playoff modes. If you want, bring on the attitude and compete in the All-Star game or Home Run Derby.

All the major league teams are here, including the two expansion teams, replicated stadiums, and lineups stacked with big-time players like Piazza and Griffey. To round out the experience, MLB '98 also throws in authentic uniforms, realistic pitching and batting motions, trade and create-a-player options, stat tracking in 50 categories, and interleague play.

Remember the Alomar

MLB '98 comes to the plate featuring excellent graphics and superlative control. Players are rendered in crisp polygonal fashion, exhibiting extremely smooth, lifelike movements, from Nomo's windup to Palmeiro's batting stance. The best part is the lack of slowdown, making for fast and fun gameplay.

The control in MLB '98 is solid. On defense, you can switch to the player closest to the ball more quickly than in other games, while speed bursts and diving for the ball make for some exciting action. The pitching interface is also user-friendly: Pick a pitch, pick the spot you want to throw it, then fire away. At the plate, MLB '98 uses a cursor-based interface similar to the one in Bottom of the 9th, and also features the ability to give the batter an open or closed stance, enabling gamers to hit with more accuracy.

The sound serves its purpose, using the same announcer as GameDay and Shoot Out. In-game effects like the crowd, the cracks of bats, and the snapping leather after a fastball give gamers that ballpark feeling.

Look Out, Lofton!

MLB '98 is an excellent game that looks great and plays fast. While Triple Play '98 may offer more sim aspects, MLB gets rookies into the action right away and can definitely keep the most seasoned veteran hooked for an entire season. If you like your baseball served up arcade-style, MLB '98 is the only game you need to order.