All Star Baseball 2001

Unless you spend a lot of time sitting glued to Sky Sports then baseball is probably going to be pretty much a sport lost on you. In fact the closest you're likely to have come to it is either playing softball at school or committing serious crimes with an aluminium baseball bat! However, just because we Brits don't have that much of an interest in the sport (as a whole) that doesn't mean that you can't have some great fun playing this game. Just think of Baseball as an over-the-top game of rounders played in huge stadiums by blokes in pin-striped pyjamas! Anyone could enjoy themselves playing it!

The first thing that really stands out about this game is the graphical quality. There may be silly pin-stripe uniforms on some of the teams, but when each and every stripe is as crisp as this then it's just about forgivable. The lovely high-resolution graphics we've come to expect from the All Star Baseball series are here all present and correct. Nice player models, good lighting effects and faithfully recreated stadiums give you the full sporting experience and if you do know your baseball players then you'll even be able to spot them from the faces in this game! Plus of course you also get the obligatory updates of players and stats in All Star Baseball 2001 to ensure maximum realism.

Major League

To give even more realism to the players there are some great animations in this game – and we're not just talking about 'player hits ball' here either. Get struck from the pitch with his head low! More amusing still... if he gets really annoyed then he flings the bat across the floor in a fit of anger. A demonstration of just how seriously the Americans take this sport! To top it off you get some equally smooth animations from the fielders as they try their utmost to thwart the opposing team and catch the ball.

Unfortunately, this is something which is all too easy to do and if anything this is one of the let-downs of a game which is a little too simple to play. An intuitive control system is always a refreshing thing to see in any game but in All Star Baseball it does take some of the skill out of the play. Fielding and want to catch the ball? Then position your player on the mark on the ground which shows where the ball is going to land! Fair enough this destination mark can be turned off but the point is you never drop the ball! Who do they think they are? Professional ball players? Similarly, when pitching you have control over every aspect of the ball apart from what power you throw it at. What this means is that you're guaranteed the fastest possible speeds for each type of throw.

Bull Durham

This is just a small grudge though, because otherwise it's a fun and simple to use control system. When pitching a ball you can choose from a massive list of different plays, as well as where you want to throw them and any aftertouch that you want to apply! The list consists of fastballs, curves, sliders, changeup, split finger, sinker, screwball, knuckleball, palm ball and spit ball! This is impressive enough but what's even more startling is the fact that when you are pitching against each player you get a small hint as to their weaknesses. Sectioned boxes show you which areas are best to pitch to and which kind of throws are best to use – very handy!

A League Of Their Own

The easy to use controls don't end there though, because when batting you can choose exactly the direction you would like the ball to go. Obviously this is going to be affected by what spin the pitcher has put on the ball but at least it gives you some kind of an idea. The batting is in fact the most difficult part of the game because you have to be extremely precise to hit the ball as it travels at up to 100 miles per hour!

Fortunately, in arcade mode you don't need to worry too much about aiming for the ball because as long as your timing is right the ball will fly regardless! When you do hit the ball there is an immense feeling of aggressive release. You find yourself pushing down extra hard on the button to hit the ball despite the fact it doesn't make any difference in the game! It does feel good though and makes for superb stress relief! Just turn on your N64 and go straight into the hitting practice mini-game to vent any unwanted anger. The satisfying flurry of organ music after you hit a home-run makes the abuse of the pad all the more worthwhile.

Field Of Dreams

There's certainly plenty to do in this game! As well as the hitting practice you've got arcade mode, league mode, playoffs, management mode and the home-run mini-game. That's without even mentioning the fact that all can be with up to four players! This means if you ever convince three mates to partake in a few rounds of catch, then there's loads of fun to be had in this game. The only problem is that even with all this variety and the option to play in four-player mode this game can still get just a little too repetitive. Perhaps this is because of the simple control system or maybe it's because we're just not American. Whatever the reason – unless you're dedicated to your baseball this could get monotonous after a while.

Worst of all, if you already have All Star Baseball 2000 then there is little reason to put your hand in your pocket for this game. Only die-hard fans of the sport would care about updated statistics and as the sport isn't that popular over here it's unlikely that there are that many big fans. This is probably the reason the game isn't getting a UK release. If you're intent on getting a baseball game then get this one but if you don't want the hassle of importing, stick with the 2000 version.