9.0 out of 10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This year comes All-Star Baseball 2000, the much anticipated sequel to 1998's original. Developer Iguana Entertainment has introduced a host of new options, executed a plethora of gameplay tweaks, refined graphics and animation routines and crammed it all into one cartridge. All of the above work to make ASB 2000 the best simulation baseball game we've ever played. However, it's still not perfect...

Features

•All 30 Major League teams and over 700 players from the MLBPA.
•All 30 Major League stadiums 3-D rendered down to the cut of the grass.
•Scouting reports by New York Yankees All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter.
•Individual player models feature true-to-life sizes, faces, and team uniforms.
•Over 400 new motions include over-the-shoulder catches, breaking up double plays, hook slides, swipe tags, and fist pumping player celebrations.
•All-new player graphics include sunglasses, high socks, and alternate team jerseys, plus rain delays and airborne dust.
•Over 100 unique batting stances, from the open stance of Andres Gallaraga to Jeff Bagwell's crowding home plate.
•Authentic home run swings from the games' top sluggers.
•Advanced artificial intelligence simulates actual player performance in various game conditions: day vs. night, grass vs. turf, and home vs. away.
•Individual player streaks, slumps, and errors based on real life tendencies.
•1,500 play-by-play and color calls by New York Yankee broadcasters John Sterling and Michael Kay.
•Authentic Major League game sounds for home and away games.
•On-screen matchup history for every pitcher and batter confrontation.
•Customized hot & cold strike zones for each Major League Baseball player.
•Future Throw Technology to turn lightning-quick double-plays.
•Roster management includes: Multi-player trades; creating, signing and releasing players; and calling up minor league prospects.
•Option to play the 1999 Major League Baseball schedule or a special 162-game non inter-league season.
•Ability to track season-long player and team stats in over 300 categories by STATS, Inc.
•Four game modes: Exhibition, Season, Playoff, and Home Run Derby.


[INFO PROVIDED BY IGN64.COM]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elfpack User Reviews:

No Reviews subbmitted yet

[feel free to submit you're reviews here ^^]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Internet Reviews:

All-Star Baseball 2000 is, in our opinion, the very best baseball experience to be had for Nintendo 64. Admittedly, in many ways the game feels more like a polished, refined version of the original, but in this case that is by no means a bad thing. The enhanced batting/pitching system, enabling for 3D directional ball hitting, is pure genius and no other N64 baseball game has it. The majority of bugs from last year's game have been eliminated and new modes, including a create-a-team option, have been implemented.
On the visual front, ASB 2000 is an absolute treat for the eyes; Every player model, 3D stadium and animation routine shines with realism right down to the quality of the high-resolution textures. Even Ken Griffey's Slugfest, a very pretty game in its own right, pales in comparison. We suggest you dive into third-base and then execute the instant replay mode. Your mouth will drop.
Unfortunately, this great game is hindered by its lackluster sound efforts, which do little to enhance the feeling that one is actually playing baseball at a ballpark. No PA speaker calls, only occasional crowd boos and cheers, no one-person crowd reactions, limited background music ¿ no personality. Because the sound effects are a bit on the dry side, the overall atmosphere of the game suffers in the end. Come on Iguana! Listen to what Ken Griffey is doing and then copy it. We know you can do it.
The only other problem we can find with this stellar game is the fact that it takes more than 120 pages of Memory Pak data to save.
Downfalls aside, ASB 2000 delivers in nearly every area and continues to dominate Nintendo 64 as the most polished, best designed baseball game. If you seek a simulation take on America's favorite pastime, then we suggest you run immediately to your nearest retailer and buy this game.
~IGN64.COM


from Peer Schneider
Acclaim took last year's version and refined it in every way. All-Star 2000 plays smarter, looks a tad better, and has a bunch of cool new features, like the replay mode, the pitch guesses and the 3D batting system. It's also a lot faster than last year's version, although still not as "arcade-like" as Angel Studios' Griffey. It's an awesome game all around, but I wish Iguana had also tried to push the envelope in the sound department with wilder crowd noises and better play-by-play. Interestingly, ASB2000 is really the first game that seems like it's been exclusively designed for the 4MB Expansion Pak. Although you can play it without the expansion, it just doesn't flow as well and look as smooth. If you don't want to shell out the cash for the RAM upgrade, I say wait and see how the new Griffey turns out -- everyone else, get your hands on this definitive console baseball title.
~IGN64.COM user

from Peer Schneider
Acclaim took last year's version and refined it in every way. All-Star 2000 plays smarter, looks a tad better, and has a bunch of cool new features, like the replay mode, the pitch guesses and the 3D batting system. It's also a lot faster than last year's version, although still not as "arcade-like" as Angel Studios' Griffey. It's an awesome game all around, but I wish Iguana had also tried to push the envelope in the sound department with wilder crowd noises and better play-by-play. Interestingly, ASB2000 is really the first game that seems like it's been exclusively designed for the 4MB Expansion Pak. Although you can play it without the expansion, it just doesn't flow as well and look as smooth. If you don't want to shell out the cash for the RAM upgrade, I say wait and see how the new Griffey turns out -- everyone else, get your hands on this definitive console baseball title.
from Peer Schneider
~IGN64.COM user

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back to Nintendo 64!

#'s, A-C n64 Games

Back to Video Games