What is the best baseball game in north america?

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

I'm sticking with High Heat Baseball series but are there any other good alternatives? i haven't got hh 2004 yet but has anyone played already? how is it?

[Ted Cikowski]

sega world series baseball 2k3 will be the best, according to all the previews I've read. Last years version was awesome but it was only on Xbox....high heat is second best. EA's triple play sucked so bad they changed the name this year but I forget the new title.

Microsoft is coming out with a game called Inside Pitch. All Star Baseball 2002 was weak.

[Fkesoccer]

TP=MVP Baseball

[PassionOfTheFoot]

It depends on if you prefer simulation or arcade. If you want arcadey, in-your-face baseball, then go MLB Slugfest. I prefer High Heat baseball over the other simulation baseball games I have played.

[Ellison]

Originally posted by Fkesoccer
TP=MVP Baseball

no not exactly, the only similarity is that they are/were released by EA Sports. Triple Play was crap and EA knew it. They scrapped it and a whole new team created MVP Baseball. Will it be good, probably not but at least it's a new game so there is some hope for EA.

As for the original question, I think Sega World Series will slightly edge out High Heat.

[VON9905]

Here's the reviews from the latest issue of OXM. I'll try to be back with some links to online reviews.

WSB2K3=8.8
MVP Baseball 2003=8.4
HH MLB 2004=8.2
ASB 2004=7.7


-VON

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

i watched a kid playing asb 2004 at best buy. it looked so realistic. graphics are great.
i'm glad ea scratched triple play baseball. i played 2000 and 2001. it was sooo painful to play them. sony's mlb series was also painful too.
i wanna get a pc version hhb 2004 but still can't find it. probably it's not released yet. i didn't know sega was making baseball games over here.

[Nick R]

Originally posted by Premium Hamatachi
i watched a kid playing asb 2004 at best buy. it looked so realistic. graphics are great.
i'm glad ea scratched triple play baseball. i played 2000 and 2001. it was sooo painful to play them. sony's mlb series was also painful too.
i wanna get a pc version hhb 2004 but still can't find it. probably it's not released yet. i didn't know sega was making baseball games over here.

Be advised PH, HH 2004 for the PC does not have mouse support. Hard to believe but it is true. I returned it, way too annoying to navigate using the arrow keys. They took the console version and slapped it on a PC. You are better off with one of the console versions.

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

Originally posted by Nick R
Be advised PH, HH 2004 for the PC does not have mouse support. Hard to believe but it is true. I returned it, way too annoying to navigate using the arrow keys. They took the console version and slapped it on a PC. You are better off with one of the console versions.

that's a surprise... how's editing players on ps2 version? one of the best features of hh is you can edit players whatever the way you like. but without a keyboard, wouldn't it be tough to edit?

[markask]

i hated the controls just like the other person with hh2004 (no mouse support), didn't like their navigation system regardless. didn't look into editing players. No online support? come on already.. weak.

Looks like WSB2k3 is the game again this year.
MVP looks good too, its done by EA Canada (same house that does NHL 2003). MVP is coming out next month for the PC with online support, although im sure they charge you after 60/90 days with their Matchup service.

MS Inside Pitch will be xbox live compatible, but the graphics dont look very realalistic.

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

hmmm sounds like hhb is fading away quickly. i've been supporting it since 2000. too bad wsb2k3 is available only on xbox. i hope they release one for ps2. can't afford for xbox right now

[markask]

actually....it'll be on the ps2 next wendesday in stores. =)

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

oh ok. that's good to hear

[Ted Cikowski]

IGN rated Sega's WSB2k3 the highest too.

[BlueMeanie]

Originally posted by VON9905
Here's the reviews from the latest issue of OXM. I'll try to be back with some links to online reviews.

WSB2K3=8.8
MVP Baseball 2003=8.4
HH MLB 2004=8.2
ASB 2004=7.7


-VON
Here are the ratings from EGM (issue 166):

1. High Heat 2004 (avg. score 9)
2. (tie) MVP Baseball 2003 and World Series 2K3 (8)
4. MLB Slugfest 2004 (7)
5. (tie) ASB 2004 and MLB 2004 (5).

Unfortunately, I hadn't read EGM a couple weeks ago when I picked up ASB 2004. Because I think Acclaim has committed fraud, and should be liable for releasing (and knowingly selling) broken software.

A few years ago, I had an N64 version of ASB, which showed flashes of potential but still had a lot of rough spots to iron out. I waited a couple years to get a new one, figuring those rough spots would be fixed, so I got ASB 2002 which was a launch title for Gamecube. Still sucked, in fact the GC version had a memory leak that filled up your card about 20 games into a saved franchise season, thus making it unsaveable.

So, I heard that ASB 2004 was pretty dope, at least as far as all the bells and whistles they've added. Nice old and future stadiums, the pickup game feature is cool (where you get to pick the teams like it's elementary school, and the players are wearing civvies like sweats and jeans). But they did NOT improve the batting interface, and your choice is the "get lucky and guess right" cursor, or "you'll be lucky to get one hit in 100 ABs" easy mode. The fielding is even more flaky, and I defy anyone to be able to beat the CPU if you're using manual fielding.

I've had the game for two weeks, and it's frozen on me twice, late in games. The commentary is often out of synch with the game (ie, umpire yells "Strike Three!" after strike two, announcer says "He's really overpowering today" after a pitcher who is losing by 10 strikes out his first batter, etc.).

Good chance MVP will suck, too. EA's Triple Play blew, and that's all MVP is. The review for MVP in the latest EGM is pretty funny, comparing this game to a retarded puppy that you really want to like and really want to be patient with, but it keeps doing incredibly stupid things.

[Premium Hamatachi redded]

unlike soccer where the best is obvious, it looks like the competiton in baseball game is really intensive. each source seems to pick different title as the best.

[BlueMeanie]

Originally posted by Premium Hamatachi
unlike soccer where the best is obvious, it looks like the competiton in baseball game is really intensive. each source seems to pick different title as the best.
I think that is indicative of the fact that none of the games are really there yet. For the most part, the reviews of all baseball video games seem too generous, anyway. The reviewers of baseball games put up with glitches and deficiencies that they would never tolerate in other games.

[Z010 Union]

For my money, MVP came up pretty big. I'm very impressed with it 100 games into my first season.