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GAME OVERVIEW:
“ High Heat Major League Baseball is back with silky
smooth graphics, in-your-face action, and superior game controls. Featuring
World Series co-MVP Curt Schilling, new modes for 2003 include Home Run
Derby, Fantasy Draft, Create A Player, Stand Alone Playoffs, Batting Practice
and the exciting Two On Two Challenge! “
game features:
Recently awarded 2001 Sports Game of the Year by PC Gamer
and Computer Games magazines, the best PC baseball game is back, featuring
improved graphics, new two-man booth commentary, the most accurate team
rosters and much more!
• ADVANCED GRAPHICS ENGINE utilizing the power of DirectX 8.1 means
unprecedented graphics
• SIGNATURE PITCHER AND BATTER ANIMATIONS means the stars pitch
and bat just like in real life
• IMPROVED TRUPLAY(tm) AI TECHNOLOGY means batting, base running,
fielding, pitching and managing that is true to real baseball
• THE MOST ACCURATE TEAM ROSTERS mean fans in every city get the
most realistic baseball experience with the right players
• STATISTICS TRACKING of streaks and season records
• ENTHUSIASTIC TWO-MAN BOOTH with new announcer logic and twice
as many phrases brings more energy to the game
• COOL MENU INTERFACE GRAPHICS increase the "cool-factor"
and the total gaming experience
• AWESOME GAMEPLAY FEATURES include umpire arguments, player ejections
and suspensions, dropped third strikes and catcher snap throws
• ON-FIELD COACHES AND MANAGERS - mound-visiting managers and animated
base coaches spice up the action while adding to the strategy
• CURT'S PITCH FOR ALS - proceeds from each game sold directly benefit
Curt Schilling's charity for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
overall impressions:
I think anyone who regularly plays games, or has been in
the gaming business understands one simple fact. Consoles will always
make more money than PC’s . The margin is higher, the share is larger,
and the budget will reflect that, but isn't there anything to be said
of loyalty anymore? I understand that console is now what pays the bills
but couldn't there had been some minute effort to improve the PC product
for 2003? With the budget obviously going towards the PS2 version, PC
users are left out to dry with a graphically inferior and bug-ridden shell
of a sequel that is sadly labeled High Heat 2003 PC.
It goes without argument
that High Heat set the benchmark for PC Baseball gaming in 1999 when their
PC software achieved never before seen levels of realism and game play
in an exciting and innovative presentation. High Heat truly set the standard
for baseball games to be judged by. Then, in 2001, there were some significant
improvements to the graphics and features list while having some rather
annoying bugs. Still, the loyal users from the 2000 series were willing
to suffer through the bugs … if innovation was the ultimate goal.
Then, after some patching,
Sammy Sosa's High Heat 2001 was an outstanding product. It easily grabbed
the Sports Game of the Year awards from many publications. Honored as
a breakthrough in sports gaming, not enough good things could be said
of this product (even if it did take some patching to get it right).
By the time
the sequel was due for release in 2001 , the 2002 product, expectations
couldn't be higher and the disappointment couldn't be stronger. It baffles
me to this day to see what 3DO has done with this franchise. High Heat
2002 brought us some graphical improvements, but really just brought us
a host of bugs and problems that never really were addressed in their
entirety. From looping sound bugs to graphical stretching, High Heat 2002
brought out more venom-saturated news posts than any game I can recall.
Despite this obvious
blunder, the loyal user-base still moved forward and improved on the product
independent of 3DO with tune files and many stadium, roster, and uniform
updates which greatly enhanced and stabilized the game. If it wasn't for
the dedicated users then the game would not have the success it enjoys
today.
So, after
much frustration but still with great expectation, we awaited the arrival
of High Heat 2003. Promising to be free of the annoying bugs and sure
to finally catch up with other games of this generation graphically, High
Heat 2003 was sure to set the sports gaming world on its collective ear.
However as the movie of the same title says “ Reality Bites “.
High Heat
2003 is really the exact same game as High Heat 2002, with a few logic
modifications and a few different animations, aside from that, it's the
same game with the same and even some new bugs. It’s embarrassing
to say the least that 3DO actually puts their name on this product. Why,
after all this time, do they decide to ignore their PC fan base like this?
Is it because the money is in the console market , that’s a lame
excuse …. why pretend to have a new version of a game that is just
a buggier version of an already half-done sequel to begin with?
All in all
a poor effort, but if you don't want to take my word for it, pick it up
and find out for yourself ...
( Thanks
to Jeff Ashley for information in compiling this review )
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5 / 10 |
OVERALL SCORE
52 %
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6 / 10 |
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6 / 10 |
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4 / 10 |
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