All-Star Baseball 2002 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned 4 or 5 baseball games during the last few years and I always play the 162 full season. When I first started the full season with ALL STAR 2002, the batting was almost impossible (it was worst since I only play in "all star" mode), but my team ERA was under 2 most of the time. For about the first 20 games, my team (Boston) was a few games above .500, and after that I was able to win 2 out of 3 easy.
FOR THOSE WHO SAYS THE GAME IS TOO HARD AND UNPLAYABLE, it's because you didn't try hard enough. This is the only baseball game in any systems that offers the most realistic timing from the pitcher's mount to home plate--which is very very fast! But I now have 3 players on my team hitting above .400, which is absurd, but not as much as when in N64's ALL STAR 2001 my Sammy Sosa hit 85 HRs and 255 RBIs!
Overall:
--great players and ball park details
--good crowd sound effect and fine but repetitive commentary.
--great image when you hit a homerun
--detailed record tracking (includes Who's HOT, Who's NOT)
--Challenging but playable
--finally it's possible to pitch a complete game! (even if your stamina gone to 0 and your pitches are not sharp anymore, you can still pitch effectively and not just result in injury as in 2001)
--lots of more realistic and new poses when catching and fielding
--detailed fielder's positions and selections of pitches.
--various camera angles on the replay
the bad:
--the notorious "freeze" of an outfielder after the ball hit the wall directly, thus requires another outfielder's rescue. Result: a triple or inside-the-park homeruns. (Hey, since CPU is effected by the same flaw, often it helps you to score too)
--Terribly scary and difficult to field the ball (I turn the AUTO on most of the time)
--The game will mess out your lineup from time to time to give players "some rest." This is done to improve the fact that many bench players on CPU's side never get to play, but it can be annoying.
--The lineup is OLD!!! After so many great players retired after the 2001 season, this game's lineup can at time seems really out of date.
--No multiple angles in the gameplay itself
--No injury, farm system and unequal trading.
--it's still a bit easy after a while
Let's face it, the baseball games in the market really fall behinde other sports and in many ways baseball is the hardest one to make. This is a great game for anyone who wish to live the magic of baseball even if there's no chance of doing it in real life. I am sure the next ALL STAR will be better and I acknowledge the many flaws this game has, but it is the best for now.

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All-Star Baseball 2002 features all 30 major-league teams and more than 700 players with lifelike facial textures for superb graphic detail. A special Cooperstown Hall of Fame team includes Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, and Nolan Ryan. The game features play-by-play and game analysis from Arizona Diamondbacks Manager Bob Brenly and his former national TV partner Thom Brennaman. You can turn back the clock with classic uniforms for each club--the '62 Mets, for instance--and enjoy all 30 current MLB stadiums. Each features active dugouts and bullpens, real-time scoreboards and Jumbotrons, and stadium-specific features such as the waterfalls at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
The game includes 130 unique player batting stances, 50 pitching deliveries, and more than 1,500 motion-captured animations. Future-throw technology allows you to make incredible catches and throws as never before. Other features include an innovative 3-D batting interface and power/contact swing selection. Season awards include the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Gold Glove. General manager mode lets you trade, sign free agents, and draft players. Other game modes include exhibition, season, World Series, home-run derby, and batting practice. Seven authentic stadium camera angles give you a TV broadcast view.
Features exclusive to the GameCube version of All-Star Baseball 2002 include two new stadiums--Safeco Field in Seattle as outfitted for the 2001 All-Star Game and Puerto Rico Stadium--and features updated graphics for many other stadiums, including PNC Park, Miller Park, and Oakland Coliseum. You can now change fielders and control checked swings. There is an all-new CPU defensive assist option and broken bat technology.

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