Long trips cramped in the
family truck with parents who sing poorly and, in the case of my childhood, a
siblings reeking feet, can be torture. With escape nearly impossible, the only
solace is found in a little handheld device that emits rays of euphoric joy. The only
thing missing from this scenario is a much needed sports game worthy of being played, and
for the longest time there hasnt been one, until now. With the release of All-Star
Baseball 2003, baseball becomes the first sport title released for the GBA thats
actually good, containing just enough depth to keep the attention of the die-hard fans and
a simple interface for the occasional ball player.If youve ever played
any of the console versions of All-Star Baseball you will find the game modes familiar.
Exhibition and Quick games are for those casual gamers who are content with playing a game
every now and then. The die-hard fans will be able to sink their teeth into the Season
mode where they can play a full 162 game season with the ability to track their stats as
the game progresses. As an added bonus, winning games can unlock a total of 64 trading
cards to view and exchange with a friend through a link cable. Acclaim made a change for
the better by foregoing the dreaded password and instead utilizing a battery-save function
in the game. If youre just interested in hitting the ball there is the Home Run
Derby and Batting Practice, which, in order to get the timing down, is the most crucial
mode on the entire cartridge for those whove just picked up the game. The
combination of all these modes adds a lot of replay ability to keep any baseball fan
interested. In the day and age of computer scanned ball players and models composed of
thousands of polygons, its nice to know that sprites can still do the trick. Every
player may look the same when theyre out in the field or up to bat, but it just goes
to show that sometimes all it takes is pure and simple gameplay to make a game
enjoyable--not just candy to stimulate the eyes. One small issue, no pun intended, is the
size of the baseball as its thrown at you. If the lighting isnt just right the
ball gets "lost" because its so tiny. Fortunately, the problem is made
manageable by a helpful cursor that tracks the ball.
Its obvious that not a lot of effort has been placed in the sound
department. There are no commentators; which I dont mind in the least, and the only
music you hear are two classic baseball tunes including, of course, the well known
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game". That in turn sounds like someone went treasure
hunting and discovered an old beat up organ in the remains of some long forgotten park to
record the music with. While it can be disconcerting at times, what helps prevent this
from being a total distraction is the fact that you dont even need the sound on in
order to play the game; there are no special hints that you have to listen for. Just turn
the sound off and play ball.
Simplifying the controls to work on the GBA couldnt have been a real
chore as they dont really need to be overly complicated. With the exception of some
quirks to get used to, the controls are pulled off rather nicely while still allowing some
strategy, as in the placement of how the field is played. As mentioned there are some
areas in which things dont run very smoothly; the area most affected is in the
running of the bases. Turning a single into a double takes getting used to and when
managing multiple runners it can all fall apart very quickly.
If you enjoy Americas favorite pastime and youre stuck in the
aforementioned car on a long road trip this summer or if you just want a good game to play
thats portable you wont be wasting your time or money by picking up All Star
Baseball 2003 for GBA and smacking the old long ball. With plenty of depth and some extras
to work towards, it should keep you occupied during the dog days of summer.