High Heat MLB 2004
- February 19, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Will this season be the one that High Heat shrugs off its mere �critically acclaimed� status and takes a hard swing at capturing the top spot in baseball games?
On the DiamondSince its PS2 debut, the High Heat series has earned raves for its stellar gameplay and controls, but the game�s weak graphics and presentation have prevented it from making serious inroads into baseball gaming. So those fans who have been roped in by the fantastic gameplay will be delighted to hear that 3DO focused on exactly the right elements in its offseason: graphics and features. Judging from an early PS2 preview version (the game will also come out on the Xbox and GameCube, but those versions weren�t available at press time), High Heat�s visuals have finally made it to �the Show.�
The game still won�t lead the league in that category�the preview version of MVP Baseball, for instance, looked much prettier�but it should end up with the stuff to hang with the likes of All-Star Baseball or MLB 2004. In the early version, new player models and stadiums glistened with a much higher level of detail, and the animations were much smoother and more natural.
In the Dugout
On the features side, High Heat MLB 2004 will swing like its bat is corked. It will deliver an exhaustive Franchise mode that lets you play (or sim) an infinite number of seasons while dealing with player contracts, drafts, rookies, free agents, trades, and the like. You�ll also oversee triple-A, double-A, and single-A minor-league teams, bringing promising players up to the bigs and demoting failures to the outback.
Other strong additions will include 27 highly detailed pitch types, ranging from a power slider to a moving fastball, along with a much more polished front end and in-depth gameplay/A.I. tweaking options. Some significant tuning remained to be done in the preview version, but as long as 3DO pulls that off without a hitch, High Heat 2004 could be the start of a Yankees-like dynasty.
