Not as good as the other Mario Sports games, but almost...
Game play: This game is very easy to play. It has the same rules as normal Baseball. If you know how to play Baseball this will be a cinch to learn. The controls are easy to learn ex; A= swing X= move base. The controls are so easy, even a 4 year old could learn them! The only real problem with the controls is the fact that every time you hit the ball, you take off to the base. It is so easy for the COMs to get Double plays and Triple plays ( which means to get multiple players out in one out ). Other than that the controls are tight. In the menus the controls are great! To play a round of Baseball you need to pick nine characters. There is a little bit of strategizing here. Each player has different stats. Characters rang from Mario, Wario, Diddy Kong and tons more. There is also a variety of mini games including the Toy Field and Chain Chomp game. Also there is a single player RPG type of mode. Your probably wondering how this got a 9 instead of 10. I just fun this boring compared to the other Mario Sports games. This just doesn't quite live up to Tennis or Golf, but almost. I love this game, but its just missing something, but I don't know what.
Graphics: The graphics are really good for a Gamecube game! The Mario-verse characters never looked better. You can see the bats are detailed and other details like the rivets on Mario's pants! The stadiums look nice and colorful ( which can be distracting ). Even the menus look nice and detailed. The mini games are really well done and shaded well.
Sound: The sound is marvelous. Each different stadium has a different tune, like the Donkey Kong stadium has a Jungle esq tune. The menu tune will get stuck in your head ( well at least for me anyway )! Also each character makes a different noise ex; Dry Bones makes a shattering noise and Bowser makes a growling type of noise.
Replay: There is so much to do in this game. Whether your playing with your friends or doing the RPG mode, you'll have fun. This game still costs full price, but it is worth it. You can always play the exciting mini games with your friends over, and over.
Buy, Rent, or Leave it: Buy it if you like Mario, sports, Basball, and a party. Rent it if your not so sure. Leave it if you don't like Baseball and Mario. I recommend buying it though, you will not be disappointed.
Conclusion: This game is very fun and a blast to play. Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and Mario Soccer are all good games that will probably get more sequels and so will this! Thank you Nintendo for making another Mario Sports title that is worthy of a sequel!