The top baseball games on the PlayStation have reached a level at which they are all pretty good. The only deciding factor between the purchase of one over another seems to be based on graphical preferences and the other little features that developers pack in. Unfortunately, Bottom of the Ninth, while being a sound baseball game, doesn't really provide anything worthwhile.
The game has the usual exhibition and season modes, as well as a training mode that allows you to practice fielding, pitching, and batting. One other feature that has been seen in previous sport titles is the situation mode. This setting puts you in key points in historic games to see if you can rise to the occasion. While this feature is interesting, it isn't much more than just another unused option.
The control is fairly tight. Running the bases, controlling outfielders, and throwing the ball are intuitive. Batting and pitching are also made pretty easy. When pitching, you simply select where the pitch will end up, and when batting you try to place a box where the pitch is headed. A game's batting setup is one of the deciding factors for most when purchasing a baseball video game. Most either prefer the box method or the simpler timing method, where you don't have to really worry about the height of the pitch.
The computer AI is fairly challenging, especially on the higher settings. On defense you really have to look and know where the play is going to be before you pitch the ball, and the computer sometimes lets a struggling pitcher stay on the mound a little too long, when other times it'll yank him out of the game after the first walk.
Graphically, Bottom of the Ninth 99 is behind its competitors. Triple Play 99 took some criticism for its choppy frame rate but received praise for its detailed players and stadium. MLB 99 was the exact opposite; its players were made of very few polygons, but they all moved with extreme grace and had great animations. Unfortunately, Bottom of the Ninth 99 doesn't have either of the game's strengths. It has the uneven frame rate of Triple Play 99 and the extremely boxy polygonal players of MLB, leaving the game with an unpolished appearance. The camera can be placed in three different positions, and it will automatically switch when a fielder throws the ball. This camera switching is done rather nicely and seems to hide some of the slowdown.
In the audio department, Bottom of the Ninth is pretty good. The announcer jabbers on about the plays fairly well. The umpire's voice and sound effects are also quite good. Even the music between innings kind of livens the game up a bit.
Overall, Bottom of the Ninth is a fair baseball title. But when it comes to sports games, fair isn't what you're looking for. You want to know that you have spent your money on the best baseball game out there. And Bottom of the Ninth, to put it simply, isn't.
