All-Star Baseball 2005 Impressions

Though the last few years have seen Acclaim put a number of their past sports franchises to bed, their All-Star Baseball series continues to thrive. Widely heralded as one of the better playing MLB titles around, and easily one of the most feature-rich, All-Star Baseball has amassed a nice following over the years. The latest iteration in the series is All-Star Baseball 2005, which will be available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox this coming February. New in this year's game will be a number of improvements to already existing features, as well as a new online mode for both systems. We recently had the opportunity to take a look at a build of the Xbox version of the game, and despite some rough spots, the game is shaping up to be another solid entry in the series.

Much of All-Star Baseball 2005's gameplay design appears to have been largely carried over from last year's game. Batting still uses a similar system where you have a swing indicator that you use to try to match up to where the pitch is going. Before a pitch is thrown, you can try to guess what kind of pitch is coming. If you guess right, your indicator gets bigger, though if you're incorrect, it shrinks. You're also able to use the right thumbstick to adjust the trajectory and direction of your swing, so you can specifically try to power one out of the ballpark, or you can cut the ball into a gap in the outfield. Pitching is also essentially the same, and you can choose from a number of different pitch types, depending on what kind of pitcher you have on the mound. Various types of fastballs, changeups, curveballs and sliders are all at your disposal, as well as a display that reads hot and cold zones for opposing hitters. You can also opt to bean a hitter with the ball, you can specifically walk him out, and you can pitch out to a base that currently has a runner on it. The mechanics of both hitting and pitching feel pretty solid at this point, and the AI for CPU-controlled players is also coming together well.

All-Star Baseball 2005 is looking to be one of the deepest, most fully featured baseball games we've ever seen. You'll have all the basic play types available to you, including quickplay, batting practice, pickup game, home run derby, and an updated version of last year's innovative and highly entertaining scenario mode--this year titled The Week in Baseball challenge. In last year's mode, you could choose from a list of noted events from the previous year's season--like Mike Cameron's five home run game or Derek Lowe's no-hitter versus the Devil Rays--and could actually play in that very scenario. It was essentially up to you as to whether or not you played out the events as they occurred or attempted to rewrite history. This year's version looks to be the same, conceptually, with 21 new scenarios available (though, unfortunately, most of the new scenarios weren't quite working yet in our build). The game will also feature a bevy of classic players, who range from Reggie Jackson to Honus Wagner, as well as plenty of bonus content that you can unlock by using the game's player-card system. The full round of online play will be available in the game as well, both with Xbox Live and the PS2 Network adapter. The Xbox version we saw had the usual array of quick match, optimatch, and create match options, along with friends list capabilities, leaderboards, and downloadable content.

This year's franchise mode is just as deep as it's ever been and should give you plenty of options for managing your favorite team--or a brand-new one. In the standard franchise mode, you're able to perform all the usual tasks. Roster management includes drafting, signing, and trading players, in addition to managing your budget against your current paid salaries. You're also able to monitor the development of players you've assigned to the various minor leagues, and you can even put your team through spring training. The game also features an expansion mode, where you can create a new team--choosing from a long list of new cities, mascots, and stadiums--and can then take part in an expansion draft.

In terms of visuals, the biggest upgrade to 2005 is a new camera system, dubbed the "fieldercam." The fieldercam is essentially a third-person, from-behind perspective, which is much the reverse of traditional field cameras. You'll see line drives and pop flies coming right at you, and you'll have to react accordingly. The new camera system was still a bit buggy in its current state and definitely took some getting used to. All told, though, it looks to be a nice new way of playing the field.

Player models are looking a bit more detailed this year, especially in the areas of body build and equipment. Unfortunately, the player faces we saw were, for the most part, not quite up to par with last year's photorealistic faces, though they may still be works in progress. The game also features a huge list of stadiums (more than 80 in all), both real-life and fictional, and they're all looking quite nice. There wasn't much audio in the build we played, but what was there sounded pretty great. Little effects, like the sound of a ball flying into a glove and the crack of a bat against the ball, sounded very realistic, and the commentary that was provided by the two-man crew of Steve Lyons and Tom Brennaman was surprisingly insightful, though still a bit buggy in certain areas.

At this stage of the game, there's no reason why All-Star Baseball 2005 shouldn't turn out to be another great entry in Acclaim's long-running MLB franchise. All the necessary elements are there, and the new gameplay mode additions should only serve to make the package that much more appealing. Expect more coverage of All-Star Baseball 2005 in the weeks leading up to its release.