Jim's brief impressions of ASB Baseball 2005

Next up we have a hands-on preview of All-Star Baseball from our very own Jim C. Keep in mind these impressions are based not a final reviewable build of the game, and impressions may change once the final game hits stores. He states:

Thanks to our friends at Acclaim, we've had the opportunity to put a nice amount of time into a near complete Xbox version of All-Star Baseball 2005 (the release date has been pushed to 3/23 as of today). From what we've played thus far, we believe that fans of the series will definitely eat this year's installment up.

As compared to last year, ASB 2005 has definitely stepped up the visuals. The various stadiums are looking crisper and more detailed and seem to feature better animation. The frame rate is thankfully nice and smooth, and even in its unfinished state it never dips or staggers. The crowd also looks a step nicer and the different time-of-day and weather effects appear to be improved as well. The players animate well, and the transitions between movements have been smoothed out, though there is still the occasional hiccup. The player models look nice and detailed up close as well as far away, but I do totally not like the faces. They seem a bit too muddy and creepy looking, and some of the star players don't quite look like themselves. The menus are somewhat boring as compared to ESPN and MVP Baseball. Lastly, I'm waiting for a baseball game to show off some real 3D grass effects, though I'm afraid we'll still have to wait for the next generation. Hopefully soon, those flat, perfectly smooth grass painted fields will be a thing of the past.

The audio is fairly standard overall. The commentary, which is handled by Steve Lyons and Tom Brennamen, is on the quiet side as compared to a real baseball game but it comes across sounding natural. They do a good job in keeping up with the plays for the most part. The stadium songs repeat a bit too often (though support for custom soundtracks should be available) and hopefully more will be added by the time the game goes final. The crowd gets into the game on occasion, but they too don't seem to get ridiculously excited by much.

One of the touted new features in ASB 2005 is the Fielder Cam. I have to say playing from a reversed perspective on the field is quite cool, but at first it's really easy to get confused when throwing to bases. You have the ability to flip the controls back though even then I found myself throwing in the wrong direction on occasion. After several games it thankfully became easier. You can of course just play from the classic perspective, but what fun is that? Just like the Bases Loaded games of old, ASB 2005 allows you to play from an "over the pitcher's shoulder" Broadcastcam. Once I became used to the much smaller and more senstive strikezone, I definitely preferred the more cinematic feel of that perspective.

The various batting options are also a welcome feature. Timing and Zone feel a little too restrictive and old-school, 2D Cursor is just about right, and 3D Cursor allows for a little bit extra control as well as a power hitting. You can also swing using either the right analog stick or the "A" button, though I just stuck with the button method after a while. I'm also still not sure why so many baseball games do not allow you to shift in the batters box; ASB 2005 still falls into that category. Just another pet peeve.

The game definitely gives the manager-to-be a lot of modes to play around with. Acclaim went all out in putting together various modes that both casual and hardcore players would find enjoyable. We were unfortunately not able to give the online aspects a try yet. When the game hits retail in few weeks, we will be sure to bring you more in-depth information on all the modes and various other details, especially in regards to the franchise mode. Check back then for a detailed review.

Thank you Jim. As we all know, or my loyal readers who came here last year, I really dug All Star and felt it captured the game the best. Will it repeat as my favorite 3 years in a row? Only time will tell and the competition is fierce!