Ah, you have to admire 3DO’s attempt to improve their High Heat franchise each year with the addition of new game modes and realistic in-game details that make the series just as highly enjoyable as the last.  Still, with these things in mind, baseball and gaming fans should be asking one simple question: How different is this game from last year’s game?

The answer is . . . not very different.  That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing considering the High Heat series just recently made the transition from the first Playstation to the PS2.  High Heat 2002 featured newly improved graphics and much smoother gameplay . . . all of which are more fine tuned in this version, although not by very much.

Exhibition Play is the basic playing mode that has game players choosing their team and even the stadium along with other options such as starting line up.  Season Play takes your team through an entire season and on to the World Series. Two On Two Showdown is a batter versus the pitcher game; you earn points on hitting as well as pitching and the player with the most points wins. There is Home Run Derby where you chose a batter and try to make as many home runs as you can.  The All-Star game pits the West versus the East using such pros as Sammy Sosa or Derek Jeter. Stand Alone Playoff takes your underdog favorite team directly into the playoffs . . . ah, it’s great for us Dodger fans to see them at the playoffs even if it’s in a video game.

Adding to this is the Create A Player mode allows you to create a player and fit him with his own style--although you have no real control of his appearance. Player Editor could be used to change an already established player and make him faster, a better catcher or even a strong batter.    Fantasy Draft is just that . . . a way to indulge your fantasy of drafting a star player into your favorite teams. Batting Practice is the teaching tool and the first thing gamers should turn to before going through the other modes. 

Of all these game modes, Exhibition and Season are quite challenging no matter what difficulty setting you choose (Rookie, Pro, All-Star, MVP and Hall Of Fame).  The difficulty is more directed at the CPU opponent and batting.  It’s not an easy feat guessing the pitcher and if you haven’t started with Batting Practice then it’ll be hell.  Although thankfully you can change the opponent’s ball speed and batting through the Defense Alignment Options or Tuning.  Changing it to fit your game experience is a good way to start and you can always adjust it when you get use to the controls.

Pitching is another world altogether. You are given a few options based on a specific pitcher’s endurance or skill and most of them are based on the actual pitching style of certain star pitchers.  Also, during the game, the coaches give the pitchers signals.  Unless you‘re familiar with them you’ll know what they mean, otherwise you’ll be thinking: “Does Tommy Lasorda want me to throw a curveball or is that his way of telling me how much he loves me?”  You’ll also have to watch the endurance meter that will tell you when to switch him.

It’s the little things that elevate the game, such things as catching homers at the wall using a super jump (holding the X button while leaning against a wall will make your player attempt to catch the ball before it becomes a home run).  Players also could--at the drop of a hat--loose it on an umpire after a call is made and get thrown out of the game.  These moments are rare but they add to the game a sense of realism often dismissed in other sports titles.

Most thrilling of all is the game’s sound.  The background noises are almost as if they were lifted off a televised game and feature a stadium announcer introduce a batter on to the field through the PA system just as you would hear in an actual game.  You can also hear the vendors selling hotdogs and hecklers call out stuff like “Drop the ball!” or “Get off the field!”  But the television style play-by-play by the two announcers adds to the realism in ways other sports titles have failed.  Their comments are geared towards the players; good or bad plays and they even remember who struck out in what inning.

The graphics are another story, though.  It’s disappointing to see that the game hasn’t really improved since the last game.  It’s still just a small step above the PS1 High Heat games and you see this most in the stadiums and the actual players themselves.  The prime example is that the New York Mets Mike Piazza during the gameplay looks a lot like several of the other players in the various other teams and the ever-so dreamy Derek Jeter looks nothing like his game counterpart.

Still, the graphics aren’t entirely bad.  The close-ups of the batter are still nicely rendered enough that you notice creases in their uniforms or dust rise up as they slide toward a base.  And the audience is now fully animated during close-ups like in the Dreamcast’s World Series Baseball 2002 instead of the flat 2D characters of the last game.  Adding to this are the TV-styled player profiles that flash on the screen with an actual image of the actual player.

It’s always fun going up against a friend and in High Heat 2003, you have the option of going head-to-head with a buddy using the other new modes instead of just Exhibition and Season modes.  The Two On Two Showdown makes for some real competition as well as training for the main playing modes.  There’s also Fantasy Draft where you and a friend can choose top players and draft them into your teams.  Who want Curt Schilling pitching for your favorite team or Sammy Sosa batting for you?

As I mentioned before, 3DO is constantly improving the quality of their High Heat games and it’ll be interesting to see what they have in store for 2004.  Hopefully they’ll improve the graphics just enough for fans to actually recognize their favorite players and keep adding new features to the mix.  Other than that, High Heat 2003 is at the top of the game and rightfully so.

Gameplay: 9.0
Thanks 3DO for making the controls more smoother than the 2002 version which wasn’t bad but needed the things this version has.  For example, the fielders can easily be switched and could now snatch homers at the wall instead of watching them fly over their heads.  Batting is still sometimes a problem no matter how you change the camera position.

High Heat 2003’s controls are more smoother this time and the gameplay is virtually seamless . . . there are hardly any lengthy load times that get in the way of the action.

Graphics: 7.8

The graphics are where the game falters, though.  Somebody really dropped the ball on this one (no pun intended) because the in-game pros--such as Mike Piazza, for example--don’t really look much like the actual pro.  You do, more or less, get to actually see the real player by means of a just-like-television graphic that introduces each player when they walk up to bat. 

Otherwise, the game’s graphics aren’t much of an improvement since High Heat’s last game.  Players are still well detailed to the point that their uniforms crease when they’re waiting for the pitcher to throw.  And the audience is no longer inanimate background people--during the close-ups, you can see them clap their hands or wave their foam fingers.

Sound: 8.8
It’s surprising how a game with no soundtrack makes up for it with its superb example of near perfect sound effects.  You’d swear you’re in Fenway Park just by the sounds themselves and

In the background you can hear the stadium announcer (through the rather muffled PA system) call out the name of the next batter while the crowd either cheers or boos him.  Hecklers in the crowd shout out colorful remarks such as “Get off the field” or words of encouragement like “Strike him out, baby.”  Meanwhile, on the field, you can hear the pitcher’s curveball slap the catcher’s mitt.

And the play-by-play announcers have gotten better since the last game in their play calls and the player introductions are by far the best ever.

Difficulty: 8.9
From the very start of the game, you are given the choice of difficulty level: Rookie, Pro, All-Star, MVP and Hall of Fame.  It’s always wise to start from Rookie and work your way up, although even the Rookie setting can prove to be really challenging and downright unfair at times.

Lucky for us, though, you can make changes in the game settings as well through the Defense Alignment Options menu or the Tuning Menu.  Here you can adjust the ball speed or even the error frequency so game players can have an equal advantage versus the CPU team. Plus you can also find excellent batting and pitching tips from the instruction manual that you would never know about through trial and error.

Concept: 9.0
There are a lot of new features, big and small, featured in this year’s game.  Little things such as players getting ejected out of a game for arguing with the umpire are not central to the game but they’re much appreciated since they enhance the playing experience. And get a load of all the new game modes such as Home Run Derby or the Stand Alone Playoffs.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Baseball fans rejoice!  The two player option is now open to other game modes such as the Two On Two Showdown, the Stand Alone Playoff, the always fun All-Star Game and even the Home Run Derby.  Of course, you can also play against a friend in Season mode or Exhibition mode just like the previous High Heat games.

Personally, I enjoy beating a friend in the Two On Two Showdown mode that has you choose a batter and a pitcher and go against a friend to see who bats and pitches the best.  It also makes for great practice before going head-to-head in Season or Exhibition Play.

Overall: 8.7
High Heat 2003 doesn’t outshine last year’s High Heat title by much, but its subtle differences in gameplay make for much smoother action and the new features add more bang for the buck.  Sadly, there wasn’t much effort put into the graphics--which would have made this the leading baseball title available--but there is always next year’s High Heat to look forward too.