Fortunately for us sports gaming fans, we’re in the middle of a really interesting year of baseball titles with new innovative features and improvements in various fronts.  It’s beginning to become increasingly difficult to pick a title out of the lineup, but if it’s a game rich in baseball history you’re looking for then All-Star Baseball 2004 has what you’re looking for so batter up, diamond fans.

Many of the old favorites are back again in this year’s edition, including the Home Run Derby as well as the player cards you can purchase and even the Trivia game is back.   However, there are a number of new additions including some improvements on old favorites like the Exhibition mode and Franchise.  For starters, new to the series is the Pick-up Game where the computer randomly picks players from the AL and NL roster and from the bonus teams to make two teams filled with some interesting players.

There’s also the Scenario Mode that puts players through some pretty tense situations from the 2002 MLB season.  With a grand total of twenty-one scenarios (you have to unlock many of them by completing the first six scenarios), gamers can actually change the course of baseball history or recreate it by completing specific objectives.  As for the other modes, they have been seen before in other games such as Series (putting your favorite team in the World Series).

And speaking of Franchise, this is quite possibly the best one I've seen yet.  An improvement from last year, the mode has you running everything you can possibly imagine.  It isn’t easy being a manager and a coach and signing free agents, retiring players and making lineup decisions are left in your hands.  The best part about all of this, though, is the Expansion mode--an extension of Franchise mode--that allows gamers to create their players and teams . . . you also get to pick your own stadium (complete with a multimedia tour of the fictional ballpark) and your own team mascot.  Go ahead, baseball fans, it’s okay to drool.

The controls, though, are where the game’s strength and weaknesses are found.  Batting is a lot less complex this year around and the game makes it possible to hit some really cool homeruns (although a somewhat rare occasion).  The problem, however, is in the actual base running and fielding.  On the field your players move slower than maple syrup and their reaction time is well beyond poor.  This is incredibly unfair since the CPU opponents move at a quick pace when they’re on field.  It’s the equivalent of them having a turbo button while you’re stuck on slow motion.  Pitching is also not as exciting as it should be thanks to the few pitching options available to you.  The only good thing about the pitching is that at least the game allows you to strike out players.

But as I mentioned at the start of this review, All-Star Baseball 2004 is rich in the history of baseball.  You’ll find that aside from the wonderful extras found in this game (player cards are back), legendary players can be used.  It’s great to find Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb in a line up retired and long gone ballplayers.  There’s even a Negro League with legends such as Buck O’Neil.  However, the fact that you can download an updated roster is the feature most of this year’s games were missing and is very welcome here.  With your PS2 Network Adaptor you can log on and keep your line up nice and current as the season moves along.  Gamers’ should take note, though; the game’s high memory demands (a whopping 1796KB) will occasionally give you problems, especially if you’re updating your roster.

Visually the game is not as stellar as many of the games out there.  In fact, much of what is seen here is not bad at all.  While the graphics do lack smooth textures, there are a number of details that are showcased here.  For one thing, the player models are great, especially the faces that are actually recognizable the minute the player steps up to the plate.  It’s also easy to distinguish each player since they all possess unique physical details so you won‘t be mistaking players out on the field as well.  The stadiums are also faithfully reproduced in this game (and you’ll see the difference if you take the virtual tour of each stadium).  The game also has the best-looking crowd as well, most of which wear shirts favoring their home team.

The sound is also somewhat impressive since the game features many licensed music that ranges from the opening Smash Mouth tune to samples of country and classic rock when players walk up to the plate.  The music sounds as if it were coming from speakers in a stadium packed with fans--an effect that actually sounds realistically authentic.  The sound’s weakness, though, comes in the form of the commentator team of Steve Lyons and Thom Brennaman. Their comments just don’t seem to be natural at all; in fact, their comments are often repetitive and a bit boring.

With so many choices available to the die-hard baseball fan, All-Star Baseball 2004 might not be the best of the lot but it is certainly a very solid game with a lot to offer.  The game is plagued by a number of weaknesses in fielding and pitching, but it is hard to ignore the deep Franchise mode that is near perfection.  If you love a baseball game filled with interesting game modes, plenty of trivia and legendary players of yesteryear, pick this one up right away.

Gameplay: 7.2
If only fielding and pitching was as good as the batting interface found in the game, unfortunately this is what holds the game back from greatness.  It is, though, an improvement from last year’s game.  It’s also easier to manage your team this time around, which makes the Franchise Mode such a rare and delightful gem.  Still, it’s hard to ignore the fielding problems (such as how badly and slow your players react rounding bases) and the pitching (not enough pitching options).

Graphics: 7.0
While the game lacks a certain visual charm that is seen in games like World Series Baseball 2K3 or MVP Baseball 2003, but it is decent enough nonetheless.  For one thing, the player models are wonderful and move realistically.  Their uniforms crease and fold as batters prepare to swing and they move realistically--yet somewhat sluggish at times.  The faces are also great, enough that you will truly recognize Babe Ruth the minute he steps up to the plate.

Stadiums look authentic as well and are reproduced down to the smallest detail, yet they’re still not impressive as the ones seen in High Heat Major League Baseball 2004.  Yet the game possesses the best crowds that look great from a distance and even more so when the camera pans to the batter as he makes his way towards the plate . . . they’re so realistic looking that it’s almost creepy.  And to top it off, many of them wear t-shirts with their favorite team’s colors or carry props appropriate to their teams like the foam tomahawks Atlanta Braves fans carry with them.

Sound: 7.8
Imagine stepping up to the plate while Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” plays on the stadium speakers while the announcer calls your name and the crowds go wild . . . this is exactly what you hear in this game.  Aside from the various samples of tunes that range from country to rap, you’ll hear a number of things you hear in an actual game such as organ music that livens up the fans.  Absent from the game are player taunts and the PA announcer.

What does not work in this game is the commentary that is often repetitive and lacks that personal touch heard in some of the other games.  While the majority of the games feel as if there were two commentators actually speaking to one another, the dialogue found here seems pasted on at the appropriate moments of them game.  There’s hardly any chitchat here, although it’s great to find a Spanish commentator option.

Difficulty: Hard
Even in the most easiest difficulty setting, the computer-controlled opposing team can be unrealistically superior in almost everyway.  They hardly ever make mistakes out on the field and never drop a pop fly like you can and they are also a lot faster than you are.  This can be frustratingly unfair, but still they are not an unbeatable force--they just have an unreasonable advantage. 

Concept: 8.0
You have to love a game that piles on interesting features and All-Star Baseball 2004 does exactly that with its virtual stadium tours and interviews with Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken.  There’s even an interview with legendary ballplayer Buck O’Neil who goes into a long yet interesting conversation about the Negro League and what it was like to be a black ballplayer in the old days.  The offering of a trivia game is still a great way of learning baseball facts while keeping you well entertained.  But I must add that the surprisingly pleasing addition is the online feature that allows gamers to update their roster.

Multiplayer: 8.5
While it’s fun going up against the CPU opponent, this game has multiplayer action written all over it.  You can play against a friend and, with the use of the PS2 Multitap; you can have up to four players waiting for their chance to take each another on in the various game modes.  This is especially fun since there are more teams to chose from . . . like the legend team with players like Ty Cobb and Satchel Paige.

Overall: 8.0
All-Star Baseball 2004 may not be the perfect baseball title available on the market, but there are enough extras to keep fans content.  This is truly a baseball lover’s game and you’ll feel it the minute the game is booted up, but unfortunately a few flaws keep the game from being a true Must Have.  Still, this is a game that shouldn’t be dismissed either.