Ill admit it, until recently I was one of the many who felt that EA Sports could do no wrong. In the early 90s EA took the world by storm. Their sports titles achieved a level of realism that back then boggled the mind. They created the first Hockey (excluding Blades Of Steel) and Soccer titles that were not only realistic, but also fun to play. The attention to the small details, like fans throwing hats, glass breaking, ambulances on the field, and referees that ran out and carded players, were what kept me waiting for the following years version. What new stuff will they have this year? Id wonder as I headed off to the store to pick up the latest incarnation of whatever game they had released. After a while, I noticed that the games werent as fun as I remembered them being. The controls were sloppy, and for some reason, features that appeared in previous incarnations were missing. Then, Visual Concepts came in and gave the sports gaming industry a well-deserved wake-up call with their outstanding (not NHL2k1) games. For a while, even 989 was putting out good games every now and then, yes I know that sounds crazy, but its true. EA Sports has made the transition to the Playstation2 looking to reaffirm their position on top, but its not going to be easy. Rounding out their first season of games for the system is Triple Play Baseball.

Graphics:

Triple Play is an excellent looking game, with a few small exceptions. EA has done an amazing job recreating each ballpark with detail never before seen on a console. The swimming pool at the BOB is here, the large four-fingered glove at Pac-Bell, Wrigleys vines, and Camden Yards warehouse are all present to entice you to hit them with a homer. All the recognizable ads like the Citgo sign outside Fenway, and the house near Wrigley Field with the big Budweiser painted on the roof, have been replaced by similar looking signs, but its cool to see them there. Busch Stadium in St. Louis even has the sun peeking through the top of the park, creating bright spots amongst the shadows on the field.

The camera work found in this game is a mixed bag. The view from behind the batter is fine, its the normal perspective used in todays baseball games. When there is a play at first base, the camera moves from an overhead view to a position behind the bag facing towards the field. If you take too long to pitch, the camera will cut to a stadium shot, and you can watch the crowd do the wave. It's a really sweet looking shot. Where the camera fares poorly is fortunately not while the ball is in play. As a hitter steps to the plate, the camera zooms around them, I assume its to show off the player models, but instead it makes me nauseous. After a play is over and the camera is rotating to another position, the game gets quite choppy, but calms down when it has gotten where it needs to go.

The player models are typical of what one has come to expect from EAs Playstation2 titles. This of course is realistic looking faces, decent looking bodies, and that creepy blank stare that they all seem to have. Player physique as a whole seems to resemble Tony Gwynn more than Alex Rodriguez, but its not anything that is going to ruin the game. The players are animated nicely, and many different hitting styles are emulated. Greg Madduxs wind-up is just as it appears in person, and Mo Vaughans unique stance is followed to perfection. Players are able to dive, jump, climb the wall, and even collide with each other trying to make a play in the outfield. Throwing animation for the fielders is extremely poor, because it looks as if they are out with their fathers, playing catch. On a ground ball, the third baseman will pick up the ball, and then casually lob the ball towards first. The ball still gets there in time, but theres no sense of urgency conveyed in the throw.

Sound:

The sound found in Triple Play is slightly above average. The play by play is handled by the team of Buck Martinez and Sean McDonough. With one exception, their work is solid, it follows the action on the field, and at times it can be rather insightful. On several occasions theyd remind me to keep the ball down to increase my chance at a double play, and other times theyd point out when a pitcher, mine or the computers, was ready for the showers. Some of their sayings, especially ones where they point out a historical accomplishment or statistic get repetitive, but youve got to applaud the fact that there is at least some color commentary. The one problem that I noticed was that they would sometimes point out that an error had been made, when one hadn't. "He'll probably be charged with an error on that one." they'd say, as a routine single dropped into centerfield. Why this happens, I don't know, but it will occur from time to time.

The games ambient noises are exceptional. You can hear venders hawking their wares, and even the PA announcer announcing the next batter, or a contest. When you play at home, different clips of music are played before the home teams at bats. There are several different tunes that play before an at bat depending on who is hitting. The only thing I didnt like about the sound was the obnoxious cannon sound that the bat makes when you crush the ball. This sound is fine in the Big League Challenge, but it has no place in the actual game. A nice loud crack of the bat would suit a home run shot just fine, but sadly EA took the cartoon route. Too bad I dont have Bugs Bunny hitting the ball, Ive got Sammy Sosa.

Chuck D, Fastball, Vitamin C and a few others all have music featured in the game. Its an odd mix to say the least. On a side note about the sound, Im not sure whats up with this Vitamin C chick. Theres an insert inside the case that provides more information on her music and stuff, and I dont know why. She even has her own section in one of the menus that shows her doing motion capture with Mike Piazza. Then they stick her in a video clip hitting a home run. During this little montage, her music is playing in the background, and she explains how she loves Triple Play. If there are ANY girls out there that play Triple Play please email me, I dont believe that you exist. Back to Vitamin, I dont know what her deal is, and why shes in here. Its a mystery.

Gameplay:

In the gameplay department, Triple Play Baseball seems to be having an identity crisis. Its certainly not a simulation, with its cannon shots and outfielders running into each other, yet its not fast-paced enough or over the top enough to be an arcade game. There are those who want a sim-like experience from their console titles, and others who want to just have a good time and not worry about stats and trades. In trying to please both parties, EA ensured that the game excels in neither area.

The game has several standard play modes including: Exhibition, Season, Playoffs, and Big League Challenge. The season mode offers different length seasons, and full stat tracking, pretty much what youd expect. There are full general manager options for you to either trade for Griffey, cut the dead weight, or even create yourself. The playoffs allow you to recreate last years post season, or make your own. This mode also lets you select the length of the series you want to play, in case you dont have the time or patience for five or seven game series. The Big League Challenge is just like Home Run Derby except for, okay its just like Home Run Derby. Challenge is a word that should in no way be associated with this event. Its routine to hit 40, 50, even 60 long balls in just a five inning matchup. Final scores of 53-45 arent uncommon since you dont have to move the batting cursor at all to hit a home run. Nope, X marks the spot for this Challenge, hit it at the right time, and its all over. This event could have been made less painful if you could skip the excessive home run shots, but you cant. Watching almost 100 homers in 5 innings can get a tad tedious, and were stuck admiring each and every blast.

Im not sure how many reviews in a row Ive had to write this, but here goes. Theres no franchise mode anywhere to be found. Now Im certainly not going to play multiple 162 game seasons, but I do enjoy making my teams and then simulating their seasons, testing my GM skills. Alas, I cant seem do this in Triple Play, NHL 2001, NBA Live 2001, NBA Shootout 2001, NCAA Final Four, or FIFA 2001. I probably couldnt do it in Gameday either, but I thank God for not giving me a reason to play that game anymore. Have I made my point? You put this feature in the Playstation games, I think the PS2 can do it too. Give it a shot.

So the game looks good, sounds good, and offers the standard (for PS2) amount of gameplay options. Sadly it falters in the actual gameplay for many reasons. For starters, I hate the batting cursor. It encourages you to just line up your cursor where the pitchers cursor is. Then he throws the ball, you swing, and thats it. Sure you may have to fine tune it a bit, but you can still win easily without moving while the ball is on its way to the plate. It encourages you to focus less on the ball and more on this lame interface. Can I turn this feature off and hit like I want to? No, I sure cant. Ive got to line a cursor up over and over until Im cross-eyed. The only challenge is the timing, and unless the pitcher is throwing gas up near 100, theres not too much difference in the timing required to hit the ball. If you swing late, it doesnt matter too much, because batters seem to be able to hit the ball just as far to the opposite-field as they would if they were pulling the ball.

One aspect of hitting that has been improved in my opinion is the removal of the power option while hitting. For those of you that are unfamiliar, it allowed your player to swing for the fences, but it made the contact area where he could hit the ball a whole lot smaller. I felt that it was too hard to line up the cursor, watch the pitch, and move it exactly where it needed to be, and then swing. The margin of error was so small, that it was too difficult to hit. Now hitting is too easy, but at least I know Im not going to give myself a stroke when I try to bat.

Pitching is also cursed because of this ridiculous interface. How am I suppose to pitch when my friend knows exactly where the ball is going to go? Oh, I see, I cant. Im doomed to suffer through game after game of 19-15 scores until one of us jumps out the window. When pitching, there are four pitches available in your arsenal to feebly attempt to retire the hitter. The analog buttons can be used to vary the pitch speed, but this just makes the hitter hit home runs off different speed pitches. If you want to have any success at all in getting people out, youve got to paint the corners. This was the only way I could get people out with any regularity, but it still wasnt too much help. My star pitchers usually lasted about four innings and had ERAs of around 7.00.

Fielding isnt too bad, except for two problems. The fielding indicator is the size of a small car, and it makes it very difficult to field ground balls. I cant imagine why this needs to be so big, its unreal. Turning it off makes it impossible to field fly balls, so you really cant win. The other problem with fielding is that it is slow. After fielding a grounder, it takes three or four weeks for the fielder to be ready to throw. This makes it almost impossible to turn a double play, and since there are always runners on base, thats a big deal. Analog buttons have also been implemented when making throws. Tapping the button with normal pressure causes a typical throw, one that gets the ball back to the infield and holds the runners. Pressing harder on the button causes the fielder to uncork a bullet towards the base in hopes of catching someone trying to stretch that hit for an extra base. The additional control was easy to use, and effective, making it a very welcome addition.

EA has gone with a new scheme for controlling the baserunners this year. It takes a while to get used to, but its not too bad. L1 will advance all runners, and R1 will send all runners back to their bases (Insert All Your Base joke Here). Heres where it gets tough. The left analog stick controls which base the runners are advancing to, so if you wanted to go from second to third, you just hold the stick left. To move the runner back, youd hold the right analog stick up. This theoretically allows you to control several runners at once, but that aspect doesnt work too well. It does allow you to control one runner very precisely with practice.

Replay:

Triple Play Baseball offers a respectable amount of replay if you meet certain criteria. The first one is time. The games are so high scoring that they take about an hour to play. I know its about two hours less than a real game, but its still a long time. The second criteria is what style of game you like. If you like home runs, and double-digit games, youre likely to get a kick out of this game. The lack of a franchise mode will keep those that enjoy the managerial side of sports from getting any long term enjoyment out of this title as well.

To summarize: pretty game, pleasing to the ears, no franchise mode, and its not too much fun to play. Im one of those people that would much rather play a 20 minute game of RBI Baseball, Baseball Stars, or Bases Loaded, than play any of the current crop of baseball games. They were simple, yet you could still get hours of enjoyment from them. All of their gameplay involved trying to line up the bat with the ball, not some cursor, and they all STILL hold up to this day. Will I be digging out my PS2 to playTriple Play 2001 in ten years? No way.