New Lineup of Baseball Video Games Has Standouts, Also-Rans

Few things are more pleasant in these long, bright days of spring than heading to my neighborhood park for a round of catch with The Missus. Sadly, neither of us possesses the sort of pitching arm that would make us major league material--at least not in the real world.

But as other red-blooded Americans practiced their “sick” voice in anticipation of Opening Day, I spent last weekend sending Eric Karros packing with three quick strikes, making Sammy Sosa wish he had stayed in bed and sending even the best of Roger Clemens’ pitches over the wall at Yankee Stadium.

Because in the world of video games, even an uncoordinated fatso like me can reign supreme as the king of all sports. And as the baseball season gets into gear this week, the annual crop of baseball video games has hit the shelves--offering players the opportunity to shine like they never could in high school.

Of the five games I played, all are competent and professional. None was terrible. After years of practice, designers pretty much have the national pastime down and have spent recent years fine-tuning details such as artificial intelligence, motion capture and the batting interface. Incrementalism is the name of the game in sports titles and true revolutions are as rare as a sober Cubs fan.

Even so, this is the best year yet for baseball games--a snazzy mix of technology, artistry and an old-fashioned love of the game.

All-Star Baseball 2001

For Nintendo 64 owners looking for something new, it’s “All-Star Baseball 2001” or nothing. As the only new Nintendo 64 baseball game this season, “All-Star Baseball” does a decent job of satisfying baseball fans hungry for something new.

Although the play-by-play calls by John Sterling and Michael Kay are nothing special, the game succeeds at making players feel as if they are down on the field. With the default behind-the-plate perspective, the batting and pitching sequences offer great control and a range of choices.

At bat, players can fall into hot or cold streaks, which affects their performance. Knock a few out of the park and players are en fuego. Strike out and see how fast the magic fades. Pitchers, too, can get worn down after too long on the mound. Success in the game depends not just on playing well on the field, but also on making the right choices from the dugout.

As with all the games this year, players can choose between a quick fantasy game or plod through an entire season. For those completely obsessed, the general manager mode gives players the ability to trade players, bring up rookies from the farm system and dip into the free-agent pool.

Overall, if there is to be only one baseball game on Nintendo 64, “All-Star Baseball 2001” is not a bad choice.

Microsoft Baseball 2001

Even very stupid people can play “Microsoft Baseball 2001.” That’s a compliment. Microsoft’s franchise is by far the most straightforward of all the games I played. Once the game is installed on a PC, players can get right into the action and start knocking balls around.

The batting interface is simple and clear, making it relatively easy to swat a few out of the park. Now, easy is relative. Even if it is just a digital mass, hitting a ball going 80 mph is never easy like, say, chewing gum is easy. But some games make the basic act of swinging so complex that only the biggest game dorks can master it. “Microsoft Baseball” takes that worry out of it--letting players focus on the ball.

Graphically, the game is nothing special. Sure, all the stadiums are done up nicely and the players look like they should. But those are a given in these days of tricked-out PCs and picture-perfect image capture.

Offensively, the game demands little more than hitting the ball and occasionally deciding whether to try to steal a base. Defensively, players control the pitcher and can run fielders when the ball is in play. Everything works as it should.

“Microsoft Baseball 2001” requires a Pentium 166 with at least 32 megabytes of RAM, 100mb of available hard-disk space and a graphics accelerator card with 8mb of video RAM.

Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001

As much as I enjoyed “Microsoft Baseball,” I’d rather play “Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001” for the PC. The graphics are better, the action is more fun, and the control is a bit tighter, making this game the winner by a hair.

Besides, the game comes with a guarantee. True, 3DO won’t refund the purchase price, but it will send dissatisfied players a copy of another 3DO game. If that game stinks, of course, players are out of luck. Yes, it’s a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick that demonstrates confidence. And after playing “High Heat,” I doubt many players will take 3DO up on the offer.

Even if it seems Sammy Sosa has as much to do with this game as he does with Montgomery Ward’s merchandising strategy, it’s nice to see last year’s runner-up in the home-run derby get his mug plastered on a video game--the modern equivalent of landing a Wheaties box.

Although not as simple as in “Microsoft Baseball,” the pitching and batting interfaces in “High Heat” give players wide latitude to make choices or respond to pitches. With a joy pad, it’s easy to react quickly to a change-up or a slider.

The motion capture smokes “Microsoft Baseball” and provides a visual feast for players who like to watch. The stadiums look great, and the play-by-play adds a nice touch without getting in the way. On the field, controlling players is effortless.

If players buy only one PC baseball game this year, “High Heat” is a solid choice.

“Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001” requires a Pentium 166 with at least 32mb of RAM and 110mb of available hard-disk space.

Triple Play 2001

There’s nothing terribly wrong with “Triple Play 2001” for Sony PlayStation. But a game has to have a lot more than that going for it to be a winner. “Triple Play” offers some nice camera perspectives and great fielding control, but it seems tired and worn down.

The play-by-play commentary slogs along with the action, which is slow and uninspired. Visually, there’s nothing here that any PlayStation owner hasn’t seen dozens of times before. I did enjoy the target practice mode, which allows players to knock balls into bull’s-eye for extra points.

But a little target practice does not a baseball game make.

MLB 2001

This is the PlayStation game I could play for weeks on end. “MLB 2001” delivers in every category--from on-the-field action and statistics to play-by-play and graphics. When 989 Sports boasts that its games are “made by the pros” and “played by the pros,” this must be what it means.

Vin Scully and Dave Campbell give great commentary that sounds original even after a couple games. For instance, when a player was at bat, Campbell recited his RBI and batting average for last season. That’s the kind of cool detail that makes a game feel real.

But all the chatter in the world does little to remedy a game that’s no fun to play. “MLB 2001” offers super-refined batting and pitching control and the fielding is a snap to master. Add to that some sizzling graphics--for a PlayStation, that is--and a range of game modes that put players on the field and in the back office.

The result: a real winner.

But after playing all five of these games over a couple of days, I was ready for a seventh-inning stretch. I decided that no matter how cool any of these titles is, I’d still rather just play catch out in the park.

Call me old-fashioned.

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Aaron Curtiss is participating in a Times management training program, where he currently serves as assistant to the senior vice president of advertising. He has no financial dealings with the companies he covers. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.