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> Results: High Heat Major League Baseball 2004
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The Best of Baseball Games, the Worst of Baseball GamesThe High Heat series has always had a Dickensian dichotomy; itﾒs a game of opposites. Itﾒs always played great, realistic baseball, but never looked as good as the competition. It always comes out first, but is always plagued with stability issues and other bugs. Itﾒs always the best baseball game of the year and, at the same time, the worst. Each year hardcore fans wait, hope, and pray theyﾒll get it right. And each year they come just close enough to keep hope alive and disappointment fresh. Yeah, the High Heat series is kind of like the Red Sox (or the Cubs, who both, just a few days agoﾅ sob). The good news is that 2004 is no exception to the above. The bad news is that, on the PC at least, 2004 is no exception to the above.  First the good news: The graphics have finally left the minors and joined the big leagues. It isnﾒt as pretty as most of the competition, but High Heat has a nostalgic look to it thatﾒs quite stylish. Like the difference between old torn down County Stadium and the new Miller Park that replaced it in Milwaukee. Miller Park is comfy, but County Stadium embraced you. The improvement comes from the animation. The players arenﾒt stiff anymore, they move like human beings: fluidly and acrobatically. The graphics sheen applies to the stadiums too. High Heat is finally a good looking game. The other bit of good news is that some 30 new pitches have been added to the game and that the pitcher/batter interface so crucial to this gameﾒs success (itﾒs the best in the business and it feels like real baseball) is still in place and looking/playing good. High Heat still plays a solid and strong game of baseball. Finally, for maybe the first time in the series (itﾒs been running the bases since 1999), HH2004 was developed on the PlayStation 2 and then ported elsewhere. That doesnﾒt make much of a difference for most console versions but buyers of the PC version will be disappointed. The port is sloppy. Thereﾒs no mouse support and significant blurring at high resolutions (the menus donﾒt scale). PC users are used to accessing all the stats, info, batting orders, etc., at the touch of the mouse. I canﾒt imagine why this happened, because High Heat PC has always had mouse support before. The PC version also has some minor stability issues. 3D0 is out of business; Microsoft has bought the license, what this means for Microsoftﾒs own Inside Pitch is unknown. Weﾒll probably know more before training camp. Kid Factor: GamerDad is a big believer that sports games are among the best you can buy for kids. These games have long traditions, ample stats, historical value, and teach children about the sports legacy woven into our culture. The thrill of a pitcher/batter face off on a 3-2 pitch, the strategy of a sacrifice fly or intentional walk, and choosing which pitcher to play on a given day, are all valuable lesions. Plus the competition between parent and child, child and friends, and siblings, can be intense and rewarding in sports games. Reviewer Recommended Ages: 9+ ESRB: E-Everyone Publisher: 3DO Developer: 3DO 
GamerDad is a big believer that sports games are among the best you can buy for kids. These games have long traditions, ample stats, historical value, and teach children about the sports legacy woven into our culture. The thrill of a pitcher/batter face off on a 3-2 pitch, the strategy of a sacrifice fly or intentional walk, and choosing which pitcher to play on a given day, are all valuable lesions. Plus the competition between parent and child, child and friends, and siblings, can be intense and rewarding in sports games.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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