Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr.

Let's get something clear, amigos. Nintendo's first Baseball game for the N64 may not be the most complete baseball game ever made; it's not even the best looking. In fact, the purists of the sport are likely going to have some problems with this one. But it is, for my money, the most fun you are ever going to have on a baseball diamond. Major League Baseball is intuitive, fast paced and ultimately the most playable take on America's favorite pastime that videogamedom has ever seen.

The secret is all in the control, a Nintendo trademark. Angel Studios has ingeniously created a pitching and batting mechanism that is not unlike many others in the field, but subtly different enough to outclass its competitors.

The great thing about the control is that they kept everything very simple, but both pitching, batting and fielding have enough intuitive nuances to make all of the above a little more than just being in the right place at the right time. Pitching incorporates aftertouch with greater success than any of the other baseball games and the way that pitchers tire, telegraph their locations and lose speed and control is superlative to say the least. It isn't often in hardball videogames that you can say that pitching is as fun, if not more so, than batting.

In the batter's box, Ken Griffey keeps it simple with only two buttons for normal and bunt swings. But because batters have to chase balls around the strike zone as well as get the timing right, the battle at the plate is far more engaging, once again, than ever before. Depending how well you can line up the sweetspot "circle" with the pitch location and time the swing correctly dictates the outcome of the type of drive you create. Late swings or pull swings, no matter how well connected, will go foul. Perfect swipes, slightly offset from the sweet spot will ground or fly out. And unless you've got a power hitter at the plate, perfectly hit � 48 mph changeups are not going to fly out of the park everytime. As simple as the mechanics are, you have to be smart at the plate. You have to be patient and wait out the kind of pitch that will allow you to score a RBI.

The fielding is perfect as well. Just get in front of the ball and use the diamond shaped C buttons to gun it to the desired plate. Yeah, you can dive for balls, jump into the air to scoop a blooper and even climb the walls to steal a grand slam from your opponent but we're only talking about three buttons here. Angel Studios was smart enough to remember that you're only one man taking care of an entire field.

One more thing, base running is a pure joy. Tap on the right shift button to get all base runners to lead off and then double tap to advance them all or you simply tap on the according C button base to advance one of the runners. It's very simple to do without ensuring that too many operations predicate that the guy at the plate is going to get struck out. It also makes the hit and run an easy exercise.

In short the game is easy to pick up and fast paced once you get into it. Thank God, because to emulate the actual speed of the game is death, in my mind, for videogame baseball. Let's face it, we can't put the controller down in between pitches to grab some beer and peanuts � and that's the only thing that makes the pauses in the real game tolerable.

NICE LOOKING BALLPARKS

Ignored in all of this talk about control is the presentation. Certainly, Griffey moves and sounds as well as you would want. Although it doesn't exhibit the hi-res finery that can be found in Acclaim's All-Star Baseball, it is still a looker. The parks are full of detail capturing everything that is grand about Camden Yards or Yankee Stadium or even the high-tech Skydome. It also shows up everything that is boring and gaudy about the Metrodome and Seattle's grey monstrosity, the Kingdome. However you take it, these are the ball parks of the Major Leagues, perfectly constructed and exhibiting all of their inherent fielding and batting characteristics.

The players are also quite wonderful. There's nothing cookie cutter in the way they are represented. Junior did most of the motion capture for the game and he tried to accurately reflect the various batting stances and mannerisms of each of the batters in the league. He may not have got them all down pat but I can tell you that it makes for a ton of variation.

Even more varied, and this is a real feather in the cap for Angel Studios, are the atmospheric sound effects in the game. N64 games tend to be repetitive in this field but the guys at Angel have done a super job. Sure, the crack of the bat is sweet, as is the "pap" of the ball being pocketed by the fielder's glove, but it's the stuff that goes on in the stands and around the ballpark that caught my attention. I loved the occasional call for a hot dog and taunts from the fans in the stands. More so, I was overjoyed that the crowd sounds are extremely intelligent. One only has to strike the opposing team out on a full count to appreciate the AI. I also like that the sounds extended outside the ballpark. Police sirens, the hum of the television blimp in the sky and the screech of the New York Subway system on the periphery of Yankee Stadium all subtly enhance the feel of "being there".

I was also glad that Angel decided to forgo the use of a commentary engine. On an N64 cart it would be limited at best and I think it was wise to drop it all together. Other than the occasional Griffeyism, the action speaks for itself.

A GRAND SLAM

There is little to stop baseball fans from buying this cart. While the game is very arcadey it is rooted in solid baseball fundamentals and easily a ton of fun to play � especially against a buddy. It may be a little light on the stats and you may not be able to create a player, but the rest of the league is well represented and game players can participate in as much player transactions as they want. There is also solid Season, Pennant race, World Series and Home Run Derby play options to keep owners of Griffey occupied for some time.

Although I would recommend a "try before you buy" stance on this one (some may find the game too light on the intricacies of the game) it is nonetheless a definite classic in my books. I'm looking forward to seeing the game continue in later years with improved options and richer stats, but for now Griffey is my hands down favorite to play.

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