Triple Play Baseball

Pros • Terrific graphics	Cons • Limited game modes
Bottom Line If you’re looking for an ultra-realistic baseball sim, then Triple Play is outside of your strike zone, but if you want a fun arcade-style game then Triple Play is a homerun. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of years, or been living with the Amish in the Witness Protection Program, then you’ve heard EA Sports’ motto “It’s in the game”. For the most part, they have earned the right to use that slogan. Each one of their videogames has provided so many different options, included more game modes, and done just about everything possible to seem like the real thing. Naturally, there is an exception to every rule, and this one is Triple Play Baseball. Purists will be a little put off by the lack of game options and the “arcade” style of play, but the rest of us will just observe one of the basics tenets of baseball; have fun.

When I say Triple Play has an arcade feel to it, I am not talking in a goofy NBA Jam type of way. It’s just that you don’t have to worry about a lot of the managerial decisions made in more realistic baseball sims. For the most part, I don’t want to worry about things like pulling my pitcher when he’s losing his heat, salary caps, and my pitcher rotation, I just want to hit dingers, and Triple Play isn’t the type of game to sweat the small stuff.

Triple Play has done a lot to speed up the pace of the game and make the game much more enjoyable. For example, hitting is a breeze. Players can just move an oval-shaped batting cursor to the pitch and press the X button to swing. Depending on what part of the hitting surface you strike the ball with, you’ll receive different results. The red center oval designates the “sweet spot”, and most players should use this as their target. As with most baseball games it takes a little while to get the timing down, but once you have it, you can hit the long ball more than Big Mac off a t-ball tee.

Maybe the reason for so many homers is the lack of options on the mound. At most, each pitcher has four different options, while some have much less. While this certainly speeds up the selection process, I think it is a little unreasonable to say that Randy Johnson, a Cy Young award winner, is unable to throw more than three different pitches.

Using the analog buttons on the gamepad, players can vary the speed of their available pitches based on the pressure with which they hit the button. One thing that Triple Play has included that many other baseball games lack is the ability to throw some chin music. There is just some sort of twisted justice in beaning Roger Clemens with a fastball.

As always, EA Sports has done a great job with the graphics. The game plays at a very smooth framerate, with no stuttering or shutdown. The only noticeable flaw is the transition in camera angles from the pitch to the point when you hit the ball. When the angle changes up, it is very jerky and clumsy and that makes for an awkward visual. On the other hand, Triple Play has also taken into consideration the typical videogame audience and thrown in a digitized hottie. Singer Vitamin C, whose music also appears in part of the game, makes an appearance with curves that put Lara Croft to shame.

The sound effects are up to par as well. The commentary is handled by Buck Martinez and Sean McDonough does the play-by-play. As in any videogame, you cannot expect the pre-recorded commentary to perfectly match the game you are playing, but these two managed to provide smooth enough banter without becoming too annoying. The other sound effects only serve to enhance the arcade-like features of the game. For example foul balls sound like bullets ricocheting off of your bat, while a home run sounds like a thunderous cannon.

Depending on what you are looking for, Triple Play Baseball may just be the answer to your baseball dilemma. If you want a game that has all the in depth strategy and drama of a162 game season, then High Heat is probably the game for you. However, if you are more interested in a game that looks great and has easy controls and simplified gameplay, then Triple Play Baseball is the right title for you.

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