You eventually start to wonder about these baseball games.
It seems with all of the other major sports-football, basketball and hockey-time and technology have only made video games better. Baseball makes me wonder.
Back in the days of Baseball Stars, RBI Baseball and Bases Loaded, playing was easy. Sure, the Lovely Ladies weren't exactly Major League caliber, but they were fun.
Now, 989 Sports has come along with its latest installment of the annual summer pastime-MLB 2000-and though it offers complete rosters, digitized stadiums and a wide array of stats, you've got to question how much better the current games really are.
For one, maybe the advent of full play-by-play isn't such a good thing. MLB 2000 brings along Vin Scully and ESPN's Dave Campbell, who's most insightful comment is something like "This batter is very dangerous with every swing of the bat."
And he says batter, not the actual player's name.
Scully, on the other hand, loves the phrase "Here comes Public Enemy No. 1" when referring to an opposing player who gets booed by the home fans. Somehow, I don't picture the real Vin Scully talking about Mark McGwire like that when the Cardinals face the Dodgers.
On the positive side, MLB 2000 is extrodinarily real. The stadium reproductions are very good, and the camera angles a multitude of different choices.
But once you're playing, don't expect the games to be too realistic. Being a Texas boy, I play every game with the Rangers, and both Todd Zeile and Lee Stevens go yard about twice a game. While I wish that happened in real life, it won't. Ever.
To make batting harder, make sure to turn the hitting cursor on. This makes you guess what kind of pitch you'll see and the location. Otherwise, everyone in your starting lineup might break McGwire's record over a full season.
So if you're still nostalgic for the days of original Nintendo baseball, don't expect MLB 2000 to fill the void. But if you mute out Dave Campbell and can master the controller, this game might occupy the lazy days of summer just fine.
-By Joel Israel
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