Rating: 
Summary: Great Game @ A Great Price
Review: This game is very fun and entertaining to play. The graphics are good, and you have lots of options to choose from. Some say the graphics aren't as good as the Triple Play series, but they are much better than my Dreamcast 2k2 baseball game. If I have one gripe about this game, it's the computer baserunners. They can go from first to third or second to home and the play is never close. Other than that, I love this game!...You can't go wrong with High Heat 2003!
Rating:
Summary: Great Game @ A Great Price
Review: This game is very fun and entertaining to play. The graphics are good, and you have lots of options to choose from. Some say the graphics aren't as good as the Triple Play series, but they are much better than my Dreamcast 2k2 baseball game. If I have one gripe about this game, it's the computer baserunners. They can go from first to third or second to home and the play is never close. Other than that, I love this game!...You can't go wrong with High Heat 2003!
Rating: 
Summary: Dated Graphics, Stuttering Sound, and Incorrect Stadiums :-(
Review: This game leaves much to be desired. What the positive reviews are from people who love to play baseball sims. If you look at the Whole Baseball PC offerings this year (HHeat, Triple Play 2003?) and the others are all Manager type Sims not graphics games. You quickly see that the level of graphics is not on par with any of the other Hockey or Football PC Games. Look at NHL 2002 Hockey and the Rinks are great.. look at FIFA 2002 and the areana are sharp and the extras add to the environment. No such thing here ... the stadiums are pixelated and the crowd a big blurry blob texture... The sound stutters on the most popular sound card (SB Live Series) ... or worse cuts out and then a loud instant on crowd noise sample is played .. really odd transitions like that. Three River Stadium is still there (hey Pittsburgh has a new Stadium now)... maybe I am spoiled playing Quake III graphics games and NHL 2002 to see what you can do. No extras in the graphics no separate Dugouts in the stadiums. No intro video. I got the feeling I got a Value Game Edition (like they give you free with Video Cards - the Light Edition) ... This should have been released as HH 2002 Gold. They put all the development money (my guess) toward the console versions (XBox/PS2) versions and just released a patched version of HH2002 in a new box.
Rating:
Summary: DONT BUY THIS GAME
Review: This GAME starts off with 5 stars -1 star-Graphics-The graphics are terrible compared to any other game. Even of its not baseball, The graphics are inacceptable. All the people look the same accept for their race, and the outfit they are wearing. Half the players dont even have a picture. -1 star-gameplay-This game was SOOOOOOOOO poorly made. In the easiest difficulty i lost 8-5. With the same teams in 2 harder difficulties, i won 35-0!!Also, u ALWAYS get away with stealing from first to second, but u NEVER be safe stealing from second to third. -1 star- This game gets boring sOO eaily becuase it only has 2 good modes. There is practice, and exibition which is the same. Home run derby WHICH IS TERRIBLE BECUASE U CANT FACE THE COMPUTER!!!!, and a season which is terrible because half way through the season u always get a roster problom which is impossible to fix. -1 star-Crashes easily and takes 25 minutes to instal- this game which is about 300 meg took 25 minutes to install on my SUPER good 1.2 ghz amd athelon pc. Diablo 2 which is 1 gig, 3 TIMES THE AMOUNT!, took 3 minutes to install. Also, when u play this and u forget to close ur instant messeges, and u get an instant messege, the game minimizes. ONCE IT MINIMIZES, SAY GOOD BYE!! cuase once u click on the game to bring it back the screen turns black and it freezes. Do not buy this game!!!
Rating: 
Summary: This was a great game... in 2000
Review: This is a tough review to write, because I loved the 2001 version of High Heat with Sammy Sosa on the cover. The plain and simple fact is that this is the same game with a few tweaks and improvements, but not nearly enough to warrant a new version. Things that have changed for the better from the 2001 version: The players look better, and seem to move with more fluidity. There are lots of new animations on play in the field, for example, the first baseman will move to different sides of the bag and will scoop throws depending on where the throw comes in from. The addition of mound visits is great for me, as I never had enough time to warm up a reliever when the current pitcher was getting shelled. The brief clips of walkup music for home batters are nifty, and I understand you can pop in your own music (with a bit of work) if you don't like the generic sounds 3D0 shipped with the game. I have yet to really get into the tune file and tweak, but I see more foul balls and a bit more realistic contact now. Bunting for base hits is much harder than it used to be, and the addition of base coaches and calls to first/third base umpires on checked swings add cool bits of realism. Things that are bad:
The Windows XP problems are crippling many users. 3D0 either needs to eschew support of winXP or provide better tech support on how people who are not power gamers can get the game to work on their systems. I use win98 and had no problems, but others have had problems on all OSes. There are also some bugs, including one that causes the announcers to often repeat their words. Other users have reported the incorrect logging of error stats, and double plays that include seven names in the box score thanks to the new "throw the ball around the horn" animation. The announcers are TERRIBLE. Ted Robinson was worse in the 2001 version, but these guys are almost as annoying. The worst part, though, is the script the announcers are given, which is not only uninteresting and unrealistic, but contains many phrases that are re-treads from the 2001 version. A suggestion for the 2004 incarnation: Hire Jon Miller to do the voice acting for the announcer, and let him write the script. He's got the best voice on TV, and his diction is perfect for the task. Another gripe: the stadium announcer mispronounces many names. The rosters for the Exhibition games are more accurate than the rosters that are present once you start a season. As a Giants fan, I was baffled to see no Ryan Jensen, Damon Minor, or Yorvit Torrealba on the 2002 roster... this is inexcusable from a game that prides itself on it's realism. I can forgive software limitations of making a baseball game (sometimes the computer gets a game it WILL win, and there's nothing I can do), but there's no excuse for 3D0 to have the parameters incorrect. The stadiums don't look much better than they did two years ago, and the fake ads are annoying. I understand the practice of game developers putting their names into the signs as a kind of "Kilroy was here" vanity plate, but I don't think it's appropriate. They would be better served having their names placed into the name generator for rookies. Shouldn't all the sponsors who have their signs in ballparks nationwide be champing at the bit to have their logos placed in-game? This is one case where I'd like to see more corporate sponsorship, as it's how real life is. The home run derby has no replays. That was the whole POINT of the HR derby for me in the 2001 version, I liked watching the ball fly out of the park from various perspectives... nothing like watching a Vladimir Guerrero shot travel out of the Polo Grounds, exactly the same trajectory that Josh Gibson once hit one. I would never play the derby for the scores, as there's no mystery there. In HH2001, it was Guerrero. This year, Bonds hits every pitch farther than anyone else in the game. This is not only inaccurate, but it removes any competetive level from the derby, and without the replays, it is merely repetetive button-pressing plus boring re-tread commentary. In all, this is a full-version game that would be a free update on most other games I've played (E.G., Diablo 2, Half Life, Quake 1 through Arena, etc). 3D0 has the best franchise out there in terms of gameplay, so I understand why they rest on their laurels, but a game this unchanged in 2 years has no excuse for not running on XP, not fixing ALL bugs, and charging [too much]. I recommend it, because it's still the best baseball game in town, but I'm disappointed with the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This is an amazing game. It has everything from stats to real life rosters. Overall one of the best baseball games.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing the Heat
Review: This is by far and away the most realistic baseball game since Tony LaRussa's Baseball for Sega Genesis in the early 90s. Unlike Triple Play, it's possible to hit doubles, triples, throw out baserunners, draw walks and strikout opposing hitters. While the graphics of the stadiums may not be as good as some of the other games, they're more than sufficient, and for the true baseball fan, this game's realism is what's really important. We've seen enough of the incredible graphics and ridiculously bad game play. This game provides tons of fun, tense moments against a very competitive computer opponent, and a great atmosphere that will hold your interest all summer.
Rating:
Summary: Great Game
Review: This is by far the best computer baseball game that I have ever played. The keeping of batting streaks and statistics far more in depth that any other game. Graphics are great. The only problem that I have with the game is that the pitchers basically pitch around the games top hitters leaving you with the choice of either walking the batter or throw a pitch right down the middle. All other aspects of this game by far and away dominate the competition. If you like baseball games Definatly buy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: More of the same, but still the best sim
Review: To put it blankly, if you want the best game that for the most part is an actual representation of the game of baseball today, High Heat is your best bet. Pros: *Stats, stats, stats! Just about every stat you could hope for is here. Every Major league player has complete stats for every year plus ranking based on his strenghts, weaknesses and age, etc.
*Batter/Pitcher interface. For pitchers you select your pitch aim it where you want to go, and when that pitch leaves the pitchers hand, you have no control over it, just like in real life. The Batter interface is the best two, pretty simple for the most part, you aim the control pad where you think the ball will be and press the button to swing. Hopefully you'll hit the ball. You'll find it easier to hit off pitchers that aren't that great, and pitchers like Randy Johnson will be a tougher challenge for you.
* Mod community. There are mods for just about every aspect of this game. You can find uniforms, player photos/faces, stadiums, up to date rosters (including many minor league players and prospects) on a bunch of sites. baseballsimcentral.com is a good place to start. (or finish!) Cons:
*Bugs. There are a decent amount of bugs with this version, but if you aren't daunted, you can fix most if not all of them youself. Sadly 3do hasn't released a patch, and it looks unlikely they ever will, so you'll be on your own.
*Grafix. This game doesn't look all that great. Even with a ton of community made game changes, the player models, and stadiums pale in comparision to other games out there. But that ok, because if you want an accurate stats driven game, this is the best bet. Overall: **** stars. If 3do had released a patch, nah the game still looks awful, so **** is all it gets from me. If you can look past the horrible look of the game and work out the bugs (you'll find plenty of help at the aforementioned site by the way) you'll enjoy this game.
Rating:
Summary: High Heat and Then Some...
Review: While I obviously haven't played this years version of HH2K3 yet because as I write this it has yet to be released, my order is already placed. Year in and year out this IS the best sports game ever made. If you are the sports sim type who wants your players to perform like they would in real life, this is the game for you. If you think everyone should put up Barry Bonds numbers, then maybe you should join the rest of the twelve year-olds and pick up the latest from the Triple Play series. However, if you like realistic baseball, this is the game for you. Pedro will be the toughest pitcher you face, consider yourself lucky if you scatter six hits against him. You will have to guess right and swing early if you hope to catch up with Randy Johnson's stuff. Ichiro will beat out slow rollers to the left side of the field every time. I wouldn't reccomend testing Pudge's arm with over the hill Kenny Lofton because Pudge has the best arm in the game and old guys ARE slow in real life and in this game. If you choose the Rangers as your team and annoint Rocker the closer, you better stock up on the anti-acid tablets cause your stomach will churn as he strikes out two, walks two and gives up a hit almost blowing your "comfortable" three run lead. Chuck "Block Head" will bumble ground balls with the best of em if you try to put him back at second base for K.C. The only complaints you can really have about HH the last two years is the base running which can be difficult to control sometimes. A fast baserunner such as Furcal or Ichiro can bunt themself aboard a good 60% of the time. I wish they would have the defense move in after a bunt single or two. You can also cut down on your strikeouts even if you are Jim Thome or Mo Vaugh. These guys really should have huge holes in their swings because in real life, they do, but you can cut em way down if you get your timing right. Don't get me wrong, this is still the most realistic sports game on the planet. I reccomend you check out the tune files available for this game on the net. Find one that fits your liking and have a blast trying to lead your team to World Series in a 162 game season. You will just have to give people a few months to get the tune files up to speed. I am currently playing a 162 game season of HH2002 with my Indians and I am having a blast with it. I was able to get updated rosters and a great tune file from baseballsimcentral.com. It has been rough going for me so far with no Robbie or Juan Gone, but I am catching on. I have to play smart baseball, take pitches, hit and run at the right time, move the infield in to stop runners on third from scoring, ect.. Mental errors really will kill you in this game, you better find a way to score at least a run with runners on first and second and nobody out. Do you lay down a bunt and move the runners over? Is the batter a slow Travis Fryman type, ripe double play material? Is the pitcher a ground ball thrower (sinkers, splitters, fastballs), or will he hang a curve or a change-up you can drive? You really have to take all of this into consideration, making this hands down THE BEST SPORTS VIDEO GAME EVER MADE. Better than Madden, better than NBA Live or Tiger Wooods or NFL or NBA 2K2. Why are you still reading this? Buy it now
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