Most casual players will immediately head for the Season Mode or the Exhibition Mode but those who dig deeper will find a Home Run Derby, a Baseball Life interactive simulation game, and a General Manager Mode where players sit in a back office and manage the day to day affairs of a professional baseball team. Old hands to the Jikkyou Powerful Pro franchise will find the same refined control system which allows for precise spotting of pitches when on the mound and equally precise positioning of the bat when standing in the batter's box. We found the pitching system improved because the targeting reticule stays where you spot it instead of drifting once the ball is thrown and on its way to the plate.
Alternate SKU: VW348-J1
Jan Code: 4988602136265
NCS Game Notes
» Intro - SD renditions of American baseball players are shown along with an "Americanized" cinema with a boisterous song.
» All 32 professional teams in the American and National League are featured in the game including the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.
» Only the L-Analog is used for control. The d-pad does nothing.
» Home run derby is playable where every at bat allows 10 swings and PP coins are winnable after the derby.
» General Manager mode allow you to take over management duties for a pro team that is chosen from 30 squads. The season starts on April 4 and you'll interact with your blonde, blue-eyed secretary and others. The first event is Opening Day.
» Rusty players may practice their batting and pitching skills in no-penalty exercises to get a feel for the game's controls and nuances.
» When a ball is hit well, there's a sharp crack of the bat that sounds off from the speakers. Whiff through a pitch and you'll hear wind. Foul the ball and you'll hear a soft thud as the ball pops off to the side.
» The "Baseball Life" mode where you create a baseball player and go through the varsity and farm system on your way to the majors in interactive stints and starts.
» Team uniforms, logos, and stadiums are accurate reproduced along with the rules of American baseball.
» Ads in the background include Undercar, Milk, Grub Wing, and the MLB's own red, white, blue logo.
» When starting a new game, your pitcher is allowed three practice pitches before the first batter steps up.
» Occasionally when a questionable strike call is announced by the umpire, the batter will look back as if to mouth, "WTF?"
» The announcer pronounces "Alex Rodriguez" as Aleksy Rogiegez and "Derek Jeter" as Deruku Jeeta. We were able to get a hit with Alex almost every time while Giambi almost always struck out.
» Good plays or hits are shown in an instant replay that moves at 3/4 speed.
» The pitching system allows for precise control of spotting pitches and the reticules doesn't drift or fade after the initial target is selected. We were able to strike out complete sides across multiple innings with the new pitching system. Overall control is excellent as usual from the fielding to the batting. For a challenge, it's possible to toggle off the pitching spotter as well as the fielding spotter so that there's not targeting device for your visual cue.
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.
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