So far, the software library for the Nintendo 64 has been fairly slim, especially when it comes to sports games. Nintendo has recognized this deficiency, and has been trying to beef up its sports lineup by convincing third parties to produce more sports games. The results show in that three baseball games have been served up for the N64 this year (which isn't bad, considering the PSX only received a few more), and between Griffey and All-Star Baseball, N64 fans have two excellent baseball games to choose from. While Griffey leans more to the arcade type approach (as does Mike Piazza's Strike Zone, but it's an awful game and not even worth renting), All-Star Baseball 99 is the only one that tries to be a straight-up simulation of the baseball experience. It's a very polished game, and in my opinion, it's one of the best baseball games to date.

Although this is Acclaim's first N64 baseball game, this isn't the first game in this series. The series started out as Frank Thomas' Big Hurt Baseball on the 16-bit systems, and soon moved to the Playstation and Saturn. Throughout the life of the series, it's always managed to stay mediocre. The graphics and sound would always be fairly superb, but it always lacked in gameplay. This year, Acclaim seems to have put it all together, including some high quality gameplay. From the start of the game, realism is stressed. You warm up your starting pitcher before each game, you must warm up relievers in the bullpen in order for them to be effective, and pitchers become fatigued as the game moves on. However, it must be mentioned that the slow nature of the game may turn off those who aren't really big fans of baseball. It plays like a sim, in that the pace is rather slow, and there aren't any "extreme" elements.

The batting, pitching, and fielding systems are very well done. Each player has a different sized strike zone, depending on his or her height and batting stance. Amazingly, Acclaim managed to squeeze a unique batting stance for almost every player into the cartridge, and it adds quite a bit of realism to the game. You make contact by lining a circle up with the ball and then swinging, which isn't the most original of systems, but it is effective. The size of the circle is affected by the batter's average (based on last year's stats), and hot and cold zones are represented accurately on-screen, so essentially you have a scouting report for each batter. The hot and cold zones are accurate too, as Cal Ripken prefers pitches up and in, Eric Davis is a great high ball hitter, and Frank Thomas is pretty much hot in every zone (it's based on last year's stats, not this year's). Pitchers can choose between four different pitches, and each pitch is selected with a different C-button. The fielding system is fairly straightforward. The ball is hit, and you run to the little circle on the ground and catch it. This game includes all the usual options: sliding, leaping, switching fielders, throwing to any base, etc. The fielding system works well, and doesn't really take anything away from the game.

The graphics in this game are absolutely amazing. The game runs in high-res mode without a hitch. Players are crisp and clear, and the stadiums are rendered down to the tiniest detail. The animation in this game is good, as players perform a variety of movements and actions. Acclaim also included a lot of other things that only add to the realism. Players dust themselves off, twirl the bat while waiting on a pitch, rock back and forth while leading off a base, and even scratch themselves. All of these add to the feel of the game, and are done really well.

Really the only area where this game lacks is in the sound. The crowd really isn't that enthusiastic, and home runs are barely even celebrated (other than a little roar from the crowd). The play-by-play announcers are adequate, but due to the nature of a cart game they become boring pretty fast, since they don't say a wide variety of things. Also, there is a bit of in game music (stuff you hear at a big league game), but not nearly as much as there is at a real game.

Overall, this is a great baseball game. It's realistic, it's pretty, and it's detailed. Hard-core fans of baseball won't be disappointed by this game, but for those more "arcade inclined" they may get more enjoyment out of Griffey. Still, I recommend that anyone planning on getting a baseball game for the N64 should definitely consider this one; in my opinion, it's the best of the bunch.

Overall: 8.7