Triple Play 2001 has warning-track power

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March 21, 2000
Web posted at: 8:18 a.m. EST (1318 GMT)

In this story: Put me in coach... Sights and sounds of America's pastime Arcade tastes great, simulation less filling RELATED STORIES, SITES

by Uncle Dust

(IDG) -- EA Sports is back in the big leagues this year with an impressive version of Triple Play 2001, bringing even more arcade-style fun into their baseball franchise. But do all the bells and whistles add depth to the gameplay, or do they just get in the way?

In the topsy-turvy world of professional sports you can always count on one thing -- EA Sports will bring out a top-notch PlayStation version for you to play at home. This year's Triple Play is no different.

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Deep gameplay, up-to-the-minute rosters, solid graphics, and plenty of arcade-style nonsense (such as big heads and flaming balls) should satisfy a little something for every fan. Like NBA Live 2000 before it, TP2001 brings backs the golden oldies of the sport, so you can play Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and the rest of the 500 Home Run Club members in a Home Run Derby tournament.

Even though EA put in extra effort on different fun features (like the Big League Challenge), play options (the rewards you unlock) and sharp graphics, at its heart Triple Play 2001 is still a very solid baseball game. You have enough control over hitting and pitching without feeling overwhelmed or confused and solid AI make season mode well-worth experiencing.

Where Triple Play really stands out from the rest of the baseball crowd on the PlayStation is in its presentation. The character models are very recognizable, down to each player's signature batting stance and warm up routine. The well-recreated stadiums only occasionally show flaws upon close-up. The weak player animation is very jumpy, however, and depending on which camera angle you chose to play in, the players often face the wrong direction, taking away from the strong visuals.

Sound is even better though. Excellent announcing stays pretty much on top of the game, and there's a surprisingly large variety of commentary. The terrific sounds of the crowd and the stadium announcer make this a very real environment which is only broken up by the arcade-style sound effects of the bat and ball.

As well as TP2001 succeeds in presentation, it stumbles a bit in control. You have a variety of hitting options for aggressive hitting or situational swinging for fly balls or grounders, which is great. The pitching controls offer similar depth, but will take more time to master. Defensively you get plenty of options too, including hard or soft throws that can be cut off or go directly to the bag - once you get to the ball that is. Catching up to a ground ball in the default camera mode is very tricky, leading to many "seeing-eye" singles and inflated scores. When you change to the Defensive POV, you catch grounders more effectively, but pop flies become a nuisance. Either way, it helps the offense and frustrates the defense.

Triple Play 2001 plays solidly and looks great. If you like high scoring baseball excitement and tons of extras, you can't do better -- but for hardcore baseball purists who want realistic box scores and solid defense, you might have to look elsewhere.

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