Hello,
I have been a lurker on this site for a while now and have just recently joined. Let me say up front that I have not a hint of "fanboyism" in me, that I quite simply let the merits of a particular game determine where my precious hours go. I will also admit that I have not played console baseball games since the Bases Loaded days on the old NES, preferring to spend my time playing High Heat on the PC. However, I am soon going to make the jump to console gaming and this forum has been most beneficial in helping me to make my decision.
As I have said, I have been a High Heat player for several years now, and I am having a hard time deciding on buying it for the PS2(only system I have). From reading the forum, and playing High Heat, I am well aware of the long standing debate over the gameplay dominance of High Heat. Now, I have had many quality games of High Heat, and I must say that it captures a very good game of baseball, but this is not to say that there are not problems with it, In particular, there has been at times a virulent brand of predetermination in games, where certain sequences of actions(ex. a high quality infielder making three straight errors in the ninth inning) seem to undermine the vaunted realism of the game. The level of realism itself is a touchy subject as well. How do we judge what is real in a video game? If a player that has little power suddenly hits 30 dingers in real life, is that percieved as some sort of inherent unreality? But if that happens in a game, it is decried as "unrealistic" and "destroying the experience of REAL baseball". Now, I am not defending violent fluctuations such as Marlon Anderson hitting 70 homeruns or Mo Vaughn snatching 40 bags. However, given the fact that we are playing GAMES where our direct input is assumed to have primary importance in achieving victory or suffering defeat, then there must be some leeway allowed for my own talent to have an effect. Otherwise, every baseball game would turn into an exercise in statistical accumulation, with little drama or excitement. If am playing a franchise with the Royals( yes, a Royals fan...I am a masochist), how fun is it that starting out that I must resign myself to a 100 loss season no matter what I do? I want to feel like I can do something about this, not that I am forced to play inside a system designed to reflect a determined result, regardless of my own ability. I am neither wanting to win every game, nor am I complaining because the game is too "hard" for me. I am only saying that, perhaps, the blind pursuit of absolute "authenticity" should not be the goal. High Heat has achieved this to some degree, but I am still looking...
If anyone cares, I will be trying out WSB 2K3 on PS2 this year, and probably High Heat on PC again. Slightly off subject, I am not a graphics hog, but I do accept a reasonable level of competence in the graphics, considering these are systems built with that purpose largely in mind. If I cared little for graphics, I would play OOTP constantly(which I did for a period). Anyway, just a little food for thought. I am glad to be a part of this gaming community, and to be able to contribute.
I have been a lurker on this site for a while now and have just recently joined. Let me say up front that I have not a hint of "fanboyism" in me, that I quite simply let the merits of a particular game determine where my precious hours go. I will also admit that I have not played console baseball games since the Bases Loaded days on the old NES, preferring to spend my time playing High Heat on the PC. However, I am soon going to make the jump to console gaming and this forum has been most beneficial in helping me to make my decision.
As I have said, I have been a High Heat player for several years now, and I am having a hard time deciding on buying it for the PS2(only system I have). From reading the forum, and playing High Heat, I am well aware of the long standing debate over the gameplay dominance of High Heat. Now, I have had many quality games of High Heat, and I must say that it captures a very good game of baseball, but this is not to say that there are not problems with it, In particular, there has been at times a virulent brand of predetermination in games, where certain sequences of actions(ex. a high quality infielder making three straight errors in the ninth inning) seem to undermine the vaunted realism of the game. The level of realism itself is a touchy subject as well. How do we judge what is real in a video game? If a player that has little power suddenly hits 30 dingers in real life, is that percieved as some sort of inherent unreality? But if that happens in a game, it is decried as "unrealistic" and "destroying the experience of REAL baseball". Now, I am not defending violent fluctuations such as Marlon Anderson hitting 70 homeruns or Mo Vaughn snatching 40 bags. However, given the fact that we are playing GAMES where our direct input is assumed to have primary importance in achieving victory or suffering defeat, then there must be some leeway allowed for my own talent to have an effect. Otherwise, every baseball game would turn into an exercise in statistical accumulation, with little drama or excitement. If am playing a franchise with the Royals( yes, a Royals fan...I am a masochist), how fun is it that starting out that I must resign myself to a 100 loss season no matter what I do? I want to feel like I can do something about this, not that I am forced to play inside a system designed to reflect a determined result, regardless of my own ability. I am neither wanting to win every game, nor am I complaining because the game is too "hard" for me. I am only saying that, perhaps, the blind pursuit of absolute "authenticity" should not be the goal. High Heat has achieved this to some degree, but I am still looking...
If anyone cares, I will be trying out WSB 2K3 on PS2 this year, and probably High Heat on PC again. Slightly off subject, I am not a graphics hog, but I do accept a reasonable level of competence in the graphics, considering these are systems built with that purpose largely in mind. If I cared little for graphics, I would play OOTP constantly(which I did for a period). Anyway, just a little food for thought. I am glad to be a part of this gaming community, and to be able to contribute.
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