When it comes right down to it,
All-Star Baseball 2003 had what other baseball games are lacking: multiple game modes. However, this doesn't mean it didn't come without flaws of its own. First off, let's discuss the game itself.
ASB 2K3 plays decent enough, but that's only after you're able to HIT the ball. I really got frustrated after striking out after my first few hundred at bats. This probably can be attributed to the fact that you have no time to react to a really small ball coming at you at a really fast pace. Besides that random crapshoot we'll call batting, the rest of the game was playable. I thought the infielders tended to be a little slow when trying to field a grounder, as opposed to the outfielders that could run down everything. There is one thing I think
Acclaim went a little overboard with. Generally, you can turn Injuries on and off for a game, but rarely does anyone ever get injured. Well, that's not the case for
All-Star Baseball 2003, where my men were dropping like flies. This truly happened to me: my second basemen pulled a ligament running back to the dugout after the inning was over, and was out for 1-2 weeks. The next inning, my shortstop apparently swung the bat too hard, because he went down in the middle of his at bat. I like the realism of injuries, but I think they need to come at more realistic times in the game.
All-Star Baseball 2003 contains several different game modes to choose from: Exhibition, New Season, New Series, Expansion, Franchise, and Home Run Derby. Besides those game modes, you can also collect Player Cards to unlock cheats, or can also play the Trivia Game, which will definitely test your baseball knowledge. The first three modes I listed are the generics, single game (Exhibition), one full season (New Season), and just the playoffs (New Series). The Expansion and Franchise modes are the exact same thing with continuous seasons of play. The only difference between the two is that Expansion allows you to create your own team. Whichever mode you choose, you'll probably end up with the same result as me at the end of the season: you can't afford to keep any of your free agents around, and the computer automatically drafts some players onto your Farm Team in the minors. Finally, there is Home Run Derby, which was such a joke to play. First off, it's not about WHO can hit the most home runs, it's about which TEAM can hit the most. Four players from the American League face off against four players from the National League. You also have to control each player, so I guess you have to root for both teams. Bottom line: there's no point in playing Home Run Derby alone.