The graphics and sound in All-Star Baseball 2004 really shine, but that's something that has come to be expected from the series. Each of the players is detailed, and some even show off individual characteristics and traits of actual players, although it looks like we will have to go the entire season without Randy Johnson's mullet.
As well as the players are animated, a few of them seem a little off - both pitching and fielding have an awkward feel to them that probably won't throw off too many people, but it will be noticeable to eagle-eyed fans. Both the stadiums and crowds come off as lackluster and don't have the visual 'pop' found in other games. I was particularly disappointed in the crowds, but when you consider that most sports games showcase the same crap for crowds, it's hard to hold it against All-Star 2004. To sum it all up, the graphics are more than adequate, but could use some polishing.
Commentary is always a really sticky issue when it comes to any sports game. Every year, developers try to make it as realistic and natural sounding as possible, but given the technical limitations, commentary hasn't reached the point that the developers want it to be at yet. The announcers in All-Star 2004 are generally good, although they do tend to repeat themselves, but again - since that is a trait found in most sports games, it's hard to knock the developers. The commentary does have a few impressive features, such as announcers mentioning events that happened previously in the game. I was even impressed to see that the game included an option for Spanish commentary, but I also played through Rayman 2 with the Italian voice track turned on, so I tend to appreciate weird things like that. The ambient stadium noises are great, and do an excellent job of conveying the atmosphere of a game without becoming too much of a distraction.
