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Sammy Sosa Softball Slam
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Score: 60%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: 3DO
Developer: 3DO
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 8
Genre: Sports
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Graphics & Sound:
Well, the front cover says it all. If you pick this game up expecting great, true-to-life graphics ... never mind. The graphics are kiddish, bubbly, and bright; just what you would expect from a cartoon drawn cover and a name like Softball Slam. I'm not trying to knock the art or the title - actually the opposite. I just want to point out that although the graphics are very unrealistic, that's the way it's supposed to be, and it's what you should expect when you pick it up. The sound - along the same lines. For a very cartoony game, I was surprised at the amount of detail. Of course, there was no texturing to speak of, but the detail was great. I wouldn't call the graphics great, but they fit the game and for what they were, it was good. I was also surprised at the speed and fluidity that the game possessed. |
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Gameplay:
Okay, what we have is baseball, only with underhand (softball) pitching. Of course, if you don't know this already, you fit in my ... never mind category. In this one, you can play a single game, participate in a tournament, and edit the leagues. There are three leagues to choose from - male, female, and co-ed. You can edit these leagues by changing the player's names, stats, and appearances. Let's see, 3 strikes, 4 balls, 4 bases, 9 fielders ... everything is the same. Only the pitch delivery is different. The only other thing that puts the gameplay apart from a MLB or Triple Play type game is the fact that there is no season mode. I think this (softball game) is a pretty neat idea. I don't think there are that many softball fans that play PlayStation, but a neat idea nonetheless. I'm still waiting on a college baseball game (even college softball would be nice). |
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Difficulty:
As with every sports game, the difficulty is variable. If you want it easier, make it easier. Don't worry; if you can't win on the easiest setting, maybe thinking isn't your strong point. If the game is too easy (it is), then just up the difficulty. The hardest setting really isn't that hard, but throw in the horrible controls and you have a game you can only win half the time.
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Game Mechanics:
No we come to this. Okay first the pluses. ... Okay now the bad stuff. That's not fair; I have to say something good right? Okay, it supports the vibration function and it's not too heavy on the memory card. But how does it control? Barely. First of all, in every baseball game, there is a throw button. To throw to a base, press the throw button and the corresponding direction. Well, for this one, each base has it's own button. Sounds great though, doesn't it? I agree; it sounds great in theory, but anyone who has played baseball games for years is accustomed to playing one way. This interface just adds unnecessary confusion and wasted reaction time. Pitching is also much too complicated for a softball game. You pick the type of pitch, the direction of the pitch, and then you have an accuracy meter to contend with. This gets very old - after about the first inning. Of course, you can choose to auto pitch and auto field. Sure, why don't we just auto throw, hit, and run too. Let's watch the game and not play it. I do have to say that hitting is okay, but the running sucks. I think this game is a great idea and a great concept on paper. However, lazy Americans don't want to change the way that they play baseball (baseball simulations in front of there TV with chips that is). We grew up playing a certain way, and don't want to change. Implement the old mechanics in this one, and we've got a ball game. :)
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-Storm, GameVortex Communications AKA Jeremy Kelso |
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