Ah, the bright, sunny days of baseball are back in full swing for another season, and things couldn't look better. No, I'm not talking about the actual pros... I mean the video game counterpart on PlayStation 2 called Triple Play 2002. The gorgeous blue skies help accentuate each dynamic baseball park, packed to the brim with fans out on a Sunday afternoon looking to catch a good rubber match. Not to be outdone, the player models look just as great as the diamonds they play on. EA Sports definitely did a great job creating the facial features of all the big name players. Of course, the animations complete the visual package, with both the swing of the bat and in the field. I saw no visual flaws when it came to fielding whatsoever.

I wasn't as impressed with the audio of Triple Play. Much of this displeasure came from the play-by-play commentary of Bob Costas and Harold Reynolds. Things tended to get a little redundant, not to mention a little off when it came to following the game. There were a couple times when I would foul the pitch back, only to hear Costas say "A shot up the middle." Other than that, I liked the rest of what I heard. The soundtrack has some fun songs to listen to, and the sound effects match up well with the game.

I think sports games in general have been around long enough for their creators to know that the only way a game is going to sell is if you can play on after the first season. Most companies call it a Franchise or Dynasty mode. Sadly, neither are a part of Triple Play 2002. That's right sports fans, it's one and you're done when it comes to playing a Season mode. In fact, besides the Season, the only other modes you can play are Play Ball!, Playoffs, and Home Run Derby (all of which are self explanatory). There is something new to this year's version. They're kind of like DVD extras. EA Sports sat down with Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, and Luis Gonzalez (this year's cover boy), and talked about the making of the game. What I thought was funny was after they spoke with Costas about why he chose to call the game, all they asked Reynolds about was what it was like to work with Bob Costas. Poor, poor Harold. Now while I found this stuff somewhat interesting, I would much rather replace it with a Franchise mode or something.

The gaming of Triple Play hits a deep ball, but it doesn't quite "knock it out of the park," so to speak. Pitching is very easy to get a handle on, as is the base running. I found a little trouble with batting at first, because I had to get used to the pitches and their speed. I credit this to me playing too many different baseball games. If you're an avid Triple Play gamer, you won't have any trouble. Fielding was probably the biggest thing I had to adjust to, because the field is enormous in comparison to the player model size. Basically what I'm saying is, get used to pressing the turbo button as fast as you can, because there's a lot of ground to cover.

There was one thing I really couldn't stand. EA Sports is suddenly into this three-play thing, where they'll replay something three times in a row (they did this in this year's Madden and Knockout Kings 2002). Now while I like this little added feature, I think it should only be used when it's a great play. Here's the scenario: I'm my Minnesota Twins, and we're playing at Chicago against the White Sox. There are two outs, it's the bottom of the ninth, we're tied, and the winning run is on third. Frank Thomas steps up to the plate, takes a big swing, and the three-play goes into affect. I throw my controller down in a fit of disgust, because I'm figuring this is a home run. So while I'm pissing and moaning off in a corner, I don't see that he actually popped it up behind second base. Therefore, I didn't get my shortstop over to catch the fly ball, and the runner on third scored to win the game. So my question to EA is: why are you three-playing a pop up???

It may sound obvious, but strategy is key when it comes to winning a baseball game. The reason I say this is because there is no playbook involved like in basketball or football. The strategy involved in Triple Play 2002 includes where to hit the ball, where to place your infield and your outfield, when to advance your base runners, things of that nature. These things become much more critical as you advance up the level of difficulty: Rookie, Pro, and All-Star. However, it's not as important for the Home Run Derby, as your only goal is to hit the ball really far. In that mode, it just becomes a little harder to connect the ball to the bat the higher the level.

I liked most of this section, except that I did have problems controlling when I wanted to dive or jump, and which base I was trying to throw to. I found buttons to be a little touchy in that department. Other than that, everything else on Triple Play 2002 seemed in order. When pitching, the analog controller would shake a little if I aimed outside the strike zone. Plus, the loading time was very minimal. And because there was NO FRANCHISE MODE, very little space was used for the memory card.

Besides some updated rosters, which weren't THAT updated, and a few graphical changes, I didn't see a big difference from last year's version of Triple Play. I would only consider renting this game because once you're done with the Season, what else is there to do?