High Heat Major League Baseball 2003

by Playstation

Product Features

• Enhanced Graphics. Two on two showdowns. Stars pitch and bat just like their counterparts. Umpire arguments and player ejections.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005V5LP
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 11, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,988 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #39 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Sports > Baseball
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

With its satisfyingly realistic gameplay firmly intact, this year's entry in 3DO's High Heat series cements its status as arguably the best video game baseball experience available. Graphically, it's better than ever, but what sets High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 apart from the competition is its attention to the little things that make it more believable and fun to play: hits that are random and rarely appear to fall in the same place twice; scores that accurately reflect the caliber of the opposing pitcher; razor-close plays on the base paths and at home plate--the list goes on. Add in wide-ranging, customizable player skill levels and game-tuning preferences (everything from batting and throwing power to error and injury frequency)--not to mention the year of fine-tuning under 3DO's belt after working out the kinks in last season's inaugural PS2 run--and it all adds up to a rewarding experience for baseball gaming purists.

That's not to say the game is perfect, as witnessed by graphics that could still use some work to fully exploit the PS2's capabilities. Especially lacking are the dugout and crowd animations that at times resemble lifeless gray masses. Certain stadium skylines also lack depth, particularly in night games (tall buildings behind the stadiums look a lot like their blocky counterparts from last year's version). But these are minor gripes when all is said and done. All the vitals are still there: season, playoff, and exhibition modes (no franchise mode yet, however); home run derby; batting practice; and, new this year, the two-on-two showdown that features a one-inning battle pitting pitcher against batter. And while the game's rosters are nowhere near what they'll be on opening day, the create and edit player features will ensure that everybody's favorite team can be as accurate as the real thing. --Larry White

Pros:

• Unparalleled gameplay realism
• Improved graphics
• Innovative two-on-two showdown
• Create and edit player features

Cons:

• Graphics could still use work
• Scoreboards are not in real time
• Sometimes repetitive announcing

Product Description

With its satisfyingly realistic gameplay firmly intact, this year's entry in 3DO's High Heat series cements its status as arguably the best video game baseball experience available. Graphically, it's better than ever, but what sets High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 apart from the competition is its attention to the little things that make it more believable and fun to play: hits that are random and rarely appear to fall in the same place twice; scores that accurately reflect the caliber of the opposing pitcher; razor-close plays on the base paths and at home plate--the list goes on. Add in wide-ranging, customizable player skill levels and game-tuning preferences (everything from batting and throwing power to error and injury frequency)--not to mention the year of fine-tuning under 3DO's belt after working out the kinks in last season's inaugural PS2 run--and it all adds up to a rewarding experience for baseball gaming purists.

That's not to say the game is perfect, as witnessed by graphics that could still use some work to fully exploit the PS2's capabilities. Especially lacking are the dugout and crowd animations that at times resemble lifeless gray masses. Certain stadium skylines also lack depth, particularly in night games (tall buildings behind the stadiums look a lot like their blocky counterparts from last year's version). But these are minor gripes when all is said and done. All the vitals are still there: season, playoff, and exhibition modes (no franchise mode yet, however); home run derby; batting practice; and, new this year, the two-on-two showdown that features a one-inning battle pitting pitcher against batter. And while the game's rosters are nowhere near what they'll be on opening day, the create and edit player features will ensure that everybody's favorite team can be as accurate as the real thing. --Larry White

Pros:

• Unparalleled gameplay realism
• Improved graphics
• Innovat

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High Heat is better than last year, Still not great, February 14, 2002

By 

SammySosa21 "sammysosa21" (san lorenzo, ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 (Video Game)

While i was very dissapointed with last years high heat, this years version surprised me (and yes i do actually own it). Gameplay and graphics are much improved and the announcers voices were crisp and clean. I was also surprised to see that the rosters were also as up to date as they could be (i.e. Juan Gonzalez on Texas). This is also not an "arcade" style baseball game, stats are pretty accurate like real MLB is and you aren't hitting hr's every other ab. So all in all it's a pretty good game, 4 star rating for a lack of "franchise mode", but do you really want to keep playing after 162 games anyways? Buy it and i think you'll be surprised in a good way.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best baseball for PS2, February 19, 2002

By 

Stresspuppy (Stamford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 (Video Game)

HH 2003 has much improved graphics and an updated roster over 2002. given the High Heat legacy, it plays well giving a good mix of walks vs. strikeouts...

in addition to the general difficulty setting (rookie, pro, allstar, mvp) the game also allows you to adjust a general setting to make the game either more 'arcade' or 'simulation'. when you slide the setting to towards more simulation, a players stats become much bigger factors in whether you make contact hitting or whether you're hitting the corners for strikes.

from an arcade game perspective, it's a very good game but from a simulation, the season mode is a bit of a let down. while the game allows for trades, it will always let you make a trade so you can easily build that super team of all the best players. there is no franchise mode so if the season ends, that's it... no building a dynasty -- there are no college or minor league players in the game (there are some free agents and you can also create your own players). allstar games, playoffs, homerun derbies are all available from the main screen.

all in all it's a fine baseball game, and IMHO, the best available for the PS2 in its representation of pitching vs. batting.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game!, February 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 (Video Game)

I've been waiting for this one for a long time, and it was worth the wait. I'm writing this after owning the game for less than 24 hours, but so far I'm pretty happy with it.

If you've played High Heat before, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I was a hard-core High Heat 2001 addict on the PC but skipped the 2002 version on the PS2 because it was too lacking in features and skipped it on the PC because it was buggy. The controls on this one are very similar to the controls on the PC. The batter-pitcher interface is as good as ever, and that's always what made this game great.

The graphics aren't the most amazing ones that I've ever seen, but they do beat the old 2001 PC version. Players occasionally do weird things, like running in place when they hit the wall chasing a home-run ball. But the stadiums are passable versions of the real things, and the game play is so fun that I can forgive minor visual annoyances.

One thing that I really like about this version that wasn't in my old PC version is the ability to fine-tune things- you can adjust speed, power, hitting, etc. I want the game to be as much of a simulation as possible, so too many long balls irritate me. This lets you fix that. It also lets you do it in the middle of a game, which is nice when you're down by a few runs, you have men on base, and it would be really nice if someone hit a home run!

Some downsides to this version:

It has a fantasy draft, but, unlike the PC version, you can't select the teams you want to have participate in your league. I'm sure Bud Selig would be disappointed- there's no way to play a season without the Twins and Expos. I used to like to have two eight-team leagues- that gave you a good shot at having lots of star players on your team when you did the draft and you got to play against the stars more frequently, too. With all 30 teams, you get a one or two great players and a lot of middle-of-the-road players on each team, which is kind of boring. But that's a minor quibble- since the real versions of my favorite teams (the Cubs and the Mariners) are pretty good, I can enjoy playing them with the real rosters. And you can create a player, or make trades if you want to make a better team.

The home run derby was more fun in the PC version because it kept high scores; you could always try to set a new personal best. This one doesn't, which is too bad. I also miss the old stadiums in the PC version- I LOVED playing in the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, among other places. It also lacks the depth- no minor leagues, for example, but that's probably too much to ask for a console game, and I can live without it.

In summary, this game isn't EVERYTHING that I'd want a baseball game to be, but it's pretty darn close. And they got the stuff that matters right, which makes it a highly enjoyable game. I'm anxiously awaiting the PC version, too- if it is stable and includes the things that were omitted from this version, it could be the perfect baseball game!

It's nice to see Curt Schilling on the cover, too- a great player and a class act- some of the proceeds from the game even go to ALS.