Customer Reviews

Triple Play 2001

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Admittedly I haven't played a baseball game for quite a few years (since probably Hardball 5?), but having bought Triple Play 2001 for my PC I was very impressed.

It is easy to learn in the Beginners mode and becomes more challenging thereafter. There is a wide variety of options, including single games, a season and of course the home run derby.

The graphics are excellent, with each of the stadiums I have been to in rl being faithfully represented. The marquis players are represented quite well both facially and in their batting styles, and the graphics during gameplay are very smooth. The trading system is quite good, and although I haven't done it myself, I know some of my friends would LOVE the ability to perform a complete league draft.

There are only a few minor criticisms I would level.

* The pitchers tend not to throw many balls, and drawing a walk is quite difficult.

* The starting pitchers get tired too quickly, about 60 pitches and you are more or less done.

* I say about because unfortunately some stats I consider important are missing, especially while playing a game, such as a pitch count for instance. Having the ability to see a standard box score during a game would have been a good idea for me.

* Errors are strangely incorporated. With errors on, I will see 4 or 5 in one game, and then won't see another error for 10 games or so, I would have preferred a little more regular than they are.

But all that aside, I have spent probably several hundred hours playing this game and am yet to tire of it...If you like baseball and baseball games, get it, for me it has proven money well spent!

In a word, "Triple Play 2001" is superb. For ease of play, features, and graphics quality, there is no finer baseball simulation available. When I first began using TP 2001, it appeared to be only a minor upgrade to last year's "Triple Play 2000;" however, once I started playing it regularly, it became very evident to me that EA Sports had made some pretty extensive enhancements, and had done so without sacrificing playability or speed with increased system requirements.

Some of the more notable improvements to TP 2001 include: three Home Run Challenge modes (Tournament, One-on-One, and Extreme, (where you can choose some alternate - and very extreme - sites for hitting your homers); the addition of Baseball Legends (MLB players with 500 home runs or more) to Home Run Challenge; the ability to use your mouse, along with your keyboard and joystick/gamepad, as an input device for all aspects of the game (as far as I know, TP 2001 is the only baseball simulation to offer this); and a highly entertaining system of reaping rewards during regular game play. As always, you can play a regular game, simulate a season, manage from the dugout, be a general manager, and create your own players.

I've been a computer baseball addict for many years. "Triple Play 2001" is the best baseball simulation I've used yet. It's the easiest to set up, the most realistic to play, and...well, simply the most fun!

I'm a huge baseball fan and enjoy playing baseball games on my pc. I'm also a purist and don't like to see unrealistic aspects of sports games. But that is exactly what TP2001 is, very unrealistic to actual major league baseball. Here are some examples,

* When your team builds a lead, the cpu team will get the runs back, GUARANTEED. I was never able to keep a lead. They can lay down a bunt straight to the pitcher and still outrun the throw (meaning the batter has to run about 30 mph to beat the throw). Also, it is more difficult for your pitcher because the cpu batters will hit homeruns more often when behind in order to regain the lead. It doesn't matter how you pitch, one mistake, and the cpu batter goes yard. A cpu PITCHER hit a 600 ft. home run to tie the game. UNREALISTIC!!! These things are impossible in major league baseball.

* Errors are too scattered when that mode is on. A player may commit multiple errors in one inning, but for the next several games, he will play perfect ball.

* You can earn "rewards" during a season where you can use very long bats, or have players with big heads. Give me a break.

* It is difficult to control baserunning after hits. Sometimes the computer will automatically advance baserunners when it is not appropriate, and you may not be able to reverse the runner.

On the plus side, the graphics are excellent, and the other features, like home run contest are interesting. But the actual game is not worth it.

If you are like me, and want to buy a purely realistic baseball game, this is NOT it.

I would highly recomend Triple Play 2001 to sports lovers everywhere. Although they don't have Griffey Jr. on the Reds, you can download a roster patch on the EA Sports web site soon. This game has great graphics, including realistic details in the parks and the uniforms. Triple Play's rival MLB 2001 uses ploygons, which gives it a more box shape. Triple Play has many great modes and overall I will give it a five star rating.

The search goes on for the software that accurately portrays actual major league baseball. This game is entertaining, easy to play, (but not necessarily easy to win), and has fairly nice graphics and sound. However, it doesn't even come close to the real thing. It's way too easy too hit home runs if you swing hard and high, baserunning is very frustrating because the opposing pitcher will pick your guy off about one in every three pickoff attempts, strikeouts and walks hardly exist for either side, and balls hit up the alley and to the wall are just singles just to name some of my criticisms.

On the positive side, the "Big League Challenge" (formerly home run derby) is a lot of fun, especially the extreme version where players shoot for targets as well as home runs. I actually enjoy this aspect of Triple Play 2001 over the actual baseball game.

The PC version of this game has improved dramatically as the players have faces and team logos on their helmets and hats. I'm also glad that EA Sports included alternate road uniforms, e.g. Mets black road jerseys and Blue Jays Blue road jerseys). I only wish that users can choose their uniforms, e.g. NHL 2000. Big League Challenge is a nice addition to the game. It's a perfect PC game as it utilitizes the mouse for batting and fielding.

I have always enjoyed playing baseball video games, since the initial introduction of the now ancient ATARI 2600 edition. While the graphics, options, and record keeping capabilities in Triple Play 2001 are immaculate, I have had a very difficult time in controlling baserunners, which has made this game very frustrating and unenjoyable. For example, if you do not constantly hold your runner on base, which will interfere with your ability to concentrate on the pitch, regardless of the difficulty or option settings, he will go. Or if you have multiple runners, you simply can not advance one without moving them all. Therefore, this has led to numerous double and even triple plays, which has cost me more games than I care to discuss. Overall, I really enjoy the game, until the times (always) in which I have had poor baserunning experiences.

This years version of Triple Play 2001 is the best available baseball game for the PC. It is better then High Heat baseball by a lot, as Heat is simply boring. The online play in TP2k1 makes the game worth getting. Even with a 56k modem it is still easy and fun to play online. This game captures the feeling of the majors better than any other game.

A terrific game. In its "Rookie" mode it's easy to learn and play for beginners; in more advanced modes it's realistically challenging. The graphics are excellent and the action is realistic. Players can be traded or drafted for fantasy play, and there is a program by which one can enter themselves as a player with a scanned photo. Five stars all around.

Triple Play 2001, like all Triple Plays before it, is amazing. I recommend the PC version over the Playstation version because the PC version actually has a more accurate and up to date roster. Also, if you own the PC version, EA Sports website offers a free patch sometime in late April or early June, that you can download and update the rosters to make them even more accurate. If you can choose between the PC or Playstation versions, get the PC version. Much, much more entertaining.