Customer Reviews

Triple Play 2002 (Xbox)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Unfortunately, this was the first baseball video game I've actually sat down and played. I'd seen them before, but never actually played them. ...Triple Play 2002 has got to be one of the worst baseball games in history unless you still live ten years ago, a time this game was cutting edge.

1. What's up with the player bodies. On the box there's a rendering of Luis Gonzalez in the back which looks great, but in the game he looks just as disproportioned as everyone else. All the players look like the old baseball dolls with the big heads. I even smacked my controller against the screen to see if their heads would bob side to side.

2. The general proportions of the game are horrible. The players look like midgets on a midget sized field. Sure the stadiums look great in certain shots, but the standard game shot is bad.

3. The commentary by Bob Costas is flat, and like someone else mentioned the other guy sounds like a bad Chris Rock imitation. Sometimes it doesn't even apply to what's happening on the field.

4. The sounds aren't too great either, and the same cheesy intro music over and over for important players is boooring. Not to mention the repetitive playing of Twisted Sister's classic 80's "I want to rock" which is good to hear maybe once for feel and nostalgia's sake, but after 40 times, one can certainly do without it.

5. The field looks horrible. The graphics in general look like a game of maybe 5 years ago, except like I mentioned before some of the stadium models.

6. Gameplay is too simple. When you can hit a minimum of 8 homeruns per game, it is a real disppointing game. The game is too simplistic. This does not necessarily mean it is not fun, but after a few games, that's it, it becomes boring as there is no challenge in it. You can see where the ball will be pitched and even if you hide that, it isn't all that hard.

7. Wow 7. MAJOR GLITCHES HERE! Nothing can turn one off a game as much as bad programming. There are glitches everywhere in this game, but one I could not live with and is unforgivable considering one catalogs players in a database and should check them when making a quality game. This is the player of the game. More than once with different teams, the picture of the player of the game would not match the player. For example, let's say the player of the game was Maddux, then you might get a picture of Barry Bonds next to his name. This is ridiculous and is a total turn off.

In conclusion, don't waste your money here...

This is by far the worst baseball game I have ever purchased. First of all, I'm going to call it a softball game for the rest of this review because that's what the ball looks like when you're swinging. Their is no way to turn off pitch aid so you know where the computer is going to throw it every time. The game's only good aspect is that it doesn't take long to play but that doesn't make up for its awful graphics, terrible gameplay and misery it will put you through.

This game is terrible. It is slow and boring. I rented it and got bored with it after about five minutes. This game is marketed as a realistic simulation, but is far from it. In exhibition, it won't take you more than a couple of minutes to realize that every other foul ball goes to the same exact same place. The same thing happens with homeruns and basehits. They all end up going to the same exact spot with the same exact animation. Also, where are the routine fly balls. Homeruns outnumber fly balls 100 to 1. It is not uncommon to see multiple back-to-back-to-back homeruns in a game or even in an inning. Actual player skills make no difference. Hitting a homerun with Barry Bonds is just as hard (or just as easy) as hitting a homerun with some guy who didn't hit a single homerun last year.
You would think that by switching the level of play, the homeruns would slow down. Not exactly. The only difference is that the computer starts hitting all of the homeruns. It is no fun winning 100 to 1 or losing 100 to 1. A quick glance at the scoreboard and you would think that you were playing football or basketball. Hey! The uneven level of play is starting to reminf me of the MLB and their greedy salary-cap hating players.
I haven't even begun to mention the minor problems with the game or the problems with the graphics. I'm the kind of guy who likes all of the "little things" added to a game to keep it more realistic. In Triple Play 2002, you have to hit 90 mph curveballs in the Homerun Derby and the Expos sell out every game. Baseball is one of the easiest sports to get right because it does not have continuous action. EA Sports needed to get this right because of the increasing competition from Sega Sports. They failed miserably, making me even more devoted to Sega Sports. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!

This game was a major disappointment for a number of reasons.

1 - Choppy game play. Your fielders should not pause for a second every time before throwing the ball. Very annoying. With all of the player animations these days, the game play is not nearly as smooth. Does anyone remember Baseball Stars for the original NES? One of the smoothest playing baseball games, just lacked in the graphics department. But hey, that was then.
2 - Horrible camera view options, both manual and automatic. Home runs are the most exciting part of baseball, and to have the camera fixed at home plate while you watch the ball fade out of sight 400 feet away is very anti-climactic. There is no watching the runners round the bases, just a meager celebration at the plate. Poor.
3 - Having to view Point #2 in instant replay in the exact same camera view it originally occurred in. One of the best upgrades a few years back was the option to rotate the camera around a given spot and to zoom in. What happened to that? It's in every other game.
4 - Commentary annoying, although, what game doesn't have annoying commentators if you play it enough? Drawback anyway.
5 - Competition not too difficult. Many sports games become easy to master, so therefore, to avoid Points 1 & 5, I simply play a game on user for both sides and switch controller use to the team that is batting. It makes for even competition and I don't have to deal with the frustrating fielding play.

The controller switch option mid-game is the only option that made me keep the game.

This is the worst game that I have seen in years.

I am not going to repeat what people are saying about this game. I will add the following points:

The audio is horrible. You can pretty much hear which individual sound bites they are stringing together to make (in)coherent commentary. Also the sound quality is right up there with a decent AM radio station.

The menus are the most non-intuitive I have seen in years.

Bottom line is, anyone that has been duped into buying this game: we should band together and file a class action lawsuit against EA. The game is that bad.

ok when i got this game i was like "hey another triple play,now i can have fun." I WAS WRONG!the only good part about this is season mode. if this game were online i would still play it.But nope no on line,i hope you make the right decision.shorty z

This is very very sad. The last two were ten times better. But that was on PC, but still the worst game on xbox.

I've been playing the Triple Play series for years on Playstation 1 and frankly this X-box game is not near the fun that those games were and still are. The major thing is that it is too easy. I hate the batting directional and wish I could take it off. The old games would take me some time to get through the individual levels but this one I moved straight into the Pro Level and I'm like 10-1. (Had too much wine on the loss). Most of the games are blow outs. I'm practicing on the highest level but I think I've got the level figured out for the season.

I've had the game just a couple of weeks and I'm kicking the games tail. This was not the way the old games were. You had to work and practice to get better. I find myself bored with the game and then go back to play Madden football.

* Can't customize within the levels of gameplay. This was a feature back in 1995 - gone.
* Instant replay - can't change angles, no slow motion - gone.
* Batter view / camera angles - gone.
* Fielding - Players look like little stick people - zoomed out too much.
* Players look like bobble-head dolls.
* Menu system is horrible and slow.
* Bob Costas and Chris Rock? - Dat wuz a sweeeeeeet play Bob!
* Back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers on Pro level. Hmmmm
* Players don't throw the ball on the run anymore - gone.

EA could have done so much more with the very capable X-Box. Looked like a lazy effort. I've never played anyone else's baseball games (except the old Nintendo Baseball - remember with Babe Ruth and all those guys (that was fun!)), so I can only compare to previous versions of the game. The programmers should take some lessons from their NHL crew. Disappointed.

CAUTION: Read before buying.

As with all sporting games, it's best to RENT before dropping [$$$]+ tax. You may like it, you may not. Sporting games, in particular, will appeal in different ways to different people, so find something that's compatible with your likes and dislikes. This game was certainly not for me. I'm a big fan of World Series 2K1 & 2K2 for the Dreamcast, and only hope they pump out a version for the XBOX. Here's a few rants that turned me off immediately.

>>> Corny music.
>>> When you're at the plate, the hitting indicator shows you where the ball is going to be pitched! Granted you don't know if it's a curve or a two-seamer or a sinker, but still, come on! Doesn't this take some of the challenge away? Is the catcher letting you know what's coming or something? ala, Crash Davis from "Bull Durham?" "...here comes the deuce, and when you speak of me, speak of me kindly..."
>>> Is it just me or is this some kind of "midget" league? The players are proportioned like infants, with extra large craniums who appear to be looming at a mere 4'9".
>>> Bad sound effects. The crack of the bat (which the Dreamcast simulated beautifully) sounds anything but.

For me, these CONS jumped right out at me and I was unable, in good conscience, to proceed any further. These are some basics that are critical in simulating the most realistic play possible. GOOD NEWS: I just read the May XBOX Magazine and they are collaborating with WORLD SERIES BASEBALL (SEGA) for an EXCLUSIVE XBOX release in May. How cool is this --- this is far and away my favorite baseball gaming package, and they're dissing PS2 on this release. They're utilizing the full graphic capablility to create the finest baseball game yet. I won't even rent this one --- I'll be buying immediately. Baseball is a huge part of my life, and a solid game is a must have for the season ahead!! On a side note, "ALL-STAR BASEBALL" was seriously lacking visually (again, thumbs down here); I have full confidence WORLD SERIES 2K3 will put the rest of these packages to bed...