Triple Play '99

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• 1-8 Players
• Multi Tap Adaptable
• Rated E for Everyone

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002STTG
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 10, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,097 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

With baseball season right around the corner, everyone has been itching to play some baseball games. But deciding which game to play is bound to be just about as confusing as picking out the best basketball game. Some prefer the arcade-type action of Sony's MLB, while others prefer the simulation feel of Triple Play. And while this year's installment of EA's baseball sim isn't dramatically different from the previous installment, Triple Play 99 offers more of what people loved about Triple Play 98 - details.

All of the teams are represented, including the two new expansion teams. Over 1300 actual MLB players are included. Triple Play 99 has a lot of the same options and features that were in last year's Triple Play plus a few new ones. Some of the best maneuvers include scaling the wall and robbing someone of a home run and running down a bunt and picking up the ball barehanded then throwing the ball in one motion to beat the runner. My favorite of the new abilities is easily the home plate collisions. Just mash on the X button when running for home, and you'll barrel through the catcher if it's a close one.

Visually, Triple Play 99 looks like most 3D polygonal games - boxy players that look kind of funny but move totally realistically. The animations of the players are really good, and there are lots of them. The frame rate is the only knock that Triple Play 99 gets graphically, as was the case with last year's installment. EA has done something to dress the visuals up a bit with the addition of the action camera. With this option turned on, the camera view is ever changing and seems to have more of a TV broadcast feel. The two announcers, Buck Martinez and Jim Houston, really make you feel as though you are watching a game on TV. The commentary that the two announcers give out consists of play-by-play calls, funny stories, and facts about players and teams. My absolute favorite is when the announcers do a fake ad for Ray's House of Pencils or one of the other products that usually also have an ad hanging from the scoreboard or outfield wall.

The sound as a whole is really very good. You can often hear, under the chatter of the announcers, a vendor in the crowd yelling that he has popcorn or a fan yelling in disgust about his favorite team's poor performance. Every once in a while you'll hear a stadium announcement about someone's lights being on in the parking lot or something. It's all of these little extras that make Triple Play 99 feel more like a baseball experience than just a game. Probably the best little extra in the game, which was also one of the highlights of last year's Triple Play, is the trivia game. Instead of watching a boring loading screen, the game has a trivia question that either asks a "Who Am I?" or a "What Year Is It?" question, where you get three clues to help you figure out what year it is. The answer then appears after a few moments when the game has been loaded.

Triple Play 99 is fairly easy to learn but hard to master. The game features four different difficulty settings - beginner, rookie, pro, and all-star. The difference between the four is more than just tougher computer opponents, it also changes in-game parameters. For example when playing on the beginner difficulty setting, fielding and base running are automatic. This allows first-time players to jump in and get a feel for hitting and pitching at a very slow speed. The rookie difficulty steps up the speed of the game, computer AI, and most noticeably changes the pitching so that you can move the ball as it flies toward the plate. Pro mode graduates players to the big leagues. Base running and fielding are up to you now, the computer becomes quite a bit more intelligent, and the game speed steps up as well. This is where most people will find themselves playing - the computer plays smart and the game speed seems about right. The all-star difficulty is for really experienced players. It's much like the pro mode, only faster, and insanely difficult. Besides the usual modes of play like season play, play-offs, and single game, Triple Play 99 features a home run derby that lets you see just how many you can knock out of the park. Speaking of parks, Triple Play 99 features all 30 of the real MLB stadiums. The stadiums look exactly like their real-life counterparts, and there are even some hidden ones as well.

Triple Play 99 is the way to go if you want a realistic baseball sim to play. It is really the most fun I've had playing a baseball game in a long time. The improvements made over last year's version mean that MLB '99 has its work cut out for it. --Ryan Mac Donald
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

Real Baseball, All Highlights. Includes the HOME RUN DERBY.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine game, with reasonable graphics and a few flaws., November 18, 2000

By 

Shorebird (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Triple Play '99 (Video Game)

Triple Play 99 is definitely a very reasonable game. The graphics are basically average, and aren't too detailed. The controls are a bit more advanced when compared to other games.

TP99 includes all of the real stadiums, including Bank One (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), except for the Kingdome (Seattle Mariners) which doesn't exist anymore, and 3 secret stadiums within the game.

Injuries are also included in TP99. Players can accidentally collide when trying to catch the ball and will fall over. Or players may unexpectedly have an injury while playing, and will require that you bring in a substitute. And pitchers lose their stamina faster than normal, making things even tougher. The game does have a stamina meter, and also shows a count of how many pitches the pitcher has thrown, how many balls, strikes, hits, home runs allowed, and walks.

The announcers have a great sense of humor. From time to time, they'll advertise for a product with a humorous name to it.

Even if the graphics are only reasonable, and the gameplay is a little bit more difficult, it's still a very good game.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok game kind of lame, April 22, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Triple Play '99 (Video Game)

i bought this game when it first came out, i could not stop playing it, thats all i did i was probably like 10. it has ok graphics except for some missing things like being able to throw the ball threw someone, the player looks like hes already throw the ball and a little while later the ball goes, players running through each other. other than that it was an ok game, sports games tend to wear on me after a while i think i would rather rent this game then buy it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Fun.... When it first came out, August 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Triple Play '99 (Video Game)

When I first got this game for Easter I used to play it all the time, but now that the rosters are so horribly out of date it is not that much fun anymore. If you want a good game, buy the more recent games unless you just want to play a baseball game and dont care about accuracy.