MLB 2002 review (PlayStation)

As for control, MLB 2002 offers many levels of batting, pitching, and fielding complexity. For arcade lovers, the game's batting and pitching interfaces can be minimized such that pitch choice and swing timing are the only variables you need to worry about during an at bat. 989 Studios has even included an automatic-fielding choice for those who dislike chasing down groundball after groundball. However, if you like your baseball complex, MLB 2002 can bring it with the best of them.

The total control interface from MLB 2001 has evolved for MLB 2002. You select your pitches via a menu that provides a choice of four key pitches per player, with location designated by an onscreen cursor. Pitch speed is also an adjustable variable this year. There's still a response delay between the input of the command and the pitcher's wind up, but it's not a huge issue. As far as the defense sitting behind the pitcher, fielding is unchanged from MLB 2001, with one notable exception. You can now just press the L2 button to automatically perform snappy dives and superstar grabs when your player nears the ball.

Compared with pitching and fielding, batting has gone through an even wider array of tweaks. For better or worse, the overall batting interface looks like the targeting system of an F-16 jet. A large white box shows the area your swing will encompass, while a set of crosshairs in the middle denotes the sweet spot of the bat. When the pitcher releases the ball, a red box will appear in the strike zone based on the pitch's trajectory. Your job is to line up your box with the pitcher's. Within the red box, a little yellow box represents the ball itself as it nears the plate. If your crosshairs are dead center, you'll hit a line drive. If not, you may end up hitting a grounder, a foul tip, a pop up, or a home run, or you may just whiff altogether. "Total Control" guessing adds even more flavor to the equation. By pressing L2, you can pause the action and guess where the pitcher will throw the ball and what pitch he'll use. If you're correct, your batting area will increase. You can also toggle between hit-for-power and hit-for-average swing settings with a press of the X button.

Considering the above paragraphs, it's little wonder why people complain that the MLB series overcomplicates baseball video games. However, it's important to note that all the game's simulation options are just that, optional. Depending on the settings you select, you will experience either a wild arcade romp or a die-hard foray into reality.

More annoying than the morass of interface options, games in MLB 2002 still take far too long to complete. Although it's possible to bypass mid-inning transitions, home run trots and pre-pitch gestures cannot be skipped. For some, this will create pacing faithful to the cadence of real baseball, but 60 minutes per game is a bit much to ask.

If you can get past the sluggish pacing and incessant overcomplication, MLB 2002 is a wonderful game. Veterans may find that the changes and improvements in this latest release don't prevent it from evoking a deep feeling of déjé vu, but the additional gameplay modes, statistics options, and interface changes should be enough to warrant its purchase.