In the copycat world of sports video games, it's unusual to find a game concept that's never been done before. So it's something of a wonder that the preferred sport of the bearded, pot-bellied, blue-collar American is just now making an entry into the video-game market. But even though the game may deserve some credit for originality, the sheer lack of quality throughout the game keeps Sammy Sosa's Softball Slam from being anything interesting.
Sammy Sosa's Softball Slam makes an over-the-top arcade-style approach to softball, portraying it as the silly, somewhat outrageous "sport" it is. There are no professional players here - just beer-guzzling guys and well-endowed women out in the park for a little fun. The game does a good job of staying with this theme, as fielders will often flub catches, basemen will overthrow their bases, and runners will occasionally plow over the ball carriers. The gameplay is just about as simple as you could possibly get - when you're pitching you can choose from one of four pitches, and when you're batting you can choose from one of three swings. There are none of the complex ball-angling or pitch-prediction techniques found in most other baseball games on the market - just a simple single-button hit-the-ball-when-it's-over-the-plate technique that gets boring pretty quick. Once the ball is hit, the computer switches you to the nearest fielder and shows you exactly where the ball is going to land with a huge circular icon - stand anywhere underneath it, and you've got a great chance of catching it. Tossing the ball to the bases is pretty intuitive, as Softball Slam uses the diamond button-for-a-base scheme so common in other baseball games. Still, playing the game really isn't that fun, as the overly simplistic nature gives you almost no control over your players. The addition of flaming homeruns and power throws - throws that light on fire and are faster but less accurate - really do nothing to help the gameplay.
