Triple Play 2002 review (PlayStation 2)

Graphically, Triple Play 2002 is just about the best-looking baseball game you can get. The animations of the players running, diving, and throwing the ball all blend together amazingly well and really create a wonderful illusion of realism. Even the animations for the players' signature batting and pitching animations have been re-created quite authentically. Even if you don't know what Barry Bonds' batting stance looks like, you'll certainly be able to recognize him by his face in the game, since one of the more impressive visual aspects of Triple Play 2002 is the faces of the players. More than 200 MLB players in the game are wearing 3D scanned versions of their real-life counterparts' faces. The stadiums have been beautifully re-created with all of the little extras that make each stadium stand out in real life. Aside from the extreme detail that brings these stadiums to life in the game, there's the sense of scale. All of the stadiums truly look and feel very large--when the stadium first appears onscreen, you almost get the same feeling that you do when you first walk out of the tunnel to take your seat at a park and you see how big it actually is. This sense of scale is felt even more if you're playing the game on a widescreen TV.

In the audio department, Triple Play 2002 has had a major overhaul since last year. Buck Martinez, the Triple Play series' long-running commentator, has been replaced this year by Bob Costas, who now has Harold Reynolds at his side. The new duo offers play-by-play calls and much more insightful and professional commentary than before. The play-by-play calls are usually right on the mark, although every once in a great while you'll hear them say something that didn't happen like a "deep shot to center," but overall the commentary is pretty good. The sound effects and music are decent, the crowd reacts fairly accurately when the home team does well, and the game's stadium announcer sounds quite authentic.

In the end, Triple Play 2002 is a very fun baseball game to play. The game's great graphics, involving gameplay, and great commentary all blend together to deliver an exciting and authentic game of baseball. Whether or not it's the game for you completely depends on your personal preference. If you're looking for a die-hard baseball sim, High Heat might be a better choice. Nonetheless, a rental of this and the other baseball games on the market should quickly clear up any confusion you might have.