HERE IS AN IN_HOUSE REVIEW I WROTE TO SAVE YOU SOME MONEY

ALL STAR BASEBALL 2002(PS2) - 5.0 out of 10.0

I got this game yesterday and played 6 games last night. I am taking it back for Onimusha now and sticking with my N64 one. Here's why---

Yes there are graphical glitches in the fielding. I haven't seen a guy throw the ball into the stands or anything like that, but the ball never touches their gloves. It sort of stops about a centimeter before and they throw it. Sometimes, a fielder will throw into a guy, and the ball hits the ground and that's the catch---the ground....kinda like a Gamebreaker lateral. Seams in the field from the graphics etc are apparent as well.

The game doesn't let you set the # of innings, and there are no cameras to move. Gone is the fisheye and wide angle behind the batter, or the ability to change the fielding view to low,moderate or high. You're stuck with what it gives you.

You get the same shot from behind the batter all game. Forget about ogling the perfectly rendered stadiums because without the fisheye, all you see is the middle of the back wall.

Also, it's the same shot for when players walk up to the plate over and over again. Forget about seeing their perfectly rendered faces cos they only flash for about 2 seconds as they walk up. When you hit a homer, all you see is the guy come into the plate from third, no run around the bases. In general, the graphics seem jaggy and a little too reminiscent of the N64 for a PS2

I played at All-Star, so the AI was quite good. Lots of lunging infield catches, some cool backwards catches(like a football reciever on a fly pattern catching it over his head while running forward) etc. The pitching and hitting are good and there are action replays for the cool plays(but no instant replay like in N64).

Too bad this feels like a rushed out, first generation PS1 effort. The way the ball doesn't even touch guys gloves is ridiculous and many transition animations seem to be missing.(you throw the ball into home from first, and after throwing, you're magically standing on the base).

Another wierd thing is, when your opponent hits a deep single, your fielder will throw in the ball to 2nd(or wherever), and before the ball even gets there, it abruptly cuts to the next batter walking up and the next at bat, assuming that he's safe at first I suppose. Now while this may cut down on some errors for you inadvertently, usually in a baseball game, you can throw the ball around the bases for a bit before the next at-bat, but this is not the case in this game, it just cuts.

The final gripe I have with this game is that it is LOUD. I mean it whirs around in MY PS2 so bad it vibrates everything on top and makes a really loud noise, especially when loading. So every time a guy walks up to the plate, it grinds viciously. Sometimes during a game it makes a noise so loud it sounds like a dirt bike going by outside, i'm crappin' you negative. Now I'm willing to suppose that this may just be a problem with my particular disc, but I'm not gonna trade it for a different one, I'm trading this in for a different GAME.

I the end I'd like to say, if you have the N64 2001 version, you will not like the PS2 version at all. And if you never had an N64, and were hoping to get your hands on this once N64 exclusive, looks like you're gonna have to wait for a while longer if you don't want to waste your money. I see absolutely NO REASON to recommend this game to anyone.
--Mike O'Toole