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Overall, quite good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After being thoroughly impressed by HHB 2003, I decided to try this version. Overall, I think HHB 2004 is great. The developer did make a few big mistakes in porting this game from the console version, but the gameplay is better than before, at least on the field.

Gameplay: This is the best version of the game yet, at least on the diamond. The new graphics look wonderful: players appear more realistic and move in convincing ways and the stadiums are more alive with better textures and moving fans. There are now almost 30 pitches available. The computer opponent plays well and makes intelligent decisions for the most part. The batter-pitcher duels are as intense as ever, and the game just feels right when played with a gamepad.

There are, however, other noticeable changes made in the 2004 version, some of which are not good. For example, there are no mound visits allowed anymore, although two pitchers can now warm up in the bullpen simultaneously. You can't design your own custom league, although you can create/edit players and tweak a lot of different things. The biggest flaws in gameplay involve the off-the-field experience. There is no mouse support, which would not be a bad thing if the menus were better organized. Instead, you will spend much of your initial time with the game trying to figure out how to access certain options and information. It's needlessly frustrating since the developer has already demonstrated with the 2003 version that they could do good menus with clean interfaces (along with mouse support). These flaws are not deal-breakers, since this version of the game still has about all of the options and information as earlier versions. However, for those who are really into the statistical and managerial sides of the game, it's going to be rough going until you figure out how to access certain screens.

Graphics: The game looks great. It's a huge leap forward visually. The stadiums seem massive and most have an actual video screen on a billboard which televises all of the action. The players move in more realistic ways, and they resemble their real-life counterparts more. The fans are no longer colored blotches on a flat surface, but instead look like people and can move (although they are two dimensional). If this version of the game had not received such a thorough facelift, I could not recommend it to anyone who has the 2003 version. However, the graphics update alone almost makes it worth the cost.

Sound: The game's audio is nice. The same play-by-play announcers are back with most of the same lines, but there is none of the annoying audio stutter from the 2003 version. There are a few new music tracks as well. All of the ballpark sounds fit perfectly.

Replayability/Technical issues: Being a sports game, HHB 2004 has huge replay value. There are several modes of play, such as exhibitions, franchise, and homerun derby, but no multiplayer. There are a number of mods posted on internet sites such as http://files.simcentral.net/index/ that allow for some nice customization of the gameplay and visuals. Technically, the game has been very stable on my machine, and I haven't noticed any outright bugs.

In sum, if you are a baseball fan, I highly recommend this game. If you already have the 2003 version and graphics don't matter to you, then I would not rush out to get this one. However, if you don't have the 2003 game, definitely take a look at this one.

Unbelievable but rather expensive

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: March 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

For many years, I searched for a decent computer baseball game. I can still remember back in the day, playing Tony LaRussa Baseball. A few years ago, I found out about the Triple Play series, and played that for a while. But although Triple Play has some cool features, it really doesn't represent the game very well (e.g. Ron Coomer getting bunt hits, Brad Fullmer hitting 90 homeruns). So I moved over to the High Heat series. High Heat Baseball 2003 was spectacular when it came out. It seemed to do well in every aspect of the game. My main complaint was that the audience looked so [...] and the stadium graphics were OK but not great.

This years edition is a different story. Stadium graphics are stunning, the crowd is arguably the best that you can find in any sports game (a very emotional crowd that changes moods all the time). Although the gameplay was great last year, 3DO raised the bar even more this year. There are hundreds of different pitches, 2 new modes (2 on 2 showdown and franchise), and smoothly designed plays.

However, I am quite dissapointed in the fact that 3DO didn't get around to getting different play-by-play announcers. Not that the ones in the game are terrible, but they aren't great either and I was hoping very much to get some better ones.

All in all, it seems like the game could have easily come out as a[n] upgrade of HH 2003. But I'll settle for what they have now. It's a bit expensive but it is an excellent baseball game. I doubt any of the major upcoming sluggers will be able to beat it.

So So

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I loved HH 2003. I played it for hours. I wanted new rosters, so I purchased HH 2004. Immediately, the gameplay felt awkward. I tried playing a few more games, but the entire game seemed so awkward compared to HH 2003. I guess the graphics look a little better in 2004, for example there seems to be more transparency etc... If you like HH baseball, and you don't care about the rosters, keep using HH 2003.

Not The Best I Have Seen

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When I tried High Heat Baseball 2004, it did not have very good stuff. The faces were unrealistic, commentary was bad, and the picture quality was bad. When I tried it with Windows XP, it was perfect. Faces were real, commentary was good, and picture quality was good. The bad things are that is there is no mouse support, no multiplayer mode, and if you accidentally go back to the team select screen after you set the roster or if you decide to play with the same two teams again, the rosters don't get saved. You do have more than 11 different game modes to choose from. I don't recommend this game for Windows 98 users. It's best used with Windows XP.

Trying not to be harsh....butttt.....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well here it is the Newest version of the High Heat series 2004. If I say I liked it better than the previous year I would be lying. I don't mind that the mouse isn't included...but everything has changed and it can be a maze to someone without a gamepad. The graphics are alright...but I think the movement is much more limited. In short...the 2003 edition is cheaper and much more efficient because the game setup is much less tedious. I recommend the 2004 edition if you are used to playing playstation 2 games and a gamepad is a must have! Alrighty I hope this is helpful..I am sorry to the High Heat folks but I believe the 2003 edition is much better.

One step forward, about 6 steps backwards

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: March 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I love the High Heat series. Every March I get the new version, excited to try the new features. To sum it up, Graphics are much better, sound is great, budget looks good. BUT many cons, playability is deplorable. This game doesnt recognize the mouse, there is no manage only mode, no one pitch mode, no online play, no hh2003 convertor, no stat spreadsheat. I played for three innings, and my team was 11 for 16. To arcade like even though I tuned it to be more geared for simulation. The menus are sloppy, and very difficult with no mouse support.

Maybe MVP Baseball will be decent. This will be the last time I buy a HH game unless significant improvements are made. Every single aspect of the older versions that I loved is completely gone.

All they had to do to keep me happy was use last years version, fix the bugs, the financial aspect would be great, maybe improve the graphics. (alhough I didnt mind them) But

Stay away from this game

Dumb baseball for dummies

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: April 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is a major disappointment. Compared to previous versions, it's been gutted. Don't throw away the 2003 edition.

Here's a partial list of missing features:
- There is no save and exit for any game in progress - you must finish a whole game in one sitting. No more quick plays before bed!
- Historical stadiums are gone. I thought the 3DO guy was a baseball fan.
- No mouse support and bad navigation.
- Can't bring up opposing pitcher's pitch selection.
- Settings for exhibition games don't "stick" - you have to set them up each time you play.
- Other reviewers noted missing 1-pitch and manage-only options.

In addition, F1 help is worthless - it's just rudimentary navigation instructions - and the players still don't look like themselves.

On the positive side, the graphics and animations are good and the choice of pitches is greatly expanded.

Out of the box, I didn't have any sound except for the sound of the ball hitting bat or glove. 3DO responded with help on this problem within 3 days, but who expects to have to turn off their sound card hardware support to run a new game?

3DO should start with a full PC version next year and dumb it down for Xbox, PS2, etc., next year instead of giving everyone the dumb version. Maybe the real baseball simulation is how the dumbness of the sim emulates the dumbness of MLB.

High Heat 2004 Gone to the Dark Side

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: April 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I must agree with most of the other user reviews criticizing High Heat 2004.

Incredibly, THERE IS NO MOUSE SUPPORT for this supposed PC Game!
Whoever made the decision to sell out High Heat PC users this way should be fired immediately!

Not only is there no mouse support but the menu interface is a complete nightmare! It's literaly an ordeal just trying to set up and start a game!

I will never understand why a company will take a very good PC product and just tear it down for game consoles! 3DO has sold PC users out for game consoles!

Just like NBA Live 2003, High Heat 2004 has gone over to the dark side! It's no wonder that there is no demo. Five minutes with this intolerable interface would convince any PC User not to bother.

The graphics are better and the game is still fun to play but the terrible interface and many missing features ruin it.

The sound and color commentary have improved little, if at all.

I think it's time to send a message to companies like EAsports and 3D0 who sell out PC Users for consoles!

If I wanted to play a Playstation game, I would buy a Playstation!

Console Port

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Have bought every installment of High Heat, and have loved it. This version is simply terrible. If I wanted a console port, I would not buy a pc version. The lack of mouse support made the totally unintuitive menues even more difficult. Two out of the 3 games I played crashed and one was the only fun game, that was in extra innings. The player graphics look like arcade models and really do not look realistic. Some of the player animations are entertaining.
For some reason, the game would not take the pitching imputs from my sidewinder, often requiring more than five attempts (yes my sidewinder was calibrated and works fine with other games). This interrupt the game play and is very frustrating. This has happened in past HH versions, but seems worse in this one.
I felt angry and insulted that I was given a console game in the guise of a pc game. I am sad that they have ruined an outstanding franchise, again.

3DO runs another franchise into the ground

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 18 / 23
Date: March 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

A longtime fan of the High Heat Baseball series for the PC, I had the misfortune of purchasing the most recent edition, and am incredibly disappointed. I knew there would be trouble from the get-go when I found out that there is no mouse support. How can you release a product for the PC without mouse support?

As I explored the game, I discovered that most of the things I loved about the series had been removed, or hobbled at best. What I enjoyed most was "owning" a baseball team, making roster decisions, drafting minor leaguers, etc., and just managing - not playing - actual games. The lack of a mouse-driven interface makes this clumsy at best, and many options have simply been done away with entirely. The deep statistical spreadsheets which I probably spent too much time mulling over are gone.

Eventually, it became evident that this is a port of the console version. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, of course. But the High Heat series began on the PC, and had to be pared down for the console versions that were released. Why then take an essentially incomplete console version and use that as your new template?

I could go on, but suffice to say that I can find nothing positive to say about the game, and am telling everybody I know who might even remotely consider buying it not to. Another awful product from a company that clearly doesn't care about PC gaming anymore.

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