In most sports game series, the most recent game is the best of the series, and the others are worthless
compared to it. That’s why I don’t review older sports games, but in this case, there’s a glaring exception.
This baseball game for the Nintendo 64 makes its 2002 version for the Cube look stupid.

This is another Review on a 0-4 star scale. Surprise!

Graphics: ***1/2

I almost forgot this was a N64 game. The graphics are very crisp, surprisingly, and you’d think it was for the Cube, not the N64. The players look real, the stadiums do as well, and you’ll have that realism effect. Okay, they’re not perfect, as you’ll see blurry signs and greenish-brown sand, but this is the N64, not the Cube.

Sound: ***1/2

Two things make the sound in this game absolutely wonderful: the colorful announcers who talk about the
game, not about stats, and the menu music. The music isn’t quite as good as the music on the Cube’s version of this game, but the announcers make this game real. You’ll hear stuff that normal people say about
baseball, not that technical stuff that those analysts on TV say.

Difficulty: 1/2

Uh... difficulty? Well, the computer cheats, by getting out of every tag, so it seems. But that’s it that’s hard about this game. How can you make your team an absolute juggernaut? Create a whole bunch of players with speed, power, and contact meters filled, and above-average defense and arm strength. Result? You’ll be chasing pitchers in the first inning. Even without them, you can win quite easily if you have the right players. And, unfortunately, the only way you’ll get a real contest is if you can’t get a hit. If not, you’re going to kill your opponent. Higher skill levels will probably give you more of a fight. Otherwise, you’ll cruise.

Controls: ***

The controls, complex as they are, make perfect sense, and they are easy to follow. Plus, you’ll remember
them pretty well. There is the simple C-Button configuration: each of the C-Buttons stands for a base, and it's a no-brainer to figure out which base goes to which button, because it’s just like the diamond. I can’t go through all of them here, because there are so many, but once you memorize the basic controls you’ll have an easier time. Just remember to field by running with the Z button, creating turbo dashing, and always throw using the Z button and the C-button that goes to the correct base, giving you a powerful throw.

Fielding: *

Fielding is easy in some cases: you have easy-to-follow controls, but the hard parts are when a ball falls between two of your fielders. You don’t know which one is yours, and hitting R will change the player, but you don’t know which one you’ll change to. Sometimes, this creates infield hits, unless you’re quick with the Z-button throw. This can also cause some routine fly outs to turn into doubles, as often you can’t see which player you are controlling.

Pitching: ****

Pitching lets you choose whatever pitch you want and pitch it wherever you want. You can even use pickoffs
and pitchouts. It’s great. You can go after batters’ “cold spots”, and you can also go with two fastballs in a row, then throw the change-up for an easy strikeout. Playing the game a while and knowing the pitches will help immensely, believe me.

Batting: ***

You have a choice when batting: hit B to go for a power hit, which will normally give you a greater chance at a base hit but more of a chance of missing the pitch, or don’t hit B and have a better chance at hitting the ball but more of a chance of grounding out easily. It’s your choice. You can also bunt, if you please, with the C-Down button. You can change the direction you want to hit the ball by holding down your B button and using your Control Stick to direct where you want to hit it, and finally, you can try guessing a pitch and its
location. Those “guessing” controls kind of confuse me after a while, which is why I can’t give it a perfect score here.

General Manager Mode: ***1/2

This has it all: create a player, trade players, free agency, farm systems, stats, lineup changes, and
pitching rotations. They’re really great. You’ll be amazed at how fun the modes are, playing around with
where you want to put players. The only problem: the pitchers created in create-a-player mode usually do
not have that great of a bunch of pitches.

Exhibition Mode: ****

This is a normal game, between any two teams, and any number of players. Nothing bad to say here!

Season Mode: ****

Now this is the heart of this game. You can choose from five or six schedule formats, then go at it in a
regular season, using general manager moves, playing games, simulating others, and having a great time
doing it. You even get to have a home run derby and All-Star Game in three scheduling formats, then go to
the playoffs and the World Series! Fantastic is all I have to say.

Playoffs Mode: ***

The playoffs in this game give you a microcosm of a regular season, with elimination along the way.
Unfortunately, you don’t get to do any roster moves, just play games, that’s all. Still, you’ll have a blast at it, as it gives you a chance at winning the World Series in one night.

Home Run Derby: ***1/2

This mode is fun, as you get a chance at nailing balls out of the park, and with good hitters, this can become a real contest! Setting up the thing is the whole problem to it, a very, very minor one at that. It’s good fun for just practice.

Replayability: ****

This is a game that can be played over and over and over again with new game situations each time. That’s
what makes sports games special compared to other ones.

Fun Factor!: ****

Well, I’ve gone on and on about how much fun this game is, and I don’t want to waste more space here doing
so. I’ll just tell you that it’s one of the four most fun sports games ever.

OVERALL: ****

ASB 2000 is a grand slam. It is one of the four best sports games ever, joining Madden 2001 and 2002 and
also Ice Hockey for the NES. You can’t go wrong in buying this game that is surely superior to its Cube and PS2 updated versions. Seriously, a 2000 version of a game, made back in ‘99 at the same time as Super
Smash Bros., is totally superior to any ones I’ve played now. This is what makes baseball one of the best sports games. Want something inexpensive but also fun for the summer? Here’s the game you’re looking for. I’d talk more about it, but I’m going to go play it some more now.

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