High Heat Baseball 1999
            (SPORTS)


   Looks can be very deceiving. Case in point: 3DO's new High Heat
   Baseball 1999. If you were to judge this game solely on its looks,
   you'd probably toss it in the trash heap next to Virgin's Grand Slam
   before you finished your first complete game. But underneath High
   Heat's less-than-spectacular graphics engine lies a very impressive
   baseball game. It has enough of an arcade flavor to keep action fans
   happy, and it has an excellent, realistic statistical model that
   should please the sim fans out there. The game lacks a few key
   features, but it is an impressive rookie effort by 3DO's Team. 
   
   High Heat's gameplay options include the basics you'd expect:
   exhibition games, season play (16, 81, or 162 games), play-offs, and a
   home run derby. The game has the Major League Baseball Players'
   Association license but not, unfortunately, the Major League Baseball
   license. So while you can play with familiar names like Mark Grace,
   Roger Clemens, and Derek Jeter, you cannot play with the Cubs, Blue
   Jays, or Yankees. Instead, you'll see Chicago-N, Toronto, and New
   York-A. This might not seem like a big deal, but the lack of real team
   names and logos gives the game something of a cheap, second-class
   feel.
   
   The game's graphics engine is a tough one to describe. For example,
   there are several good player animations that add to the atmosphere of
   the game, including batters who pound their bats into the dirt after
   striking out and home run replays that show a bird's-eye view of the
   ball leaving the park. Fans even throw back home runs hit by the visiting
   team - an excellent touch. Also, infielders toss the ball underhanded when
   the play is nearby, and outfielders dive and slide to make tough catches. 
   A huge negative tempers all of these positive points, however: the
   batter's swing.
   
   Batters simply look ridiculous when they swing in this game, and 3DO
   would do well to correct this in future releases. The way batters
   follow through on their swings, you'd think they were playing cricket,
   or golf, or maybe hockey - anything but baseball. 
   
   Still, most gamers will take good gameplay over good graphics any day
   - and gameplay is one of the areas in which High Heat shines. From the
   first pitch to the last, games in High Heat just seem right. Hitting
   can be a challenge, even on the lowest of four difficulty levels.
   Pitching is even tougher, and each pitcher's performance varies not
   only from inning to inning, but also from pitch to pitch. 
   
   Even with those quirks, however, each game of High Heat unfolds like a
   real baseball game. The computer will drop down a surprise bunt with
   the bases loaded, or draw the outfielders in to keep the runner on
   third from scoring on a sacrifice fly. The computer will also take out
   a pitcher when he's getting roped.
   
   Boosting that realism is an impressive statistical engine. You won't
   find many .500 hitters in this game, nor will you see a slew of
   30-game winners. In fact, over the course of five simulated seasons, I
   only saw a total of four 20-game winners (including Pedro Martinez
   twice). 

   Crowd reactions are very good in High Heat, with the fans cheering or
   booing according to the events at hand. The play-by-play, which is
   done by San Francisco Giants announcer Ted Robinson, is also quite
   good. Robinson's commentary is usually right in sync with the game.
   Robinson will give you a general appraisal of the starting pitcher when
   you take him out, and he will note the power hitters in the lineup with
   little comments like "Here comes the dangerous Mark McGwire." 
   
   This is one of the most enjoyable and addictive baseball games in a while.
   But with a talented field of competition out there, High Heat's great stats
   and solid gameplay may get overshadowed by the likes of Triple Play 99,
   Hardball 6, and Microsoft Baseball 3D - games that offer at least
   comparable gameplay with a broader set of features.