High Heat\nMajor League Baeball 2003\nRating: E for Everyone\nFor: Playstation 2, Gameboy Advance\nBy: 3DO\nThe best baseball game of last year was far and away "High Heat 2002." Thankfully, the game's makers didn't make any large changes for "High Heat 2003." Instead, they made small adjustments to fix "2002"'s mistakes, and have once again made an outstanding game.\nThe three most important aspects of sports games are gameplay, graphics and sports information. For whatever reason, the game of baseball translates very well into video game form. The batting, throwing, fielding and running are all very smooth. The only problem might be with base running, which is good but kind of hard. My roommate has no problems with it, so maybe it's just me. The graphics are dope, and the detail on the stadiums is incredible. The stadiums were good in "2002," but you couldn't change angles on the replays. "2003" allows you to look at the whole stadium. For outdoor stadiums, you can make the camera level even with the upper deck, go to the back fence and look down the street at buildings.\nThe game also has lots of little things that add realism. When the opposition hits a home run at Wrigley Field, the baseball is thrown back. If you hit consecutive batters, the umpire will toss your pitcher, and you can also get ejected for hitting someone after they hit you. The crowd is very realistic; it boos if the road pitcher tries endlessly to pick off a runner at first, and the stands empty during blowouts.\nAlong with exhibition, season and playoff modes, "2003" offers "2 on 2 Showdown," in which you play batter versus pitcher to practice hitting. You can create 25 players to use for season play, but you can also fully edit every player, which means fanatics with nothing else to do can have a season of all custom players. My only complaint is that it came out before the rosters were finalized, leaving some players unsigned and others on their old teams. However, this is combated two ways: 1. There is a list of players who weren't signed yet that you can place on a team. 2. If you've got proper equipment and you're smart, you can go online to www.sportplanet.com/highheat and download new players and pictures. All things considered, "High Heat Major League Baseball 2003" is hands down the best baseball game out right now.\n
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