INTRODUCTION

First of all I'd like to say sorry for not updating for awhile, but I have had to work every single day for the past 3 weeks. Even today I am typing this review on a lunch break and not eating any lunch! So don't think I've stopped because I will not be content until this site is the very best it can be and it is no where near my expectations at the moment. Allright now let's talk about VSB(Virtual Stadium Baseball)..........

VSB is a Japanese baseball game. Just about all the in game text is in Japanese except for a few menu titles, but there aren't many of them. The first ten minutes was just trying to figure out how exactly to get a season setup. After that I was pleasantly surprised that it automatically saves the game after each game ends and saves all stats as well. So I didn't have to screw with that for 10 mins so I liked that feature. The saved game file is extremely huge about 12000 bytes in the NVRAM, compressed it's still a whopping 2000 or so depending on how many games you played. In VSB there are pretty many modes that you can play. There's Exhibition, Home Run Derby, and Season. I think there's 2 more but I haven't explored there too much. All of the teams are Japanese teams as well. None will be recognizable unless you follow their baseball. There are about 10 teams to choose from, and two all-star teams. VSB is a lot like a PSone baseball game in that you press A and the directional pad to which base you throw to. But for hitting there is no little bow where you aim you just have to swing the bat.



GRAPHICS-8/10

These are some really good graphics for the 3DO but show them to any PSone or even DC or PS2 and they'll go home laughing. They are some of the most grainy pixelated graphics I've seen. There's not very many polygons on them and don't expect to see and facial expression whatsoever or even numbers on their back for that matter. The stadium itself looks pretty good with shadows, but the crowd isn't very impressive it looks a lot like Foes of Ali crowd. After a home run or good play there's a little animation and thats all nice and looks good but it sure is stupid after about 3 games, I usually just skip it.


CONTROL-7.5/10

VSB controls are pretty good but I think they could have been better, granted I knew all of them. I guess I do unless there's some special stuff you do like hit R and A but as far as I know I have performed all of them. The one control-wise thing I hate most about the game is when the pitcher gets a grounder and you try to throw it to first he throws it straight into the out field?! It's not a wild throw either. When I try to do it purposely it never works, I don't know what's going on. Pitching is fairly easy push direction and a button to throw different types of pitches(some day I'll make a little card with what pitch it throws) and direction for where it drifts off to. Hitting is simple but can get frustrating when you can't get it past the infield and you get three straight outs every time. I have found it fairly easy to hit homeruns with certain batters. Others it's nearly impossible.


SOUNDS-8/10

The music when you start the game up is very likeable in my oppinion. In game is nothing but chants and a woman announcing thing in Japanese. The commentator(umpire) says nothing but Time, Play Ball, Strike, Ball, Out, 3 out change, or HOMERUN. That's it but it's fine with me because otherwise I would turn the sound off if it was some Japanese guy rambling on and on. Still everything in my oppinion is really good.


GAMEPLAY-9/10
WOW! If only this game had come to the states and was US teams that would have sold some 3DO's this game is really really fun, and has support for up to 8 people(that's what I love about 3DO 8 people nothing extra like multi taps required), I've only played with 2 total but the game is still great. When I first started this game I hated it and thought about trading it in to the store, but after awhile(and when you start winning) it becomes quite enjoyable. One problem I found in the beggining was that I was a really crappy team, so I tried a different team and same thing. So I thought the game was just really hard. But when I played as the Hawks I did awesome. I've played 13 games and have only lost 2 of them. One of my players already has 10 homers and 3 others have at least 6. Everyone but one guy is batting over .300 and half my team is over .500! The Hawks I am guessing are a really good team or I got a lot better because this just wasn't happening with any of the other teams. This is one of my all time favorite 3DO games now. The other day I played 5 games in a row each game takes around 30 mins some shorter some longer but that's about the average time for each. Hitting on some days is a breeze and I'll get at least 2 hits an inning others all get 2 hits in a game. So it's really who your pitching against and how your timing is for that game/day. VSB is about as fun as MLB 2000 for PSone but VSB has crappier graphics but the gameplay is there.


OVERALL-8.5/10

A very solid baseball game brought to us by the good folks at EA. If only they brought it to the states! VSB is one of those games that sucks when you first play it but grows on you until one day you spend 4 hours playing it. Kinda like all 3DO games you have to really play it to really appreciate the gameplay and how great the game really is. If only all the game magazines out there had done this the public might have accepted the 3DO but NOoOoO, they had to meet there little deadlines which means they spend about 10 minutes playing it and then right a review! C'mon no game deserves treatment like that. But that's why I didn't review this game a week after I got it, I waited about 2 months. That's what I love about a dead system and writing reviews for it, you don't have to right the review in any specific time just when ever you've mastered the game or nearly mastered it. Let this review be a lesson to all the game magazines out there who do the 10 minute thing. When I first got VSB I would have butchered it giving gameplay about a 3 out of 10 nope not anymore not after I played it. Just like WotW you have to really get into it. 3DO 4 LIFE!