sizzlakalonji
07-31-2009, 01:56 PM
When I sat down to think about what I was going to write here (yes, I do think about it believe it or not) I struggled with whether I should compare this game to the other game which it will be inevitably compared to. One of the difficulties that developers must face is that unless you are the first of your kind in the app store, you will be compared to others. This isn't bad necessarily, but it can lead some consumers with less than open minds to pass over a game, which may stand up on its own merits. I decided that I will talk about Batting 1000 alone, and leave the comparisons to others.
The good: After I finish playing a game for a while that I plan on evaluating, I like to ask myself what may seem a stupid question, "Was it fun?" Often times we (myself included) tend to focus on minutia of graphical or conceptual impressiveness while glossing over the simple fun factor. There have been a number of games I've played that had a WOW factor on first blush, but was missing something when it came to fun. When I asked myself that question for this game, the answer was a resounding, "Yes!". I had fun. I wanted to play some more. I have earlier been viciously accused by someone who will not be named *cough* Hodapp *cough* as being a menu looker, when it's not terribly important. His point is taken, but the first thing I was presented with here was a terrific menu. Someone earlier mentioned that this game has a Sportscenter feel to it, and that's spot on. I first played a quick game without customizing my character just to get a feel for things. Even though I was playing as "Guest" it was still very cool to see that fly across the screen in large letters as I stood at the plate waiting for the first delivery from the mound. This leads to my second point, namely the control mechanism. There are many out there that rightly say, "It's all about the controls. If the controls don't work, the game doesn't work". There are no such worries here. If you've played Tiger Woods on the iDevices, you will be immediately comfortable with the control mechanism. As a matter of fact, even if you've never played Tiger Woods, you will be comfortable, as it's such a simple, and intuitive system anyone will pick it up immediately. You basically swipe upwards to swing. It's all about timing. You will get some hints if you swing too early or too late, but pretty quickly the timing becomes apparent, and it's all about recognizing the changing speed of the pitches. It's not difficult to hit homeruns (it IS a home run derby game after all), but the developer added something which is my favorite feature of this game which adds a level of difficulty and most importantly variety. Every couple of pitches, the camera view changes. You start off with the classic behind the catcher view. After this however, you get multiple views which change your perspective, and changes the way you think about the timing. You see the ball from a different perspective, and that means your view of the pitch changes. If this hadn't been added, and I only played from the first view I probably wouldn't have missed it. Now that I've played it this way, I can't imagine playing without it. My last good point is probably selfish and petty...Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies. Nowhere in the game does it say you are playing at Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies, but you are playing at Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies. This is a great venue to take a crack at home runs. If they were to add a stadium, the only place I would need would be the home of my other favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wrigley Field and Chavez Ravine, that would make me a happy man. That's right Yankee and Red Sox fans, I said it.
The not as good: No one is going to be blown away by the player and crowd graphics. The polys are boxy, and the crowd isn't detailed at all. That being said, garbage in a pretty package is still garbage. I'd rather have something nice in a simple package. Another area of weakness are the sound effects and lack of commentary. The sound the bat makes when it hits the ball is fine, but the crowd noise is pretty generic, and doesn't change regardless of the type of hit you get. I would also really like to hear some commentary (not for every HR) for some of the >600 foot blasts. Just some of the classics like, "He got all of that one!", "Going, going, gone!", or, "He hit that ball like it owed him money!" This leads to something which didn't bother me in the context of this game, but may bother some purists...namely that you can hit some HUGE home runs. Home runs that even Jose Canseco in his elephant hormone heyday couldn't have hit. As I said, it doesn't bother me, but it may bother some. Lastly, the game doesn't have online multiplayer. It does have pass and play, and a customizable playoff mode against a human or computer, but as online coop becomes more and more common, people are going to come to expect it more and more. The game does feature online leaderboards, however, and this is a nice touch.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game and feel that it's well worth your hard earned dough. Even if you have the other "game which shall not be named", if you have an open mind for a different experience, you would do well to take another step up to the plate and have a crack at some home runs.
The good: After I finish playing a game for a while that I plan on evaluating, I like to ask myself what may seem a stupid question, "Was it fun?" Often times we (myself included) tend to focus on minutia of graphical or conceptual impressiveness while glossing over the simple fun factor. There have been a number of games I've played that had a WOW factor on first blush, but was missing something when it came to fun. When I asked myself that question for this game, the answer was a resounding, "Yes!". I had fun. I wanted to play some more. I have earlier been viciously accused by someone who will not be named *cough* Hodapp *cough* as being a menu looker, when it's not terribly important. His point is taken, but the first thing I was presented with here was a terrific menu. Someone earlier mentioned that this game has a Sportscenter feel to it, and that's spot on. I first played a quick game without customizing my character just to get a feel for things. Even though I was playing as "Guest" it was still very cool to see that fly across the screen in large letters as I stood at the plate waiting for the first delivery from the mound. This leads to my second point, namely the control mechanism. There are many out there that rightly say, "It's all about the controls. If the controls don't work, the game doesn't work". There are no such worries here. If you've played Tiger Woods on the iDevices, you will be immediately comfortable with the control mechanism. As a matter of fact, even if you've never played Tiger Woods, you will be comfortable, as it's such a simple, and intuitive system anyone will pick it up immediately. You basically swipe upwards to swing. It's all about timing. You will get some hints if you swing too early or too late, but pretty quickly the timing becomes apparent, and it's all about recognizing the changing speed of the pitches. It's not difficult to hit homeruns (it IS a home run derby game after all), but the developer added something which is my favorite feature of this game which adds a level of difficulty and most importantly variety. Every couple of pitches, the camera view changes. You start off with the classic behind the catcher view. After this however, you get multiple views which change your perspective, and changes the way you think about the timing. You see the ball from a different perspective, and that means your view of the pitch changes. If this hadn't been added, and I only played from the first view I probably wouldn't have missed it. Now that I've played it this way, I can't imagine playing without it. My last good point is probably selfish and petty...Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies. Nowhere in the game does it say you are playing at Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies, but you are playing at Wrigley Field, home of the mighty Cubbies. This is a great venue to take a crack at home runs. If they were to add a stadium, the only place I would need would be the home of my other favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wrigley Field and Chavez Ravine, that would make me a happy man. That's right Yankee and Red Sox fans, I said it.
The not as good: No one is going to be blown away by the player and crowd graphics. The polys are boxy, and the crowd isn't detailed at all. That being said, garbage in a pretty package is still garbage. I'd rather have something nice in a simple package. Another area of weakness are the sound effects and lack of commentary. The sound the bat makes when it hits the ball is fine, but the crowd noise is pretty generic, and doesn't change regardless of the type of hit you get. I would also really like to hear some commentary (not for every HR) for some of the >600 foot blasts. Just some of the classics like, "He got all of that one!", "Going, going, gone!", or, "He hit that ball like it owed him money!" This leads to something which didn't bother me in the context of this game, but may bother some purists...namely that you can hit some HUGE home runs. Home runs that even Jose Canseco in his elephant hormone heyday couldn't have hit. As I said, it doesn't bother me, but it may bother some. Lastly, the game doesn't have online multiplayer. It does have pass and play, and a customizable playoff mode against a human or computer, but as online coop becomes more and more common, people are going to come to expect it more and more. The game does feature online leaderboards, however, and this is a nice touch.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game and feel that it's well worth your hard earned dough. Even if you have the other "game which shall not be named", if you have an open mind for a different experience, you would do well to take another step up to the plate and have a crack at some home runs.