Ken Griffey Jr's Slugfest Game by Nintendo Reviewed by The Avardancer Size: 8 Megabits Save: Battery Released: 1999 Works with: Game Boy Color ONLY. **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: I am not a Baseball fan. Let us get this straight. I don't watch the sport on television; but I do like to play. I honestly do not know who is "The Best" in the Major or Minor Leagues. I bought this game on the premise that it had beaten the "56 Color Limit" and I wanted to see how they did that. I had the first "Ken Griffey Jr Presents Major League Baseball 1994" and it was decent; so I had some resembelance of hope for this title. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: Oh, my. This game is pretty cool. It has a few options of play like "Exhibition, Season, World Series, and Home Run Derby". Exhibition is your normal "Pick a team to play as and pick one to play against you in a friendly game" option. You can not trade characters in this one; but you can choose the "All-Star" team and.. I'm pretty sure that they hid some more teams in this game. The game is a normal baseball game. A "friendly" game. Well, that sums that up. Season mode is a really good feature in this game. The Season was droll and somewhat.. well.. frustrating for me in the original game. This time around, the game PLAYS differently. I'll get into specifics after I finish describing the different modes of play. But, you can choose how long the games are, you can choose how long the season is and it's awesome. World Series Mode sends you straight to the Red Line. Seriously, the pressure is automatically on in this mode. While it plays like the others.. it's a bit more umm... well.. the stakes are higher. Home Run Derby was the VERY cool highlight of the first game; but in this game it is SERIOUSLY toned down. It's harder to hit a Home Run; but you can set the game up so that you and three friends can play Home Run Derby WITHOUT needing 4 Game Boy Colors. That is just sweet. It isn't easy to hit a home run. You'll note when you first turn on the game that it automatically wants you to be Ken Griffey Jr. and your opponent is "automatically" Mark McGwire. You can change that though. You can be anyone from the 1999 stats. Wanna see if Sammy Sosa is still hot? Try playing as him against McGwire. The game's Artifical Intelligence plays fair here. No "Ken Griffey Jr. hit 30 Home Runs" things. It's more toned-down, laid-back, REALISTIC. The computer doesn't cheat, it will make fowls, it will be HUMAN. And that is VERY cool. The game plays more toned-down now and that makes it better. The game is fairly easy to pick up. You can tweak the options to your liking very easily in this game. You can let the computer play the game and you can "manage" the team to victory, you can make the computer do your fielding. Which helps a bit; because the Fielding has a learning curve to it. It's easier to locate where you need to be. There are no "over-the-top" hits. It's more humble, and a lot more playable. Batting is smoother here and feels more like a real game feels. Pitching is easier now too. Those who opt for auto-fielding will find that the computer is VERY good at helping the pitcher out. The AI isn't as "ruthlessly inhuman" as it was before. Like I said; it fowls up, they will miss the ball, they will strike out, the almost always swing on the last pitch out of.. well.. "human desperation". I haven't seen any bat-cracking or other "behaviours" yet; but I have seen the players run into each to catch a pop fly, I've seen them slide, attempt to steal bases between pitches, I've even seen a runner run smack into the First Base Coach. It's like watching and controlling a real game. This game has rekindled a love of Baseball in me, actually. The PLAY is the thing.. and believe me.. the PLAY is the thing. It isn't without flaws though and I wish to say that the game should impose sometype of "limits" on how you trade players. I am playing through a Season with the Phillies and I traded the "sad" players for Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and R Martinez. The CPU didn't even bat an eye. Although... filling your team with "All-Stars" does NOT mean that you will win. The game balances them out. The game also has a lot of hidden depths to play around with that make it even cooler. The game saves your season and your World Series data after each game. That is a definate plus for those of us who go places. A normal game can take anywhere from three minutes to 3 hours. (ESPECIALLY if you go into overtime.) The CPU will play rough, tough, and FAIR. Oh, you CAN NOT link up and play against a friend. That is messed up right there. Liked: The game plays smooth as butter loving! So many nice options, so many fun ways to play. Hated: NO TWO-PLAYER MODE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sigh... I really didn't actually mess around with this until I sat down to review the game. It's almost like I did not care.. but I do now! Give us some Game Linking goodness!!! **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: Okay.. when you first turn on the game... when you see the title screen.. you will be BLOWN AWAY. This game blows away all other games in amounts of colors, textures, even "transparency" is shown. The Menu screens will make you wonder a lot. Let's just say that this game's graphics are on-par with the SNES Ken Griffey Jr. game. (The first one; not "Winning Run".) If you read this site a lot.. you may have heard me say at least once or twice that Super Mario World and Legend of Zelda 3: A Link to the past could be done on Game Boy Color. This will prove it. From the opening screen to the "Mock Mode 7" baseball that you choose the game modes from. This is the game that defies "logic" in it's graphic depth. Although.. there ARE some problems that I will get into a little later. The menu screens and the "static cut-scenes" that are shown in the game from time to time are very cool. The "cinema" scenes do not move. They act like "snapshots" You see an image, click, another image, click, another image, click, etc. There is enough of them to go around; but some are very rare to see. The one you see when someone makes a spectacular catch is seen a lot; but I'm not annoyed with it yet. The players animate smoothly and have LOTS of animation frames. They can be seen doing things that you would normally see in a TV game. They hang their heads in shame when they strike out, they jump, run, slide foot first, slide face first, congratulate themselvers on stolen bases. The crowd is "lively" as well. Although it seems like a pixelized mess at first glance.. it's actually several people in different poses and looks almost like the crowd in a real game. (Sort of. It IS a pixelized "mess"; but it's an organized and "Beautiful Mess".) The game screens and data are easy to see and presented well, you can almost taste the pressure. Anyways, the amount of movement and the size of the sprites leads to some sad clipping here and there. There is also a little white "bar" that appears from time to time and flashes for mere seconds on the screen. This clipping and occasional "errors" are the games "seams" in my point of view. They aren't annoying and do not affect the gameplay in any way either positive or negative. But.. they need to be "fixed" for the next game. Yes, they do. Liked: WAY COOL GRAPHICS! With lots of colors, animation, etc! Hated: Clipping............................................... sucks. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: The music is low-key and is not very noticeable at all. Oh, well. The sound effects should be "harder". They seem a little "Held Back". They add little to the game. No voice in the game. :( The famous "Take me out to the Ballgame" plays at the beginning of the 7th Inning Stretch; but it isn't complete. :( Liked: The music and sound effects don't make the game... Hated: The effects could be BETTER.... and the game needs some VOICE. The 7th inning stretch song is not complete... :( **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: Fielding has a learning curve.. but that's the only section of the games control that is well... umm "difficult". The game is way easy to pick up and play! The game seems to be redesigned from the ground up for a more complete and very fun Baseball game. Liked: Easy to pick up and play, this game has almost everything! Hated: Check the "Improve section"... **************************************************************************** Improve: TWO Player Game Link Option! Fix a few graphic glitches if this is possible. Why not display the speed of the pitches after I throw them? Or display the length of the hit? Heck.. why not finish that 7th Inning Stretch song, or even better.. up to cartridge size and add a few "VOICE" samples. I wanna hear "Strike ONE!" or "Yer OUT!!" or maybe an exhuberant "HOME RUN!" Add some printer options. I want to print out Team Logos, Game Stats, and a few of those "cut-scenes". The Fielding Learning Curve is still a little steep; but if it can be made easier in any way.. do so. I also want to be able to swap Home Run Records with friends via the INFRARED data port. That would rule. Oh, yeah.. update the stats next year.. when we get another one of these awesome games. Manage Mode should have some type of "Reward" for packing them in the aisles. Remember the music in "Winning Run"? Remember what Rare did with that? Do that on Game Boy Color.. I DARE you too at least try. :) RIYL: Baseball. **************************************************************************** Final Words: Do you dig Baseball? This game is the KING, baby! Hail to the King of Portable Baseball. If you like Baseball.. you NEED this game. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: ***** Sound/Music: *** Play Control/Game Design: ***** Personal Opinion: ***** Total: 23 out of 25 Final Score: 92% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: Cheap playing.. If you are playing a season game... and you're losing... umm... the game does NOT save until a game is over... turn off the game and/or reset to try again! I find it easy to win if I get a few points in the first few innings and then shut out the other team for the next 8 innings.