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I nhave played many next gen baseball games on ps2 and all star 2002 on game cube and still i thought i would never play a better game all around than mlb 2000 on ps 1. I have now found a better game. Home Run King is by far the best baseball game I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Graphic wise I was blown away,rendered stadiums, player batting stances, pitchers deliveries it is all here. I had a little trouble at first batting but it gives you a handicap option until you get used to it. Fielding is also a tad bit difficult at first but with time you'll be making lunge grabs with Nomar like a pro. One thing i noticed though is the game is labeled an arcade style big scoring game, i dont really agree with that, I have played about 20 games now and have hit one homer, and that was with Jave Lopez, not exactly a long ball hitter you know. Still Home Run King should keep most baseball gamers very happy.

Gameplay-4.5

Graphics-5

Controls-4.5

Replay-5

Not to play favorites BUT, it is about time that Jeff Bagwell (Houston Astros slugging 1st Baseman) got his due. And finally, he did with HOME RUN KING. Granted, any avid baseball fan knows that Sammy Sosa has hit more homeruns than anyone in the last 5 years,but Bagwell is definitely deserving of the cover. The game itself is a good one - it towers above the new EA baseball game which was just released. In a word, the EA game rhymes with trap. You have to get used to the hitting with HRK in the beginning, but it is absolutely worth it. While it is nice to play against the computer, I have found that playing with a friend makes for a more enjoyable experience. The "points" system is an interesting addition to gameplay. I scored 330,000+ the first game playing with a friend and have yet to come close to the same total once again (versus the computer). Overall, it is a beautifully rendered and easily playable game. I recommend this game to fans of arcade style baseball games, though against the computer it is not always a high scoring affair. On a final note, I was particularly impressed to see team mascots included in the game shots of the crowd. Very impressive detail. Play ball!

In real baseball, there are no such things as batting cursors. In real baseball, hitting mechanics don't involve placing a stupid cursor to a certain spot according to the type of pitch the hitter estimates will be thrown (the cursor becomes a shade of red if you've guessed it right in this game but not always a guarantee the pitch will be delivered in that particular area). In real baseball, you simply keep your eye on the ball and simply time your swing just right if its at all hittable. Contact can be made here, but not so much with skill, but blind luck. I give it 1 star for decent graphic detail but tah.. that's it.