Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001

Moby ID: 1695
Windows Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay, Amazon and GOG links (prices updated 12/20 1:23 PM )

Description

Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001 is the third installment of the High Heat series from 3DO. The game features several modes of play which includes exibition, season, home run derby, playoffs, and custom league. The game also supports internet play over Heat.net, MSN gaming zone, and Mplayer.

The game covers both the managerial and player aspects of America's favorite pastime. As manager, you're given the ability to not only manage your major league squad, but also the minor leagues. You can also place players on the disabled list, inactive list, make player cuts and trades.

Season's can have customized schedules and playoff series. The game features a 'career' option to guide your team through multiple seasons.

On the field, gameplay can be customized from controlling every pitch and swing, to simply making manageriel calls from the dugout. With licences from Major League Baseball and MLB Players Assoc., all the teams, players and stadiums are included..

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (PlayStation version)

45 People (42 developers, 3 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 71% (based on 13 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.1 out of 5 (based on 11 ratings with 1 reviews)

A good, albiet very overrated, baseball game.

The Good
There's quite a bit about HH2001 to like. Like most baseball games, there are really two things to consider: the arcade game and the management aspects.

The arcade game has solid, functional graphics and good sound. The batter-pitcher matchup is good (a key component of baseball games) and player control is easy and well-implemented. Stadiumm reproduction is very good, with all current big league ballparks, as well as some ballparks of the past and a few minor league parks, thrown in for good measure. The parks aren't very "Alive," though, and textures are flat and phony.

On the negative side, the arcade game does have a few minor slipups. Baserunner AI is poor. Management-only games tend to look like preset plays; for instance, in a management-only game 75% of home runs are to dead center field. Overall, HH2001's arcade play isn't quite as good as Triple Play 2001, but it's close.

HH2001's management game is much stronger. In league play, teams have three minor league teams, with a functional disabled list (although the DL doesn't have a 15-day minimum stay, as it should) and amateur drafts. Playing around with rosters shift is a load of fun. Computer trade AI seems quite good, although the CPU is prone to releasing good players and the trade function, frustratingly, is limited to three players a trade.

In career mode, players seem to age realistically, with healthy and proper doses of unpredictability, up to 25 or so. They seem pretty much the same from 25 to about 35, and then drop off the table. Curiously, in simulation mode, it's very unusual for players to have off years or career years; they're almost unrealistically consistent.

Statistical replay is reasonably accurate; there are way too many doubles and not enough stolen bases, though. Offensive levels seem incredibly high, even by today's standards. There is virtually no relationship between a pitcher's number of strikeouts and his effectiveness, though, which is extremely unreal.

The Bad
As per above, there are holes here and there.

The most glaring omission in career play is, of course, the absence of salary structure or any financial model. I don't understand why more baseball games don't try implementing this.

The Bottom Line
A solid, fun baseball game, but not the ultimate sim us hardcore baseball fanatics still dream of.

Windows · by Rick Jones (96) · 2001

Trivia

References

Look at the names of the umpires in the box score. You'll see Trip Hawkins (CEO of 3DO).

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • March 2001 (Issue #200) – #6 Best Game of the All Time ( There are numerous references in past issues to the multitude of matches the editors and other staff play of this game.)
    • April 2001 (Issue #201) – Sports Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Adam Baratz

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings and price history! (when applicable)

Related Games

High Heat Baseball 1999
Released 1999 on Windows
High Heat Baseball 2000
Released 1999 on Windows, PlayStation
High Heat Major League Baseball 2002
Released 2001 on Game Boy Advance
High Heat Major League Baseball 2002
Released 2001 on PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation 2
High Heat Major League Baseball 2003
Released 2002 on PlayStation 2, Windows
High Heat Major League Baseball 2004
Released 2003 on PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox
High Heat Major League Baseball 2003
Released 2002 on Game Boy Advance
Microsoft Baseball 2001
Released 2000 on Windows
Backyard Baseball 2001
Released 2000 on Windows, Macintosh

Related Sites +

  • High Heat Central
    You can find lots of utilities and a forum for High Heat Baseball 2001.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1695
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by John Morales.

PlayStation added by Adam Baratz.

Additional contributors: issus, Patrick Bregger.

Game added June 20, 2000. Last modified November 27, 2024.