Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball

Big Hurt is coming to town! Frank Thomas delivers state-of-the-art graphics with the use of Acclaim's motion-capture and bluescreen studios. In bringing you the most realistic video baseball game, Acclaim utilized their technology to capture Frank Thomas' baseball movements (running, batting and even fielding) to create the most realistic baseball game for any home system.

Big Hurt Baseball features several play modes from Regular Play to the Top o' the Ninth. Sponsored by the MLBPA, expect to have more than 700 major league players and their attributes and skills.

If you're planning to play the entire season, a battery back-up will save and continue where you left off. This game offers features like stadium animations and sounds that bring the Big Show directly to your home. Watch out for this one. It'll take you by surprise!

This Acclaim title had a lot going for it until we saw Triple Play '97. But now that the PlayStation baseball stadium is so crowded, this one has a few strikes against it....

Big Ain't Better

This game wasn't bad on the Saturn (see "Sports Pages"), but that's because the competition on the Saturn is limited to one other game,

World Series Baseball. While this one's definitely better than the lame 16-bit versions of last year, Big Hurt on the PlayStation's a foul tip.

The gameplay is standard base-rounding fun, replete with a pick of teams, a swollen roster of stats, and the backing of a full MLBPA license. The game, however, lacks some key controls, like changing the batter's stance, sjteed bursts while running, and more than three pitches per pitcher.

The motion-captured player graphics are crisp, clean, and realistic. Oddly, the players become pixelated when they strike out.

The sounds provide standard stadium effects, like crowd noise and an occasional catcall. There's plenty of wood-cracking from the bats but nothing above the ordinary.

Hurts So-So Hood

If you're a fan of Frank Thomas, you should definitely play Big Hurt. But a serious fan of the sport looking for a topnotch game can do better than this. A little more time, a little more effort, and a lot more options would have helped. It's not a strike out--it's more like a long, slow pop fly.

In sharp contrast with its poor 16-bit counterparts, Frank Thomas is about to put the "Big Hurt" on its competition w ith a winning combination of arcade fun and statistical accuracy.

Graphics

Big Hurt's graphics pull off a smooth double play: They're both eyecatching and effective. Acclaim used motion-capture technology to create a dynamic diamond filled with realistic movement, throws, and swings. Every major league stadium is 3D rendered, giving you the best seat in the house.

Statistics

Big Hurt's fantastic features drill one over the fence with six play modes, more than 700 MLBPA superstars, 27 statistical categories, and the ability to create your own all-star team. Also, a quick-plav option gives pitchers the advantage of needing only one strike for an out. Rosters are current with the '% season, so you can play as rookies like Chan Ho Park and Derek Jeter.

Control

Pan of Big Hurt's beauty is that although it's a statistics-oriented game, it's relatively simple to pick up and play. Each pitcher realistically throws his three best pitches, and you have the ability to alter the speed and location. Batters hit hard-liners or lay down bunts, while fielders dive and jump for balls.

"Big Hurt" Baseball is being crafted with help from Frank Thomas and Acclaim's new motion-capture technology (shown in the oval inset).

The seven gameplay modes include Regular Season, Playoffs, and Home Run Derby.

The game fields 700 MLBPA stars with up-to-date stats.

Acclaim has done some good work here. What I honestly thought was going to be a disappointing title has turned out to be one of the strongest contenders in the baseball genre.

Frank Thomas "Big Hurt" Baseball, while making some small, superficial mistakes, has maintained the integrity of the game.The players look great, move better, and the playability is exemplary, due to some smart A.I. and super-easy controls (the best controls of any current baseball game).The stand-out features are that baserunning Al is the smartest around, all of the option screens are easy to use, and access and the graphics are crystal-clear.The game contains some average sound and stats, but they are solid enough to avoid criticism.

The problems with the game are greatly outweighed by the overall package, but need to be addressed. For one, the game claims to have all of the Major League parks.This is, in fact, misleading. All the parks are essentially the same, with only minor adjustments to make them passable as the home field. Fenway, for example, differs little from Arlington, with the exception of a strangely out-of-place, miscolored Green Monster (which, incidentally, isn't even green).This is lazy and somewhat insulting to the avid player. I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed to see that, while Big Hurt has some nice stats for your team during season play, there are no leader board stats. In this game you can't access a table that will show how your pitchers and batters stack up against the other players in the league.The final problem is with batting mechanics.There's a delay from the time you press swing until the bat head actually gets around.You must swing right after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand if you plan on hitting a fastball. This, however, might actually be construed a plus, because it adds a lot of impact to junk pitching and change-ups, which are historically very easy pitches to hit in other baseball sims.

I have to recommend Big Hurt despite these flaws, however.They are, as I said earlier, extremely superficial and in no way affect the game's playability.This game will not disappoint.