3D Baseball 95

3D Baseball is the equivalent of a muscle-bound minor leaguer who looks like a top prospect, but strikes out in every at bat when he finally gets his shot in the majors.

Bichette Happens

All your favorite real players are represented, from Bonds to Belle, but there are no authentic teams, uniforms, or stadiums. Instead you play in four fields of screams with names like Crystal Yards and The Stadium. The only two modes available are Exhibition and Pennant Race, and although the graphics rank among the best of any baseball game, the gameplay's among the worst.

Player movement is incredible and includes everything from lifelike batter stances to sweep tags on sliding base runners. The problem is that when the ball is in play, the camera switches to a close-up of the fielder to show off the awesome animation. This makes it difficult to know what's happening on the rest of the field, and it throws off the timing of both the base runner and defender.

Even worse, the physics of gameplay are so screwed up that you'll witness fly balls that start to fall, only to rise back into the sky. When a pitcher throws a change-up, your swing frustratingly slows down along with the ball.

Van Earl Wright is the glitchy announcer who's totally off-base with most of his calls, and the crowd sounds more like a car speeding by than people cheering.

For Whom the Belle Tolls

Disappointing to say the least, 3D Baseball is strictly minor-league material. Fans of the diamond should stick to Triple Play for the best PlayStation baseball game to date.

This game comes to the plate with arguably the most realistic graphics seen in a video game to date. Using motion-capture technology and incredibly lifelike 3D polygon-based models, Crystal created players that run, swing, pitch, and move like the real thing.

And the two-player game's not just another pretty face, either. Officially licensed by the MLBPA, the teams include 700 real major-league players with their actual stats. The play modes include Exhibition, Pennant Race, and Home Run Derby. Special features enable you to trade players and to save statistics for teams, games, seasons, and players. Van Earl Wright provides the color commentary.

This game is in the very early stages of development. But the programmers at Crystal are stacking their team and are coming out of the batter's box quickly.

This polygon-based game looks incredible. Crystal Dynamics' programmers are confident they will be able to deliver a unique baseball experience for both fans of the game and baseball purists.

Van Earl Wright, former CNN sportscaster will be calling the play by play as the ball goes deep over the wall in left, right or center field.