ASB05 Impressions Thread

[Parker]

I'll say it again, I don't understand how people are walking less in this game than MVP or MLB. I have had a lot of 3 ball counts, and unlike the other games, it's not automatic that the pitcher will then throw strikes.

I mean, are people not getting realistic pitch counts from the CPU pitchers like I am?

Maybe it depends on what batting options people are using, but if you take a decent number of pitches, you should walk. I think if you are only using zone, you are missing out on how realistic games played out can be. If you are opposed to cursor, return the game and please spare us more complaints about zone hitting, it is not intended for anyone but beginners this year. However, most baseball games don't give you a choice between cursor or zone.

[matthewk]

MVP without the lefty bug is much more compelling on the field IMO. But that bug is petty much a gamekiller unfortunately. When you combine the spectacular off the field gameplay with the solid but not outstanding on the field gameplay, ASB is probably the better game.

Not too surprisingly, Snate, you nailed exactly how I'm feeling right now...

I do have some hope for ESPN, though.

Can't you use some of your 'professional expertise' to lean on EA to see about getting some sort of fix?

This is exactly my feeling as well. If not for the lefty bug, I'd still be playing MVP. I only played 6 innings of ASB so far, but things feel pretty good so far.

[matthewk]

Yeah Scoop, I feel ya 100%. I'm not going to go over my beefs again since you pretty much touched on most of them. I do think it should be a criminal offense to release a game in this state, though.

If you can say this about ASB, you have to say it about MVP as well. All of the flaws I've read about and see for myself regarding ASB hasn't made me as ticked off as the lefty bug in MVP.

[matthewk]

I have a question about fielding. I don't mind the fiedler cam too much, but I'm not sure I want to play every game this way. I tried both classic and 2004 cams, but I can't field at all. I think it's because the camera is focused in too far on the ball, and by the time I know where my fieler is (usually off screen) I've missed the ball. This was a really big problem for me on grounders. I could not get to anything because the ball was by me beofre I even knew where I was.

Little help here?

[Parker]

Yah, there are no problems in ASB that threaten the integrity of the game in baseball like in MVP. Just annoyances really, unless you insist on using a batting option that doesn't match your skill level.

All I can say, is cursor hitting in this game is really not much different from zone hitting last year. Because pitch speeds are slower, you don't really have to look for a zone to swing at ahead of time with zone hitting anymore.

[Bill_Abner]

I'd rather masturbate with a handful of tacks then go back to a batting cursor.

I would like to nominate this as best line of 2004 thus far. Damn Scoop that was funny.

[Spooky]

I just wanted to chime in here (even though I do not have the game) and ask why the hell doesn't Acclaim fix the BUGS that have plagued their ASB series from day one??? I cannot beleive I am reading another years threads on hitting that ball out of the catchers mit, bad baserunning, fielders just standing around, ect... I bet you I could copy and paste last years posts/comments/complaints and no one would know the difference.

I am NOT bashing the game and don't doubt that it is the best of the bunch for a lot of people, but I just cannot understand why the things that have been complained about year after year STILL show up in their game !?!?!?! I understand MVP has is problems, but IMO the problems are at least somewhat different from year to year (they fix one another pops up). While that is not really acceptable either, IMO not fixing something that is obviuosly glitchy/buggy in multiple years/versions is just plain unacceptable!

[Leebo33]

How in the hell do you utilize the analog swing? It is not mentioned in the manual that I can find and I have tried everything to enable it but can't seem to find where to do it.

Kevin,

Pull down on the right stick to start the swing and then up to finish. I like it in theory, but when I made contact I usually ended up with a single up the middle or a fly ball to center.

Lee

[Leebo33]

I have a question about fielding. I don't mind the fiedler cam too much, but I'm not sure I want to play every game this way. I tried both classic and 2004 cams, but I can't field at all. I think it's because the camera is focused in too far on the ball, and by the time I know where my fieler is (usually off screen) I've missed the ball. This was a really big problem for me on grounders. I could not get to anything because the ball was by me beofre I even knew where I was.

Little help here?

I could use some fielding tips as well. I almost prefer the 75% automated fielding in MLB over this.

If you can live with the poor fielding and baserunning controls then you should at least try out the cursor hitting. It's actually not *that* bad. More like masturbating with sandpaper than Scoop's great quote.

[NoJoke]

Put me down as a third person interested in fielding tips. Earlier in this post, Ed mentioned that you have to use an on screen arrow to get in better position. I haven't played since then so I was wondering if people were finding that to be helpful.

Joe

[matthewk]

Spooky, you're right. Accliam should have fixed those issues last year. To see them still not fixed is abig WTF!?!?

Finding the right baseball game is like voting. You see what they each have to offer, and then you pick the lesser of the evils.

Of course there are those that are diehard members of a certain party, and no matter what you say they will always belong to that party.

[Badgun]

Yeah Scoop, I feel ya 100%. I'm not going to go over my beefs again since you pretty much touched on most of them. I do think it should be a criminal offense to release a game in this state, though.

If you can say this about ASB, you have to say it about MVP as well. All of the flaws I've read about and see for myself regarding ASB hasn't made me as ticked off as the lefty bug in MVP.

I'll admit the lefty bug does bother me, but the Cardinals only have one real left handed power hitter and that's Jim Edmonds. So it's not like half of my lineup suffers because of it. The game does so much else right, that I just can't write it off because I might only hit 15 homers with Edmonds instead of 35.

You can go back two weeks ago and dig up my posts. I was very critical of MVP and I'm still disappointed in some aspects, but the game is damn fun to play and gets most of the fundamentals of baseball right. The fielding and the pitching are just fantastic and this is a game where a fastball feels like a fastball. Hitting is fun as well.

I hate EA and I'd rather put my money into the pocket of a hard working developer that doesn't always receive a free pass and mindless glowing reviews everytime they put a new game out. But I will stand by my statement that ASB 2005 is the worst baseball game put out in at least two years. Think about it. Of the two areas where ASB could have been the most accessible to the normal gamer, one is broken to the point you can't use it, and the other is the worst design decision in the history of sports gaming. So basically, if you're going to enjoy this game, you've got to learn to use the cursor and learn to at least tolerate the fielder cam. Did they not promise us cursorless hitting? Right, but they did not promise us cursorless hitting that works.

So despite the problems with MVP, it still plays a much better, much more realistic game of baseball and is 10 times the fun to play. ASB 2005 has cured me from buying Acclaim baseball games on release day ever again. I give most of you guys about another week and you'll give up on this game. I'm seeing a lot of guys that initially liked it over at OS now giving up on it or cooling to it rapidly. Saying it's just not fun to play or that it has zero atmosphere, not to mention the runners not advancing and vacuum catches. I will be amazed if anyone is still playing this game in two weeks.

[Parker]

Zone hitting is not broken, it is just different from last year and overly easy in the minds of most people. The developers didn't intend people to use it on all star level or above, which is why you are limited with your options for online games.

Badgun, you need to accept the fact that there are people like me who like this game because it offers things that no other baseball does, like realistic pitch counts. There will be a ton of people playing this game even months from now.

[GROGtheNailer]

You'll all be back to High heat eventually, that's right.

[sportdan30]

Bad,

If you think about it, ASB has never really got glowing reviews except from gamers. So in that respect, many people agree with you. I'm sorry to hear that you feel you got ripped off (not money wise speaking), but more in terms of gameplay. Realize you can't change everyones mind about the game. Seriously, it seems as if you've taken up a mighty stand to bury ASB. Probably best to devote more time to helping the homeless or keeping kids off drugs. Point has been made.

[Parker]

Here are 10 ways that ASB is more realistic than MVP:

1. Pitch counts, cpu pitchers throw more balls
2. CPU pitchers give up more walks
3. The CPU attempts steals
4. Player progression is not broken in franchise mode
5. There is no lefty homerun issue
6. There is a more apparant difference in the abilities of ace pitchers and 5th starters
7. Manager mode is more realistic, mainly because you can actually see the action going on while managing
8. You can get some strange hitting results in MVP depending on your approach (pushing up too often and getting mostly homeruns) compared to the cursor hitting in ASB which is harder to misuse
9. Without adjusting sliders like in MVP to avoid problems like triples, ASB can give you a more realistic experience out of the box
10. You can choose to use slidesteps and different deliveries when there are men on base

I'm sure there are more, and you could make a list for MVP too. But I'm just trying to englighten those who can't see how anyone would like this game as to why it has a following.

[Badgun]

Zone hitting is not broken, it is just different from last year and overly easy in the minds of most people. The developers didn't intend people to use it on all star level or above, which is why you are limited with your options for online games.

Badgun, you need to accept the fact that there are people like me who like this game because it offers things that no other baseball does, like realistic pitch counts. There will be a ton of people playing this game even months from now.

Parker,
I'm glad you like this game, really I am. But to say that zone hitting isn't broken is insane. Acclaim said they were giving us options, those options should be available to the most skilled player as well as the novice. To say they made zone hitting easy because they didn't expect skilled players to use it is nothing more than a cheap ass copout. I think the general consensus is that most people prefer or preferred the High Heat batting system. Funny thing...all of the baseball games tried to mimic that system in some way this year. Why? Because when done right it provides the most rewarding hitting experience in a baseball game. When done wrong...well you have ASB 2005.

Personally, I like realistic pitchcounts, steals, and walks as much as the next guy. But who am I fooling? I'm not going to sit around and take 5 or 6 pitches waiting on a walk...I don't have the patience nor the time. That's why getting one or two walks per game doesn't bother me.

Enjoy yourself, but don't hand me that crap that zone hitting works as intended...especially when anyone can hit 10 homers a game AFTER the ball is in the catcher's mitt.

[Parker]

I agree that Acclaim somewhat misled people by not revealing that zone hitting would no longer be a good option for players with a moderate skill level. I was surprised myself when I found out about the changes. But I think they are offering zone hitting mainly for people who want to practice their timing with a bit of an added challenge of being able to aim, not to produce realistic results. So I don't think it's entirely accurate to say it's broken if it does what the developers intended.

They probably should limit zone hitting to the first skill level in the offline portion of the game.

Zone is now just another simplistic batting option like timed hitting. And it's unrealistic to think that timed hitting will be a good choice for non-novices.

If I can add no 11......ASB's generated pitch counts, that's a huge feature for some people.

[matthewk]

Two things I wanted to chime in about:

1) Zone hitting in ASB IS broken. Maybe not in the same way is was last year, but it's not right. The reason I'm still giving the game a chance is because the 2d cursor works a lot like WSB, which I enjoyed last year.

2) About MVPs lefty bug. I see what you are saying Badgun, but the power problem is for CPU hitters as well. In simmed games it's not an issue, but how can I play a game of baseball knowing that no matter who the lefty hitter is I'm facing, I can groove pitches and still get him to pop out? I don't fear Giambi or Bands, because I know Edgar Renteria has a better chance of going yard on me. I removes all strategy from R/L matchups. If I draft a fantasy team I'm better off with all righties. I have a real hard time accepting something like this.

To each his own (which is what we all end up saying every year at some point). Right now I'm torn. LIke I said earlier, it's picking between the lesser of the evils.

MVP
- lefty bug
- no steals
- too many doubles (even with slider adjustments)
- no walks when I'm pitching (I can draw some while hitting)
- poor pintch hit AI

MLB
- Can't edit players
- no check swing
- one camera for both sides (not big for most, but I like the variety to break up the game)
- slow is too slow, fast play skips too much, like who is up to bat

ASB (Need more time with it, but so far here's what I've got)
- Fielding is difficult
- Baserunning issues
- Zone hitting doesn't work right

No matter which game I choose, I'll be making some concessions. It's just a matter of which ones I can live with versus which I can't.

[dbdynsty25]

So despite the problems with MVP, it still plays a much better, much more realistic game of baseball...

Absolutely without a doubt...WRONG.

[ScoopBrady]

I'll be the first to say that I expect realism in my sports games but not to the extent of exchanging realism for fun.

I don't feel I should be fighting the controls in a game just for a little added realism.

I don't feel I should have a f***in developer make decisions for me in regards to what level of player should be using which type of hitting style just for a little added realism.

I don't feel I should have to experience the same problems year after year with the same game just for a little realism.

I don't feel I should have to be told what type of fielding camera I can use online just for a little added realism.

The bottom line is people would be screaming bloody murder if EA limited the fielding camera online like they do about the lack of being able to select a starting pitcher. They would also tear them a new one for limiting the functionality of different batting styles based on gamer skill. They would especially rip into them for having the same problems for the third year in a row.

Now I'm not trying to scream there's an secret EA-bashing club or anything because I'm sincerely sorry that Webdanzer thought I was implying that about him in the MVP Lefty Bug post, but I am trying to say that people will overlook many things if the name EA isn't attached. The same f***in thing people are bitching about in regards to EA being given a free pass by the industry writers, ASB is definitely getting a free pass by the industry buyers. Hell, I won't even make this an EA exclusive problem, if this game was Inside Pitch 2005 nobody would be willing to overlook these issues and proclaim it pure crap like they did last year.

I had ASB 97 starring Frank Thomas on the PS1 (hell, I still have it) and thought it was a decent game at the time. Then the ASB series made it's leap to the N64 and I fell in love with it. That love is what keeps me buying their damn game each and every year hoping they reach the success they had on the N64. But alas, the past 3 years have been filled with a sloppy unfinished game. My point is I think this love from the past is creating many a rose-colored glasses.

[Badgun]

So despite the problems with MVP, it still plays a much better, much more realistic game of baseball...

Absolutely without a doubt...WRONG.

How can you say I'm wrong? It's my opinion...you can say you disagree, but I'm not wrong.

If you want to dig a little deeper here, we can do that.

1. Have you seen a passed ball or wild pitch in ASB?

2. Have you seen offline or bad throws in ASB?

3. Have you seen a dropped fly ball in ASB?

4. Have you seen bunt pop flies for outs?

5. Have you seen balls hit back at the pitcher that bounced off of him?

I could go on and on, but MVP has all of these things and I see them on a regular basis, not just once in a blue moon. They add a lot to the immersion factor as well as to the strategy of a baseball game. MVP is far from perfect, but I still say that it provides more of a real baseball experience than this dog that Acclaim calls a baseball game. Yes, I've seen bad AI in MVP and I'm well aware of the the lack of walks and steals, but it's still a damn fun game to play.

db, we all knew you didn't like MVP right out of the box so it's no surprise that you would say I'm WRONG, but I give you two weeks and you'll be shitting on ASB as well.

[kevinpars]

I think what is frustrating to me is that there is just so damn much to like about this game but some of the gameplay issues are frustrating.

I will have to try some other form of hitting - because zone just is too easy. I hate cursor hitting, but I will play around with it.

There is some very cool things in this game. I like the graphics, I love the stadiums - there are a ton of extra stadiums! I spent about 45 minutes just doing the 'Stadium Tour' feature, which was very cool.

I may go with generated pitch counts because otherwise this game could take over an hour to play. Maybe I will do that for most games and then play pitch by pitch if I ever make the playoffs.

No sense selling this puppy yet. Nothing else coming out until mid April.

[Parker]

You can have your opinion, but you are over the top when you make statements like no one will be playing ASB in a few weeks.

As far as what you pointed out, last year's ASB had a ton of offline or bad throws. This year, there are somewhat less, but they are still there. People are complaining that there are too many errors, so I'm not sure what you are talking about.

I also popped up bunts for outs last year, so I imagine it could happen this year too.

I'm drawing a blank about balls deflecting off of the pitcher, but I'm pretty sure I have seen this too.

I'd say MLB outfielders drop fly balls almost as infrequently as once in a blue moon. Although some people have problems getting used to ASB's fielding circle so you can say that's almost like dropping fly balls.

I think you need to come up with some better reasons as to why MVP is a more realistic game.

[pk500]

Man, these excellent posts are giving me a sense of deja vu: This entire thread is eerily reminiscent of the impressions of the most recent hockey games.

All had plus points and minus points, and none was exceptional. A mediocre lot.

Sounds much the same for baseball. Good thing for rentals, because it really looks like I'm not going to buy a baseball game for the first time in about five years this year due to all of the excellent, precise feedback here.

Well, there is ESPN, but I have very low expectations for that game, too, and won't play any further past the first batter if VC didn't fix the enormous strike zone that has ruined the last two editions of this franchise for me.

High Heat is missed more than ever now. Even that series' biggest detractors are realizing what we're missing this spring without that game on the market.

Take care,
PK