The 3DO Company today announced the release of the High Heat Major League Baseball 2002 game for the PlayStation game console. High Heat features excellent fast-paced, true to life gameplay and was recently called "the best baseball game for the PlayStation" by Official PlayStation Magazine. The High Heat franchise is known for realistic batter-pitcher match-ups, authentic recreations of all 30 MLB stadiums, superior artificial intelligence, and multiple difficulty settings that are tuned for the novice and hard core gamer alike. For the first time in the series' history, the High Heat game will be available for five different gaming platforms including the PlayStation and PC (shipping in March), Game Boy Color (shipping in May), and Game Boy Advance (shipping in June).
All-Star Vladimir Guerrero of the Montreal Expos and his brother, Wilton, of the Cincinnati Reds, true fans of the High Heat series, will endorse this year's edition. Interestingly, 3DO discovered last year that the Guerrero brothers were actually using High Heat (for PlayStation) not only for fun, but also as a training tool to scout opposing MLB pitchers (Sports Illustrated, May 1, 2000).
Game Highlights:
Brand new player model, with detailed uniforms and life-like star-player faces.
Every major league stadium, realistically represented with animated textures.
New animations, including fidgets, celebrations, and smoother swings with recoil, bring the players and the action to life.
100% increase in pitcher and batter animations from last year!!
Exciting TV-Style Presentation: in-game graphics and camera motions:
a "Sweep" of the screen leading into or out of a replay
"Multi-ball" replay after certain strikeouts shows the path of the final pitch
"Tru-Spread" replay after walks shows the exact path of each pitch with respect to the strike zone
New announcing team, featuring the two-man booth of Dave O'Brien (Florida Marlins® Announcer) and Ray Fosse (Color Commentator for Oakland A's™).
"Interactive crowd excitement" system means that the crowd reacts like a real-life crowd - including cheering, booing and silence at the appropriate times.
New "Sounds of the ballpark" including walk-up music and ballpark clap and organ cheers, and all new hecklers and vendors.
More baseball "happenings" - throwing errors, balks, unintentional hit-by-pitches passed balls, and wild pitches.
Ultra-responsive controls.
One-button-per-pitch control mode for pitching.
New Fantasy-Style Draft season.