Home Run King (which originally showed up on US release lists as Line Drive Baseball) was first previewed in video form at the Tokyo Game Show 2001. It's a fast-paced arcade take on the sport of baseball complete with all of the Major League Baseball licensing gurus cannot live without.
Features
- Fast-paced, high scoring arcade gameplay
- Pick-up-and-Play controls, including an easy-to-learn hitting interface and auto fielding
- Four modes of play: Exhibition, Season, Playoffs and Home Run Derby
- Next-gen graphics with incredibly detailed player and stadium models and stunning weather effects
- Fully customizable players and teams
- Player specific batting stances and pitching styles
- Endless animations with everything from hook slides at the plate to leaping catches at the wall
- Immersive audio brings the game to life with colorful play-by-play commentary and hometown hecklers in the stands
- Fully licensed by Major League Baseball featuring every team, stadium, and player
- Endorsed by Houston Astros' first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who appears on the cover of the game
Gameplay
Home Run King seems to be the natural extension of World Series Baseball 2K1 for Dreamcast (also developed by WOW), with obvious improvements. Where as 2K1 was a beautiful recreation of America's favorite pastime, it lacked depth, particularly in regard to outfield control which was totally absent to players. Unfortunately, it seems as though this new entry may share that same oversight.
Home Run King is definitely an arcade baseball game -- not a simulation. To this end, the play is brutally fast and frantic, with an emphasis on batting. This allows for lots of major hits and homers, which in turn means that most games are going to be high scoring.
While it's not exactly a simulation, Sega has nabbed the full MLB license for real teams, players and stadiums, and full statistic tracking throughout seasons. There is also a full create-a-player mode for the hardcore fans.
Graphics
This Sega baseball game is, quite simply, a beautiful thing. It's visibly obvious that developer WOW has gone the extra mile to realize the sport as a videogame. This is evident in everything from the high-detail player models to the incomparably crisp and realistic face-maps of athletes. Furthermore, all of the players are fluidly animated and come to life with realistic slides, diving catches and differently stylized batting stances to boot. Look close and gamers will even see real-time self-shadowing on models and a host of dirt particle effects to accompany the action.
Home Run King for Nintendo GameCube
Similarly, every stadium has been painstakingly recreated to mimic the real thing, right down the crowd stands themselves. And players shouldn't be surprised to see (and hear) outspoken hecklers on the sidelines when an action doesn't go quite as planned.
Outlook
It seems very unlikely that any early 2002 GameCube baseball offering will compare visually with the beautiful Home Run King. What remains to be seen, however, is if developer WOW has changed the play mechanics enough from its previous baseball effort to make it really stand out, especially to gamers burned by the inability to control outfielders. Supposing it has, this could be the arcade baseball game to watch out for when it hits Nintendo's next-generation console in March.