Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball

So Fenway's lost the Big Green Monster. So are ya stupid? It's a video game you bonehead. Big Hurt looks and plays better than almost everything else out there and features cool motion cap graphics. The pitching is just fine too. Wake up and smell the Louisville slugger, nerd boy.

"Big Hurt" Baseball offers smooth gameplay and excellent control along with such options as Season and All-Star games. Graphically, the field and players look excellent and there is good animation of swings and throws. Unlike the 16-bit versions, this Hurt provides a new field of dreams.

As a 2 Player game, this is superb. Eight different throws available. Over 700 players featured, each with their own individual stats. Both American and National teams are featured. If you want a game that concentrates on baseball and not just flashy screens then I would highly recommend this game to you.

Unless you're already heavily into the intricacies of baseball Big Hurt is extremely unlikely to attract you. Even through the very basics are simple enough to acquire, and a deal of patience and manual-reading will reward you, and the looks are fantastic - which should add up to a package we'd heartily recommend - it's just not worth the bother for most of us. Americans will probably buy it, but then they're interested in stats and sitting around for ages between each snippet of action. We aren't, so don't.

Frank Thomas may be a first-rate baseball game with many positive features, but what it lacks is a unique personality or any sense of humor - base runners sliding in a cloud of dust or knocking the ball loose from the catcher's grasp, fielders colliding in confusion, or a batter writhing in agony after being beaned. Even an occasional crotch-grab would have been nice. Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball is like a big meal that has all the trimmings but somehow manages to leave you unsatisfied.

Generally, the lack of statistics and managerial options and the lapses in AI (you can bunt the computer to death...) combine with arcade-style gameplay to make Big Hurt Baseball more of a quick-fix, multi-player console game than an immersive PC simulation. For PC gamers who need more from their baseball games, we'll just have to turn to Tony (La Russa, that is).

Generally, the lack of statistics and managerial options and the lapses in AI (you can bunt the computer to death...) combine with arcade-style gameplay to make Big Hurt Baseball more of a quick-fix, multi-player console game than an immersive PC simulation. For PC gamers who need more from their baseball games, we'll just have to turn to Tony (La Russa, that is).

Some people might enjoy this game, but I'd have to say that, in the twilight of the 16-bit platform's life, a better quality of product must be made in order to stand out.

Using Acclaim's motion-capture facility to it's maximum potential, Big Hurt Baseball features smooth realistic player movement. Unfortunately, the graphics at the plate view are lacking and control of the fields could be better. Also, the colors of the uniforms are bland and uninspired, which detracts from the look of the game.

"Big Hurt" Baseball for the Game Boy may put the hurt on you. The graphics make hitting a nightmare. When the ball is on it's way, it gets lost in the green background. Every swing of the bat sounds like a skier slushing down the slopes. Frank Thomas may win the MVP, but this Game Boy cart fails to make the cut.

The graphics, on the other hand, are great. The batters are possibly the best of all the baseball games available. Great graphics aren't enough to save "Big Hurt" Baseball though. In the end it just doesn't have that winning combination.

All in all, this a good first-time effort from Acclaim and it appears they're on their way to becoming a major player in the baseball market. If they can add real teams, stadiums, an announcer and tighten up the interface, they'll have something worth swinging for.

The call at the plate is to play baseball on another field or rent Frank Thomas before you buy.

With the strong batting order of other baseball carts, bench Big Hurt in a hurry. Better 16-bit fields have been built for years.

Judging from looks alone, Big Hurt is easily the best baseball game for the Game Gear. Players move with fluid motion, and the pitchers look especially good as they deliver their pitches. Although the gameplay is similar to other Game Gear baseball titles, there are too many lulls in the action. Overall Big Hurt is a good-looking game but its pace is too slow for a portable title.

Enkelt uppbyggt utan att för den skull sakna viktiga funktioner, snygg grafik, lagom bra ljud och godkänd spelkänsla. Tyvärr innehåller FTBHB några tekniska fel som är mycket irriterande.

Big Hurt's commentator does a respectable job, but his sentences tend to be disjointed - a common issue for early CD games. Actually, it's quite humorous to hear stuff like, "At the end of. The third inning. Baltimore. Four. Toronto. ZERO!!" There's also a PA announcer who inexplicably doesn't know how to pronounce many players' names (John Olerud is a prime example). Worst of all, there's no instant replay - a definite no-no for a game made in 1996. Don't let this game put the big hurt on your wallet. To be frank, I'd stick with World Series Baseball instead.