All-Star Baseball 97 (1997)

Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Publisher: Acclaim
Platforms: Sega Saturn, PlayStation
Genres: Sport

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A straightforward, stat-driven baseball sim that feels like a casual, accessible run through a season with licensed teams and players.

arcade-stylestraightforwardcasualcompetitivenostalgiclightly strategicaccessiblerepetitive

About

All-Star Baseball 97 brings to the plate several features that build upon 1996's Frank Thomas "Big Hurt" Baseball. The most notable additions are both Major League Baseball and MLBPA licenses, offering 30 official teams and stadiums as well as over 700 real players with ratings based on the 1996 season. Six different modes of play include Exhibition, Season, Playoffs, All-Star Game, Batting Practice, and Home Run Derby. Also included are trades allowing would-be General Managers to help their teams make a run at the World Series. Play-by-play announcing is provided by award winning Jon Miller of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, and "dynamic stadium sounds" have vendors hawking peanuts and Cracker Jack. Frank Thomas also assisted with motion-capturing player animations for realistic swings and throws.

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More by Iguana Entertainment

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.