Here's what it's got going for it: the best hi-res graphics you've seen on the N64 or anywhere else, all 30 Major League teams and stadiums, over 700 MLBPA players (each with a uniquely drawn face), scouting reports courtesy of Larry Walker, over 100 distinct batting stances, strike zones that change in relation to player size, a top-notch pitcher batter interface, the ability to create, trade and save players, and, finally, a control interface that works like the manual says it does and is not impossible to master.

The athletes are fully articulated, with nice use of shading that gives them
a fully rounded look. Batters are graded on multiple characteristics,
including whether they are pull, straightaway or opposite-field (push)
hitters. Iguana has stacked the lineup with signature stances for everyone
from Roberto Alomar to Sammy Sosa. However, swings often lack grace.

All-Star Baseball presents you with different batting cursors. For example,
the power swing's cursor is smaller than the conventional swing's, while the
bunting cursor is wide and flat. Each batter has a unique hot-cold icon that
shows the areas of the strike zones he commands and those where he's
vulnerable.

Most pitchers hurl overhand, three-quarters, sidearm or submarine, but
Hideo Nomo and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield have their own oddball motions.
Each hurler has four basic pitches, selectable with the C buttons. If you
don't want to telegraph your pitch location, you can turn off the pitching
cursor and rely on the Rumble Pak to alert you when you're aiming out of
the strike zone. You'll need to warm up a pitcher in the bullpen before
calling him into the game.

You can choose manual or automatic control of fielders, while the assist
option gives you a jump on the ball. Before each pitch, you can choose
from among seven infield and nine outfield setups. Once a fielder has
reached a ball, he can dive or jump for it. All-Star Baseball supports both
regular throws and stronger but less accurate aggressive throws.

All-Star Baseball includes photorealistic replicas of all 30 big-league parks
and options for day, night, twilight, wind and weather conditions. You can
also chose from among six camera angles for batting and three angles for
tracking the ball.

There are three difficulty levels: Rookie, Veteran and All-Star. You can
choose between Simulation and fast-paced Arcade mode.

Play-by-play is called by Yankees radio announcers Michael Kay and John
Sterling, whose New Yawker cadences might rub Red Sox fans (and others)
the wrong way. Thanks to Acclaim's proprietary voice-compression
technology, you'll hear the names of all 750 big leaguers, plus plenty of
color commentary and play descriptions.

All-Star Baseball's general manager options are terrific. You can trade, sign
and release players. Diamond freaks will especially appreciate the
opportunity to dip into the minor leagues to call up an AAA-quality player.
The Create-a-Player option allows you to slap your name on a player's
jersey and give him just about any appearance you desire. You're limited in
the amount of talent you can give your creation, though.

If you get tired of current rosters, you can draft players and create your
own fantasy league. You get a choice of season, single-game, playoffs,
World Series and All-Star game modes and a Home Run Derby. Seasons can
range from 13 to 162 games, complete with spring training, playoffs and
All-Star balloting. All-Star Baseball maintains accurate in-season stats. You
also get each player's actual 1997 and lifetime stats.

Play control, especially for batting, can be quite complex, but hey: baseball
is a complex game. All in all, this is a highly realistic game that is sure to
wow true-blue baseball fans.