Triple Play '97 PS1

Triple Play baseball dates back to the Sega Genesis.It was one of the more realistic baseball games on the market ,along with Sega Sports World Series Baseball.I remember liking World Series better but after  having problems with the save function , Triple Play became my go to baseball game.Triple Play 97  was EA's  first crack at a baseball game  on Sony's revolutionary 32 bit system.I never got to play It back when It released ,sticking mainly to Sony's SCEA  MLB series  of games.I played tons of Triple Play baseball on the Genesis so I decided to pick this title up to see If  EA made any monumental improvements with an extra 16 bits to mess around with.Prior to making this post ,I played a quick 9 inning,rookie mode  exhibition game as a refresher.

                                                                 The game Is leaps and bounds better than it's  16 bit predecessor,but that was expected.The opening FMV sequence of generic ballplayers turning a triple play Is pretty cool.One thing that stood out as being a little funky to me were the generic player models.While the stadiums are all In 3D ,the players seem to be 2D. Maybe I'm describing this  wrong but that's just how It comes across to me on the screen.It works,I guess ,but still looks a little odd.Especially when fielding.Graphics are  a little grainy by today's standards  but must have wowed gamers back then.Add to that a new to the franchise , live ,albeit repetitive play by play announcer.The sound Is decent.Even today ,I play this on a 24 inch TV with a blue-tooth speaker connected to it and It sounds pretty crisp.If you turn up the sound effects In the in-game options you can really hear the pop of the mits when the players catch the ball.I love how the player stats roll out under the batter when he comes up to bat but hate the fact that there are no complimenting player pictures.In fact the only time you'll get to see an actual player pic In this game will be when you look at the cover . Gameplay Is simple.Throw the ball and direct It with the directional pad,ala R.BI. baseball.In "rookie" mode anyways.I tried playing a season on "Pro" and It was way to difficult.Opposing hitters went deep way too frequently,making games longer and more drawn out.In "rookie" mode the game flows better,quicker and keeps things close for the player.


Overall your getting a decent baseball game here,but Is It playable today?You won't get sucked into it and want to play It over and over again,obsessively.There's very little micro managing involved ,just bare bones baseball.Stat tracking keeps It interesting but Its definitely just a game that you play for a week or so ,and then stash for a rainy day.Speaking for myself ,of course.

           Is It Playable Today Rating 

 6