9.7	9.0	8.3

Compared: August 14, 2002
Compared by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Acclaim

Developer
Acclaim Studios Austin

Genre: Sports
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone

Simultaneously released on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube, all three versions are nearly identical in features and general quality. As shown by the scores, there is a slight difference in some of the specifics among the various versions, but in the end, all three are equally your best alternative to playing baseball in your living room.

Round 1: Control

I’m going to have to give this round to the GameCube. For some strange reason the GameCube controller just feels “right” when playing this game. Normally I find that C-stick awkward and unusable, but in this game is works well. I’m sure part of my fondness for this controller is based on the fact that I had played the GameCube version for over six weeks before playing the other two versions.

The Xbox and PS2 controllers tie for second and it’s a very close second at that. The layout of the primary buttons to represent the bases remains consistent across all three controllers. Acclaim has nailed down the perfect control scheme whether you are on the plate, in the field, or on the mound.

Round 2: Visuals

The GameCube wins again but only because of some slight faults in the other two versions. Nintendo cranks out some serious graphics with amazing frame rates and incredibly detailed textures including clothing and facial features.

The Xbox comes in second. My only complaint here is that the textures don’t blend as nicely as they do on the GameCube. The grass texture is noticeably tiled and other features like the crowd are not nearly as nice as the GameCube.

The PS2 version exhibited some noticeably clipping and collision problems that are not only visually distracting but can also adversely affect your gameplay. You might think you have the line to second base guarded but the runner might just pass through you.

Round 3: Music & Sound

All three games are virtually identical in the audio department. Even with the Dolby Digital capabilities of the Xbox I heard no difference in quality and certainly no 3D spatial effects. The 3-man commentary is the ultimate and probably the best commentary in any sports game to date.

Round 4: Other Deciding Factors

If you want to save your game mid-season in either Franchise or Expansion mode you need 151 blocks on the GameCube. This means you cannot use a standard memory card, and you MUST purchase one of the larger capacity units. A season will fit on your PS2 card but plan on dedicating an entire one to the game. Of course the vast Xbox hard drive is a big positive for saving your season without the expense of a dedicated memory card.

All three versions of ASB 2003 support up to four players but only the GameCube and the Xbox support four controllers natively. If you want to challenge three friends on your PS2 then a Multitap is required.

Bottom Line

The GameCube is the winner, but only by a slight margin. If you have multiple systems then go for the version with the highest score for the system you own. Keep in mind that if that system is the GameCube and you are a serious baseball “simmer” who plans to dabble in the Franchise and Expansion modes you will need to pick-up a large format memory unit.