High Heat 2003 for the PS2 is a great baseball video game, despite the lack of a Franchise mode which is the biggest problem with this game. I am used to playing Sega's World Series Baseball series on the Dreamcast and personally think both series' are basically equal except that High Heat's Franchise mode is a little more in-depth.Graphically this game is awesome. The players look like the real life players and their pitching styles and batting stances are head on.
The gameplay in this game is pretty good. Pitching involves pressing one of four buttons for a certain pitch and square if you want it to be outside of the strike zone or circle if you want it to be in the zone. One thing I think that should be in the pitching is to be able to aim where you pitch like you can in World Series Baseball. Fielding is very simple using all four buttons to throw to a certain base. And a great feature in this is being able to rob homeruns without having to press several buttons. But fielding is a pain for some people, having to use the control pad instead of the analog stick often screws you up and you can't tell where you are going. It is also almost impossible to throw out a runner attempting to steal unless you are a veteran at this game.
The Franchise mode in this game is equally as good as WSB 2K2 and better in some ways. Fro trading, to retirements, to free agent signings to rookie drafts, to minor leagues, it's all here in the Franchise Mode where you have total control over your team. You can choose to play with the real rosters or do a fantasy draft which is like being in a fantasy baseball league, except you get to play the games. This is my favorite mode in this game.
The lack of a few things in the gameplay bring my rating down from a 5 to a 4, but this is still a wise choice for PS2 owners looking for a solid baseball game.
