Now I'm sure most of you who were around for at least the 16-bit generation remember good ol' NBA Jam, the game that gave a whole new meaning to, "he's on fire!" Several years later Midway put brought the over-the-top, arcade stylings of Jam to the football world with NFL Blitz, after that came NHL Hitz, and just last year we saw it hit the baseball world with MLB Slugfest. Now I guess it's time for another confessional: I never played last year's version of Slugfest, so if you're simply looking for a review telling you how much better (or worse) this year's version is over last year's, you're unfortunately looking in the wrong place. On the other hand, if that's not all you're looking for, then I think I can let you in on something: MLB Slugfest 20-04 is quite the fun little sports game, but not without its flaws.

First things first: if you're looking for a hardcore baseball sim, this game is definitely not for you. Technically you can turn off the more arcade-style features of the game, but if that's your plan, why bother buying this particular baseball game? Look elsewhere at the likes of All-Star Baseball or High Heat. Despite its arcade nature, Slugfest still includes some sim-standard features, such as a season mode and create-a-team. There's also Quick Play, Challenge (choose a team and try to beat your friend or all 30 MLB teams; complete with stat tracking through name and PIN and all), and Tournament modes. Unfortunately, there's a noticeable lack of a franchise mode, something that has seemingly become standard in nearly all team sports games these days. Also, although there is a create-a-team mode, there is sadly no create-a-player feature. Sure I can just create a team using the absolute best players in the league and dominate that way, but it would be so much more fun if I could create a team with the likes of Vin Diesel and the Rock and beat my buds while spouting off lines like, "I live my life 90 feet at a time," and "I'm gonna take this baseball, shine it up real nice, and shove it straight up your candy..." well, you get the picture. And just because it's basically required of any baseball game, there is the obligatory Home Run Derby. The Derby allows you (and friends, if you have any of those lying around) to take up to eight total sluggers and try to see how many you can blast out of the park. Can't quite hit it far enough? Then you'll get to watch the antics of the fielding crew: a bunch of clowns, literally.

So you pick your mode of choice, and now it's time to play ball (clich?s are your friend). But wait, what's this on the match-up screen? Could it be? Indeed, it is: the classic Midway Sports (and Mortal Kombat) code entry with its three icons. Hit the right buttons, and you'll be privy to using spiked bats, unlimited turbo, or even, my personal favorite, a team made up of none other than the man himself: Scorpion (in all of his sword-wielding Deadly Alliance glory).

Now, back to that whole "play ball" bit. Slugfest doesn't rewrite the rules of baseball; half the time you're still batting and running bases, and the other half you're pitching and fielding. With its arcade styles though, Slugfest turns up the heat (puns are your friend too). Need to beat that ball to the base? Hit your turbo button and get that extra burst of speed that you need. While you're at it, why not just nail opposing players in your way and do a leaping slide to knock the baseman over. Play well enough, and your player(s) will be on fire, giving them unlimited turbo and bit more "umpf" in their more aggressive moves. Trust me, it's a blast to send that catcher trying to prevent you from scoring flying about ten feet backwards. Now, if you're on the fielding side of things, use that turbo and fire to make that fastball that much faster and give yourself the ability to do amazing jumping catches. I found myself, on more than occasion, wanting to yell "Holy S**t!" at the sight of opposing players snatching my home run hit from high in the air. Strike out enough batters, and you'll unlock a one-time use special pitch in your pitching menu. While these pitches are technically hittable, your opponent will probably be too awestruck when one is thrown his way to even think about swinging the bat; these pitches are insane. Needless to say, the action in Slugfest is not like your typical baseball game, and that's definitely not a bad thing. Slugfest is, plain and simple, a lot of fun - once you get used to the controls, that is.

Maybe it's just the fact that I haven't played a baseball game in about two years, but the controls in Slugfest definitely took some time to get down. Unfortunately, there is no option to change the controls. This isn't really an issue though, as the control scheme does work out well; they just take some time to get a handle of if you're not used to baseball games. Base running is where I had my main issues - just in trying to figure out which runner I was controlling and not make the wrong player advance. Screwing up in that department cost me a few too many outs in my initial games. Batting and pitching, on the other hand, are a breeze.

Now, gameplay aside, I'm sure no one would want to play a baseball game these days that looks and sounds like Baseball for the Atari 2600 (actually, it'd be interesting to see some developer try to make a game like that and try to put it off as "retro"). Lucky for us, Slugfest is definitely up to Xbox standards when it comes to looks. The players and stadiums are all well detailed, and even the crowds look pretty good. The special effects, such as when players are on fire, look great. While it's no graphical milestone or anything, the ball has a glowing trail to it where helps you keep better track of where the ball is, and it's a nice little touch. There is the occasional clipping, mainly when runners and basemen come in contact, but that's really no big deal and doesn't take anything away from the experience. Slugfest may not be some groundbreaking achievement in the graphics department, but it's definitely no slouch either.

When it comes to the aural experience (No, not oral! You sicko...), Slugfest doesn't quite hold up as well. The music of Slugfest really doesn't play much of a role, but then again, who would expect it do so in any baseball game (unless we're talking about Def Jam Baseball or something else crazy like that). Although, I might note that the game's intro features "Crawling in the Dark" by Hoobastank, which just felt... odd paired with baseball footage, but no matter. No, the real meat of the sound department is commentary team. Like the overall game itself, the commentary team isn't overly serious. It's funny stuff, the first time you hear it. Unfortunately, most of the gags start getting repeated after your first few games and then novelty starts to wear off. This is pretty much a problem with the nature of games themselves. It'd be an unthinkable task to create so much commentary for a game that repetition would never become an issue. Thankfully, you can turn off the commentary team, so if they start to bother you, it's just a matter of changing one option in the menu. The sound effects and such are pretty well done though, and little touches like making the ball contact sound for Scorpion's sword a metal clank are welcome additions. However, the sound, or should I say scream, that you hear when a player becomes on fire is a little bit on the unsettling side as it sounds like the player is literally being set on fire.

And so in the end, despite its occasional short-comings, MLB Slugfest 20-04 (actually pronounced twenty-oh-four in the game) winds up as quite the fun experience. Remember that this is coming from a professed non-fan of real life baseball. While the game may lack a franchise mode, there's still the season mode which is sure to provide a fair incentive to keep playing for a while. Slugfest's true shining moments, though, are those times when you're hanging out with your friends and just want to see some crazy action. Just be sure to duck out of punch range when you rob your friend of that home run with your miracle dive.