Metacritic Games

All-Star Baseball 2004 (Xbox)

Features on-line capabilities, featuring downloadable roster updates. History's greatest Negro League players such as Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Buck O'Neil. All-new legends teams featuring Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, & Ty Cobb. Scenario mode where Derek Jeter introduces actual MLB footage to set-up in-game situations and recommendations. Pick-up game mode that enables you to choose up sides with your favorite players in all new stadiums. [Acclaim]

Acclaim
Sports
Players: 4
E (Everyone)
Developer: Acclaim Studios Austin
Released February 27, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

74 / 100

Critic Reviews

96 Armchair Empire
The stats engine of All-Star Baseball 2004 is top of the line.
91 Gaming Age
One of the best playing baseball games I’ve played in recent memory... This game is for purists.
91 Cinescape
A lot better than last year’s incarnation.
84 GameSpy
The game may not have the flashy graphics of the other hardball titles, but the ability to download current rosters and to save games in mid-progress are both wonderful additions to the series and will have you overlooking any minor cosmetic glitches.
83 GameSpot
The sheer number of available teams, modes, and bonuses is absolutely staggering.
83 Operation Sports
It’s that pretty girl you’ve been waiting to take to the big dance. She looks good you are ready for a great time but you find out she’s a bit dull and getting to like her will take some work.
80 GamePro
2004 is the best ASB yet, and fans of the series won’t go wrong with any version. The game’s tunable to all tastes and skill levels; it’s baseball at its almost finest.
80 Play Magazine
The list of features for All-Star Baseball 2004 is the most impressive we've seen in a console baseball game. [Apr 2003, p.70]
80 Game Informer
It's still an exceptional baseball game, but I was expecting improvement where it really matters - the gameplay. [Apr 2003, p.93]
80 IGN
ASB04 has nearly everything you could want from a baseball game except a good baseball engine.
77 Official Xbox Magazine
What kills ASB '04 is simply how it plays. Hitting is incredibly difficult and pitching doesn't "feel" very good. [Apr 2003, p.81]
77 Gamezilla!
Although there are a few areas that could have been better, the overall game will keep most fans playing until next year.
74 GamingTrend
This game is for those of you that love franchise modes, but not necessarily for a pick up and play game. The gameplay problems really hurt this game, especially from the defensive perspective.
70 Team Xbox
A minor upgrade from "ASB2003."
70 GMR Magazine
Acclaim made a lot of improvements and did a great job at capturing some of the spirit of baseball, but the actual on-field experience seems a little off. [Apr 2003, p.64]
60 Yahoo! Games
None of the other games come close to this one in terms of gee-whiz frills and bonus content. But ASB 2004 doesn't really get the job done on the field.
58 GameNow
It's incredibly hard. Linear algebra was easier than this - and more fun. [Apr 2003, p.53]
52 Electronic Gaming Monthly
It simply can't compete. First of all, the batting is physically painful. [May 2003, p.132]
50 Cheat Code Central
Don't let all the razzle and dazzle fool you, underneath this shiny new-looking game is an old creaky, termite-chewed, wooden platform just waiting to collapse under the weight of all the additions on top of it.
30 Xbox Nation Magazine
Give Acclaim credit: One year after releasing the crappy "All-Star Baseball 2003," the company has come back strong with an even crappier All-Star Baseball 2004. [Apr/May 2003, p.90]