All-Star Baseball 97 featuring Frank Thomas
All-Star Baseball 97 featuring Frank Thomas is a PlayStation sports game released in 1997 developed by Acclaim Entertainment. It centers on competitive sport controls, sport controls, and shifts between attack and defense, with controls and information arranged around the directional pad, shoulder and face buttons, plus DualShock twin analog sticks and vibration where supported.
- AI score · out of 10
- 6.2 / 10
About this game
All-Star Baseball 97 featuring Frank Thomas is a PlayStation sports game centered on competitive sport controls, sport controls, and shifts between attack and defense. Matches, challenges, and tournament goals give sessions clear boundaries, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Players, venues, animation, and score feedback establish the match atmosphere, while early 3D graphics, pre-rendered backgrounds, CD audio, and full-motion video need to preserve targets and interface readability on a television. The genre-specific limitation is that opponent ai, control precision, multiplayer accessories, and period-specific rosters can affect consistency. Platform conditions also include disc loading, Memory Card saves, regional video standards, digital or analog control support, vibration, and dedicated peripherals affect original-hardware use. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
All-Star Baseball is Acclaim’s baseball simulation series, putting you in charge of pitching, batting and fielding with major-league teams. Later games also let you think beyond the next inning, managing rosters, building an expansion club and revisiting memorable baseball situations.
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PlayStation
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Generous modes held back by delayed batting and uneven animation.
The PlayStation release of All-Star Baseball 97 featuring Frank Thomas has plenty to offer a baseball fan who wants more than an exhibition match. Licensed clubs and players, the 1997 schedule, season and playoff play, an all-star game, a derby and practice create real room for return visits. Pitching and fielding are deliberately simple, and a solo game moves along quickly. The central problem is batting feedback. A PlayStation review describes a noticeable delay after contact, making a hit feel less decisive than the clear rules suggest. Motion-captured players and stadiums give the game a recognizable televised shape, but missing transitions make batting animation jump and assembled commentary can sound unnatural. Its generous mode list therefore supports sustained play without fully smoothing the activity repeated in every inning. This assessment uses observations about the original PlayStation release; it does not convert the source review score or establish the catalogue's worldwide region.
Strengths
- Licensed teams, a schedule and varied modes support repeated play.
Weaknesses
- Batting delay and uneven animation and commentary weaken each game.
Who it is for: Baseball fans who value teams and modes and tolerate early 3D roughness.
Play notes: Source addresses PlayStation; the frozen worldwide region is not separately proven.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Many teams and modes support replay, and solo games move briskly. | Reviewed | 6.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Pitching and fielding are simple, but delayed hit feedback weakens batting. | Reviewed | 6.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Licensed teams and stadiums help, but jumpy motion and stitched commentary hurt the broadcast feel. | Reviewed | 5.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The PS1 build works, but reported response delay affects its central action. | Reviewed | 5.7 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Acclaim
- Publisher
- Acclaim
- Release date
- 1997
- Platforms
- PlayStation
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Sports · Primary genre
- Tags
- Pick-up and Play3D GraphicsWarReplayableLow Entry BarrierSolo-friendlyPlayer versus PlayerFast-pacedSports-based PlayShort SessionsMain Story Under 10 Hours
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Not provided
- Perspectives
- Not provided
Release editions
- PlayStationWorldwide1997
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided