#60 - Baseball Simulator 1,000

Go get 'em boys!

You can do it, Mr. Frodo!



With a name like Baseball Simulator 1,000, one could be forgiven for thinking this game wouldn't provide a whirlwind of fun. I would think that, to spruce the name up a little, they could have made it 2,000 or, God forbid, 3,000 (heh heh, BS 3000) to make it sound all futuristic and stuff. Then again, I guess Base Wars has that whole futuristic baseball thing covered, so who am I to judge? The point is, this game plays like an updated, well-rounded sequel to the original Baseball and that makes for some solid gameplay.

Baseball Simulator isn't entirely true to its name, though. Compared to what I perceive baseball simulators to be, this game felt very arcadey and fun, albeit with more options available than the traditional arcade baseball game. You have your choice of three leagues, with six teams available in each league; the Atlantic League, the Northern League, and the Ultra League. Unless you're crazy, you're picking the Ultra League because you automatically get special hitting and pitching powers. Why they give you this league right away, I'm not sure, but playing in one of the six Ultra teams makes the game infinitely more fun.

You can play in an exhibition game or you can play through a season. Seasons are the way to go if you have a friend at your disposal (you can play up to 165 games!), but if not, an exhibition game will probably be all that you will need. The gameplay itself isn't different from Baseball except your characters are more competent in the art of catching and throwing. The game itself feels incredibly fair: all the games I've played have been really close between me and the computer. The one way this game is different is the switching of players. You can press Start and hit A and switch between batters if you're hitting, or if you're pitching, switch between pitchers or your in-field or out-fielders. The only person you'll need to switch out, truthfully, is your pitcher. They start to emit pixelated sweat if they're getting tired, and eventually, they'll look like they're going to pass out! It's a nice touch, and it gives the game a little bit more depth than one expects.

Graphics are solid, but nothing spectacular. The music wouldn't be so bad, if it didn't repeat itself through nine long innings; I couldn't imagine listening to it for hours on end while you and a buddy go through a 165-game season. The controls are where this game really shines. If they weren't so tight, then the game would be a complete failure, despite the interesting ideas at work.

Truth be told, I'm surprised that my baseball extravaganza has been so... enjoyable. I'm not a baseball fan in the least, but these past three games have all been moderately to extremely fun. I know I've only played three baseball games so far (six more to go) so there's a lot of potential for a crappy one to excise all good feelings. Here's hoping Bases Loaded 1-4 have what it takes.

B+