#64 - Bases Loaded II: Second Season

Doesn't that look like Gary Cole from Office Space? If only this game were as intentionally hilarious...

Believe it or not, that's third base.


Yes, Bases Loaded 2 is far, far worse than the original; a shame as the original had its moments. Perhaps the main problem is, the game doesn't need to exist. It was released in January 1990, a mere year after the first game. Releasing sports games once a year is common now, but as I've discussed elsewhere, in the days before stat updates, sports sequels were hardly justified unless you really screwed up the fundamentals in your first game. In trying to justify a reason for this sequel's existence, Jaleco gave it some minor tweaks, many of which hinder the game's once solid gameplay.

First of all, may I say that I don't understand why the camera is behind the pitcher again. I could understand if it was an honest mistake the first time, but c'mon: the camera belongs behind the batter. Every other baseball game knows this, so get it right. Personally, I just think Jaleco didn't know where to put the camera in this game, as it is really all over the place. You know how in every other baseball game, the field camera is perfectly centered so you are able to see all four bases with little troubles? Yeah, it makes sense, it's logical. Jaleco's motto was "Screw logic!" and they placed the field camera in between third base and home. Instead of viewing the in-field completely, you're viewing it from an abstract angle that is incredibly confusing. Perhaps you warm up to it the more you play, but this was the NES: you shouldn't have to warm up to anything, you should just jump right in.

The other large problem with this game is how fast the field play became. If the opposing team gets a hit and you don't catch it right away, good luck throwing it back in time because that runner is going home, or at least to third. Perhaps the speed wouldn't have been that great of an issue, except, oh wait, the camera disorients you so it's hard to tell where the ball is going. When you finally catch it and throw it back, it's a crapshoot as to where it will actually go, and the runner probably already scored a point anyway.

As for other "added features," oh boy, you can switch out players between different teams. All the other options - 1P and Versus mode only - remain the same. The robotic voice is back, although he sounds more congested than in the last game. Graphics and animation are still impressive, but as they're attached to such a mediocre product, it's hard for me to care.

I don't want to know what Jaleco has in store with the next two games. As it stands, the series went from pretty good to nearly unplayable. Perhaps all the next game will be is a screen with a pixelated middle finger and text that says, "You thought you were playing a baseball game, didn't you, punk?" while the robotic voice laughs at you from the background. If that's really what Bases Loaded III was, I'd still probably rate it higher than this.

D-