Resuming the series of e-Reader game Reviews, I have purchased a "new" game known simply as Baseball. It's an original NES game, though I'm sure no one's dumb enough to go out and buy the original NES version of it.
Whether the game is on cards or in a cartridge, it's still a 0-4 star scale for this Review. This is no surprise, so let's move on.
Graphics: 1/2
I've never really been nice to NES games
when it comes to graphics, but in this case, I can't say the
graphics are great even for a NES game.
The worst thing is that you can't tell whether the ball is on the ground,
in the air, bouncing, just above your player's glove, or way up above your
player's head. In most cases, bad graphics just make a game look dumb.
In this case, the bad graphics hurt the gameplay. That's never a good start.
Sound: **
The sound effects, while not "real"-sounding, aren't annoying, and they sound good enough for me. There are little music tunes between inning breaks- not very exciting.
Difficulty: ***1/2
You may be sick of me throwing out high scores in difficulty to many games. You can call me a bad player if you want. But play this game all you want, practice day and night, and even if you're Videogamerpat you still won't be able to figure out how to do good or bad at this game. Why? The game's completely random. The computer can hit any pitch you throw, and you can hit any pitch it throws. Where the ball goes is completely random. It could go out of the park for a homerun, or it can go straight up for a pop out to the catcher. Why, then, is the rating not two stars? Because fielding is so hard. While computers can control all the players at once, you control one player- usually the pitcher. You can't tell where the ball is exactly (see the Graphics section), and you can't control the player you want. Most of the time, you'll chase the ball all the way to the wall... even on short grounders! The computer's too slow to pull off inside-the-park homeruns on you, so it's only a double, but it's bad enough. Unfortunately, while fielding is easy for the computer, it's hard for you. House Advantage: 25%
Controls: *
The controls are kind of difficult,
considering you must hold down a button to choose where to throw the
ball. Also, sometimes the pitcher will
refuse to follow your orders to throw a screwball and give the
computer a nice slow ball. This isn't
Pokémon. I shouldn't be expected to hold an Earth Badge in order
for my pitcher to do what I want him to.
Gameplay: no stars
I don't know what else there is to say.
You swing the bat. Timing may be everything when it comes to swinging,
and maybe you can spot a few balls and not swing, but the computer won't
walk you. If where your
ball goes is completely random, and
where the computer's ball goes is completely random, there's really not
much else to do than just sit back and hold the cards that are given you.
Game Length: no stars
This is a little different here... this isn't replayability and that kind of stuff. This is how long the game lasts, and it lasts forever. Nine innings? Please. Considering it takes forever for pitchers just to set up, and runners crawl on the base paths, this game is just like a Major League Baseball game... it lasts way too long. Nine innings would be fine if pitchers set up quickly and runners ran like real players. In this case, you'll only make it three innings before either falling asleep or turning off the game.
Replayability: no stars
It's not really like you're going to want to play this game again. I may want to try it a few more times just to get my $5's worth, but it won't be worth that much for you. Maybe Donkey Kong would have been a better buy...
Fun Factor!: no stars
This is becoming a real shame. The only "fun" is watching you accidentally hit a homerun. It's not very fun watching your pitcher chase an easy grounder to the wall. It's very frustrating when you watch the computer just keep on bashing balls while you can't get your hits out of the infield. And it's downright horrible when you realize that you've spent $5 on a game based on luck, and luck alone.
OVERALL: no stars
Don't laugh, but this was one of the
reasons I bought an e-Reader. I figured a classic NES baseball game
would have to be fun, even if it wasn't
perfect. After I found the NES's 10-Yard Fight fun and the NES's Ice
Hockey absolutely fascinating and fantastic,
this was an utter disappointment. I was shocked by how poor it
really was. Although I was hoping I
could get a real "steal" with this only costing $5, I found out precisely
why this game costs $5. It's sort of like buying a slot machine video game...
you just hope for a miracle and see what happens. If you're buying an e-Reader,
don't waste your money on this. Donkey Kong or DK Jr. or even Pinball
is better than this.
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