• Tag Archives baseball

  • MLB 98 (PlayStation)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


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    Source: Next Generation – Issue Number 8 – September 1997

    The PlayStation was the Sega Genesis of the 32-bit generation in terms of sports games. There were a vast number of sports games for the PlayStation but that’s probably mostly because that system dominated the era. The Saturn died an early death and the Nintendo 64 was later in coming and never had the same volume of games because of Nintendo’s licensing and the fact that it used expensive cartridges. MLB 98 was (almost) the start of a long series of baseball games. However, technically MLB Pennant Race was actually the first game in the series.

    MLB 98 is an above average arcade style baseball simulation. However, sports games, particularly ones designed to be realistic, often don’t hold up well over time and this one is really no exception. MLB 98 was a solid baseball game for its time but it wasn’t especially innovative and it has been succeeded by a huge number of better baseball games starting with MLB 99. This particular series of games went on until 2005. World Series Baseball ’98 on the Sega Saturn was probably MLB 98’s most direct competition.

    Unless you are a sports game collector or just have to have every game ever made for the PlayStation then there isn’t much reason to pick this one up. The good news is that if you do want it, it should be dirt cheap. Most sports games (with a few exceptions) lose their value almost instantly. Buying a sports game new is like driving a new car off the lot. It depreciates instantly.

    The ad at the top is from the September 1997 issue of Next Generation. It includes a $10 off coupon if you get the game at Sears. I remember buying games for my Commodore 64 at Sears but by the PlayStation era I don’t think I even looked there…




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  • Pete Rose Pennant Fever (DOS)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Pete Rose Pennant Fever (DOS)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/172938808130/retrocgads-usa-1988

    Pete Rose Pennant Fever was released in 1988 for DOS based computers. This game had the unfortunate luck of being released the year before Pete Rose was banned from baseball for gambling on the sport. It would be interesting to know how long this game was marketed and whether the scandal hurt or helped sales…

    Pete Rose Pennant Fever was an innovative game in many ways. It was the first PC baseball game to offer a career mode. It could be played by one or two players. It allowed you to build your own expansion team and place them in either division. You could play through ten seasons, dealing with injuries, player retirement and other issues. You could also use money earned from previous seasons to pay for free agents and you could also draft rookies. A variety of camera angles are used and the player can play any position. The gameplay itself wasn’t anything special but the career mode added a strategic element that most baseball games of the time did not have.

    Pennant Fever set the stage for many other baseball games to come. There were no sequel’s, probably because of Pete Rose’s gambling scandal, but it would be interesting to see where they would have taken it. Instead, the genre was taken over by the likes of Electronic Art’s Earl Weaver Baseball.

    Pete Rose Pennant Fever was also released on the Atari 2600 in 1988 and the Atari 7800 in 1989. The Atari 2600 version is quite well done given that system’s limitations. However, the Atari 7800 version seems to only be a slightly enhanced version of the 2600 game. Too bad as that system was capable of a lot more. The DOS version is really the one you want to play if you want to try this game out. Assuming you don’t have an old DOS machine around you’ll have to get it running in something like DOSBox or I believe there are patched versions that will run in modern versions of Windows out there but I haven’t tried them.





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  • ESPN Baseball Tonight (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

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    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – EGM 2 – Volume 1, Issue 1 – July 1994

    ESPN Baseball Tonight was the first of several not too terribly successful ESPN themed sports games. It also illustrates the complexities of licensing. Since it was licensed by MLB, actual teams were used. However, since it was not licensed by the Players Association, no real player names were used. None of this is nearly as important as the quality of the game itself though.


    SNES

    This particular ad is showcasing the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis versions of the game which were released in 1994 and 1995 respectively. There was also a Sega CD version released earlier in 1993 and a PC (DOS) version released late in 1994. Unfortunately, none of the versions were all that great. The Sega CD version included the option for longer seasons and included more video but otherwise was basically the same as the Genesis version.


    Genesis

    The game is a pretty tradition baseball simulation with single game, season and playoff modes, as well as a Home Run Derby mode. As far as baseball sims go it isn’t terrible but it just isn’t up to the standards of other baseball games around at the time. Controls can be a bit frustrating and while the graphics were decent, they weren’t anything special. Also, most of the in game commentary and video didn’t really add to the enjoyment of the game.

    If you really must try every baseball sim out there and want to give this one a try, you’ll have to track down an original copy or go the emulation route. This isn’t one that has seen a re-release (and I guess you don’t see re-releases of many sports games). I think this is a case where the console version are a little better than the PC version but the differences between the Super NES and Genesis versions aren’t significant. Only choose the Sega CD route if you are dying to play a 162 game season or want some more postage stamp video.


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