Double header? No thanks, one game was enough.
PlayStation 1
Released in 1995 by Jaleco
Grade: D+
After checking out some more popular baseball games for PS1, I gave up hope. PS1 graphics are too limited for a full-on 3D baseball sim, and the bad AI and wacky pitching systems don’t help matters. So, I looked for a more retro style game, figuring the old-school simplicity was better suited for this aged console. Well, this might be the closest there is, and it’s also a disappointment, riddled with the same old problems that plague many earlier attempts at arcade baseball.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the seventh and last Bases Loaded game, released on PS1 and Sega Saturn. Bases Loaded was beloved on NES and less beloved on SNES and GameBoy.
Praises and gripes
The whole presentation is hilariously low-quality. There are ridiculous 3D models mixed with pixelated 2D sprites. The batting view and fielding view seem to exist on different planets. An eclectic mix of organ songs start and stop for each batter, and the “Strike 1! Strike 2!” will get on your nerves.
The pitching system is well crafted and simple, allowing fast/slow and left/right with a proper amount of flexibility, not allowing you to throw sinkers or to defy physics too much.
Hitting requires pinpoint timing, and you don’t quite see the ball come out of the pitcher’s hand, but rather it appears in air a millisecond later.
In the field, the controls are crisp, but it’s pretty frustrating when you don’t have control of the guy who can make the play, and even more frustrating that you use the same button for changing players and to dive.
There’s only one difficulty setting and simplistic AI. As usual for this type of game, it’s madly repetitive and those few moments of frustration really take their toll on the fun.