Sega Genesis
Released in 1994 by Sony Imagesoft
Grade: F
This is the weirdest baseball game ever. It uses a persistent viewpoint from 10 rows up behind the plate, which is great for pitching and hitting, but a total pain in the ass once the ball is put in play. And it’s full of the most ridiculous lapses in baseball realism I’ve ever seen in a video game.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the one and only ESPN Baseball Tonight. Sony Imagesoft canceled the expected sequel, ESPN Baseball Tomorrow Night. (That’s a joke.)
Praises and gripes
Let’s get the good part out of the way. The players have some of the most lifelike, graceful animations seen in 16 bits. The pitcher-batter duel looks great.
Okay, onto the problems. The rest of the action is frustrating because you’re still viewing it from far behind the plate. The outfield seems miles away, and the pseudo-3D scaling is a mess. When the ball goes to first or third base, or even right or left field, the fielder making the play is offscreen until the last second.
The pitching control is finicky. You steer the ball during flight, but only when you push buttons after the release. Pressing down makes the ball move faster; pressing up makes the ball go high. Between pitches, not only do you have to wait for the catcher to throw the ball back (one of my pet peeves), but you actually have to press a button to initiate the throw!
The hitting timing is touchy, but almost every batted ball turns into a base hit or a home run. Even harmless hits have positive outcomes. A routine fly ball can become a double because the closest fielder doesn’t go after it. When there’s a high bouncer, the stupid infielder charges in and watches the ball go over his head, which I’ve never, ever seen happen in a baseball game. One time, the CPU had the chance to gun me down at second base, but threw the ball to the pitcher instead!
And on the other hand, you can rip the ball to right field and be thrown out at first base. If that’s not crazy enough, I even threw out a runner at first base from center field! Runners can’t lead off a base, and the game even botches the fundamental rules of baseball, calling force-outs when the situation doesn’t warrant one.
So, you’ve got a horrible view, uneven pitching mechanics, and game logic that’s hardly like baseball. ESPN theme music and scoreboard overlays can’t make up for all those problems.