A contact swing
Sega Genesis
Released in 1992 by Tengen
Grade: D+
This is standard retro baseball, using a primitive arcade-style pitching and hitting interface. It looks nice but moves clumsily, and overall it does nothing special to make itself stand out from the pack.
Where it falls in the series
The original R.B.I. Baseball on NES was a lovable hit in 1988. RBI 2 was on NES and Genesis, then RBI 3, RBI 4, RBI ’93, and RBI ’94 on Genesis only, then Super R.B.I. Baseball on SNES in 1995. They put the brand away for nearly two decades before starting up again with R.B.I. Baseball 14 on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, followed by yearly releases through 2021. (See R.B.I. Baseball 2016.)
Praises and gripes
The graphics are colorful and make effective use of 16 bits, trying to capture some of baseball’s charms. The game has no MLB license, but disguises it well with real players, faithful colors, and stadium features such as Wrigley Field’s ivy and Kauffman Stadium’s waterfalls.
Unfortunately, the visuals falter where it really counts. The ball moves awkwardly to the plate, the fielders have sluggish animations, and the swing timing feels off. “Getting the timing right” in this game is really like getting the timing a split-second wrong.
The retro pitching system is even more frustrating than most. Pitchers magically steer the ball on its way to the plate, and can transform a fastball down the pipe into a bouncer in the dirt. It turns hitting into a guessing game that tests your patience, without enough read-and-react. I can’t imagine playing this game for any length of time, trying to improve my ability to watch a white blob that doesn’t look or move like a baseball.
There are three difficulty levels, but I can’t imagine anyone is dumb enough to struggle on easy, or willing to play this game enough to ramp up to hard. Baseball games with this old, repetitive style need either undeniable charm or something special about the gameplay, and this game has neither.
Published September 30, 2017
Updated September 9, 2024