Nintendo 64
Released in 1998 by Nintendo
Grade: B-
This lighthearted baseball game is strangely fun to play, despite fuzzy graphics and rampant AI issues.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the first of two Griffey games on N64. The sequel, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest, has improved graphics but similar gameplay. The best and most popular Griffey title is easily Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on SNES.
Praises and gripes
This game hits a nice balance of arcade gameplay with just enough of a realistic touch. The action is snappy, the controls are easy, and the pace is quick.
There are two batting methods. The default “arcade” setting uses a square icon to show where the ball is heading, and a circle icon for your bat, and you try to follow the square with the circle as the pitch comes in. It’s surprisingly natural to move the circle icon around. But this is baseball, not “icon-ball,” so I much prefer the easier “classic” setting, where you just watch the pitch and time your swing without needing to aim.
Pitchers have four pitch types in their arsenal and can locate them wherever. Most at-bats don’t last more than a couple pitches against the CPU, who throws strikes and swings aggressively.
In the field, everything moves nice and smooth, but not always with the smartest baseball logic. Fielding is very forgiving; you just need to get in the general area of the ball to catch it. Baserunning is standard, but the CPU assistance is bad at judging when to tag up, not tag up, etc. After a while, you’ll learn to be really diligent on the basepaths to avoid dumb outs.
N64 graphics don’t always age well, but I think this game may have looked subpar even in its time, with bland stadiums, blurry players, and a flat pitching mound. At least you can spot the ball well as it comes toward the plate, which is a make-or-break aspect for baseball games. The sound is minimal, with nice action sounds, but where’s that roaring crowd I remember from the classic SNES games?
For serious gamers, the limited AI and arcade-friendly batting-pitching logic might get old, but if you’re just looking for simple baseball fun on N64, this should do the trick.