Grip it and rip it.
Super Nintendo
Released in 1994 by Nintendo
Grade: A-
This is old-school arcade baseball done right. It’s fast, fun, and charming.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the first on SNES and the only one developed by Nintendo. There was one more Griffey game on SNES, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run, and two more on N64. They’re all decent but nothing like this.
Praises
Pitches are extra fast, but luckily they’re easy to hit. It’s the standard old-school pitching system. Move side to side on the rubber, press a button, and point the ball in a direction. Down for fast, up for slow, and left or right as you please. I tend to despise this type of system, but it works okay here because it doesn’t let you defy physics that much. They cleverly left sinker balls out of the game, which are impossible to react to for a hitter in 16-bits. The batter has it easy too. Making contact isn’t nearly the difficult task it is in other baseball games.
The pace from pitch to pitch is delightfully fast. Thank the lord. Nine innings takes only 15 or 20 minutes!
Fielding is done well. The control is very responsive. The camera is zoomed in close, and there’s a great feeling of speed when the ball is in play. You need to watch a little diagram in the corner, but it works well once you get the hang of it. You can also opt for auto fielding, which is my wussed-out method of choice when I play this game.
What really brings it home is the graphics — damn, they look nice. This might be the best-looking 16-bit sports game there is. The color is vibrant, the ball moves gracefully, and the players are detailed. You can even see the team names on the hitter’s jersey.
There are many fun little details. Hitters chew bubblegum and fidget as they wait for the pitch, and they yell at umpires after strikeouts. Runners look dismayed after being gunned down. The batters box fades into the dirt as the game progresses. And did I mention there’s funky 90s music chugging along in the background? It’s a charm feast out there. Even the fake player names are kinda funny. (The game has real MLB teams, but just not real names.)
If you want me to mention something negative, there’s only one difficulty setting — but at least the game is drastically harder and easier depending on the teams you choose.