Super Mega Baseball
Anything that starts with “Super Mega” should not be taken too seriously. Luckily, the developers of Super Mega Baseball saved our irony by implying their own from the beginning. And nevertheless, it’s, first of all, a great baseball game.
Graphics: 4
That’s where the irony lies. The graphics style of the game is absolutely cartoonish, from the helicopters in the blue sky down to the audience in the stadium and (of course) to the players. Not that they are drawn badly; it’s rather a disclaimer that developers didn’t want to make a photorealistic and thus brutal game. Super Mega Baseball logically sounds as funny as it looks, but behind the distorted voices, game sounds are also realistic.
Of course, as the developers decided not to involve any licensed reality features, the game is full of parodies and caricatures. Players and team names, mascots, geography and ads are all twisted (though recognizable). Even the famous letters on the hill near the stadium form the word “LOWLYHOOD,” quite a funny anagram. And it fits the game esthetics even better than real things would.
Gameplay: 4
Classic baseball rules are recreated thoroughly, in spite of arcade graphics style. The game provides very solid physics and deep stats. In fact, it’s a serious baseball game.
There are twelve teams available, each with its unique style and favorite tricks. Though the default parameters are editable, so you can set them all up to the way you like, redesign and rename them all just as easily.
The adjustable difficulty can vary within 99 levels. Starting at the easiest, you can then adjust it to what you prefer. And yes, you can switch the difficulty during the season, with no need to start over after it.
Multiplayer mode only allows up to 4 local players, each for their own team. Alas, online battles are not present (this feature will appear in the next installment of the series, as we know in 2018).
Controls: 4.5
PlayStation game controls are quite unified. If you’ve ever played any baseball game with a controller, you’ll get it without much learning. X is for swinging the bat; the right stick controls the bat movements, and the left one helps you select players or move.
While playing, you can hold down and access Help through the Options that become available during the pause.
Replay Value: 4.5
Like any sports game, this one is a challenge until you master the required skills at the required level, and then you can rise it up. More than that: there are many options at the start. So it will be long before you get fed up (or switch to a newer edition).
Conclusion
One of the best baseball games hiding under kiddie looks. The game is very addictive, and you can spend countless hours at it, proceeding through the seasons.
Good physics
Elaborate stats system
Rules recreated in details
