Major League Baseball (video game)

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Major League Baseball
Developer(s)	Enteractive[1]
Publisher(s)	LJN[1]
Platform(s)	Nintendo Entertainment System
Release date	NA April, 1988[1]
Genre(s)	Sports game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer game
Media	Cartridge

Major League Baseball is a sports game released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is notable for being the one of the first video games licensed by Major League Baseball, although it was not endorsed by the Major League Baseball Players Association.^[2] Without the backing of the player's association, the game could not use the actual names of the players, although it was able to use their numbers, thus accurately portraying the contemporary teams and their rosters. In doing so, it became the first baseball game for the Nintendo Entertainment System to carry official Major League Baseball licensing and lineups.^[1]

Major League Baseball featured many facets of realistic gameplay and a focus on managerial details, which stressed the importance of choosing a well-balanced team.^[3] Though its poorly received gameplay and quality might otherwise have made it a forgettable game, its Major League Baseball license allows for several interesting characteristics. ^[2]

Contents 1 Development 2 Gameplay 2.1 Gameplay issues 3 Technology 3.1 Graphics 3.2 Music and sound effects 4 Reception and legacy 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Development

Previously, there had been two games released with the official endorsement of Major League Baseball. In 1980, Mattel Electronics released Major League Baseball (also known as Super Challenge Baseball and Big League Baseball) for the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. This version was developed by APh Technological Consulting.^[4] Four years later, MicroLeague was licensed to develop and publish MicroLeague Baseball for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and PC. This version contained contemporary and classic teams and players and MicroLeague released extra disks that featured additional lineups.^[5]

In 1988, Enteractive Incorporated signed on to develop an "official" Major League Baseball game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which would be a first for that particular console. American company LJN agreed to be the publisher. In 1987, Tengen released RBI Baseball for the NES, which contained a Major League Baseball Player's Association license, but no endorsement from Major League Baseball itself.^[6] An earlier version for the console, entitled Baseball was released in 1983 and contained no endorsement from either organization.^[7]

[edit] Gameplay

Officially licensed by Major League Baseball, the most immediately visible aspect of the game is that it features all twenty-six teams that existed in 1987. In addition, the lineups and the player numbers are accurate to the team rosters that year. Since the game did not have the endorsement of the Major League Baseball Players Association at the time, the team members are only listed by number, not name. This means that, in modern times, it is difficult to ascertain who the actual players are.^[3] In addition to their numbers, the players are represented by their statistics, abilities, throwing arm and even placement in the batting order. 1988's Major League Baseball was therefore the first NES game to be officially endorsed by Major League Baseball and to feature accurate contemporary lineups, albeit without the actual player names attached to their numbers.^[1]

Managerial decisions are an important focus and, based on the reviews, a large portion of the appeal of this version. Game players are allowed to select their own lineups, although the game lacks Sabremetrics statistics due to the limitations of the era. Instead, the "manager" must make their decisions based on data such as player's average and home run totals.^[3] They also have the ability to change and decide who will be a pinch-hitter and who will be a substitute pitcher.^[1] One is even allowed to pick out a designated hitter.^[8] The game prohibits one from putting out more team members in a certain part of the field than would normally be allowed, which makes deciding which player will be used where a crucial part of the experience.^[3] There are three modes that can be played with teams from either the American League or the National League: regular season games, All-star games or the World Series (interleague).^[8] The World Series rounds, however, are only one match each, which is not accurate to the real World Series.^[9] Due to the licensing, the teams even appear complete in their official uniforms and colours and also have all the options that a real baseball player would have, including bunting, pitching out, base stealing and throwing errors.^[8]

[edit] Gameplay issues

Pitching in the game contains several flaws. The quality of the AI means that when the computer plays as the batter, it hits nearly every ball it swings at, making it difficult for the player to perform a strike and only slightly easier to manage a walk. This forces the player to pitch fastballs, which in turn quickly wears the pitcher down to a point where he can no longer maintain the required speed.^[3] Furthermore, the pitcher is unable to move around the pitcher's mound. Many are also able to perform the feat of 100 mph (160 km/h) pitches.^[9]

Upon contact, the system's fielding is flawed as well. The rapid pace of the batters running to the base, combined with the "erratic" speed of the ball means throwing out an opponent is an extremely difficult feat.^[3] The ball's physics have been called into question,^[10] with the ball stopping on a dime after three or less bounces. Furthermore, even catching a fly ball requires much effort because of the slow and uncoordinated rate at which the outfielders run.^[9] The game's camera system does not function properly either. When a ball is hit, the outfield camera follows the ball looking upwards, making it impossible for the game player to see where their fielders are.^[11]

The ball can also be thrown and get stuck in the well between the stands and the field on an overthrow of a baseman, and cause inside the park home runs, which would not happen within a real game (in that case a ground rule double and/or error would be scored instead). Another bug allows players to go into the stands past the wall with the ball if they enter at certain points in foul territory. There are also gameplay issues when the player takes their turn to bat. The AI is not developed and, when the player hits a pitch, it nearly always takes the longest possible route to the ball, making runs easy to score. It also lacks the capability to throw out a runner who is returning to a base (instead of advancing) or perform a double play after catching a fly ball.^[3] Furthermore, the batter can only move vertically, not horizontally, in the batter's box, meaning many balls on the edge of strike zone are often missed.^[9]

[edit] Technology

[edit] Graphics

In addition the camera problems described above, the game contains several graphical issues. The major problems cited are the fact that all the players are Caucasian and that each one's batting stance is exactly the same.^[9] The graphics themselves were considered to be three-dimensional given the constraints of the technology at the time.^[1]

The game view is always top down. When batting or pitching, it is centered above the catcher, behind the batter and with an overhead look of the pitcher. In the outfield, there is an aerial view of a portion of the field, with the team members represented by tiny sprites and an inset with red dots representing where the players are on base.^[9] Although the official colours are intact, the actual symbols on their uniforms are absent. The crowd is represented by a series of coloured dots. Overall, the graphics do not contain any visible breakups and do not suffer from problems or glitches.^[11]

[edit] Music and sound effects

There are a limited amount of effects and, aside from brief ballpark jingles, there is no real background music present during the game.^[9] For example, the charge fanfare is played at random points and the introductory screen begins with a different baseball tune while the player is loading up and selecting his team, along with a home run fanfare. Generic sound effects include the bat cracking upon contact with the ball, the sound of the ball flying through the air during a pitch, bouncing and throwing effects, and a stream of crowd noises.^[11]

[edit] Reception and legacy

Major League Baseball has met with mixed reviews from modern critics. Gamespot's evaluation gives it a 1.4 out of 10 calling it "abysmal" and claiming that it "borders on unplayable." The assessment suggests that its best features are its focus on the managerial aspects, including lineup selection. It does admit, however, that the learning curve is less than half an hour. Nevertheless, it is made clear that the version "fails in the field on every conceivable level." Cited problems include the computer's ability to hit nearly every pitch and the erratic speed that fielding actions are taken.^[3]

GameFAQs' detailed review agrees, giving the game 2/10 and referring to it as "an extremely poor attempt at a baseball game." Once again, the managerial decisions are described as the most redeeming feature. The evaluation cites the main problem as the "wacky" camera that makes the version "frustrating as hell" and extremely challenging to play. In addition, the lack of gameplay modes, the difficult controls and the limited replay value are mentioned as flaws and the graphics and music are described as being nothing special. The software is compared disfavourably to other, unlicensed titles such as Bases Loaded and Baseball Stars.^[11]

Jim Mortland's final opinion was to give it 46 out 80 possible points and comment that it was a "solid" game overall. In his review, he disagrees that the version is too challenging, claiming to have won one attempt 32-7, and considers it a fun "offensive-styled baseball game." Mortland, a reviewer for World of Video Games, highlights the managerial decisions as a positive factor, like many others, and also enjoys the presence of real contemporary statistics and teams. He also disagrees, therefore, that it lacks replay value, as it is possible to play with a large variety of different teams and lineups. Like GameFAQs, Mortland considers the graphics to be average, although he finds that the sound effects and limited music become tedious after a while. He does, however, highlight several negative aspects, including the poor controls, lengthiness of games and some of the gameplay limitations, such as the inability to move around the batter's box.^[9]

Other critics have been even more positive. Top Ten Reviews ranked the game 32^nd out of 130 titles released in 1988 and 29^th out of Nintendo's 160 sports games. It rated Major League Baseball in spot 235 out of 1298 total Nintendo titles.^[12] General fan assessments have shown a positive reception of this version. On GameFAQs' unscrutinized quick reviews, for example, players have rated it at 8/10 and 10/10.^[13]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Instruction Manual at Vimm's Lair