| I Love Softball | |
|---|---|
I Love Softball title screen |
|
| Developer(s) | Marionette[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Coconuts Japan[1] |
| Distributor(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Family Computer[1] |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Sports[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer (up to 2 players) |
| Media/distribution | 2-megabit cartridge[2] |
I Love Softball (Ｉ ＬＯＶＥ ソフトボール, "I Love Softball")[3] is a sports-related video game for the Family Computer about that is about softball. It was released in 1989 to an exclusively Japanese market.
Pachio-kun, an anime-like pachinko ball that is famous for starring in the game American Dream (which was made by the same company as I Love Softball), announces the team that will be batting for three outs.
Games end after seven innings unless the two teams have an identical score (tie game). The object is to win the championship using female softball players. Players must choose between the six major high schools from all of the regions of Japan. The artificial intelligence of the game is strong causing even strong human-controlled teams to frequently lose to the computer.[4]
After winning the Japanese high school championship, the player must take on the American women's softball team before becoming a professional softball player.[5] The game looks similar to a Family Stadium game. Players play their high school games at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium.[6] If the player loses one game, then he/she has to either start all over again or use a password to return to the previous round.
Players can retry a game and have total memory of what teams he/she has defeated and what teams that he/she has yet to defeat using the password feature. However, the passwords and long and very difficult to remember.