Baseball (1983 video game)
| Baseball | |
|---|---|
 North American NES boxart | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Composer(s) | Hirokazu Tanaka (GB version) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer Disk System, PlayChoice-10, Game Boy, Nintendo e-Reader, GameCube, Virtual Console (Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U) |
| Release date(s) | NES/Famicom Famicom Disk System
Game Boy Advance (e-Reader)
Wii (NES) Nintendo 3DS (Game Boy) Wii U (NES)
|
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, two-player |
| Distribution | 192-kilobit cartridge (NES), Famicom Disk (FDS) |
Baseball (ベースボール Bēsubōru) is a video game made by Nintendo in 1983 for the Nintendo Family Computer, making it one of the first games released for the Famicom. It was later one of the NES's 18 launch titles when it was released in 1985 in the United States. As in real baseball, the object of the game is to score the most runs. Up to two players are supported. Each player can select from one of six teams. The game's team names are intended to represent members of the Japanese Central League in the Famicom version and members of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the American version.
Gameplay
Although there is no difference between them other than uniform color, the teams are meant to represent the six members of the Japanese Central League. For the American version, the letters of the teams were renamed to more closely resemble several of the Major League Baseball teams:
A: Oakland Athletics
C: St. Louis Cardinals
D: Los Angeles Dodgers
P: Philadelphia Phillies
R: Kansas City Royals
Y: New York Yankees
The title screen tune of this NES title was also used as the title screen tune of some of Nintendo's NES Sports titles such as Pro Wrestling. A slightly altered version of it was used at the title screen of the NES title, Volleyball, also by Nintendo. The home run tune was later used as the victory tune in both Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! arcade games.
Other releases
- Arcade - vs. Baseball was slightly different from its NES counterpart. The game featured additional graphics as well as some speech.
- PlayChoice-10 - Baseball was one of the games available for play in PlayChoice-10 arcade machines, released in 1986.
- Game Boy - Baseball was one of the first games to launch with the Game Boy, along with Super Mario Land and Tetris. The background music is different compared to the ones in the NES version.
- e-Reader - Baseball was one of the NES games ported to the Game Boy Advance e-Reader in 2002.
- Baseball is also a bonus NES game in the GameCube game, Animal Crossing.
- Wii - The NES version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console on January 1, 2007
- Nintendo 3DS - The Game Boy version was released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in North America on July 14, 2011 and in the PAL region on July 28, 2011
Reception
IGN gave Baseball a 5.5 out of 10 in 2007, noting the depth of pitching in particular.[2] GameSpot game Baseball a 4.2 out of 10 in 2006, stating that while it was easy to play, the game "hasn't withstood the test of time."[3]
References
- ↑ White, Dave (July 1989). Electronic Gaming Monthly (3): 68. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (January 16, 2007). "Baseball VC Review". IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ↑ Thomas, Aaron (January 4, 2007). "Baseball Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 13, 2013.