R.B.I. Baseball 14

Game Info

 

I consider myself a big fan of baseball and a pretty big fan of baseball games.  When I was a child, I was in love with the original R.B.I. Baseball game for the NES system.  I played that game to death but the R.B.I. franchise has come a long way in detail from the 1988 release.  The newest version of R.B.I. baseball is a lot like the original except with a lot more detail than just round bodies with heads, hands and feet.  Then, they had no arms, legs, or a crowd that was even close to realistic.  Now the stands have actual walk ways, with people in the stands that have bodies, the players have arm and legs to go with the rest of them.  The game is pretty basic just like the past versions.  The players will hit, catch, throw, and steal but unfortunately that is all that will be happening because it gets no more detailed than that, like no robbing home runs or setting your own lineup and etc.

First off, the graphics are pretty good and yet simple.  I almost feel like I am playing Ken Griffey Jr’s baseball again.  I know there is more to do in that game than this but the function and graphics kind of remind me of it, which is great because I loved that game too.  The fields look pretty good, a lot like the fields in real life.  The crowd is pretty good, while playing, the crowd is constant and when the away team scores or gets a hit, the crowd cheers a little louder but if the home team does either of the same then the crowd gets a lot louder which I think is definitely realistic for home crowds.  A bad thing is that at the end of the game, the last play will freeze for a second while it’s configuring the game winner and stats.

Game play is pretty simple, the player can hit, throw and field but can’t do any fancy stuff like robbing home runs or spectacular diving plays.  Instead, the A.I. will auto dive for you if your fielder is in range, the home runs are never gonna be stopped so don’t bother running to the fence.  You can throw to all the bags with the d-pad or left stick and pressing the throw button.  The plays in the game can get frustrating though because it looks like it is a hit and then catch it even though it doesn’t look close at all.  Same with base runners, once they are sliding it is basically safe for them.  It can get frustrating being that it is kind of a tough game.  If you press up on the direction while swinging then you will most likely hit ground balls but if you press the down direction then most likely you will hit in the air but it is not guaranteed home run, you can pop out quite a bit.

I think it is okay that R.B.I. baseball tries and keeps it simple because there is a lot that goes into baseball games these days.  I mean think about it, now they deal with salaries, farm clubs, and other things of that nature.  I think it sometimes gets to be too much and then you can’t just enjoy the game.  The downfall to this game, just like previous versions, I believe you should be able to set your own lineup but as usual, you get your pinch hitters and you get your relief pitchers which are three starters and one closer.  I like the simplicity but there are some things I feel could have put a little more into it.

The Recommendation

R.B.I. Baseball is a game worth getting if you are a baseball fan but I would definitely wait for it to go on sale.  There are some frustrations that will build with the game play from them looking like they are out by a mile and being called safe and looking like the ball is gonna clear the gap only to see them close it quickly.  It is a game that will take from 15 mins to about 30 mins to finish a 9 inning game depending on how much you are hitting or getting wrecked.  There is a 10 run limit which is cool, if you are not on the losing end because then you can get the game over with and move on to the next game.  It is fun but it sometimes feels like a chore to play.  If you love the RBI series then get it whenever you are ready because you will love this game.  If you like baseball then you will want to get this as well but I would recommend all fans to wait for it to go on sale.