Major League Baseball
System: NES
Release Date: April 1988
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: LJN
Genre: Sports
The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. That’s right, baseball’s back! Here’s my NES baseball game of choice, Major League Baseball! I had this bad boy as a kid and it was one of my go to sports games on the system. Choose your favorite team and your most hated enemies, set your lineup, and take it to the field!
MLB gets the gameplay right. You play from a behind the batter view. When you’re pitching, you can throw a fastball, a changeup, or a medium speed pitch. You can then control left or right to break in either direction. Total control over the ball is what you need in these early baseball games. Is your pitcher not throwing with the zip he started with? Sub a new pitcher in and enjoy those fastballs once again. You can try to steal. You can try to pick off the opposing team’s runners. You can easily run extra bases or run back if need be.
Batting allows you to move forward or back in the box to set your position, then swing away. Simple as that. Here’s where the game shines above all other baseball games released so far. Fielding. You control everyone who isn’t assigned to a base, meaning you control the fielders. You see the ball going back? You control the outfield in an attempt to get underneath the ball. You control what base you throw to by pressing the d-pad as you throw. You can get a cut off man in there, too, if need be.
Graphics: 1.5
The graphics aren’t all that great, but it gets the job done.
Sound: 2.0
The sound of the crowd is always there for you. The occasional organ that plays helps with the atmosphere. I feel like I can tell what the ump is saying.
Gameplay: 3.5
Major League Baseball doesn’t get much wrong in the gameplay department. The only thing that keeps it back from a perfect score is its simplicity.
Difficulty: 1.0
This skews to the very easy. When you hit the ball 30 times in a game, I can’t say it’s balanced.
Fun Factor: 3.0
I have a good amount of fun with MLB and you will, too.
Overall Grade: 2.2
Major League Baseball earns a C+. From the first pitch to the final out, I always enjoy Major League Baseball.