SEGA go for a homer

SEGA'S new baseball game was released in America with the title "Reggie Jackson's Baseball", but since us dumb limeys wouldn't know him from Adam, Sega have decided to rename this, The Baseball. So now you know.

The Baseball is the second baseball game for the Sega, and improves on its predecessor, Great Baseball, with better options, slightly better graphics and faster gameplay.

Two modes of view are used during play: a close-up showing the batter and pitcher, then an overhead scrolling viewpoint of a portion of the field when the ball is hit out of the diamond.

The play-mechanics are basically very similar to the myriad of other computer baseball games on the market - successful batting is just a case of a well-timed press of the fire button, and pitching requiring a combination of the joypad and fire buttons to control the pitcher and the nearest fielder to the ball when ifs hit from the baseplate.

The Baseball features some nicely animated close-up graphics, but the overhead view of the pitch is bland and the fielder sprites a disappointment. There's some nice speech and effects, though.

Gameplay is challenging, but there are some annoying quirks like the fielders running very slowly and the ball travelling at seemingly unrealistic speeds.

Still, if you're an ardent fan of baseball, and haven't got a simulation of this sport in your collection, check it out.

Julian Rignall

Predicted Interest Curve

A decent enough game that will give fun for a while, but not much long-term interest.

GRAPHICS

7

IQ FACTOR

6

AUDIO

8

FUN FACTOR

7

ACE RATING

711

£24.99 IMMINENT
No other versions planned

Rating

71

Reviewer

ACE magazine

Region

UK

Scans

ACE-Magazine-Issue23?gallerypage=63

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