B Team Victory!
 Tecmo is world renown for its incredible football games but as few people know, Tecmo makes other sports games too, and I don�t mean Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball (shudders). 
In 1988 Tecmo released a baseball game called Tecmo Baseball, appropriately enough. Unfortunately the game was a total failure. Then in 1990 Tecmo decided to give the baseball world another whirl except this time they decided to make the game a little goofy.  They thought, "hey, maybe we need to screw this simulation crap and make the players goofy cartoonish looking guys and the umpires rabbits�and what the hell, we�ll make Mr. T the manager of every team. The result was the best baseball game in video game history, Bad News Baseball.
| | Bad News Baseball | Graphics: 3
These graphics are about as simple and cartoony as they can be, but I still love them. Many people will laugh at them at first but trust me, it will only be a matter of time before you become totally desensitized to the joke that is the graphics. Come on people, who doesn�t think it�s funny to see a guy jerking off in the dugout after you hit a home run. He was just a little excited! With the addition of cut scenes during close plays, home runs, and post games, the graphics actually show gleams of respectability from time to time�.well, just try to keep in mind this game was made in 1990! |
Playability: 10
NO JOKE, the playability is no less than breath-taking, brilliant, flawless�and whatever other adjectives you can think of. I think you catch my drift. The first time I played this game, I was really surprised how easy it was to dive and jump for balls while playing in the field. The controls are exceptionally tight while pitching and hitting too. Every at bat will be a cat and mouse game and when pitchers tire, the outcome of the game can ride on when you decide to put in a fresh reliever or not. Every player has their own unique characteristics. One of my favorite aspects of this game is how it tells you every player�s arm strength, speed, and ability to field each position. This makes the game very strategic in a manager�s perspective. |
Fun Factor: 8
This game is extremely fun to play in 2 player mode. I�d have a hard time finding a dozen games more enjoyable. My only gripes are minor ones. Due to shoddy computer AI, it isn�t nearly as fun to play the game 1 player. Also, the game doesn�t keep track of stats or have real seasons. It is also missing the sign/release player mode that made baseball stars so fun. If there was a game that had the general manager/stats aspect of Baseball Stars and the game-play of Bad News, it would be, no doubt, the perfect baseball game. Bad News definitely takes the cake for best baseball game of all-time. |
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