Super Mega Baseball 2

Review

Good afternoon Ladies and Gents, and welcome to the first game of the new Super Mega Baseball series! The atmosphere in the stadium is just electric! The fans of the Sirloins are on the far right of the stadium, dressed in their famous red outfits waving juicy pieces of steak to cheer on their team, while on the far left, the blowfish fans are bubbling happily. What tactics should we expect from these teams today? It’s simple, the Sirloins will cover the blowfish bats with blood and the blowfish will apply fish oil to the Sirloins’ gloves!  It’s going to be a great game - it’s going to be a Super Mega Baseball 2 Series!  

Super Mega Baseball 2 is a sport simulation which you can play either in single player mode, or compete online against other users.

After making a sensational catch in the intro (to remind you to connect your gamepad), you’ll be able to choose if you want to initiate an exhibition game, a tournament (elimination in the game), start a new season or play against other users via the pennant race tabs. The first thing I really like with this game is the names of the teams, which are quite original and fun. As I am a big fan of red meats, I was attracted to the almighty Sirloins! The next step is to choose your level of difficulty, which is labelled, “Ego” (interesting, don’t you think) and has a scale from 0 to 100.  Each successful move (whether it be a hit, a catch or a run) will give you points that accumulate on an online leaderboard at the end of the match.

At the start of each game, you’ll be able to change both the batting line-up and the pitcher before entering the exclusive Arena of Super Mega Baseball 2.  Personally, I like the fact that you can manage your team to some degree without too much difficulty; I think this game is spot on in that regard! Pitchers and batters will start to fatigue as the game progresses, and it is very simple to substitute them with the game interface.

So how do you win a baseball game (if you are a novice like me)? In a nutshell, you have to make more runs within 9 innings than the opposing team. If you are pitching first (and depending on which pitcher you elect to play), you will have access to a selection throws. First, you have to select the style of throw, then a small circle will appear between the right and left batter boxes. Your goal is to align your cursor with the circle to achieve a perfect throw. If you get 3 strikes in a row, the opposing batter will be removed from the innings. You must replicate this against another two opponents in order to end their innings.  In the event that you manage to throw three balls that land just slightly within the batter boxes, the batter will be given his marching orders to go to the first base.

The batting side is pretty much the same, with the difference being that you have to bat until three of your team members have been dismissed. You can choose to bat with a powerful drive, a normal drive or a small drive. The trick is to position the small circle (which represents your bat hitting point) and press at the right time to strike the ball (normal and small drive). For the powerful drive, it’s a little more difficult; I’ll let you discover this for yourself! The trick is to have one of your team members occupy each of the three bases, and that your last batter manages to score a homerun, scoring four points for your team.

In terms of graphics, the game is absolutely marvellous and I love all the animations, from the dropped jaw when a batter is shown his marching orders, to the super fun animations when your team gets a homerun. The soundtrack is brilliant and the controls work superbly.