The Red Snifit 04.07.08: HIDDEN GEMS - Episode 1
Posted by Chris Scott on 04.07.2008
Chris Scott has a fever, and the only cure is Bad News Baseball! Read on in the grand debut of The Red Snifit to learn about Tecmo's little diamond dandy! Plus, get a sneak peek at this week's Virtual Console offerings!
Welcome to the grand debut of The Red Snifit. I'm your host and 411mania rookie Chris Scott. This weekly column will consist of random brain ploppings that spout out of my head like bullets into the internet for you, the participating audience to enjoy. Depending on which path my mind decides to venture, the past, present, and maybe even the future of video gaming will become topics inside this here column. So, without Freddy Adu, let's get the ball rollin'!
Our Feature Presentation: HIDDEN GEMS - Episode 1
Last week baseball fans witnessed the TRUE opening day of Major League Baseball, and I feel that it's appropriate to look back at one of my all time favorite baseball games that doesn't quite get the credit to it's greatness it truly deserves. Sure, finding a good sports game of the old school NES was like finding a movie licensed game on any console that isn't a dud, but a few good ones were made. When it comes to Baseball, RBI Baseball and on Bases Loaded (we'll get to that one later) comes to mind; but the game I'd like to talk about today is a little treasure from Tecmo called Bad News Baseball.
Bad News Baseball was released for the NES in 1990 and, in my opinion, was the Tecmo Super Bowl of NES baseball games. After all, they were both made by the same developer.
The gameplay is what you would expect and doesn't really offer anything revolutionary, but it's simple and easy to pick up and play right away. The action moves at a quick pace (except your fielders, but whats ya gonna do?) What really makes the game stand out is the animation of the game. Unlike most baseball titles, the game has a childlike feel to it. Instead of major leaguers, you play as japanimated kids playing a good old fashioned game of baseball. Instead of the typical fat man in black handling the officiating, Tecmo's mascot at the time (a rabbit) calls all the shots. Just like Tecmo Super Bowl, whenever something dramatic happens (home rum, grand slam, or a close call at the plate for am example), you are treated with an animated feature to build suspense for the call at the plate or a round of high fives with your teammates after knocking yourself a dinger! Plus, I love how the runner gets "knocked out" whenever a force out occurs.
Unfortunately, Tecmo didn't get authorization by Major League Baseball to use MLB teams in the game, but the resemblances are there. If you choose to play as LA, you will be sporting Dodger blue. If you select St. Louis, you will look like a Cardinal, ad so on and so forth. I just wish they would've put Cincinnati in it. As the box suggests, you can also play as all girl teams (Hold DOWN and LEFT on controller 1 while holding UP on controller 2 and press RESET on the console) if you wish. The sounds in the game are superb. You can here the umpire clearly shout "STRIKE", "BALL", "SAFE" and "OUT" whenever it's necessary. The background music is catchy, but never takes the attention off the in-game action.
Overall, Bad News Baseball is an easy game to play and a fun experience for those who are willing to dust off their NES and pick it up.
And now for something completely different……….
To give us a look into what classic goodies the Wii has to offer for our downloading pleasure this week, it's time to venture off into……….
THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE CORRAL!
Yoshi's Cookie (NES) - 500 points)
Nintendo Says:
Take one part puzzle game, combine with intuitive game play, add a pinch of multiplayer action and top with a layer of everyone's favorite dinosaur. Mix together and let set for roughly 100 stages' worth of time. If that sounds like a winning recipe to you, then step into the kitchen and get ready for a batch of fast-paced puzzle action. Hunker down to move rows and columns of randomly placed cookies in an effort to align all the cookies of the same type. Successfully assemble a row or column to make the line disappear, then move to a new one. If you're good enough, you may even be able to make a Yoshi cookie appear! Feel like taking on a friend? Fire up the two-player mode, where you can attack your opponent while competing to match as many cookies as possible. Be careful, though—if your timing is off, you could end up attacking yourself. Who knew dinosaurs had such a weakness for puzzle games and sweets?
Nintendo MEANS to say:
Yoshi's Cookie is a puzzle game where instead of moving the incoming cookies, you move the cookies that have already been placed. You can move them in vertical and horizontal directions and line them all up to make them disappear. Take that gameplay and slap Yoshi on top of it and you get Yoshi's Cookie
Hit or Miss: Hit. I know that several people hated this game (I'm looking at you, Adam Sessler!), but I thought it was a nice spin of the typical puzzler released after Tetris came out. It's worth the $5. At least they didn't release the SNES version where Mario sounds like Mickey Mouse.
Bases Loaded (NES - 500 points)
Nintendo says:
Bases Loaded is a baseball game with an arcade feel and plenty of options from which players can choose. Select one of 12 teams, set your lineup from the 30 players available (each with different strengths), then play a single game or try to win the pennant. During game play, the screen shows two different viewpoints: one from behind home plate as you're batting, and the other from the pitching mound in a television-style shot (unique for its time) as your team plays in the field. Strong play control and excellent graphics add to the excitement as you decide what pitch to throw (you can even try to provoke the opposing batter into charging the mound), control all positions on the field, or do your best to get a hit. So step to the plate and find out why this is one of the most popular baseball games on the NES. Can you pull through in the clutch?
Nintendo MEANS to say:
We know it's baseball season and you're chompin' at the bit for a new baseball game to play. Knowing this, we made a game show-like wheel and put every baseball game ever put out for the NES (except those evil Tengen games, of course) on it. We gave it a big spin and it landed on Bases Loaded. Enjoy!
Hit or Miss: Miss. Bases Loaded might be a childhood favorite for many a retro gamer, but all the innovations in the world can't fix the fact that the gameplay moves at the speed of snails! I would have much preferred to have seen Bad News Baseball in VC instead! Nintendo, Tecmo, make it happen!
Well, hope all you 411maniacs enjoyed The Red Snifit. Now, if you would excuse me, I've got some dingers to knock!
