To herald the start of the new baseball season in the USA, it seems fitting that Bases Loaded should get a Virtual Console release. When this was first released on the NES twenty years ago there wasn’t really much that came close to it. The simple, yet innovative gameplay struck a home run with baseball fans all over the world.
Like other baseball games of the era, Bases Loaded offers two gameplay options: you can play a single game against the CPU or a friend, or play through an entire season spanning over 100 games against 11 different fictitious teams.
Thankfully, unlike some sports games, it isn’t too hard to get to grips with the controls here. Batting is a straightforward affair and before long you will pick up on tells from the pitcher so you can predict what type of ball to expect. Pitching is simple too, and a bit of experimentation will allow you to pull off more challenging pitches for your opponent to hit.
Whilst the graphics predictably show their age, they were state of the art at the time the game was released. A nice innovation was a behind-the-pitcher camera view which gave a sense of realism to the proceedings. The music is nothing remarkable but there is some cool digitised speech from the umpire which would have no doubt impressed at the time as well.
If baseball is your thing, you could do a lot worse than Bases Loaded. It offers lots of replay value if playing with a friend, and if you are determined enough working through a season will no doubt take you several weeks of determined play. However, while Bases Loaded has aged gracefully and still offers a solid gaming experience, realistically you are going to probably get more enjoyment out of Baseball Stars 2 for the Neo Geo, which is also available on the Virtual Console. Nevertheless this is still worth considering as another take on the beloved American sport.
1. Atlantis1982
01 Sep 2007, 01:35 GMT
Oh my, I used to have this game back in the day. Quite nice to see it again all those years ago.
2. Todd
15 Sep 2007, 06:45 GMT
When's it come out? I was a simple game, but great! The sooner the better!
3. Clinker
27 Nov 2007, 22:03 GMT
Another baseball game? Oh geez
4. LazerGun
11 Dec 2007, 23:55 GMT
Hey clinker, at least this one is worth paying for. Unlike some (Baseball Stars 2)
5. angel m. rivera collazo
30 Jan 2008, 14:20 GMT
good baseball game for the nes.baseball stars2 is better.
6. Tony
12 Feb 2008, 19:58 GMT
Nothing beats Wii Sports baseball. I hope Sega will release their World Series baseball series for the Genesis. I know thats unlikely due to players names and such.
7. jg233
05 Apr 2008, 00:34 GMT
Coming Monday to USA
8. Adamant
05 Apr 2008, 01:50 GMT
So is there any reason to care for us who already have Baseball Stars II for the Neo Geo? At all?
9. DEMON212
05 Apr 2008, 04:11 GMT
Lazer, Stars 2 owns this so bad.
10. Spills
05 Apr 2008, 13:10 GMT
This game still annoys me in that the bat sound effect is taken from an aluminum bat. That would have worked for a little league baseball but not for a pro game. The original Baseball Stars on the NES was 10x better than this. Stars 2 is a lot of fun especially against a friend.
11. Stuffgamer1
05 Apr 2008, 14:15 GMT
Umm...isn't the camera kind of backwards for most baseball games (behind the pitcher instead of behind the batter)? I've by no means played every (or even most) baseball game ever made, but I've never seen one set up like this before. Ever.
Also, the only NES baseball game I'd like to see on VC is Bad News Baseball from Tecmo. I love the gameplay, digitized voice (relatively non-sucky for the time), and pink bunny umpires (I kid you not!). Make it happen, Tecmo!
12. Adamant
06 Apr 2008, 00:50 GMT
I'd take Base Wars over any of those two.
Baseball with robots > baseball without robots any day.
Unless "baseball without robots" meant "baseball with pirates" or "baseball with ninjas", of course
13. WarGreymon77
08 Apr 2008, 00:24 GMT
I agree. Base Wars owned this game. For some reason, some of the biggest hits on the old consoles appear to be being overlooked or delayed too.
14. Draygone
09 Apr 2008, 15:31 GMT
I might get this game. Used to own it, myself, had some fun with it. But I wonder if I should wait for one of the later Bases Loaded games to make an appearance.
15. timp29
21 Apr 2008, 05:48 GMT
Baseball isn't my thing, living outside of the USA. To those who have played this game, is the fielding in this better than frigging Wii sports baseball?? grumble grumble LOL
Leave A Comment
Please login to post a comment.