While there are only a handful of licensed baseball games on the shelves today, back in the mid-nineties, many companies tried their hand at America’s pastime.
One company, Konami, known more for its titles such as “Castlevania†and “Metal Gear,†produced a trio of games in their “Bottom of the Ninth†series that still maintain a cult-like status today. In spite of blocky, Virtua Fighter-esque graphics, the games featured one of the best pitching and hitting control schemes in video game history.
However, after the series’ demise, in spite of several attempts to copy it by other games, was gone forever.
Until now.
But don’t get so happy just yet.
Even though Konami’s MLB Bobblehead Pros manages to carbon copy the incredibly satisfying hitting and pitching system in the “Bottom of the Ninth†series, the fielding system is a complete disaster and ruins the title. Far too often are routine groundballs and bunts turned into singles and errors. At times, it feels as if the balls hit are on a yo-yo, unable to be caught, and don’t follow the basic laws of physics.
On top of that, it’s annoying that none of the players are announced by name when they are at bat or enter the game. Little touches like that could have at least got the game to be better than the some of its parts.
As it stands right now, there’s a lot of things done right here, but far too many things are haphazard.
As a result, “MLB Bobblehead Pros,†in spite of its charming graphically presentation and MLB license, is completely lackluster and not worth your time. Brimming with potential, many of these problems can and should be fixed in a sequel, but don’t let that get your hopes up.
For 10 bucks, you’re much better off with an old copy of MLB 2K7.
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