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Bases Loaded (video game)
Encyclopedia
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
in Japan and in 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and a Game Boy port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
was released in 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
. A mobile phone version exists as well. Bases Loaded was released on April 7, 2008 in Japan and on April 12, 2008 in North America for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console, at the cost of 500 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
.
The game is the first installment of the Bases Loaded series, followed by seven sequels across three generations of consoles. There are three more video games in the Bases Loaded NES series, Bases Loaded II: Second Season
Bases Loaded II
Bases Loaded II: Second Season is a video game for the Nintendo Family Computer released in 1988. It is the sequel to Bases Loaded and is continued by Bases Loaded 3. As opposed to the original, Bases Loaded II was developed directly for Nintendo's consoles and never saw an arcade version...
, Bases Loaded 3
Bases Loaded 3
Bases Loaded 3 is a baseball video game released in 1991 by Jaleco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is the third installment of the Bases Loaded series.-Gameplay:...
and Bases Loaded 4
Bases Loaded 4
Bases Loaded 4 is the fourth installment for the Bases Loaded Series for the NES.-Summary:...
. There was also a Game Boy version of Bases Loaded. The series continued onto the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
platform with Super Bases Loaded
Super Bases Loaded
Super Bases Loaded is a Super NES baseball video game. This game is known as in Japan. The game is the fifth overall installment of the Bases Loaded series, and first installment of the secondary series for the Super Nintendo....
, Super Bases Loaded 2
Super Bases Loaded 2
Super Bases Loaded 2 is a Super NES baseball game. The game is the sixth overall installment of the Bases Loaded series, and second installment of the secondary series for the Super Nintendo.-Gameplay:...
, and Super Bases Loaded 3
Super Bases Loaded 3
Super Bases Loaded 3 is a Super NES baseball game.-Summary:The game is the sixth overall installment of the Bases Loaded series, and third installment of the secondary trilogy for the Super Nintendo...
. The final entry to the series was Bases Loaded '96: Double Header
Bases Loaded '96: Double Header
Bases Loaded '96: Double Header is a 1995 sports video game released for the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation. This game was the seventh and final game in the Bases Loaded series. Negative reviews were given to this game for its graphics and inappropriate choice of organ music....
, released for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
Bases Loaded is also the first in a series of eight sports Famicom games known in Japan as "Moero!!". This series is all generic sports games. Three of the games were localized in the Western Markets as Bases Loaded, Bases Loaded 2, and Bases Loaded 3, and the basketball game as Hoops
Hoops (video game)
Hoops is an NES basketball video game that was released in 1988 for a Japanese audience and in 1989 for a North American audience.-Summary:...
. Four titles went unreleased stateside or in the Pal regions..
These eight games, by release date, are as follows: Moero!! Pro Yakyuu (Red) (Bases Loaded), Moero!! Pro Tennis (Racket Attack), Moero!! Pro Yakyuu '88 - Kettei Ban (Bases Loaded II: Second Season), Moero!! Junior Basket - Two on Two (Hoops), Moero!! Pro Soccer (Japan Only), Moero!! Shin Moero!! Pro Yakyuu, Moero!! Juudou Warriors (Japan only), and Moero!! Pro Yakyuu '90 Kandouhen (US Bases Loaded 3).
Gameplay
The game allows the player to control one of 12 teams in either a single game or a full season. For single games, there is also a two-player option.Bases Loaded featured a unique television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
-style depiction of the pitcher-batter matchup, as well as strong play control and a relatively high degree of realism, which made it one of the most popular baseball games of the early NES.
One unique feature of the game is that the pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
can provoke a batter to charge the mound
Charging the mound
In baseball, charging the mound is when a batter assaults the pitcher, usually the result of being hit by a pitch or nearly being hit by a pitch. The first incidence of a professional charging of the mound has not been identified but the practice certainly dates back to the game's early days...
. Each team has only one batter (usually the team's best hitter) who can be provoked in this manner, however; it is up to the player to discover who it is.
At the time Bases Loaded was released, few video games were licensed by major league sports. Therefore, the league depicted in Bases Loaded is a fictitious league of twelve teams. They are:
- BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
- has above-average starting pitching with Bopper, Fine, and Page; a strong bullpen; and a powerful lineup powered by Freida, Norkus, and Angel - D.C. - carries a great offense led by Doreo, Fendy, and Boro but has below-average starting pitching and a average bullpen
- HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
- has a strong hitting lineup led by Brutus, Debro, and Moon; reasonable starting pitching; and an average bullpen - JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- boasts the most explosive offense in the game anchored by Paste (best hitter in the game with a .467 avg. and 60 HRs), Bay, and Ford but has starting and relief pitching that is average at best, unreliable at worst. - KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
- features a starting rotation led by Patson, who has the fastest fastball in the game (102 mph) and good relief pitching, but an average offense, led by Patty and Baker, that has decent power but low hitting averages - L.A.Los ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- features a lineup with decent hitting averages but little power led by Wales and Bacon but has an average starting rotation led by Tucker and mediocre bullpen - Miami- holds the best starting pitching rotation with Henter (best pitcher in the game with a 1.85 ERA), West, and Jarvis; average bullpen led by closer Irving; and weak offense led by Warner
- N.Y.New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- has a great starting rotation of Carter, Howe, and Cora; an excellent bullpen led by Errico and Fiore; and a starting lineup led by Star that lacks some home run power but hits solidly throughout - OmahaOmaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
- has average starting pitching led by Rennor, fair bullpen, and below-average lineup led by Lyonse and Carus - Philly - boasts the best overall pitching staff with the second best starting rotation with Gantos, Car, and Rush; the best bullpen led by Ellis; and a lineup with a solid middle of the order of Evans, Oko, and Rubin but otherwise average offense
- TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- has a high hitting offense anchored by Marcus but a very porous pitching staff - UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
- has one of the best offenses in the game led by Agua and Harlan, featuring a Jekyll and Hyde pitching staff with a strong starting pitching rotation led by Quinta, Lep, and Stava and an inconsistent bullpen led by Bella, one of the best closers in the game, but also features three of the five worst ERAs.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the umpires' names are given, and are as follows:
- PL: Yuk
- 1B: Dum
- 2B: Boo
- 3B: Bum
Disembodied catcher's mitt
One of the trademark images of the Bases Loaded franchise was the disembodied catcher's mitt, also referred to as the "phantom paw", that would catch pitches that were thrown extremely outside. Developer Heep Sop Choi claims it was programmed to show the catcher making some terrific snatches without any bodily movement.Reception
Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
compared the game disfavorably to Accolade's Hardball, both focusing primarily on the confrontation of pitcher and batter. The review described Bases Loadeds viewpoint behind the pitcher as making it far too difficult to discern the position of, and subsequently hit, the ball. Other annoyances during gameplay, such as the inability to see where outfielders were before the ball got to them, were contrasted against the game's good graphics and animation.