Editorial Review: Hey batter, batter, batter! Swing into nonstop baseball action with SNK's Baseball Stars for the NEOGEO Pocket Color system. After choosing a team, scroll through your roster of talented ball players to select a pitcher and a batting order. Although all the players and 12 teams are fictional, each slugger comes complete with his own baseball card (featuring a photograph and player statistics).
Once a game begins, you can control batting, running, pitching, and base-stealing by using a combination of two buttons and an eight-way directional pad. Want a quick baseball fix? You can play as little as one inning and, if time is on your side, you can tear through nine plus innings. With a connecting cable, you can challenge a friend to your own pocket-sized World Series.
The team members are illustrated with Japanese anime graphics, which are particularly pronounced when a character strikes out or gets smacked by the ball. We got a kick out of the silly team names such as Real Runners, Grooves, and El Condors. And when a home run is hit, a full-on graphic assault kicks in with freeze-frame shots, flashing words, and music. --Carrie Bell
Pros:
Creative character response to game events such as a home run or strikeout
Cool statistics sheets on each player, and the option to decide your own lineups
Cons:
No recognizable pro players or teams
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Baseball at it's best
Baseball Stars along with its sequel were both classics on the NES and this game is no exception. It doesn't have major league teams or players but it is as fun as you'll ever have with a portable baseball game. The graphics are nice and the animations are excellent for a 16-bit system. It has an easy to pick up and play quality about it that anyone can enjoy. The game has a nice moderate difficulty though one team seems to be better than the rest. It also has an excellent replay value because after you when the championship in league mode you unlock special players and teams. I would throughly suggest Baseball Stars to anyone who enjoys baseball.
Rating: - After you get used to the game it is GREAT!!
I first got this game when I got me New Geo back in 1999. At first it was so hard I hated the game. I would hit the ball and could never get a base hit to save my life. But after a little while the game is addicting!
You have a few (either three or four) teams you can unlock by winning the pennant with all the teams in the game. All the teams are made up, but they do have good qualities and bad qualities to each of them which is very cool. Also there are a slew of secret characters you can unlock as well.
All in all if you don't have this for your Neo Geo Pocket, it is well worth your money!
Rating: - Simply the best Arcade baseball experience
The challenge and fun factor have yet to be replicated since SNK mastered baseball video games with Baseball Stars way back in the Neo Geo era. This is the same game with more attributes, only you can now *afford* it. Trash talking, team building, crisis management and a slugger surprise when you're down 4; its all here and its brilliant. Graphically its not going to replace your MLB or "enhanced" game play of the various wonderful baseball games currently available on other systems. But i have yet to see one of the other games match this one on fun factor. a shame the screen is so small on the NGPC, but that is the only complaint one could make on an otherwise flawless effort!
Rating: - very disapointing
i bought this game because of the name. i still think baseball stars for the nes is the best baseball game ever...this miniature version, however, isn't. the create a team and player modes are gone. the stat-tracking is gone. and having a baseball game on a small screen is very frustrating when you are trying to field the ball. the most frustrating aspect of it is having to wait for the screen to pan to whoever has the ball before you can do anything... and even then you can't throw the ball from the outfield all of the time. i kept playing this game over and over, thinking maybe i was doing something wrong, but i don't think i am. the games is just that bad! i do have to say one thing though... the batting part of it can be fun. a home-run derby feature would have been nice!
Rating: - Not as cool as it could be
I was a big fan of the original NES Baseball Stars. This is the primary reason I decided to purchase Baseball Stars for the NGPC. This game is pretty fun, don't get me wrong, but the controls can be a bit frustrating. The biggest problem I have is sending the runners back on a line drive or pop-up, especially with the bases loaded. Also, I was hoping the game would keep stats, a huge factor in why the original was so fun. I would recommend getting this game if you're a baseball fan and willing to put in a little practice, but otherwise go ahead and grab Sonic.
- Baseball at it's best
- very disapointing
