Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Year: 1989
Rarity: C+
Password/Save: Save




Baseball Stars can do everything a normal baseball game can—run, pitch, hit, dive, catch, steal bases, and so on. But Baseball Stars has great gameplay and a General Manager feature, in which you can fire, trade, buy, and improve players with cash you get from beating the opposition. This game also has some incredibly bizarre computer teams...among them the Ghastly Monsters, in which all the players are named for some monster or beast; the Lovely Ladies, in which all the players are women; the Brave Warriors, all of which are old men; and the SNK Crushers, whom programmers play for and is definitely the worst team on the game.

Challenge: B+. If you opt to make your own team, it's a long road to greatness. You start out with crappy players, who need cash to improve. Getting cash means beating the good teams with bad players. On top of that, the computer almost never makes an error.

Graphics: B–. The in-play graphics are surprisingly average, except for one thing—the outfielders are large. It's easier to catch fly balls this way. The "cut-scenes" (home runs, firing a player and such) are pretty good, although they're no Ninja Gaiden.

Sound: B–. Energizing music. It changes when runners move into scoring position. It may get annoying when the pressure's on and you're trying to concentrate, but solid regardless.

Fun: A–. The funniest part that I can think of is the fact that there's women in this game, and for the most part, they suck. However, the "Lovely Ladies" team pays off the most during season play. It is funny to hit them with a pitch and watch them bawl their eyes out while sitting in the dirt in their pink skirts. It's also possible to scale the wall to bring back a home run and fall into the stands! Ouch.

Overall: A. One of the only baseball games for the NES worth getting. The fact that you can save games and build teams, and get access to complete stats is a "home run" as well. One of the best ever.