Long gone are the days when the likes of Midway's NFL Blitz and Nintendo's Ken Griffey Jr.
games ruled the market with their pick-up-and-play sensibility, flashy graphics, and outrageous gameplay.
Hardcore simulations like FIFA or NBA 2K are great, but I've always lamented the decline of the less realistic stuff.
I was delighted, then, to have the chance to check out the $29.99 Super Mega Baseball 2.
The game offers accessible mechanics, a cartoony art style, and an overall sense of fun that's rare in today's sports games.
However, it has enough depth to keep even the most die-hard baseball fans addicted.
Super Mega Baseball 2 has a couple of graphics-related flaws, but it's one of the best current-gen sports games available for PC.
Love of the Game
Developer Metalhead Software clearly designed Super Mega Baseball 2 to be accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of the sport.
A standard swing requires just the push of a button in the lower difficulty settings, and pitching has a simple, yet satisfying, mechanic where you select the pitch type and location, and use the control stick to guide one circle to another during the windup for accuracy.
Fielding is semi-automated and is easy to understand.
Games are also a lot quicker than the real thing; I played several nine-inning games that didn't last longer than a half hour.
Beneath all the friendliness, however, is a surprisingly deep baseball experience.
Super Mega Baseball may not be the video game baseball masters course that MLB The Show ($26.93 at Amazon) is, but I found myself challenged once I upgraded to the harder difficulty levels.
On offense, you must pay close attention to the types of pitches thrown at you.
On defense, you must keep tabs on who you want coming out of your bullpen in a given the situation.
You'll have to decide how and when to move your runners/fielders, too.
And a convincing physics model makes the game feel much more grounded than perhaps the colorful art style lets on.
The Mojo system, one of Super Mega Baseball 2's most-interesting aspects, represents your players' confidence and, by extension, performance.
Say your pitcher is on a roll, striking out multiple batters consecutively.
The hurler's Mojo rating will go up, boosting his or her stats and transforming the virtual athlete into a shutout machine.
On the flip side, a fielder who's made numerous errors loses Mojo and becomes less efficient as time goes on.
This is a novel way of reflecting the real game's situational tensions, and it forces you to pay attention to your roster and make decisions about substituting failing players before they sabotage the game.
Have It Your Way
Super Mega Baseball 2 lacks a Major League Baseball license, so you won't find any of your favorite real-world teams or players on the diamond.
While I found the game's Super Mega League to be more than satisfactory (my favorite team, in particular, is the Sirloins and their angry cartoon steak logo), the game offers a robust team editor that lets you create a team exactly as you see fit.
If you want to break the game and have a roster full of maxed out players, then you can do that.
If you want to take the time to create a balanced, fair team, then that's possible, too.
Some may be annoyed that this creates balance issues, but I think the fact that it's all completely optional makes it forgivable.
You can also choose colors, uniform styles, and even make your own logo from scratch with one of the most detailed creation tools I've ever seen in a video game.
You can pick your players' genders, physiques, hairstyles, stances, animations, or whatever else you want to alter.
Want an all-woman team with neon pink mohawks? Go for it.
It's your world, and it's definitely not something you'd ever find in a licensed baseball game.
Though, if you have enough time on your hands, you could even recreate the entire MLB, if you wanted.
The customization features remind me of the creative community that's formed around The Sims and Animal Crossing.
There are many people who get so absorbed in the design aspects of those titles that they spend more time expressing themselves than actually playing the main game.
There are going to be a good number of people who will similarly love Super Mega Baseball 2 for the creative freedom it allows.
Online Multiplayer
Super Mega Baseball 2's online play is a breath of fresh air.
You can play a single game or custom tournament with your friends, but other than that, competitive play is restricted to the Pennant Race mode.
You get matched up against opponents in a 14-team league.
You have a week or so to win as many games you're able to before being placed into a different league, so playing often is beneficial.
Your performance is monitored as you go, and you'll always be placed with opponents of a similar skill level.
Pennant Race has two major elements that make it a compelling gameplay mode.
First off, Super Mega Baseball 2 supports cross-platform play.
Being matched with players across PC, PS4, and Xbox One means that finding games is much quicker than it would be if players were separated by platform.
It's a lot like the excellent Rocket League ( at Amazon) , in that regard.
Secondly, online games are only five innings by default.
That may not sound like a big deal, but it saves games from feeling like a slog.
It may not be the most full-featured online mode in a sports game, but it gets the job done.
Unfortunately, you cannot take your custom team into Pennant Race mode.
I understand this is to prevent players from ruining the game's balance with maxed-out squads (as well as prevent inappropriate team names and graphics—after all, this game is supposed to be fun for the whole family), but it would have been a blast to check out other players' designs and, in turn, show off mine.
This is far from a deal breaker though, and those who spend time in Pennant Race will likely grow an attachment to a Super Mega League team as I did (Go, Sirloins!).
Graphics and Performance
Super Mega Baseball 2 is a budget-priced indie game, a fact that makes it a bit easier to get over its simplistic visuals.
In terms of sheer graphical fidelity, there's not a lot going on here.
Characters have a plasticky sheen to them.
The stadiums aren't very detailed.
There's not much to say about the textures or lighting.
From a technical standpoint, Super Mega Baseball 2 could pass for a last-generation title.
That said, there's a difference between graphical fidelity and art direction.
When it comes to the latter, Super Mega Baseball 2 succeeds and then some.
The players on the field are ugly in a way I find endearing, with their weird animations and facial expressions adding a lot of personality to the action.
Stadiums have their own outlandish personalities, too.
Apple Field brings the player to a comic book version of New York, whereas Sakura Hills mixes a bustling metropolis with traditional Japanese architecture.
While it's far from the prettiest game on the market, Super Mega Baseball 2 nonetheless has its own sort of wacky charm that makes it as fun to look at as it is to play.
Super Mega Baseball 2 doesn't have very demanding system requirements.
The game needs a video card that's DirectX 11 compatible, with 4GB of RAM.
Your gaming PC also needs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (or AMD equivalent), and a 64-bit processor and operating system.
That's pretty much it.
My Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080-powered PC had no issues running Super Mega Baseball 2 at a smooth 60 frames per second (FPS) at 1080p resolution.
Unfortunately, the graphics options are limited.
You only have to ability to change Anisotropy, Antialiasing, Resolution, and Shadow Quality.
But given its low system requirements, Super Mega Baseball 2 should run fine on most systems.
It would have been nice to have been able to remove the 60FPS framerate cap, but it's by no means a deal breaker.
A Heavy Hitter
Due to the sad state of modern sports games, Super Mega Baseball 2 is one of the very few action-focused baseball games on PC (Baseball Stars 2 is another fun-filled option).
Fortunately, Super Mega Baseball 2 is an extremely entertaining, fast-paced offering that will likely keep fans engaged for a long time with its satisfying mechanics, comical art style, and addictive online play.
If you are like me and miss the good ol' days of arcade sports games, then Super Mega Baseball 2 is the game for you.
Super Mega Baseball 2 (for PC)
Pros
Accessible mechanics hide a surprising layer of depth.
Weird, charming art style.
Novel online gameplay.
Many customization options.
View More
The Bottom Line
Super Mega Baseball 2 is a larger-than-life arcade sports title that will appeal to casual fans and baseball buffs alike.
The game has a couple of graphics-related niggles, but it's an exciting PC sports title.
I miss arcade sports games.
Long gone are the days when the likes of Midway's NFL Blitz and Nintendo's Ken Griffey Jr.
games ruled the market with their pick-up-and-play sensibility, flashy graphics, and outrageous gameplay.
Hardcore simulations like FIFA or NBA 2K are great, but I've always lamented the decline of the less realistic stuff.
I was delighted, then, to have the chance to check out the $29.99 Super Mega Baseball 2.
The game offers accessible mechanics, a cartoony art style, and an overall sense of fun that's rare in today's sports games.
However, it has enough depth to keep even the most die-hard baseball fans addicted.
Super Mega Baseball 2 has a couple of graphics-related flaws, but it's one of the best current-gen sports games available for PC.
Love of the Game
Developer Metalhead Software clearly designed Super Mega Baseball 2 to be accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of the sport.
A standard swing requires just the push of a button in the lower difficulty settings, and pitching has a simple, yet satisfying, mechanic where you select the pitch type and location, and use the control stick to guide one circle to another during the windup for accuracy.
Fielding is semi-automated and is easy to understand.
Games are also a lot quicker than the real thing; I played several nine-inning games that didn't last longer than a half hour.
Beneath all the friendliness, however, is a surprisingly deep baseball experience.
Super Mega Baseball may not be the video game baseball masters course that MLB The Show ($26.93 at Amazon) is, but I found myself challenged once I upgraded to the harder difficulty levels.
On offense, you must pay close attention to the types of pitches thrown at you.
On defense, you must keep tabs on who you want coming out of your bullpen in a given the situation.
You'll have to decide how and when to move your runners/fielders, too.
And a convincing physics model makes the game feel much more grounded than perhaps the colorful art style lets on.
The Mojo system, one of Super Mega Baseball 2's most-interesting aspects, represents your players' confidence and, by extension, performance.
Say your pitcher is on a roll, striking out multiple batters consecutively.
The hurler's Mojo rating will go up, boosting his or her stats and transforming the virtual athlete into a shutout machine.
On the flip side, a fielder who's made numerous errors loses Mojo and becomes less efficient as time goes on.
This is a novel way of reflecting the real game's situational tensions, and it forces you to pay attention to your roster and make decisions about substituting failing players before they sabotage the game.
Have It Your Way
Super Mega Baseball 2 lacks a Major League Baseball license, so you won't find any of your favorite real-world teams or players on the diamond.
While I found the game's Super Mega League to be more than satisfactory (my favorite team, in particular, is the Sirloins and their angry cartoon steak logo), the game offers a robust team editor that lets you create a team exactly as you see fit.
If you want to break the game and have a roster full of maxed out players, then you can do that.
If you want to take the time to create a balanced, fair team, then that's possible, too.
Some may be annoyed that this creates balance issues, but I think the fact that it's all completely optional makes it forgivable.
You can also choose colors, uniform styles, and even make your own logo from scratch with one of the most detailed creation tools I've ever seen in a video game.
You can pick your players' genders, physiques, hairstyles, stances, animations, or whatever else you want to alter.
Want an all-woman team with neon pink mohawks? Go for it.
It's your world, and it's definitely not something you'd ever find in a licensed baseball game.
Though, if you have enough time on your hands, you could even recreate the entire MLB, if you wanted.
The customization features remind me of the creative community that's formed around The Sims and Animal Crossing.
There are many people who get so absorbed in the design aspects of those titles that they spend more time expressing themselves than actually playing the main game.
There are going to be a good number of people who will similarly love Super Mega Baseball 2 for the creative freedom it allows.
Online Multiplayer
Super Mega Baseball 2's online play is a breath of fresh air.
You can play a single game or custom tournament with your friends, but other than that, competitive play is restricted to the Pennant Race mode.
You get matched up against opponents in a 14-team league.
You have a week or so to win as many games you're able to before being placed into a different league, so playing often is beneficial.
Your performance is monitored as you go, and you'll always be placed with opponents of a similar skill level.
Pennant Race has two major elements that make it a compelling gameplay mode.
First off, Super Mega Baseball 2 supports cross-platform play.
Being matched with players across PC, PS4, and Xbox One means that finding games is much quicker than it would be if players were separated by platform.
It's a lot like the excellent Rocket League ( at Amazon) , in that regard.
Secondly, online games are only five innings by default.
That may not sound like a big deal, but it saves games from feeling like a slog.
It may not be the most full-featured online mode in a sports game, but it gets the job done.
Unfortunately, you cannot take your custom team into Pennant Race mode.
I understand this is to prevent players from ruining the game's balance with maxed-out squads (as well as prevent inappropriate team names and graphics—after all, this game is supposed to be fun for the whole family), but it would have been a blast to check out other players' designs and, in turn, show off mine.
This is far from a deal breaker though, and those who spend time in Pennant Race will likely grow an attachment to a Super Mega League team as I did (Go, Sirloins!).
Graphics and Performance
Super Mega Baseball 2 is a budget-priced indie game, a fact that makes it a bit easier to get over its simplistic visuals.
In terms of sheer graphical fidelity, there's not a lot going on here.
Characters have a plasticky sheen to them.
The stadiums aren't very detailed.
There's not much to say about the textures or lighting.
From a technical standpoint, Super Mega Baseball 2 could pass for a last-generation title.
That said, there's a difference between graphical fidelity and art direction.
When it comes to the latter, Super Mega Baseball 2 succeeds and then some.
The players on the field are ugly in a way I find endearing, with their weird animations and facial expressions adding a lot of personality to the action.
Stadiums have their own outlandish personalities, too.
Apple Field brings the player to a comic book version of New York, whereas Sakura Hills mixes a bustling metropolis with traditional Japanese architecture.
While it's far from the prettiest game on the market, Super Mega Baseball 2 nonetheless has its own sort of wacky charm that makes it as fun to look at as it is to play.
Super Mega Baseball 2 doesn't have very demanding system requirements.
The game needs a video card that's DirectX 11 compatible, with 4GB of RAM.
Your gaming PC also needs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (or AMD equivalent), and a 64-bit processor and operating system.
That's pretty much it.
My Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080-powered PC had no issues running Super Mega Baseball 2 at a smooth 60 frames per second (FPS) at 1080p resolution.
Unfortunately, the graphics options are limited.
You only have to ability to change Anisotropy, Antialiasing, Resolution, and Shadow Quality.
But given its low system requirements, Super Mega Baseball 2 should run fine on most systems.
It would have been nice to have been able to remove the 60FPS framerate cap, but it's by no means a deal breaker.
A Heavy Hitter
Due to the sad state of modern sports games, Super Mega Baseball 2 is one of the very few action-focused baseball games on PC (Baseball Stars 2 is another fun-filled option).
Fortunately, Super Mega Baseball 2 is an extremely entertaining, fast-paced offering that will likely keep fans engaged for a long time with its satisfying mechanics, comical art style, and addictive online play.
If you are like me and miss the good ol' days of arcade sports games, then Super Mega Baseball 2 is the game for you.
Super Mega Baseball 2 (for PC)
Pros
Accessible mechanics hide a surprising layer of depth.
Weird, charming art style.
Novel online gameplay.
Many customization options.
View More
The Bottom Line
Super Mega Baseball 2 is a larger-than-life arcade sports title that will appeal to casual fans and baseball buffs alike.
The game has a couple of graphics-related niggles, but it's an exciting PC sports title.
