Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball

"A very enjoyable baseball game, thanks to Nintendo"

You know, some baseball games are probably overlooked because people say "it has bad graphics" or "why are there fictional players in a baseball game?" Well I can clear that up with this review. Ken Griffey Presents Major League Baseball is probably one of the best baseball games on the Super NES for its time, and it was made between the time of a few megahits: Tales of Phantasia and Final Fantasy III (US). But back to the game. Here you can select your team, which are actual Major League Baseball teams, from the Pittsburgh Pirates, to the World Champions of 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gameplay: 11/10 - no, I did not make an error. The gameplay has almost everything, from a World Series battle of two teams to win the Fall Classic, to a Home Run Derby with made up people, except Griffey, who you can access by hitting R. In addition, you have an option of playing a season, which you can lead your team to October, when the playoffs will be played.

This varies from a quick season (26 games), to a short season (78 games), or you can have fun and go all the way to the normal 162 games. Included is an Exhibition mode, where you and a friend can battle out 9 innings of pitching and batting, or play against the computer, and an All-Star game. During Exhibition games, you can choose your own stadium, which are exactly accurate to their real-life counterparts.

Part two, in-game mode: Here's one minor gripe about the game. You notice the team player names? Instead of B. Tewksbur (Bob Tewsbury, there is an eight character limit on last names) on the St. Louis Cardinals, you get "H. Moe." This can be annoying for people that like realism in baseball, and there is a rename roster option. The only non-fictional character in this game is Ken Griffey Jr. (obviously)

There are options in this game, and you can change the DH rule (locked on during American League gameplay), turn off the background music, auto field (recommended for rookies), and manage modes, that are only available during season play. Manage only leaves the computer to pitch, field and bat. When your team is pitching, you can press X to bean the batter, which can be quite amusing to see the bigger, tougher guys get mad at you. Did I mention that you or the computer is liable to the Infield Fly Rule?

Sound: 7.5/10 - it would be a 9/10 if there were different tunes that play for each game you are playing, but there is no option for that. But you can turn that off, and play your own music. Here's where the game shines: you can hear people yelling when they strike out "OH COME ON!", the umpire yells: "STRIKE!" "BALL!" "OUT!" "HE'S OUT!" and "TIME!" which sound like you're at a ballgame.

Fans cheer when the home team hits a home run or gets a base hit. You can guarantee that groans can be heard, from when some big, tough guys strike out and break their bats by leaning their leg on it, or when some guy that's stealing home from and runs into the catcher for an out. The bat makes a SNAP sound like in a real baseball game, and the ball when flying makes a whoosh-like sound.

Graphics: 8/10 - I don't know why this gets bashed, but I think this is another good point. I would have given this a much worse score if the team logos weren't accurate, among other things. You can see the different baseball stars have their own sprite (size, muscle, and skin color).

The crowds are animated, and even some stadiums are, like the water fountains at Kaufmann Stadium. Each player during their at-bat has his own batting stance. The players are animated nicely, even if they don't look like their real-life counterpart, but this is the Super NES, not the N64. Heck, there are different uniforms during play: each team has its own home and road jerseys, like in real life. And Ken Griffey Jr. even has his own at-bat sprite!

Replay Value: 10/10 - I don't know why, but I am addicted to this game, probably because it's one of those sleeper hits that actually keep the baseball charm that most games lack, with the exception of RBI Baseball for the NES. Once I started playing it, I never dismissed it as being a primitive baseball game.

Overall: 9/10 - This game, though bashed as not being advanced in the graphics department, but I leave you with this: try it if you are a fan of baseball, you should like Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/06