Baseball

For 1978, the accomplishments of Baseball for the Odyssey 2 were pretty amazing! The game displays all nine players in the field and they even included the home run fence! Animation is smooth and the controls are responsive, with the pitcher able to curve the ball. When at bat you can even direct your hits by swinging early or late. When on defense you can shift your outfielders, which adds a strategic element.

It's when we get to the fielding where rules begin to bend a little. Whenever you catch a moving ball, it's considered a fly out, but baserunners can take off at any time without penalty. This obviously violates the tag-up rule but also encourages aggressive baserunning while playing. Throwing the ball around the bases is fairly easy but the throws can seem far too soft. The general pace of the game is fairly swift which allows you to play nine innings in about 20 minutes. Baseball has no single-player mode, but the games relaxed style makes it fun to play against a friend. Although limited, this translation of America's pastime was the best available in 1978!

The controls are as follows:

The Batter (Right Controller):

Swinging: - Press the action button to swing at the pitch. You can time your swing to hit the ball into different parts of the field.
Running the Bases: - If the ball isn't caught, the batter automatically advances to first base. You can force runners to advance extra bases by tapping the joystick in the desired direction.
Home Runs: - Hitting the ball to the white bar at the top of the screen acts as an automatic out-of-the-park home run, running all bases automatically.

The Pitcher & Fielders (Left Controller):

Pitching: - Use the 8-way joystick to throw the ball. You can manipulate the joystick to throw inside or outside curves, keeping the batter guessing.
Fielding: - During plays where the ball is hit, you use the joystick to move your outfielders into position to catch the ball. Catching the ball on the fly results in an automatic out.
Throwing the Ball: - If the ball isn't caught on the fly, direct the joystick and press the action button to throw the ball to a specific base and tag the runner.

*TIP*

PROTOTYPE PHOTO