The great American pastime, Baseball. It’s a game that’s played amongst all ages, and all types of people. It’s a great game, but a lot of us either aren’t that good at the game or, they can’t seem to find the time to make it down to the field, or find a league suitable for them. So, it’s no surprise that for as long as video games have been on the market, we’ve turned to sports games to get our fix. Homerun Baseball is a game for Android that should remind of when a sports game boiled the sport down to its most basic elements, a time when sports games really were sports games. Read on to see if Homerun Baseball is the game you’ve been waiting for.
Description: Homerun Baseball gives you a full 9-innings game to play on your smartphone or tablet, with quality physics and controls. This is a game that’s less about graphical flare, and more about playing the game we all know and love. Homerun Baseball boils down the great game to its key aspects; timing and tactics. Whether or not you’re batting or pitching, you’ll have to get your timing right, and use those gesture-based controls to good effect.
How it Works: To start playing Homerun Baseball, you’ll have to head on over to the Play Store and download the game. Once you’re down that you’ll be asked to choose your team and the opposing team:
Then, it’s time to “Play Ball!”
When batting, you can set the batter’s position by moving the dial to the left, to bat, all you have to do is slide the bat up and down the right-hand side of the display. This is a great gesture-based control that works really well, and is very easy to get used to. Pitching is much the same, you can target where you want to pitch and then slide up and down to adjust the power.
When pitching, the game becomes a little more complex. Once the batter has given your pitch a good hit, you’ll see a view of the field, and the dial on the left will change to controlling a player on the field that will go and fetch the ball.
Then, you have to throw the ball back as quickly as you can. This is done by sliding up or down on the display, to adjust the power of the throw. The quicker you do, the quicker you’ll be able to control the game. Sometimes, you’ll be able to catch them out:
Remember, you can play a full, 9-inning game with Homerun Baseball, so don’t be afraid to kick your feet up and relax with the game.
Opinion: When I was younger, there was a Hockey game on the Sega Genesis that I used to love playing, Homerun Baseball very much reminds of that; a game that’s filled with charm and quality gameplay. Timing is super-important when batting and there’s a real satisfying feeling when you hit a homerun, or just get great connection with the ball. There’s also some good flexibility available when you’re pitching as well, giving you time to think about your pitch and how to control the game. I can see how younger ones might take to the game as well, because there aren’t flashy 3D graphics to get in the way, just the game of Baseball itself.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – For a sports game, this has good pacing and everything is easy enough to follow, it ran well on a number of devices.
- Features (4/5) – Whether you’re batting or pitching, Homerun Baseball gives you the ability to control the game and really get stuck into what makes this great game, so great.
- Theme (3.5) – It’s clear that Homerun Baseball is no award-winning game when it comes to graphics, but there’s a lot of charm here and a lot of you will have memories come back when playing this title.
- Overall (4/5) – The game is not without its problems but, for die-hard Baseball fans, this offers a great back-to-basics sports game that you can take with you everywhere.
Pros
- Timing takes center stage here, which brings with it a lot of satisfaction when batting, hitting homeruns is a pleasure.
- back-to-basics gameplay boils down Baseball to everything that makes it great, taking the focus away from the visuals, leading it towards the sport itself.
- Controls are easy to get to grips with.
- Full 9-inning game delivers a pure experience, not some form of Arcade mode.
Cons
- Doesn’t look especially good on tablets.
- Younger players might not take to the game.
Conclusion: Homerun Baseball is a good sports title, while it has a few issues, noticeably the low-resolution visuals; it’s still a lot of fun. As I mentioned above, a lot of players are going to have memories brought back from playing this game, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Finally, the game takes the focus away from graphical flare and puts it where it belongs; on the sport itself. It’d be nice if these graphics were just a little bit better and tailored to high-resolution displays but, as it stands, this is a sports title that will not disappoint, and die-hard Baseball fans will love it.