Rock It Games isn’t done with Jaleco yet. Bases Loaded II: Second Season is the sequel compilation featuring a total of five retro sports games although there really are only two games available, just separated by the different regional releases.

This compilation includes:

• Bases Loaded II: Second Season (NES, 1989)
• Moero II!! Pro Yakyuu ’88 Kettei Ban (Famicom, 1988)
• Super Bases Loaded II (SNES, 1994)
• Super 3D Baseball (Super Famicom, 1992)
• Hanguk Pro Yagu (Super Comboy, Korea, 1994)

So in short, this bundle includes the first 8-bit sequel and 16-bit counterpart.

This sequel compilation is essentially a repeat of my thoughts on the original Bases Loaded compilation… I am glad this exists as these were quintessential sports titles upon their original release, but they unfortunately do not hold up well today.

Bases Loaded II, the 8-bit title, is actually worse in comparison to the original. Sure, it is a little faster paced, but the gameplay is absolutely brutal. The AI is super aggressive and has unfair baserunning. For example, if there is a man on 1^st and 3^rd, the offensive AI will sprint to 2^nd and home between your defensive throws infinitely, until you eventually make a mistake from the inconsistent d-pad throws. It is so wicked and unfair that it becomes comical. If the computer gets on base, you have no chance of winning.

The behind-the-pitcher batting perspective, like the original, is also weird at best. This makes the game more pitcher-than-batter focused. However, pitches are all or nothing. They will either be right over the plate or way outside. There is no option to paint the corners or throw slicing curveballs. Batting is also rough and inconsistent due to the awkward perspective.

Fielding is also painfully frustrating. When hit into the outfield, the perspective switches to either the 1^st or 3^rd base side depending on location. This jarring perspective swap is like watching the game from the upper deck on either side of the stadium instead of consistently behind home plate. It doesn’t make fielding any easier or fun. The worst part might be the horrendous screen border tearing whenever the ball is hit into the outside too. Finally, the soundtrack, unlike the original, is simply terrible. Do yourself a favor and just turn off the music.

Bases Loaded II, the 16-bit enhanced sequel, is at least much more playable. It obviously looks much better, has way higher presentation values, and doesn’t have as broken AI. Even though this is the better game in this compilation, it still has more flaws than positives. For example, the distance from the pitcher’s mound to the batter’s box seems oddly close when in the pitcher/batter perspective. Everything changes, though, when hit into the outfield as the game swaps to tiny sprites instead of large Mode-7 characters. These three perspective changes don’t work in favor of the presentation and winds up being buggy. There were plenty of times when I hit the ball down the first or third base line, the ump called it foul, but the play confusingly continued. It is admirable that this early SNES game was pushing the limits of the system but ultimately doesn’t merge well.

One of the highlighting features is having the ability to customize your team. This might have been cool back in the day but just becomes tedious since it is all wrapped around a limited interface and clunky gameplay. Side note, growing up in Illinois, it is cool to see local teams from Rockford and Aurora represented in a national published game. The voice work is also well done and probably was an impressive highlight in the early SNES days.

While these baseball games are definitely a product of their time, the interface that connects everything is well done and well worth mentioning even if it is repeated from the original compilation. The frosting on the cake comes from the included instructional manual scans, even though there is no option to adjust the zoom, and there are optional leaderboards if you care about how many runs you earned. This extra effort Rock It implemented is welcomed and appreciated.

The Bases Loaded series will forever hold its place in retro sports game history. The original 8-bit game was legendary at the time and one that I have personal nostalgia (I remember watching my brother play this when I was toddler). Therefore, I am thankful these compilations exist especially since these games are not included on the Switch Online service. At the same time, I need to address the elephant in the room… all these games should have been in one compilation, not spread across two. Plus, what about Bases Loaded 3, Bases Loaded 4, and the Gameboy port? Also, what about the eventual PS1/Saturn ’96 version? It makes me think more compilations will be coming, milking the releases even further.

Since these games are borderline unplayable today, including all retro Bases Loaded games would have better justified the cost. I feel like Bases Loaded fans will be hesitant to buy either compilation due to the diluted content-to-price ratio and simply because they will not play as good as you remember. Then, if you never played Jaleco’s retro sports games, newcomers will completely overlook these classic releases since they most likely do not recognize the Jaleco brand or understand the historical context. So, again, I’m glad, happy, and excited this series has received new life, but I kind-of-sort-of don’t recommend playing them because I would rather maintain their positive memories instead of being disappointed at how poorly they aged.

SCORE: 4/10

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

X/Twitter: @ZackGaz

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