R.B.I. Baseball 14 First Impressions

[RaychelSnr]

There is a lot of nostalgia at play with the newly released R.B.I. Baseball 14. The entire concept for the game revolves around playing a baseball video game how it once was in the older 2D generations of video gaming, complete with the same gameplay mechanics (and inherent flaws of those mechanics) within the gameplay package.

Here's our first initial thoughts on the game:

• The control layout is simple enough, you should have the game figured out by the time your first game is finished.
• Not having any outfield ball-landing marker and also not being able to see your outfielder until its too late on some hits is just bad. Any line drives in the outfields are almost guaranteed hits against me to start.
• The controls sometimes have a weird problem where they don't work. I don't know how to explain it, but sometimes I want to throw a slow pitch and I throw a fastball instead. Perhaps that's just part of the game mechanics but given no documentation within the game that's impossible to tell.
• The computer A.I. will do some really dumb things at times (like a double steal of 2nd base and home plate).
• No stats are tracked...other than wins and losses. In a game built by MLB based on MLB (a sport which revolves around its stats), this is a huge gaffe.
• This would seem a game built for online leagues. Games take 10-30 minutes to complete, which would seem to play into an online component.
• The game is actually a fun experience, especially once you get over the quirkiness it presents. However, whether the experience as a whole is worth the $20 price tag is another thing altogether which we'll need to figure out in the coming days.

Look for our full review of R.B.I. Baseball 14 later this week. In the meantime, let us know what do you think of the game in the comments below!

[Profit89]

Probably worth $6 or so... Oh well, off to watch Champions League (Barcelona)

[Bamafan3723]

Wrong thread

[josephid]

Shame, it has the foundation to be a great game. Too many simple things that a budget probably caused. No stats, no depth.

A fun game, but also at times not. I can't hit, pitching was more in depth with even the first RBI. No rookie, pro, all pro levels? Home run cut scene is childish. Why not just show a replay of the home run . Subs to choose from are limited. No created or edit a player or team.

In any event, it could be a game to play forever online, could be fun, just needs a little extra put into it. Hopefully they make money and invest in making this game better. They should keep the simple gameplay thing, just give more depth.

[Rifle_Man81]

I have 10-11 games in. Been playing 3.5 hours or so on PS3...
HITTING: Took a couple games to get comfortable with the variations in speed. Im not sure, but Im starting to get the impression that you can induce pop flys by swinging with left stick down/grounder would be up. Liners w no stick. I hit some bombs w Weeks coming off the bench so that old PH boost is in full effect though not automatic.

BASE RUNNING: Might take a bit if you are used to the show but it is assisted in holding situations. As far as I know there is no quick way to advance/return all. square and Dir advances, x and dir returns It works with practice No pinch runners.

PITCHING: I started a season right away so I cant say I have noticed a lot of variation, and you will be using your 3 starters/1 closer each game barring a mercy rule ending. Use wisely. Even if you have a bench player, he is not getting in if you are on your last pitcher. It appeared as if some pitchers showed heavy breathing when gassed.
FIELDING: To me this is as fun as the hitting one you get it down. The CPU dives for you, and you have to use x and directional to throw. I am not having issues in the OF like some. It just takes a few games to get a feel for it. Ive seen some crazy catches. One time the 2b mishandled the catch and the RF caught the bobble. I think it would have been ok to use the facebuttons for throwing to the appropriate bases. A cutoff would be nice too.

The full season mode follows the real MLB schedule. The lineups and rotation are not customizable. There are no player stats, but what was not mentioned anywhere was an online leaderboard for your accumulated team stats for every cpu game you play. I like that the DH is league specific. The outfield walls seem to be replicated nicely to the actual park it is supposed to represent.

I lost my first five, won my last 6. There is no difficulty setting but aside from one game I won 10-0, its been competitive to the end.

All and all I enjoy the game. I think there is a solid foundation for a great alternative franchise. I keep reading people refuting suggestions by saying "but thats not RBI" Maybe so, but I think if you added some simple player stat categories for people who enjoy that, and keep the gameplay style while taking advantage of the rest of the controller for baserunning and fielding, this game would be near perfect right now. Looking forward to future builds!

[econoodle]

I dont know, i like the idea of a double steal of 2nd and home. gives off a weird old 80's sports game vibe.

id hit it for 5 bucks.

[stu_lee]

I am playing on ipad 3 and i suck at hitting. seems like a steep learning curve for hitting but love the game for what it is. seem to get overrun during the last couple of innings even when bringing in new pitchers. Wonder how it compares to consoles - will get the PS4 version when it comes out.

[wolf29]

Probably could have been cheaper like in the range for 14.99 for console version, but other than that I've been enjoying the game. Played a couple of season games last night and it was very competitive. In most sports games I'll look at stats once in a while but it's not a must have for me. I rather just get it, play a good quick game and get out. RBI 14 seems to deliver on that so far. It's definitely more my type of game for my playing style than a full blown simulation.