Baseball Advance

The batter sets, the power bar rises, the cursor turns orange to indicate the target is locked on, and then there is the swing. A tower fly ball heads out toward the left field stands at Safeco Field, and all the outfielder can do is watch helplessly and it parks itself in a seat.

Baseball Advance, a Game Boy Advance release from THQ, Smilebit and Sega, is a nice little baseball game, featuring solid interplay between pitcher and batter, some terrific graphical elements and enjoyable action.

That it occasionally diverts from realistic baseball game play is minor. Once players figure out what they can, or cannot, get away with, the game settles down into familiar territory. For instance, there are far too many infield singles allowed in this game. A slow roller to short usually does not result in an easy single. In Baseball Advance, the pitcher seems to not move defensively unless it is an infield fly ball. And with a runner on first, a single through the infield to a gap in the outfield may, on occasion, result in the base runner being thrown out at second.

That aside, the game does feature easy controls, a nice variety of game features, and some of the better graphical elements seen in this format.

The game features include all 30 Major League Baseball teams and players, four fields to play on (Safeco Field, Wrigley, Fenway and Pacific Bell Park), and four ways to play the game (exhibition, season, playoff and all-star game).

The area of contact for a batter is based on career stats. The more likely a batter is to be a contact hitter, the bigger the contact area. Don’t count on many pitchers have big contact areas.

Where the game gets a little tricky is in the mode of swinging a bat. The strike zone is shown, as is the contact area. As the pitcher winds up, game players can depress the A button. That puts the batter into a ready-to-swing stance, and activates the power bar. Releasing the A button swings the bat. This is all a timing matter. You have to watch the pitch, check the power bar out of the corner of your eye, and if the batter’s contact area is small, use the D-pad to reposition the contact area display. Once you get into a timed rhythm, it becomes easier than it sounds.

Other controls are not as complex. The D-pad selects the pitch your hurler will deliver, and you initiate the pitch with the A button. Moving the D-pad during the wind-up positions where the ball will go. The D-pad also controls fielders and, when used in conjunction with the A button, what base they will throw to. The L and R buttons, which can also be used with the D-pad, control baserunning.

The game sound is merely average, or slightly below. While each game begins with the National Anthem, and the announcer calling “play ball” (as well as a few narrative calls during the game), the sounds of the bat striking the ball don’t sound very realistic.

The fielding elements of the game are rendered like a lot of similar games. The angle is high above, there is a cursor around the fielder and where the ball is going, and the detail is not great. It does, however, do a thoroughly adequate job of depicting the game.

Graphically, the batting display is very good. Though batters don’t have individualistic characteristics, the game has excellent animation. If you look very hard, you will see some pixelization around the edges, but nothing that is too distracting.

The game play is very smooth, stats are kept, and the game saves are not encoded and are automatic in season play. You can cruise through a nine-inning game in about 20 minutes (depending on how the teams are hitting, or not hitting).

Baseball Advance may have a few minor flaws, but it is a fun day at the ballpark. The play is solid, the graphics are good to excellent and program is delivered with an obvious appreciation for the sport.

This program is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7.8
There are some flaws in the realism of the game, but overall, this plays smoothly from the opening pitch to the final out.

Graphics: 8.2
The batting graphics are excellent, and the fielding graphics are typical of the genre. The animation is solid.

Sound: 6.8
The effects don’t sound quite right, and the game is merely average in terms of announcing and the anthem.

Difficulty: 6
The game does have several difficulty levels, and you can decide (for the rookies) to let the game’s AI handle base running or fielding. With the exception of batting (which is slightly more complicated), the controls are kept simple.

Concept: 7
The game has a nice little options package. Using MLB players, having the ability to change lineups are always appreciated.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 7.8
Baseball Advance is a solid baseball game. It has all the elements to recommend it, and where it does stumble, those portions are easily ignored. This game is not only appropriate for rookies and veteran players alike, but will give each an enjoyable day at the park.