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PS2
Jikkyou Major League Baseball
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NCS
Synopsis
«©NCSX»
Konami takes their long-running Jikkyou baseball franchise
from the professional Japanese leagues and plants it in the USA for a taste of
American baseball. All 30 major league clubs from the American and National Leagues
are represented such as the New York Yankees and the
Boston Red Sox. Team data and player stats have been
updated for the 2006 season and Japanese players
such as Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui are with
their teams while newcomers such as Kenji Jojima and
Yusaku Iriki** joined the Seattle Mariners and the
New York Mets respectively for the 2006 season. For
added authenticity, all 30 team stadiums have been
recreated faithfully with their respective ballpark
features.
** Suspended 50 games
in April: Tested positive for a performance enhancing drug.
A plethora of game modes join the standard Season Mode including
Success Mode where a fledgling player aims to make
it to the majors, General Manager Mode which is
exactly like it reads, and a Baseball Card mode
which features animated players who perform
repetitive moves on a virtual baseball card. For
players who are rusty after the long winter, a
practice mode allows for battling at an incessant
string of pitches to hone one's chopping skills.
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NCS Game
Notes
» In the intro to the game cel-shaded big-headed
baseball players swing, slide, and engage in
histrionics on the mound and on the batters box
while the crowd is pumping. None of the players have
legs. They have feet but invisible legs...
» The text in the game is entirely in Japanese but
gamers may opt for English speaking announcers if so
desired for the play-by-play.
» In the normal baseball game mode, one chooses the
teams and then the stadiums which are viewed from
overhead along with each park's dimensions. Before
each game starts, the players take the field and a
Japanese announcer preps everyone for the game about
to be played. When a home run is hit, players will
do a little bit of subtle showboating right before
they touch home plate. The default announcer is
Japanese but one can still hear the English
announcements in the background.
» The game is crisp and well done as usual. The
action is fast and sharp with balls that pop off the
bats. Players may select two different batting
reticules by hitting the R1 or R2 trigger - there's
a bat-outline with targeting marker inside and then
just the targeting marker.
» In the home run derby mode, the pitcher serves up
a total of 10 fat pitches right down the middle of
the plate. Smack them for distance and a Home Run
indicator splashes on the screen when you hit one
out of the park.
» In the batting practice mode, the pitcher fires
off pitch after pitch after pitch. If you want the
AI to help position the batting indicator when a
pitch is thrown to the plate, you can set the
auto-tracking function so that all you have to do is
press the "X" button to attempt to knock one out of
the park. Press the L1 or R1 trigger to toggle from
batting on the right or left side of the plate.
» A General Manager mode puts the player behind the
scenes in handling the operations of a baseball
club. In the first few seconds of starting a GM
game, the protagonist brings a pizza to his new
office before being made manager.
» There's a Baseball Card mode where animated
athletes do their thing inside a virtual baseball
card. Collect 'em all!
» A Story Mode gives players the reins to a baseball
athlete who lives, eats, and breathes baseball from
morning to night. In addition to mundane tasks such
as sleeping, training, and watching a dog take a
whiz during short intermissions, players also seek
the advice of coaches and teammates. There's copious
amounts of conversations to read and a lot of banter
between players and coaches to wade through. If
you're of the type that eschews action and trends
towards verbose interaction, this mode is for you.
» The American and National leagues are made up of
thirty teams and everyone's included; even the
Arizona Diamondbacks, the Washington Nationals, the
Colorado Rockies, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
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This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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