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PS2
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 14
- New Import, In Stock |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCS»
Movie sequels generally don't go beyond a certain
number. In recent history, trilogies have been the
norm with notable names such as the Matrix, Lord of
the Rings, and the Pirates of the Caribbean stopping
at film number 3. In the video game market, there's
no real restriction on sequels other than market
apathy where buyers go on strike after a certain
number of the same-old, same-old. This vote of no
confidence hasn't afflicted either Hudson's Momotaro
Dentetsu series or Konami's esteemed Powerful Pro
Baseball series which reaches its fourteenth stride
this week.
What's the first impression that the uninitiated receives when
staring at any Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball game
cover? If you mumbled, "It's a kiddy baseball game,"
you would be correct. This is where NCS schools you
on the majesty of Konami's baseball simulation which
is built on a game engine that has been refined for
fourteen generations. Forget the childish graphics
for a minute and immerse yourself in the actual
gameplay. The controls rely on a cursor targeting
system where every pitch or swing of the bat is
governed by a reticule which pinpoints the area of
impact. The fielding isn't as precise as the
pitching and batting but players in
the infield or outfield can efficiently sidle left
and right to home in on grounders as well as fly
balls that pop upwards momentarily.
Jan Code: 4988602133486
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NCS Game Notes
» In the "Now Loading" screen, a baseball
players runs towards the viewer upon a moving path
of dirt
» In the animated introduction to the game,
a stadium at night appears along with a theme song
and the players inside compete as the crowd
cheers. The logos of all 12 progessional teams are
shown rapidly near the beginning of the game. The
call goes out for a relief pitcher for the Vulcans
and he prepares to pitch when sequences of other
baseball games cut into the screen. After a
blazing set of baseball action snippets, the
camera goes back to the pitcher and he throws a
pitch right before the title screen pops up.
» Leave the title screen alone and a
demonstration baseball game loads up between two
teams. The action will go on for four batters and
then boot back to the title screen.
» Press START and the following
options pop up:
TAISEN / Choose the teams, the stadium, and
play ball - no season commitment required
SUCCESS / Create a new character and live
the life of a baseball rookie on his way to the
top
HOME RUN / Select a team, a batter, and
then a stadium and try to hit homers on 10 pitches
YAKYU KYO SHISTU / Tutorial which uses
in-game video captures to teach the ways of Pro
Yakyu action
ARRANGE / Set up a schedule of games
against various teams and the line-ups for each
game as you see fit
DATA AREKORE / View and arrange saved data
across 12 different categories.
PENNANT / Choose a team and start the year
on March 25 where you play an entire season's
worth of games
MY LIFE / Professional Baseball Life
Simulation where you start a career as a rookie on
a pro team
PAWA PURO TSUSHIN / Online Powerful Pro
game mode - must have a BBA connected to the PS2
to go online
OUENKYOKU / Create your own cheer song.
Once created, press the START button to listen to
the composition
SOUND / Set STEREO, DOLBY PRO LOGIC II,
Adjust sound volumes for BGM, the crowd,
announcer, umpires, etc
» In the TUTORIAL, the first
exercise is a 10-swing batting challenge where any
hit onto the field is marked with an "O" and adds
to your percentage score. If you hit a foul ball
or swing at air, you'll get an X which means miss.
Similar to previous Pro Yakyu tutorials, the
manager wears shades indoors and is helped by a
little dog will pulls down the shade for the
projector. The second exercise requires that you
take 10 pitches but you must change the hitting
cursor to the reticule instead of the bat outline.
Later tutorials test fielding, throwing, and other
baseball skills.
» The pitcher in the HOME RUN mode
throws the balls right down the middle so as long
as your timing is right, you can hit 10 homers on
all 10 pitches.
» At the outset of the SUCCESS mode,
you'll create a baseball card for your new
character and choose a portrait from four
available player models. Other than the different
shades of skin color, the four players are
identical. The SUCCESS mode is an interactive
adventure where you level up your character.
There's no actual baseball action within its
confines.
» During a baseball game, the Japanese
announcer gives the play by play in concise and
rapid-fire fashion.
» Before each game, you can throw three
practice pitches before the opposing batter steps
to the plate. Throwing pitches that are high and
inside will normally result in infield grounders
that are easy to field. A red outline designates
the strike area when you're pitching so any pitch
within that outline counts as a strike.
» The cel-shaded graphics of JPP14 are
vibrant and the animation is fluid. The crowd
graphics hearken back to the days of 8-bit
however.
» When you throw out a runner at first, you
can see his head tilt back in a dejected fashion
as he crosses the plate.
» Advertisers on the scoreboard and around
the stadium include Coca Cola, Mizuno, Sunstar,
Panasonic, Kirin, Sammy, Asahi, Amano, and more.
» To change the batting cursor from bat
outline to reticule, press either the R1 or R2
trigger
» When a pitcher is tired, he can be seen
swiping his glove across his brow to clear out the
sweat. If he's kept in the game, he can be seen
heaving with his shoulders noticeably rising up
and down. A pained expression may also be
witnessed on his face.
» Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 14 is
another enjoyable baseball game that plays well
and offers a solid bevy of game modes. Don't let
the kiddy graphics fool you. The game has
substantial depth and there's a reason why its
been around for 14 incarnations.
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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2007. 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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