There have been many sports video games over the years, some good, but mostly bad. This is especially the case when it comes to EA games who in recent years haven’t really put out a lot of quality sports games especially in regards to the recent Madden and the WWE 2K games. Now EA who acquired Metalhead Software back in 2021 who was responsible for making the Super Mega Baseball Series is seeking to bring baseball into their list of sports video games that will either help make them more money or lose more of it. However, while EA did publish the game, they did not develop it and I can safely say that luckily for them this game is actually one of the best sports games in recent years.
There are many game modes within Super Mega Baseball 4 most of which can either be played online or offline with either local or online co-op. There is the Seasons mode which gives the player the experience of playing entire baseball seasons with their chosen team to see if they have what it takes to make it to the championship and Franchise mode which is the same but with several additions to make the mode have more deeper and game changing details. Exhibition which allows the player to jump straight into a single match with any two teams from any of their leagues and a variety of game settings. This game mode supports local and online party play or player vs CPU, it’s also great for practicing the gameplay mechanics. The online game modes are Pennant race which is a game mode that puts the players skills to the test against other cross platform players to see if they have what it takes to rise through global rankings, and Online Leagues which allows the player to play through multiple seasons in either online or private leagues in an online cross platform competition. Finally there is elimination where the player can enter a tournament and knock out their opponent’s to come out on top.
The gameplay can be challenging to understand if you’re a newcomer to the franchise, but after playing a couple of games on the easiest difficulty I got a better understanding of how each gameplay system works. From batting to pitching to even base running and fielding each system works differently than the other, but once mastered and practiced it can become easy to play then what the written instructions make it seem. For the batting controls 1.) the player uses the Left stick to aim the swing towards where the ball is going and what direction the ball goes when swung. 2.) There are three different button swings: the A button is for the contact swing, B is for the bunt swing for the pitches that are thrown lower, and Y is for the Power swings that when held charges up the swing until the button is released. Be sure to time the power swing just right because if the player holds it for too long or too early it will swing before or after the ball is thrown.
When baserunning there are many inputs to keep in mind such as: 1.) The ZL button advance whoever is the lead runner while the L button advances all the runners on the field. 2.) The ZR button is the return trailing which sends all the lead runner back to the bases they ran from and the R button returns all runners to the bases they ran from and cancel the base steals. When wanting to control individual players 3.) Use the left stick to control one of the runners or use either the X,Y,B or A buttons to send out whoever the button highlights.
For the pitching controls: 1.) Use the Left stick to aim the pitch. 2.) The A button is the normal throw while the Y button is the Power Pitch which when held charges up the throw so that it can be thrown faster, but doing this too many times can waste the players stamina. 3.) Before pitching the ball use the Right stick to select which pitch type to use which range from curve balls to fast balls. 4.) Finally there is the defensive pitch which is used when holding the ZR button and pressing either the A,X or Y buttons will throw the ball to either first, second or third base to try and stop early runners.
When fielding 1.) Use the L stick to select which player to go after the ball, when the ball is near a selected player use ZR to dive for the ball or R to jump in the air to catch it if it’s close enough to be caught midair. 2.) Once the ball is caught press either the X,Y,B, or A button to throw the ball to their corresponding base. The player can either tap those buttons or hold them so that they are pitched faster.
Super Mega Baseball 4’s visual style, while not realistic, doesn’t take away from the game’s overall fun mechanics. While its style is a bit cartoonish the quality of the gameplay is more than worth it.
Never since Wii Sports Baseball have I ever found a baseball game as fun as this one. This game after getting used to the controls and unclear tutorials became my favorite baseball video game not just because of its fun gameplay and customization, but also because it is one of the more recent EA Sports games to not actually feature Micro-transactions aside from some DLC stadiums. I highly recommend getting this game for anyone who is a baseball fan or someone wanting to get into these types of games.
Overall Grade: 9 out of 10
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch