Commodore Format
1st June 1993
Publisher: Alternative
Machine: Commodore 64/128
Published in Commodore Format #33
When a baseball game comes into the office Clur's the first to get her mitts on it. This time we let her keep it (on condition that she reviewed the other three games in the pack too...)
Championship Baseball
I love baseball, Dave's got a dirty great bruise on his left shin where I whacked him with the ball when we were played it in the park the other evening. And that was just a soft ball -imagine what you could do with a real, hard ball.
For those who've been living under a conch for the past decade or three, baseball is one of those all-American export sports that the British don't seem to be very good at [Like American football - Ed]. It's a lot like playing a game of rounders but with bigger bats, harder balls and a team of burly men instead of young lasses in gym skirts and those really big blue knickers (you know, the ones that your mum always made you wear on PE days at school when you'd much rather be showing a glimpse of black lace to the lads in the sixth form) [Speak for yourself! - Ed].
Graphically it's basic but works well enough. The game is played on a horizontally-split screen, so you've got the advantage of seeing both the entire field and a close-up of the striking area simultaneously.
Everything is joystick controlled: pitching (which, for the uninitiated, means throwing the ball), batting and fielding. Getting used to the batting system is a bit of a struggle at first but once you get used to it you'll be whacking home runs 'til the cows run home - or giving it your best shot, at least.
Judo Uchi Mata
Ooohhh, how exciting. This one's introduced by the one, the only, the infamously famous Brian Jacks (who he? - most of the population of the western hemisphere).
Actually, to tell the truth, the game itself ain't half bad (but the instructions are).
The players obey your commands, communicated through sequences of joystick movements, although they do seem to hover two inches off the ground (quite disconcerting at times). Some of the Judo movements are mapped out in the instructions, but some aren't (hey, what a great concept - not telling you how to play the game) so insane waggling can work well at times. One niggly thing is that a player can go out of view if he's forced further than the edge of the screen by his opponent. So you're left guessing whether your frantic joystick twirling is doing any good.
You work your way slowly through the various grades, facing increasingly tough opponents and adding new belts to your colourful collection. It's one of those, good-at-what-it-does-type games, okay if you like that sort of thing.
If not, then after a couple of bouts it all gets a bit repetitive and (dare I say it?) you couldn't really give a dan [I really wish you hadn't said that! - Ed].
Championship Basketball
Championship Basketball is rather odd, simply for the fact that ts a two-on-two game. There have been a few sims around that use the full team, a couple that I've seen have had one-on-one matches, but a basketball sim with only two players on each team - now that's what I call "a bit weird".
It's a game of ball skill, tactical excellence, team work and, at times, sheer luck. At the beginning of each game, you're given a set of tactical plans from which to choose, depending on whether you're attacking or defending. Then, when you start playing, you control one member of your team while the other reacts according to the tactic you've chosen. Scoring is a matter of releasing the Fire button at just the right moment.
In two-player mode you have an expanse of options (some obviously left over from Grid Iron). You can play on opposing teams, amalgamate your talents on the same team or play one of two rather odd sub games. Despite the eye-straining tiny sprites, it's a decent enough effort.
Grid Iron 2
American Football, too! Two of my favourite sports in one pack! Unfortunately, I got excited just a bit too soon. This isn't just one of the most hopeless sports games I've ever seen, it's one of the most hopeless games I've ever seen, period. It's a management sim with a twist - it's got no options. Well, there are a couple, but they have about as much effect on the game as deciding what colour shirts to play in. No fancy training sessions, no diary, no phone, just a list of quezzies and a load of cigars running about on a pitch.
Verdict
Championship Baseball 80%
A great-looking game with a weird control system... but worth the effort.
Grid Iron 2 10%
Possibly, maybe, almost certainly... okay, it is one of the worst games ever.
Championship Basketball 58%
Er, well, it's not bad. Not good either. You certainly wouldn't buy it on its own.
Judo Uchi Mata 68%
My brother used to do judo. He was rubbish (I could beat him up). This isn't.
Overall 68%
