On Halloween, 2008 an estimated 1-3 million people descended on downtown Philadelphia leaving office blocks, schools and shopping malls eerily empty. What brought all these people together, from so many different walks of life wasn’t a common political goal or a nationalistic rally, instead it was baseball.
This gargantuan crowd of proud Phillies fans had taken to the streets to witness the 2008 Phillies World Series Parade, demonstrating the unique and fervent relationship that America has with its beloved sport baseball.
Whether it’s cheering on your team in the stands, combing through fantasy baseball statistics tables or obsessively checking the MLB odds ahead of the start of the season us baseball fans really cannot get enough of the game.
With the start of the regular season still some way off, we’ve put together a list of 5 of the best baseball games to tide you over until the resumption of the action.
MLB The Show 22
Widely considered to be the best baseball video game on the market, MLB The Show is an annual release by San Diego Studio. The latest instalment of the game featuring Shohei Ohtani as the cover star was a hit with reviewers and gamers alike.
Players can take control of their favourite MLB team, guiding them through the regular season and hopefully on to the World Series. The most immersive game mode however is the career mode that sees your character start out from the bottom with the draft and fight your way to super stardom.
(Enjoy MLB The Show 22 for the next couple of months before the launch of 23.)
Home Run Derby
Virtual Reality, once considered a thing of science fiction is finally started to take off in a commercial success after years of being referred to as ‘the next big thing’. One of the most fun to play and immersive games available on Oculus Quest is MLB Home Run Derby VR.
For just $10, you can buy this game and rack up the points and home runs in timed trials, go head to head with other players in multiplayer mode and enjoy all 30 ballparks in high fidelity. Just remember to be aware of your surroundings and not destroy your TV in the pursuit of a big hit!
Out of the Park Baseball 23
Now in its 23rd incarnation, the OOTP series is still going strong and is the best game on the market for simulation lovers. Fully licensed by MLB and MLBPA, OOTP offers you the chance to put all of your baseball knowledge to the test.
As manager, you can go as detailed or as basic as you want in your quest to guide your team to the game’s biggest prize. Set your team’s line-up, get involved in player acquisition strategies, call the shots from the dugout and oversee all of your team’s training both collectively and individually.
If you’d happily refer to yourself as a baseball nerd, this game is right up your street!
(Baseball’s most detailed and immersive simulation game.)
Super Mega Baseball 3
From the detailed, immersive and incredibly statistic driven world of OOTP to the cartoonish, garish and incredibly fun Super Mega Baseball. In its design and appearance, SMB comes across as a fun and laid back arcade style game.
In its mechanics and gameplay though, it is an incredibly realistic baseball simulation that will get you as close to the real thing as possible. Play against your friends, challenge others online or guide your franchise to ultimate glory.
Whatever you do when you play SMB, you’ll be sure to have a heap of fun along the way.
RBI Baseball 21
The Run Batted In (RBI) baseball series was first launched in 1987 and is beloved by baseball fans all over the world. The last release of the game came in 2021 before the series was cancelled, making it not only a great game to play but a collector’s item too!
The most basic of the games on the list in terms of graphics, but perhaps the most advanced in terms of gameplay and addictiveness. It’s simple and easy to learn controls make it the ideal game for casual players.
The latest release has a great franchise mode to enjoy and an online multiplayer mode where you can test yourself against the best.
related posts :
