''Bases Loaded'', known in Japan as , is a baseball video game by
Jaleco
was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renam ...
that was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
in Japan and in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and a Game Boy
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
was released in July of
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. A mobile phone version exists as well. For the
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
, ''Bases Loaded'' was released on September 11, 2007 in Japan and on April 7, 2008 in North America for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
, at the cost of 500
Wii Points
The Wii Shop Channel is a former digital distribution service for the Wii video game console. The service allowed users to purchase and play additional software for the Wii (called Channels), including exclusive games (branded WiiWare), and game ...
and on May 15, 2013 in Japan and on July 10, 2014 in North America for
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
. The
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
version in North America (which later released in Japan on October 22, 2014) was also released at the same time as the Nintendo 3DS version. A port by Mebius and Clarice Games for the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
was released in Japan in 2015.
The game is the first installment of the Bases Loaded series, followed by seven sequels across three generations of consoles. There are three more
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s in the ''Bases Loaded'' NES series, ''
Bases Loaded II: Second Season'', ''
Bases Loaded 3'' and ''
Bases Loaded 4
''Bases Loaded 4'', known in Japan as , is the fourth installment for the ''Bases Loaded (video game), Bases Loaded'' series for the Nintendo Entertainment System, NES.
Summary
This video game was released in November 1991 in Japan and April 199 ...
''. There was also a Game Boy version of ''Bases Loaded''. The series continued onto the
SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
platform with ''
Super Bases Loaded'', ''
Super Bases Loaded 2'', and ''
Super Bases Loaded 3''. The final entry to the series was ''
Bases Loaded '96: Double Header'', released for the
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
and
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
.
''Bases Loaded'' is also the first in a series of sports games by Jaleco known in Japan as ''Moero!!''. Baseball games were localized in the Western markets as the ''Bases Loaded'' series while the basketball game was localized as ''
Hoops
Hoop or Hoops may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* Hoops (TV series), ''Hoops'' (TV series), an American animated series
Music
* Hoops (band), an American indie pop band
* Hoops (album), ''Hoops'' (album), a 2015 albu ...
'', the tennis game as ''
Racket Attack'' and the soccer game as ''
Goal!''. Two titles went unlocalized: a baseball game ''
Shin Moero!! Pro Yakyū'' and a judo game ''
Moero!! Juudou Warriors''.
Gameplay
The game allows the player to control one of 12 teams in either a single game or a full season. For single games, there is also a two-player option.
''Bases Loaded'' featured a
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
-style depiction of the pitcher-batter matchup (previously seen in ''
Intellivision World Series Baseball
''Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball'' is a baseball video game (1983) designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower, and published by Mattel for the Intellivision Entertainment Computer System. ''IWSB'' was one of the first sports ...
'' and
Accolade
The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
's ''
HardBall!
''HardBall!'' is a baseball video game published by Accolade. Initially released for the Commodore 64 in 1985, it was ported to other computers over the next several years. A Sega Genesis cartridge was published in 1991. ''HardBall!'' was follow ...
''), as well as strong play control and a relatively high degree of realism, which made it one of the most popular baseball games of the early NES.
One unique feature of the game is that the
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
can provoke a batter to
charge the mound. Each team has only one batter (usually the team's best hitter) who can be provoked in this manner, however; it is up to the player to discover who it is.
At the time ''Bases Loaded'' was released, few video games were licensed by
North American major league sports. Therefore, the league depicted in ''Bases Loaded'' is a fictitious league of twelve teams. They are:
*
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
- has above-average starting pitching with Bopper, Fine, and Page; a strong bullpen; and a powerful lineup powered by Freida, Norkus, and Angel
*
D.C. - carries a great offense led by Doreo, Fendy, and Boro but has below-average starting pitching and an average bullpen with the exception of the practically unhittable Hall. If the controller is used properly, Hall will strike out just about everyone until the 5th or 6th inning.
*
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
- has a strong hitting lineup led by Brutus, Debro, and Moon; reasonable starting pitching; and an average bullpen
*
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
- boasts the most explosive offense in the game anchored by Paste (best hitter in the game with a .467 average and 60 home runs), Bay, and Ford but has starting and relief pitching that is average at best, unreliable at worst.
*
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
- features a starting rotation led by Patson, who has the fastest fastball in the game (102 mph) and good relief pitching, but an average offense, led by Patty and Baker, that has decent power but low hitting averages
*
L.A.
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
- features a lineup with decent hitting averages but little power led by Wales and Bacon but has an average starting rotation led by Tucker and mediocre bullpen
*
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
- holds the best starting pitching rotation with Henter (best pitcher in the game with a 1.85 earned run average), West, and Jarvis; average bullpen led by closer Irving; and weak offense led by Warner
*
N.Y. - has a great starting rotation of Carter, Howe, and Cora; an excellent bullpen led by Errico and Fiore; and a starting lineup led by Star that lacks some home run power but hits solidly throughout
*
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
- has average starting pitching led by Rennor, fair bullpen, and below-average lineup led by Lyonse and Carus; Once you get past the third inning, Rennor can be unhittable
*
Philly
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
- boasts the best overall pitching staff with the second best starting rotation with Gantos, Car, and Rush; the best bullpen led by Ellis; and a lineup with a solid middle of the order of Evans, Oko, and Rubin but otherwise average offense
*
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
- has a high hitting offense anchored by Marcus but a very porous pitching staff
*
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
- has one of the best offenses in the game led by Agua and Harlan, featuring a
Jekyll and Hyde
''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
pitching staff with a strong starting pitching rotation led by Quinta, Lep, and Stava and an inconsistent bullpen led by Bella, one of the best closers in the game, but also features three of the five worst earned run averages.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the umpires' names are given. In the Western version, they are as follows:
*PL: Yuk
*1B: Dum
*2B: Boo
*3B: Bum
In the Japanese version, the names shown are the last names of the developers.
Disembodied catcher's mitt
One of the trademark images of the Bases Loaded franchise was the disembodied catcher's mitt, also referred to as the "phantom paw", that would catch pitches that were thrown extremely outside. Developer Heep Sop Choi claims it was programmed to show the catcher making some terrific snatches without any bodily movement.
Release
A defective chip was found during manufacturing, delaying the Nintendo Entertainment System version's North American release.
A port for the
Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it competed with the 16-bit Sega Genesis, the Super NES and the ...
was planned to be developed by Jaleco, after being signed by
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warn ...
to be a
third-party developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
for the system, but it was never released.
Sequels
The game saw three sequels on the NES: ''
Bases Loaded II: Second Season'' (released in 1988 in Japan and 1990 in North America), ''
Bases Loaded 3'', released in 1991, and ''
Bases Loaded 4
''Bases Loaded 4'', known in Japan as , is the fourth installment for the ''Bases Loaded (video game), Bases Loaded'' series for the Nintendo Entertainment System, NES.
Summary
This video game was released in November 1991 in Japan and April 199 ...
'', released in 1993. The game also had two arcade sequels: ''Moero!! Pro Yakyū Homerun'', released in 1988, and ''Jitsuryoku!! Pro Yakyū'', released in 1989. Japanese game magazine ''Game Machine'' listed ''Jitsuryoku!! Pro Yakyū'' on their September 1, 1989 issue as being the eighth most-successful table arcade unit of the month; the magazine has listed it in English as ''Bases Loaded''.
''
Super Bases Loaded'' was released for the SNES in 1991, and saw two sequels: ''
Super Bases Loaded 2'', released in 1994, and ''
Super Bases Loaded 3'', released in 1995. A 32-bit installment was also released: ''
Bases Loaded '96: Double Header'', released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1995.
Reception
''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' compared the game unfavorably to Accolade's ''
HardBall!
''HardBall!'' is a baseball video game published by Accolade. Initially released for the Commodore 64 in 1985, it was ported to other computers over the next several years. A Sega Genesis cartridge was published in 1991. ''HardBall!'' was follow ...
'', both focusing primarily on the confrontation of pitcher and batter. The review described ''Bases Loadeds viewpoint behind the pitcher as making it far too difficult to discern the position of, and subsequently hit, the ball. Other annoyances during gameplay, such as the inability to see where outfielders were before the ball got to them, were contrasted against the game's good graphics and animation.
References
External links
''Bases Loaded''at
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...
''Bases Loaded''at
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time'' mag ...
''Bases Loaded''at
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bases Loaded (Video Game)
1987 video games
Baseball video games
Bases Loaded video games
Cancelled Atari Jaguar games
City Connection franchises
Game Boy games
Jaleco games
Mobile games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Tose (company) games
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games for Wii U
Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS