Home of the Underdogs
About News FAQs Contact HOTU GoogleGroup Music Manuals
Category Applications Action Adventure Education Interactive Fiction Puzzle Role Playing Games Simulation Special Sport Strategy War




Support the EFF
Welcome How you can help
Browse Games
Welcome Random Pick
Welcome By Company
  Welcome By Theme  
Welcome By Alphabet
Welcome By Year
Welcome Title Search
Welcome Company Search
Welcome Designer Search
Recommended
Welcome Freeware Titles
Welcome Collections
Welcome Discord
Welcome Twitter
Welcome Facebook
Welcome File Format Guide
Welcome Help: Non PC Games
Welcome Help: Win Games
Welcome Help: DOS Games
Welcome Recommended Links
Site History Site History
Legacy Legacy
Link to Us Link to Us
Credits Thanks & Credits
Abandonware Ring

Abandoned Places

dungeoncrawlers.org

Creative Commons License


Game #1615
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Front Page Sports Baseball Pro    View all Top Dogs in this genre
Sport   Baseball

Rating: 8.77 (59 votes)

Front Page Sports Baseball Pro box cover

Front Page Sports Baseball Pro screenshot
The people who brought us FPS: Football Pro, one of the best football games ever made, have done it again with baseball. Unfortunately though, Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro never achieved the same level of accolades and commercial success as its football counterpart, perhaps due to lackluster graphics, an awkward interface, and an inferior action mode to well-known favorites such as the Hardball series.

One of the first things users of Football Pro will notice is the new user interface. The interface is basically reams of drop-down menus that make it difficult to find things. What this interface does allow, however, is a lot of options, since sub-menus can be nested almost infinitely. The amount of options in FPS: Baseball Pro is simply staggering. For example: associations can be defined for as little as 8 teams and as much as 48 teams (even numbered) in as much as three leagues, with three divisions each. The designated hitter rule can be on or off in any league. You can choose how long you want the season to last (Short season, Half season, and Full season). There isn't a need for a separate fantasy draft program for this game, because it is a built in option. There is also a reset teams selection with more control than Football Pro.

One of the best features of the game is the way it handles rosters and statistics. Rosters are divided into four parts: An active roster, an AAA roster, a disabled players list, and a low minors roster. There is an unlimited number of transactions that can be made between the active roster and the AAA roster. The low minors roster is for players drafted in the Amateur Draft. Players can be put into this roster if they are younger than 26 years old and are released and resigned the next week. This system nicely portrays what happens in the real baseball world, and is much more flexible than similar features in other baseball games.

The level of control you have extends to the players as well. Players are rated in numerous categories that will please all fans of baseball stats. Batters have ratings for contact hitting, power hitting, speed, fielding for all nine positions, arm strength, how much of a pull hitter a player is, and how likely a player will hit the ball on the ground or the air. Pitchers have ratings for holding runners, endurance, control, how much of a ground ball or flyball pitcher he is, and seven different pitches. There are also other gameplay options, including injuries, fatigue, the DH rule, and many more. There are twelve ballparks in the game, each depicted quite realistically (The Ballpark at Arlington, The Astrodome, Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Candlestick Park, Comiskey Park, Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Jacobs Field, Royals stadium, Wrigley Field, and Yankee Stadium). And last but not least, the game offers an instant replay option, the innovative Camera Angle Management System (CAMS) that allows you to position the camera anywhere in the ballpark facing whichever direction.

As comprehensive as FPS: Baseball Pro is, there are some downsides that hamper the overall enjoyment. First of all, fans of action-oriented games such as Hardball will find in-game controls awkward and graphics uninspiring. There are also bugs, e.g. frozen mouse, system hangs, and the like. Fortunately, the latest patch fixes most of these niggling issues. The AI sometimes makes some questionable decisions, and some results are downright improbable -- such as the fact that relievers who don't pitch through the 5th Inning can get a win. Despite all these criticisms, though, FPS: Baseball Pro is one of the very best baseball simulations ever made. Anyone looking for furious action on the pitch should look elsewhere, but for armchair manager, this is a must-have.

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Patrick Cook
Developer: Dynamix
Publisher: Sierra On-Line
Year: 1994
Software Copyright: Dynamix
Theme:  
Multiplayer:  
System Requirements: DOS
Where to get it:
Related Links: Game Bytes review
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Tony La Russa Baseball II, Bo Jackson Baseball

© 1998 - 2024 Home of the Underdogs
Portions are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Please read our privacy policy.