Major League Baseball has
been no stranger to controversy and scandal throughout its long and storied
history, but 2K Sports and Deep Fried Entertainment’s MLB Superstars may be the
most scandalous of all. The first thing you might notice is that MLB Superstars
is not a baseball game. Instead, we get a whopping six mini-games. That’s right,
six. That is the entire game. You get Baseball Bocce, Wall O’ Bricks, Golf,
Mascot Dance, Snack Cannon and Pachinko. All of them are complemented by barely
functional control schemes that basically come down to violently shaking the Wii
Remote and hoping something happens. None of the games have any semblance of
depth, variety or fun.
Snack Cannon, a poignant
insight into how Major League Baseball views its fan base.
Baseball Bocce is simply
bocce on a baseball field, complemented by controls that are probably far
inferior to the very first test version of Wii Sports’ Bowling. In golf you play
golf, except you use a bat. The controls are just as unresponsive and imprecise
here and the courses are very limited. Mascot Dance is a very simple
rhythm-based motion game that repeats the same patterns endlessly. Wall O’
Bricks may be the dumbest of the games, as you simply run back and forth
breaking blocks before your opponents’ wall is filled. Snack Cannon has you
launching snacks into the stands at hungry fans and Pachinko is pinball, but
with a baseball!
Other than the fact that
the games are painful to play, there is a very limited and downright boring
reward system that provides a few bland trophies for each game and some
alternate equipment for your player. And your player is really the only use of
the MLB license in the game. Each person is able to choose from a very limited
selection of pros from each team. Even this is poorly handled, as each player
appears to simply be a different face on top of an identical body. Seeing a
beanpole thin incarnation of Prince Fielder is laughable and depressing at the
same time.
And as you might be able
to tell from that, the visuals are sub par in every way, with stiff animations
and textures that would be poor on last generations’ consoles. The ugly and
rough cartoon art direction doesn’t help matters either. At least the game runs
in widescreen and 480p. The sound doesn’t fare any better, with a very limited
selection of irritating music and sound effects that are about as standard as
they come.
Vlad Guerrero’s putting
statistics were a notable omission from his baseball card.
The game also features
far too frequent loading, especially when you consider the low quality of what
the game is pumping out. Multiplayer doesn’t add any enjoyment either, and I
would advise against it.
MLB Superstars should be
avoided at all costs. The mini-game selection is astoundingly limited, and even
those are nearly unplayable. The game features no saving graces.
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Gameplay: 3.0
The controls are
dreadful and the mini-games are lacking any semblance of fun.
Graphics: 4.0
Poor art
direction compounds the problems of the low quality visuals that feature poor
textures and animation.
Sound: 3.5
The sound effects
are mediocre at best, and the music is downright annoying.
Difficulty: Easy
It’s easy in that
it’s so simple, but it’s difficult in that the controls are unresponsive and
clunky at best.
Concept: 2.0
A horribly
conceived rush job of a game that makes no attempt to provide enjoyment or even
adequately utilize its Major League Baseball license.
Multiplayer: 3.0
More players does not make it any better.
Overall: 3.0
A badly conceived
game that offers no enjoyment.
