Overview and Gameplay
Rabbit umpires, exaggerated close-play animations, and fictional city teams give Bad News Baseball a comic look, but its baseball systems are unusually detailed for an NES sports game. Choose one of 12 teams, adjust the batting order and defensive positions, select pitchers, and defeat the other 11 clubs. Campaign progress is saved with 16-character passwords.
Players have fixed ratings for batting, power, speed, fielding, throwing, stamina, pitch movement, and forkball ability. Games use a 10-run mercy rule, and ties are recorded after 12 innings. All-Star mode lets you build a custom roster for a three-game series.
Controls And Mechanics
- Batting: Move in the batter’s box, swing, or tap and release the swing for a bunt.
- Pitching: Throw slow, normal, or fast pitches, add curve after release, and combine inputs for change-ups or forkballs.
- Fielding: Move the active fielder, choose a base for throws, dive, leap, and attempt pickoffs.
- Multiplayer: Two players compete simultaneously in versus games and custom All-Star series.
Version Notes
The USA release localizes the Japanese Famicom title Gekitou!! Stadium with revised team colors, a darker stadium background, and a different staff roll. A hidden girls-team mode is documented in the American manual.
Release And Credits
- Released: 1990
- Developer: Tecmo Ltd.
- Publisher: Tecmo, Inc.
- Original platform: Famicom and NES hardware family
