Junior’s Game Hits A Video Home Run

Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run Super Nintendo Nintendo/Rare $69.95

In the final inning of the American League wild card playoff game last year, Edgar Martinez came up to bat with men on first and third. He smashed the ball into left field, allowing the man on third to tie.

The man on first, Ken Griffey Jr., ran all the way in to win the game. His effort is the reason why this update of Nintendo’s baseball game was named Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run. The only question is whether the game can stand up to its winning name.

The previous Griffey game had amazing game play, killer graphics and numerous options. Winning Run not only out-does its predecessor, it knocks it out of the stadium.

In terms of graphics, Winning Run utilizes Advanced Computer Modeling to make the players, stadiums and backgrounds realistic and all of the transitions smooth. The batters have natural swings and human traits; even the umpire and catcher do all of their normal motions. The sound is also realistic, with air horns blazing in the background occasionally and fans cheering and yelling.

Players can choose the MLB Challenge, the All Star Game, the World Series or MLB League Play. In the MLB Challenge, players can choose to compete against the computer, another person or in an exhibition game. The challenge is to win a game against all 28 teams in the majors.

The All Star Game can also be played against the computer or another person, and there is still the Homerun Derby, but many changes have been made. Instead of choosing one player and competing against another player or the computer, one player can choose up to eight sluggers. These players can be chosen more than once, so Griffey could be up to bat eight times in a row.

The World Series is the same as before, except that each team has to be from a different league. Also the game makes each player perform at their peak level for the Series.

During league play, there is a possibility of having eight teams play at once. At first, this sounded like a great opportunity, but the first game I played pitted me against another one of my teams, both of which I had to play.

You get the most options in this game in league play. At first, you can play a game in the 26-, 52-, or 162-game season. You can check out league standings, choose MLB update and examine the season schedule for all games played. Also team options are available, where lineups and pitchers can be changed but positions, unlike the last game, can’t be changed. The stats on the next opponent are also available, including their players and stadium.

The best new part of this game is the trading option. It’s based on points only, and if one player is within five points of another player, they can be traded. Points are gained throughout the season by hits per game (no hits or a 1.000 average in a game will gain no points). This simple trading feature makes the game more enjoyable.

With superior graphics and fun game play, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run stands up to its name. Although options like auto fielding have their faults and the pitching isn’t as easily controllable, these difficulties only add to the realism. Winning Run is the winner of video baseball games, and even surpasses some of its 32-bit system counterparts.

It easily earns an A.