MLB The Show 21was released in April 2021 and expanded its borders by releasing on Xbox consoles for the first time in the franchise’s history. Moreover, the game was instantly included as part of Microsoft’s Game Pass service, which helped give the game a huge increase in player-base. It is believed that the game’s inclusion on Game Pass is an attempt by MLB to gain further interest in their league, particularly in Europe, where the sport isn’t prevalent.
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The wave of new players experiencing anMLB The Showgame for the first time will undoubtedly spark an increase in attention for other baseball video games. For anyone who is looking for some of the best baseball games to play outside of theMLB The Showseries, here are ten great options.
10Wii Sports
Wii Sportsmay seem like an odd choice for this list, provided that it’s just a collection of mini-games, though it’s hard to deny that itssimple yet addictive gameplay can be a great introduction to the sport of baseball.
Nintendo’sWii Sportshas a case for being one the most important launch titles of all time. Although its individual quality doesn’t match up toSuper Mario WorldorHalo: Combat Evolved, the game instantly proved the Wii’s motion controls weren’t just a gimmick and would be a hugehit with gaming’s causal audience.
9The Bigs 2
From one game that doesn’t take baseball too seriously to another,The Bigs 2follows its predecessor’s lead by offering over-the-top action that has a clear goal in delivering fun over realism.
Blue Castle Games’The Bigs 2is presented as a realistic sports title at first, though the gameplay mechanics will soon start throwing a few curveballs. Along with unique catching mechanics to keep players on their toes, the game offers a new “Big Slam” mechanic where four batters will step up consecutively with the chance of making huge plays if players can make any contact with the ball.
8Bases Loaded
Retro sportsgameBases Loadedwas originally released in arcades back in 1987, before coming to the Nintendo Entertainment System shortly after. Despite releasing on limited hardware,Bases Loadedwas showered with praise for its realism upon release, particularly with its camera angles that were reminiscent of a television broadcast.
The game was published by Jaleco, who released many other sporting titles in the late ’80s, includingHoops, Goal!,andRacket Attack.
7MLB SlugFest 2004
MLB SlugFest 2004was released in 2003 by Midway Games, the same company that provided players with theNFL Blitzseries. The latter is known for highlighting some of the NFL’s dark sides, such as brutal injuries and drug usage.
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SlugFest 2004takes a similar approach, implementing violent themes into the game. Consequently, the game is far from being the most immersive on the market, and the gameplay mechanics aren’t the strongest. However,SlugFest 2004earns a spot purely for the nonsensical fun that it provides.
6Backyard Baseball
One of the great things about baseball is that people can play it almost anywhere, provided they have a bat, a ball, a bit of space, and an escape plan in case the ball goes through someone’s window. As the name suggests, theBackyard Baseballseries encapsulates this by letting players relive the childhood joys of playing in the backyard with friends.
Along with its unique character designs,Backyard Baseballis remembered forPablo Sanchez, who is still considered to be one of themost overpowered video game characters in history.
5Baseball Stars
Much like the aforementionedBases Loaded, Baseball Starsis a retro sports game from the late ’80s that is still thoroughly enjoyable to play today. Another similarity toBases Loadedis thatBaseball Starshit arcades shortly before releasing on the NES. The game’s initial release was significant, as it was the first two-player baseball game ever released in arcades.
To ensure thatBaseball Starskept its reputation for innovation going, itreleased on the NES with battery backup, becoming the first sports game to do so on the console.
4The Out of the Park Baseball Series
TheOut of the Park Baseballseries is similar to theFootball Managerseries in the sense that it lets gamers immersive themselves in the world of sports from amanagement perspective, rather than letting them control players in-game like most sporting titles.
Like with many yearly sports releases, it isn’t easy to pinpoint oneOOTPBaseballgame to play, as many of them offer a very similar experience. When judging the games by their reception from critics,Out of the Park Baseball 2007isthe best option, as the game received a whoppingMetascore of 96.
3All-Star Baseball ‘99
All-Star Baseball ‘99was released in 1998 on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy. Although the Game Boy release provided a decent handheld experience, it’s the N64 iteration that makes this list.
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Developed by Iguana Entertainment, the N64 versionimpressed fans and critics with its graphics and visuals, which looked incredible for the time and set a high standard for all sports games to follow. Granted, the visuals are unspectacular today, though the well-designed gameplay mechanics still hold up.
2R.B.I. Baseball
R.B.I. Baseballis one of the oldest baseball games, with an initial release date of September 1987. The game immediately stood out from the competition, as it was the first baseball title released on home consoles that was licensed to use real player names from the Major League Baseball Players Association.
TheR.B.I. Baseballfranchise’s initial run lasted until 1995, with eight games releasing in total up until that point. Then, in 2014, the series was rebooted to compete with theMLB The Showfranchise, though the series is struggling to reach the same level of commercial success.
1MVP Baseball 2005
Electronic Arts may be one of the most controversial names on the sports side of the gaming industry, but it’s hard to deny that they’ve released some of thebest sports games of all time. One such game isMVP Baseball 2005, which is considered by many to be the sport’s greatest gaming release. Among the game’s many fantastic features is its wide range of gameplay modes, such as Dynasty Mode, Owner Mode, and Scenario Editor.
The critical and commercial success thatMVP Baseball 2005receivedopened the door for numerous sequels. However, EA lost licensing for the MLB after the game’s release, making it the last entry in the series.
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