Review: Super Mega Baseball 3
Hey everyone. It's been a minute since I've done any gaming coverage - I've been busy over at the WWE section (check that out, as well!) as of late. However, thanks to quarantine, I've also had time to play a bunch of video games lately. So, let's take a look at one of those now - Super Mega Baseball 3.
Put me in coach, I'm ready to play
I am not going to sugarcoat it. I love these games. In fact, I think Super Mega Baseball 3 might just now be my new favorite baseball game of all time. Sorry, Super Mega Baseball 2. You had a good run.
What the heck is Super Mega Baseball?
Glad you asked.
The original Super Mega Baseball was originally released for both the PlayStation 3 and 4 in December of 2014, with an edition for the Xbox One coming not long thereafter. Rather than a license from a professional baseball league, the game features a roster of original teams and an astonishing number of original players. It was followed by, you guessed it, Super Mega Baseball 2 in 2018 and then, well... here we are.
The series is as basic or as complex as you want it to be. Literally. The difficulty setting - called "Ego" here - is on a scale of 1 to 99, with 99 being the most challenging. You can also adjust this setting at any point in any game. Everything you perform in the game - from pitches to fielding to hitting - is easy to perform once you get used to it. And, that won't take long. It's not that the controls are complicated - far from it - but a lot of them are a bit different than what you may be used to if you've played other baseball titles before.
Got a beat up glove and... a brand new pair of shoes
So, Super Mega Baseball 3 is a true sequel in just about every sense of the word. First, the players from the first two games have been carried over to this one - and they're not all necessarily on their same teams. Like in real baseball, some get traded or become free agents. There's also a wide selection of new players, too. There's new teams, as well - expansion draft!
It's not just the same game with a bunch of players moved around, however. The video above will tell you everything that's been added (or will be coming soon) since the last title, but most prominent is the new Franchise Mode.
Pick a team - or create one - and take it through three seasons in an attempt to create a baseball dynasty. While there's no trades in the game, ambitious would-be GMs can release players and sign free agents as their budgets will allow. Or, you can spend money and use it to train and develop the players you already have.
I spent some time with the Mudville Nine
If online play is your thing, SMBB3 has it - although, again, it's a little different than what you might be used to. You can jump in and play a game with anyone on your friends list, no problem. In fact, it's highly encouraged. Folks looking for a new challenge, however, will want to head to the Pennant Race mode. It's there that your selected team will be entered into a small, limited-time league with other players.
Look at me, I can be center field
The real beauty of the Super Mega Baseball games - and especially this new one - is how it manages to offer such a high level of customization without getting overwhelming. Not only can you create new players, teams, even entire leagues - but you can also edit existing players, as well. Let's be fair - some of these guys have some pretty dumb names. Thankfully, you can change them.
You can easily change team names, uniforms, even logos - there's a limited selection of what you can use to do that, but it's not that limited. You don't have to be an artist or anything like that. And, if you want to make your team the New York Yankees? Well, I mean, I can't exactly stop you, now can I?
Look, do you like baseball? Do you like customizing things without the process being too difficult? I imagine the answer to at least one of those is "yes" or else you'd be reading something else right now. Which means you should probably go ahead and give this one a try. It's on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and Steam.