How to play RealSports Baseball online
- Pitch: hold X (right button) and press a direction. Up is a fastball, down a change-up, left and right are inside and outside curves, and the diagonals give sliders and slow curves.
- Swing: hold Z (left button) and press up for a high swing, nothing for a normal swing or down for a low swing. The batter swings when you let go of Z.
- Bunt: hold Z with left or right, then release
- Run the bases: the runner you control is highlighted; press up and X to send him to the next base
- Field and throw: the fielder closest to the ball is yours to move with the arrows. To throw, press a direction and Z: right to first, up to second, left to third, down to home.
- One or two players: F2 (Select) or up/down on the options screen
- Start a new game: F3 (Reset)
- Pause: F4
Only the USA (NTSC) release is on the site.
Gameplay
This is standard baseball. Each side bats until three outs are made, and the team with more runs after nine innings wins. Before the game you choose whether you bat first or second. On defence you pick the pitch and then field the ball with whichever player is nearest to it. On offence you choose the height of your swing, or bunt, and then decide how far to push your runners.
Tips
- Time the release, not the press. The swing happens when you let go of the button, so hold it early and release as the ball reaches the plate.
- Find the places where hits land. AtariAge notes that only a few spots on the field produce base hits against the computer, so once you find a swing that works, keep using it.
- Don’t stretch your luck on the bases. Runners are slow, so an extra base is often an easy out.
- Vary your pitches. With eight to choose from, there is no reason to throw the same one twice in a row.
The story behind RealSports Baseball
RealSports Baseball started on the Atari 2600 in 1982 as part of Atari’s RealSports line, and an Atari 5200 version followed in 1983. It was the only RealSports title to appear on the 7800. Sadly, this late version is often named among the weakest games on the console: its graphics and sound are simpler than on the 5200, the play is more limited and it has more bugs, despite the 7800’s stronger hardware. Still, it plays a complete nine-inning game, alone or with a friend.
