All things considered, Super Mega Baseball 2 is, as I said, a very, very good arcade baseball game. It may not have the depth of an official MLB game, or the out-of-nowhere shock that made the first game such a pleasant surprise, but it works, and it’s fun. Compared to its competition this year, that makes for a monumental achievement.
Although not quite on par with an MLB, Super Mega Baseball 2 is a great entry for its price, offer-ing enough simplicity in gameplay to be enjoyable to practically anyone.
Its a modern day arcade baseball. If you remember the days of Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on the SNES, then Super Mega Baseball 2 will bring back some great memories! It has a fun online Pennant system that uses a evolving EGO system to keep things fair for you and your opponent. I've played over 50 online matches and have enjoyed them all!
If you are looking for a realistic baseball sim, this is not it, and nor is it intended to be.
Only thing they could do to improve it would be to grab the MLB license and slap on some MLB players, logos and teams. In fact it would be cool to even see them shoot for a MiLB license to go a long with the fun team names.
Just played my first game last night, and just WOW. This game takes up where the last game left off and is just great fun. Don't let the arcade look throw you off, there is a full baseball simulation under the hood and just plays great. Also with the addition of online play this will have endless replay-ability.
Everyone who is interested in baseball should pick this title up. Even if you are not a baseball fan it is just plain fun.
From the Wii-like characters and its entire eye-popping arcady graphical design to its surprising variety and depth, Super Mega Baseball 2 provides a fun and exciting twist to a sometimes boring and cumbersome sport (sorry baseball fans).
Super Mega Baseball 2 brings out the best in what baseball games have to offer. An over-the-top, fun sports title that focuses on entertaining rather than realism, this is one is definitely worth checking out.
Super Mega Baseball 2 is a deep and fun simulation disguised as an arcade game, with good mechanics and a difficulty system capable of adapting to every kind of gamer.
An accurate physics engine generates realistic hits, and it keeps stats and models fatigue and morale in interesting ways. This realism is betrayed by a few control issues that affect the timing when batting and an AI that doesn’t always behave as you’d expect. However, the unique Ego system allows you to tweak the difficulty of batting and fielding individually until you find the perfect challenge.
If you’re looking for fun arcade baseball action with a bombastic presentation, Super Mega Baseball 2 is a no-brainer. The easily adjustable difficulty makes these a great game to play with kids. While it won’t have any of the big names in baseball, you can still find a lot of fun in the deep customization and easy-to-pick-up controls.
I know nothing about Baseball, I only downloaded it cause it was free on GWG and yet I love this game. It looks and plays superbly and the customisation options within the game add a whole new element of joy to it. I'm totally hooked into this game and now because of it I know the rules of Baseball. This game was free when I got it but take it from me, it's totally worth the paying you pay for this. Endless fun with this one. I doubt I'll play a better Baseball game than this in my life.
Almost perfect. This game excels in delivering a fun experience with a simulation feel to it. It's one of those sports games where an official license from the professional league isn't necessary. The customization options allow the user to create that if they desire.
Pros:
1v1 online ranked play, deep customization, 1-4 party play
price, crossplay, great developers
graphics, user interface, gameplay
Cons: Unable to share files (League, Team, Players)
I will note that you are able to play with your custom team/players against friends, where they will be able to use them as well, only for that matchup. Sharing files to the community to use is the one thing I would like to see in a future update or the third iteration of this game. A game's main objective is to be fun, and this one definitely accomplishes that.
If I were going to take one sports title from 2017 and Q1 of 2018 and use it as a benchmark for others to reach, it would be Super Mega Baseball 2.
Metalhead doesn't just hit a homerun with SMB2, they've hit a walk-off grand slam.
The game is visually beautiful. The color palette pops, the character models are less exaggerated and more realistic, and the stadiums have a more modern look and feel.
The Ego system makes a return after being possibly the best difficulty system in a sports game in the release of Super Mega Baseball. It allows players to scale the difficulty from 1-99, but players can change the difficulty in any aspect of the game. Are you a really good pitcher, but you can't hit? Put the pitching ego at 55, keep the hitting lower at 35. It allows for a unique experience for every player and allows players to challenge themselves without feeling like they're getting beaten down by the CPU.
Let's get to where SMB2 really shines: Customization.
In SMB the customization was there, but it wasn't fully fleshed out. Metalhead doubled down on customization and it paid off. Nearly everything can be customized. Players, teams, uniforms, bats, gloves, windups, batting stances, and even player "attitude" can be customized so no team will be the same.
Not only can you customize players and teams, but you can customize leagues. Want to have a small league and only play 16 games a season? Done. Want to have a 30-team, 162-game season? Done. SMB2 will generate any missing teams, league names, divisions, and conferences to fill the league.
Of course there are a few minor flaws. Fielders struggle at times to pick up baseballs that are relatively close, starting pitchers often go way too deep into games, and all the customization can't be shared with the rest of the SMB2 player base.
However, it is the commitment to the fundamentals that makes SMB2 such a good game. It gets the fundamentals of the sport right. The controls are basic and easy to learn, the ego system allows for a unique experience for each user and allows them to control the challenge they face. The customization adds an entirely new layer to the game that will keep players hooked .
SMB2 is not just another "arcade baseball game." It very well may be the best sports game of the year. Metalhead absolutely crushed it.
My initial reaction to being gifted Super Mega Baseball 2 was probably akin to many XBox Gold members..."Big whoop". From it's unknown indie developer to it's bizarre name and cartoony graphics when judging a book by its cover SMB2 looks ludicrous and ****. I've never been more wrong about a game in my life. In fact if you added a few key things to it; this would be one of the best sports games I've ever played.
This is because despite it's cartoony look (which becomes more charming the more you play) this is a very, very good baseball simulator. The ability to pick up and play is brilliant but it is far from an arcade game and at a decent difficulty level you really have to think about what you're doing or the AI will make light work of you.
The difficulty setting or "Ego" as it is known in SMB2 is absolutely genius. An adjustable setting from 0-99 it allows small incremental changes of difficulty either to the entire process or a specific aspect of the gameplay (hitting, pitching, fielding). As such this game deftly avoids the curse of most every sports game out there; it never ends up being simply too hard or way too easy. As you develop in skill as a player and start smashing home runs you simply nudge the difficulty up some, if it turns out you weren't ready for that you nudge it back down. It's simple but its a game changer in sports gaming and allowed a truly tailored experience for every individual player.
And the gameplay is absolutely brilliant. It captures the moments of sheer thrill that baseball can provide. Being at bat with people on base in the 9th whilst you're trailing is genuinely tense. The same with closing a team out it really gets you invested in each and every game and given how many of them you play that's no small feat. I'm never just mailing it in during a game of SMB. Even when you're behind or ahead big it's always entertaining and absorbing to play. Not to mention that if you deviate from your strategy or get sloppy the CPU will punish you and can get back into a game in short order.
The lack of licencing isn't a concern, in fact the care with which they have created the fictional teams, players and stadiums shines through spectacularly. I've only spent my 20 hours so far playing as the Crocodons but you find that you really get to know your players and get attached to them. The game diligently keeps plenty of statistics and whats more manages to realistically sim the rest of the league so that even with a potentially constantly changing difficulty the rest of the league still remains in parity; you're never leading the league in HRs by any absurd figure for example. But each time is unique and has its own character and whilst there could stand to be more stadiums they capture the idea of every ballpark being different very well.
To criticize the game is difficult because what they have here they do very, very well so the only criticism becomes wanting more of what is already there. I'd like each team to have their own stadium for example there are currently only 8 or 9 which means some teams have the same home ground and after a lot of games you see them too often.
If you were to add a franchise mode into this game; add the ability to sign free agents, trade players and draft players this would, without hyperbole, be one of the best sports games of all time. Added depth with the functionality and accessibility of the game would make for an unparalleled experience and one I would spent absolute days playing.
As such the season modes are quite bare bones but the community would have you believe thats to the games benefits but I disagree. Whilst the simplicity is its charm there is only so far you can take that and I don't think adding depth to the game modes would mean taking anything at all from the gameplay which is by far the games strong point.
So this game is just a few additions from being an all time great sports game. As it stands what is already on offer is very, very good and even more astounding given the size of the studio from which it came. The fact they gave this away for free almost seems unfair to the studio. I would gladly, happily pay money for this game even now. One thing is for certain is that SMB3 will be a pre-order for me the moment they announce it.
This is a colossal success of a sports game, one that eagerly takes up days of your time and rewards you constantly for trying to push the envelope but never punishes you for finding your sweet spot and sticking to it. The game remains engaging and fun constantly. The presentation is charming, the fictional elements are brilliants and the gameplay is genuinely not only one of the best sports games I've ever played but one of the best games I've ever played.
Quite frankly it's scary to think they can still improve on this formula. Metalhead Studios are absolutely one to watch because their next attempt may well be one of the best sports games of all time.
SummaryThe makers of Super Mega Baseball have returned with a brand new, streamlined baseball simulator that’ll keep you coming back for more. Build your dream team and challenge your opponents to a good old-fashioned game of hardball, online and off.