Bases Loaded, known in Japan as Moero!! Pro Yakyuu, is a baseball video game by Jaleco that was originally released in Japan for the arcades. A version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1987 in Japan and in 1988 in North America, and a Game Boyport was released in July of 1990. A mobile phone version exists as well. For the Virtual Console, Bases Loaded was released on September 11, 2007 in Japan and on April 7, 2008 in North America for the Wii, at the cost of 500 Wii Points and on May 15, 2013 in Japan and on July 10, 2014 in North America for Nintendo 3DS. The Wii U version in North America was also released at the same time as the Nintendo 3DS version. A port by Mebius and Clarice Games for the PlayStation 4 has been announced for a Q4 2015 release in Japan. The game is the first installment of the Bases Loaded series, followed by seven sequels across three generations of consoles. There are three more video games in the Bases Loaded NES series, Bases Loaded II: Second Season, Bases Loaded 3 and Bases Loaded 4. There was also a Game Boy version of Bases Loaded. The series continued onto the SNES platform with Super Bases Loaded, Super Bases Loaded 2, and Super Bases Loaded 3. The final entry to the series was , released for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Bases Loaded is also the first in a series of sports games by Jaleco known in Japan as Moero!!. Baseball games were localized in the Western markets as the Bases Loaded series while the basketball game was localized as Hoops, the tennis game as Racket Attack and the soccer game as Goal!. Two titles went unlocalized: a baseball gameShin Moero!! Pro Yakyuu and a judo game Moero!! Juudou Warriors.
Gameplay
The game allows the player to control one of 12 teams in either a single game or a full season. For single games, there is also a two-player option. Bases Loaded featured a television-style depiction of the pitcher-batter matchup, as well as strong play control and a relatively high degree of realism, which made it one of the most popular baseball games of the early NES. One unique feature of the game is that the pitcher can provoke a batter to charge the mound. Each team has only one batter who can be provoked in this manner, however; it is up to the player to discover who it is. At the time Bases Loaded was released, few video games were licensed by North American major league sports. Therefore, the league depicted in Bases Loaded is a fictitious league of twelve teams. They are:
Boston - has above-average starting pitching with Bopper, Fine, and Page; a strong bullpen; and a powerful lineup powered by Freida, Norkus, and Angel
D.C. - carries a great offense led by Doreo, Fendy, and Boro but has below-average starting pitching and an average bullpen with the exception of the practically unhittable Hall. If the controller is used properly, Hall will strike out just about everyone until the 5th or 6th inning.
Hawaii- has a strong hitting lineup led by Brutus, Debro, and Moon; reasonable starting pitching; and an average bullpen
Jersey - boasts the most explosive offense in the game anchored by Paste, Bay, and Ford but has starting and relief pitching that is average at best, unreliable at worst.
Kansas - features a starting rotation led by Patson, who has the fastest fastball in the game and good relief pitching, but an average offense, led by Patty and Baker, that has decent power but low hitting averages
L.A. - features a lineup with decent hitting averages but little power led by Wales and Bacon but has an average starting rotation led by Tucker and mediocre bullpen
Miami- holds the best starting pitching rotation with Henter, West, and Jarvis; average bullpen led by closer Irving; and weak offense led by Warner
N.Y. - has a great starting rotation of Carter, Howe, and Cora; an excellent bullpen led by Errico and Fiore; and a starting lineup led by Star that lacks some home run power but hits solidly throughout
Omaha- has average starting pitching led by Rennor, fair bullpen, and below-average lineup led by Lyonse and Carus
Philly - boasts the best overall pitching staff with the second best starting rotation with Gantos, Car, and Rush; the best bullpen led by Ellis; and a lineup with a solid middle of the order of Evans, Oko, and Rubin but otherwise average offense
Texas - has a high hitting offense anchored by Marcus but a very porous pitching staff
Utah- has one of the best offenses in the game led by Agua and Harlan, featuring a Jekyll and Hyde pitching staff with a strong starting pitching rotation led by Quinta, Lep, and Stava and an inconsistent bullpen led by Bella, one of the best closers in the game, but also features three of the five worst earned run averages.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the umpires' names are given. In the Western version, they are as follows:
PL: Yuk
1B: Dum
2B: Boo
3B: Bum
In the Japanese version, the names shown are the last names of the developers.
Disembodied catcher's mitt
One of the trademark images of the Bases Loaded franchise was the disembodied catcher's mitt, also referred to as the "phantom paw", that would catch pitches that were thrown extremely outside. Developer Heep Sop Choi claims it was programmed to show the catcher making some terrific snatches without any bodily movement.
The game saw three sequels on the NES:, released in 1990, Bases Loaded 3, released in 1991, and Bases Loaded 4, released in 1993. Super Bases Loaded was released for the SNES in 1991, and saw two sequels: Super Bases Loaded 2, released in 1994, and Super Bases Loaded 3, released in 1995. A 32-bit installment was also released:, released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1995.
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Bases Loaded on their September 1, 1989 issue as being the eighth most-successful table arcade unit of the year. Computer Gaming World compared the game unfavorably to Accolade's HardBall!, both focusing primarily on the confrontation of pitcher and batter. The review described Bases Loaded's viewpoint behind the pitcher as making it far too difficult to discern the position of, and subsequently hit, the ball. Other annoyances during gameplay, such as the inability to see where outfielders were before the ball got to them, were contrasted against the game's good graphics and animation.
