Super Baseball 2020

Super Baseball 2020 is a futuristic baseball game released initially on Arcade and Neo Geo platforms in 1991. It was then ported to Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES in 1993. The game was released in Japan by SNK Corporation. The Genesis version was developed by Pallas and released in 1993 by Electronic Arts.

In this futuristic take on baseball, some of the characters in the game are robots, and all human characters are equipped with powerful armor, computer sensors, and jet-packs for improved offense and defense. The game has two all-women teams, which are incorporated seamlessly into the game. This is a nice touch and adds to the diversity of the game.

Super Baseball 2020 is futuristic but not wholly different from the actual game. In other words, it's not Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe. In general, the game follows the basic rules of baseball but with added sci-fi/futuristic twists. The game drastically shrinks the width of where a home run can land. Instead of foul-line to foul-line home runs, the player must hit the ball in a specific zone beyond centerfield. This makes the game challenging and puts a ton of emphasis on perfect swing timing.

A hard transparent roof over the fans protects them from dangerous situations. If a “foul” ball lands in the stands further down the line than the dugout, it is a live and fair ball. This concept was ahead of its time and is reminiscent of the back netting in the Arena Football League.

While the change to the width of the home run area can be frustrating at times, it ultimately makes the game more challenging. Computer AI is smart enough to make things very interesting.

The game has a diagonal-down perspective and a 2D scrolling visual. Animations are perfect, and sounds contribute to creating a great atmosphere. Compared to the Neo Geo version, the home console ports miss some features but nothing fundamental.

If you are a fan of classic baseball matches and their statistics, this is not precisely the game for you. But if you want something more action-oriented, Super Baseball 2020 is a great choice. Several reviews consider it one of the best baseball games released for the Mega Drive. As we always say for games like this, we suggest you play against a friend for maximum fun.