I don't know if any discussion has gone into this, but the 1991 Namco Batter Up game for the Sega Game Gear is clearly based on the original RBI code. You might think a handheld version of RBI is nirvana, but this job was botched.
Screenshot: http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/gg/01/batterup.html (http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/gg/01/batterup.html)
Looks good, doesn't it?
A few good points:
- more colors (firework show is even more special)
- basic gameplay the same
- two fields to choose from
- computer seems tougher to beat (they're very aggresive on the basepaths)
A few problems:
- no MLB license
- cannot seem to throw a fastball (but computer can)
- apparently an attempt was made to optimize for the small GG screen, so the relative sizes of the players and objects were tweaked, which throws off the delicate balance so perfectly realized in RBI
- the Game Gear sucks
- many balls are fielded by the pitcher (either a common GG problem as I've seen this in "The Majors" as well, or I really suck at baseball on the GG)
I find it interesting how these games were recycled (RBI 2 and 3, Batter Up and Super Batter Up, etc.) and how they are similar, but not quite right. I would welcome you to check it out for yourselves and offer a critique that goes deeper than my poor attempt above.
I see in the FAQs that Super Batter Up for the SNES is also related, but it's a more distant cousin, closer to RBI 3. Namco got the MLBPA license for the SNES but not the GG. Different expectations, I suppose.
RBI has always been my favorite game and I went on a collecting spree a few years back to try to find a game that surpassed it. I probably now have 50 games on 10 different systems and I'm still looking (I'm not including ROMs in this count, but I probably have another 30 of those). I have the Batter Up cartridge and a GG, but I think the game plays just as well or better with the ROM and an emulator (I downloaded Dega 1.12 tonight).
Well done Fathead... That screen shot is pretty darn close to the original RBI. I wonder where Batter Up deviated from the original Family Stadium series. So without the license, the players in the game are just random names?
Actually, the screenshot on the right looks a lot like Family Stadium '88, if I remember correctly. I'll have to check it out ...
Nightwulf