It’s day three of PAX East, but it’s also the opening week of the Major League Baseball season. This is the perfect time to check out Backyard Baseball, coming out of retirement for a brand new installment in the franchise. The booth had it all, even an appearance from the goat, Pablo Sanchez. You could play an actual game or the mode Playground Productions was showing off, Home Run Derby. Now, I had to jump into Home Run Derby with Mr. Pablo to see if he still has it. Spoilers, he totally does.
Now, I stepped into the batter’s box quite a few times while I was at the booth, and when I can set a high score, I’m going to try my best to do that. The robot pitcher was starting something he couldn’t finish. At the time I was at the booth and on the PC I was using, I set the mark at 33 points and a long home run of 522 feet. I have played the original Backyard Baseball from Playground, and didn’t like the controls for, hitting as I had to use a mouse. This game, coming to consoles, can be played with controllers, and that is great. You line up the cursor with the ball, swing at the right time, and swing for the fences. In Home Run Derby, you have a certain amount of time, as well as bonus time at the end. Bonus time equals three strikes, so swing carefully. The longer things go, the tougher the pitcher becomes. I was close to setting the high score, and the robot started throwing some cheese and messed up my run. You get points for hitting a home run as well as for distance, so you’ll want to try and hit as many home runs in a row as you can.
The changes to hitting make Backyard Baseball a game I’m really looking forward to. Oh and go Mets!