GENRE
	Sennari
	DEVELOPER
	bam!
	PUBLISHER
	1-2
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	no
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Originally I was hoping for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition for Men Photographer, but instead good ole Aaron sent Sports Illustrated for Kids Baseball (SIKB) my way. You can't win them all.

SIKB does not have a major league license, so do not expect to be using the New York Yankees-- although questionably, for today, there was a team called the New York Death. Either way, the game is indeed a baseball game simulation, so there are not too many surprises inside. Gamers will get what they pay for-- or less.

visuals

The best part of the graphics in the game are the players, and this makes sense since most of the attention is placed on them. The batter is well animated walking to the plate, and while waiting for the pitch he shifts his weight. Unfortunately, if you take the time to notice, all the other players are standing completely still. Only the pitcher slides around to find a spot where to pitch and is animated during the pitch. To at least make other players scratch themselves or fidget, instead of being frozen in time, waiting for the hit, would have been nice.

There is a lot of sprite scaling in the game since the camera is mostly in an overhead view from behind home plate. The players are appropriately sized according to their distance from the camera. The camera shifts from being low behind home plate during pitches, to a higher up perspective when the ball is hit. The camera will also shift towards the outfield, if the ball makes it that far. Also, the ball changes its scale nicely during pitches.

When players are out in the field, they use a different sprite than the batting version, and the result is blockier looking players. This is noticeable after the batter hits the ball and starts running for first base and is really blocky up close. Also, when the catcher comes into view, he is fairly blocky as well. This is not a problem with players further out in the field since their size is smaller, and the pixels making up the players are smaller as well. Still, the players could have been a bit higher quality.

The stadium graphics are not that exciting and are of poor quality. There are lights and trees in the back of the stadium, but they are very simple looking, and that's about all you're going to get.

Visually, this game could have used a bit more polish in the end. Considering the lush world of, say, Mario Kart, this game does not push the bar on the GBA's graphic capabilities.

audio

Sound effects for hitting and throwing the ball are very good. There are even voices for "strike" and other phrases in the game. These all fit in very well to make the game a better experience.

The negative part about the audio, however, is the music in-between innings. Despite being based on sports music, it horribly screams midi. The game would have been better off without the music to simulate that stadium atmosphere.

gameplay

As a game labeled "for kids," the game plays well enough to be considered baseball. All the basics have been put in place correctly, such as hitting, pitching, and throwing the ball to teammates. Personally, making it easy to throw the ball is one of the key parts of a baseball game-- if it is frustrating to throw and catch the ball, then the gameplay experience has been ruined.

SIKB created a system where each player around the bases is represented with a directional key. First base is left, third base is right and so on. Add a direction with the B button and the ball will be thrown to that player. The pitcher is in the center, obviously, so you just have to press B to pass to him.

There are three modes of play in the game: season, exhibition, and link. In a season, your team will improve by gaining experience and can be trained in a training event. Being able to improve a team adds a lot to the replay value of the game.

multiplayer

The link play is a good feature to have, but there probably won't be too many other people out there with this game. This game requires a cartridge for each of the GBAs in a link game. Only two players can play at once, instead of four, so there is only one person controlling a team. Two on two features are probably not the best to have in a baseball game, anyway.

overall

SIKB is not the greatest game on the GBA visually, and for SI game, of all things, to not have a license, is a bit of a surprise. Yet SIKB makes up for these shortcomings a little with above-average gameplay and audio. The game does have that baseball feel (slow pace), so those who like baseball are more recommended to get this game than anti-baseball people. This game is really nothing special compared to other baseball games, but if you want to play baseball on your GBA, this may satiate your need.

Sports/10