WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros

Also known as: WBSC eBaseball: Powerful Pro Yakyuu (Japan)

Developer: Konami

I'm torn about WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros. On one hand, playing this game gives me very fond memories of playing baseball games back when I was a child. On the other hand, I'm never a fan when games focus primarily on online playing and very little on a single-player experience. I'll start with the positives - Power Pros plays like baseball games from a few decades ago…in a good way. It makes the game easy to pick up and play for most players. The gameplay is very simplistic and easy to understand…and if you're struggling with it, there is a tutorial here to help you through. If you're fond of baseball games of old, then you'll likely enjoy your time here. If the simplistic gameplay isn't your liking, there are other control schemes that can add a little more complexity to your gameplay. The downside, though, is the online focus. Due to that focus, there's a severe lack of modes. If you're like me, and avoid most online gameplay like a plague, then you'll be extremely limited in what you can do here. Even if you do go online, there aren't too many options here, so unless you really enjoy playing against other players, there may not be much to keep you coming back for a long time. Still, the gameplay here is done well enough where it can be fun to pop in and play a game or two when you're trying to kill some time before friends come over or during a lunch period at work. If this was treated like a full-blown game with plenty of modes, then this had the potential to be an excellent baseball game…but, it's fine for what it is, all the same.

Review added: 12/11/2023

World of Tennis: Roaring 20s

Also known as: Tennis 1920s  (Alternate name)

Developer: Helium9 Games

When I first played World of Tennis: Roaring 20s, I fully expected it to be absolutely terrible…But I was looking forward to it anyway because I’m fascinated by the world back in the early 1900’s and earlier. That said, this isn’t a great game by any means, but it’s also not awful. The gameplay is so-so. It’s not Virtua Tennis by any stretch of the imagination in terms of quality, but if you’re a tennis fanatic, you’ll probably find something to enjoy here. If you’re looking for an old-timey feel, like I was, you probably won’t find a ton to like here, unfortunately. There isn’t much about this game to make you feel like it takes place roughly one hundred years ago aside from the name and some of the clothing. While I welcome the diversity in the characters, let’s face it – one hundred years ago, that diversity just wouldn’t be allowed at most country clubs. So, while it’s definitely nice to see and I wish the country was more diverse back in that time, it further pulls you away from believing that you’re playing as someone from the 1920’s. That said, this is a free-to-play game, so I’m complaining about stuff that didn’t cost me a dime. There are in-game purchases available, but none are required to play the game. Overall, the Roaring 20’s feels more like a whimper than a roar, but with it being free, if you have the space on your Switch, and a mild enjoyment of tennis, you may enjoy this game more than you might think.

Review added: 11/28/2020