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Like pinball? If so, then you’ve probably already played more than a few video versions of the classic game. It’s been a hit and miss experience attempting to recreate the feel and gameplay of actual pinball in video game format, and Electronic Arts took a stab at it back in 1993 with Virtual Pinball. The result was a lukewarm game that wasn’t necessarily bad but didn’t really do anything to stand out either.
Normally, you’d think that rolling a shiny metal ball around a stage without letting it fall would make for a great game. The original Marble Madness was wonderful, with its excellent trackball controller and more recently, Marble Blast Ultra on Xbox Live Arcade showed that such a game could work with a controller. But that was long after analog sticks became the norm, and poor Genesis gamers had to suffer with playing on a totally unsatisfactory D-pad. The Genesis port of Marble Madness suffered because of it, among other things, and the resulting effort was poor enough for even creator Mark Cerny to disown it!
Ever since Sterling Silver Software (later called Polygames) started the PGA Tour Golf series on the Genesis, consoles have been getting a yearly fix. The franchise is huge now, with brand exclusivity and Tiger Woods’ face plastered on the box, but it all started on Sega’s little black box.
Electronic set the gaming world on fire with its incredible Lakers vs. Celtics & the NBA Playoffs for MS-DOS, and the Genesis port was the proverbial “bigger, badder, better” in all areas. Take control of Magic and sweep Boston or guide Bird and the Celtics to yet another championship. Heck, why not take Barkely’s ’76ers and finally give him that ring?
To celebrate America’s national pastime, we’ve got a full review of EA’s MLBPA Baseball for the Genesis. In a sea of competition, how does it hold up to its rivals, including Sega’s own stellar World Series Baseball? Well, you’ll just have to read the review and see! Remember to leave your steroids at the door!