R.B.I. Baseball 17 (2017)

R.B.I. Baseball is a game that isn't sure of what it wants to be. It incorporates some elements of both retro and modern titles, but rather than fusing successful elements of both eras, R.B.I. falls flat. Extremely dated visuals, poor presentation, absence of online modes, bad animation and overall lack of polish make for a game that we simply can't recommend, even to hardcore baseball fans.

It has a purpose in theory and might have been acceptable in its current form several years ago, but more efficient ways are on the way to get a sports fix. And with Baseball Stars 2 hopefully coming from Hamster and the fingers-crossed dream of mine that Super Mega Baseball 2 will touch 'em all including the Switch, we won't be lacking for smart baseball options. In a simulation game, I'd at least like to bring Youppi back to a baseball stadium, but that'll have to wait 'til next year.

very inviting to the new player and with simple controls made the whole experience a lot more approachable.

While RBI Baseball 17 is the first game of its kind on the system I have substantial reservations with recommending it even to die hard fans. It really feels like all of the love and substantial efforts in the game were geared towards making the most of the license, not on making a game that is fun to play. Perhaps against a friend you could both muddle through games on equally bad footing but in general I struggled to get into any kind of meaningful groove no matter what team I chose. My understanding is that this has been a faltering franchise on the whole, it seems like the best thing to do would be to go back to the drawing board and try to find some passion, the game is really a disappointing mess.

All in all, the game is not that bad, but you need to take it into the right prospect. It's an arcade game, focused on giving its players a fast experience with real teams and players. It's not a rival to The Show, nor does it try to come off as one.