Sports Talk Baseball

From Sega Retro

n/a

SportsTalkBaseball MDTitleScreen.png

Sports Talk Baseball
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Licensor: Major League Baseball Players Association
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Sports (baseball)

















Number of players: 1-5
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
$64.9564.95[2] 1211

Sports Talk Baseball is a 1992 baseball game by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive released exclusively in the US. It takes Pro Yakyuu Super League '91 and replaces the music with a running commentary in the style of Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football (done by various Western Technologies employees).

Sports Talk Baseball is licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Association, so it includes real players. It does not, however, have a full Major League Baseball license, so teams are referred to solely by their cities or states.

Gameplay

The game follows the rules of MLB baseball. Players can choose from any of the 26 teams, with rosters accurate for the 1991 MLB season. Unlike real professional baseball, there is a "mercy" rule that ends the game when one team is leading by 10 or more runs.

Before each game, each team can choose a starting pitcher, order the batting line-up, change each player's position, and substitute players. Players can choose from three venues: the White Sky Dome (standard-sized field in a dome), the Blue Moon Stadium (largest field, nighttime game), or the Red Sun Stadium (smallest field, daytime game). In single-player games, the player can additionally choose whether to bat or field first, to disable auto-fielding (where the computer automatically positions outfielders), and to make changes to the computer player's roster.

Sports Talk Baseball, Defense, Pitching.png

Sports Talk Baseball, Defense, Fielding.png

  • Sports Talk Baseball, Defense, Pitching.png

  • Sports Talk Baseball, Defense, Fielding.png

Defense
When pitching, Left and Right position the pitcher on the mound and C throws the ball. While throwing, use Left and Right for a breaking ball, Up to throw a change-up (slow pitch), or Down to throw a fastball. Faster pitches are harder for the batter to hit but more likely to travel farther or potentially result in a home run. The batter is eliminated when three strikes are thrown; the batter gets a free base if the pitcher throws four balls or a "beanball" (hitting the batter with the pitch).

Pitchers have a stamina gauge. Fastballs and curve balls wear out pitchers faster. When a pitcher is low on stamina, the ball becomes harder to control. The player can substitute a relief pitcher by pausing the game with  START  and pressing C. Pitchers have their strengths summarized by a graph showing change-ups and fastballs on the y-axis and breaking balls on the x-axis.

While pitching, the player can change the position of the fielders with A: Forward is more effective at catching ground balls and bunts, Back is more effective at catching fly balls from hard hitters, and Normal is the most flexible balance between the two. The player can also switch to a fielding view with B, which can be used to catch players trying to steal bases.

When fielding, the D-Pad controls the fielder closest to the ball. The player can have the nearest fielder jump by pressing C or dive by pressing C while holding a direction. Once the ball is in possession, it can be thrown to base by pressing C while holding a direction corresponding to the base (Right for first, Up for second, Left for third, or Down for home) or press C by itself to throw to first base.

Sports Talk Baseball, Offense, Hitting.png

Sports Talk Baseball, Offense, Running.png

  • Sports Talk Baseball, Offense, Hitting.png

  • Sports Talk Baseball, Offense, Running.png

Offense
When hitting, the D-Pad positions the batter in the batter's box. The batter swings with C or bunts with A. The player can lead-off or attempt to steal a base by pressing B while holding a direction corresponding to a base (Right for first, Up for second, Left for third, or Down for home). Runners can slide into base by pressing A while holding a direction corresponding to the base.

The player can substitute a pinch hitter by pausing the game with  START  and pressing C. Players have their strengths summarized by a graph with throwing (north), fielding (south), power (west), and speed (east).

Modes

There are three modes:

  • Pennant Race: A single-player mode where the player plays a season of 15, 30, 81, or a full 162 games.
  • Exhibition Game: A single match against the computer or a five-game series against another player. Up to five players can participate in a round robin tournament format.
  • All Pro Game: A single match against the computer or another player, pitting the American League All Pro Team against the National League All Pro Team (similar to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game). Players can substitute players from any team in either league to create a custom team.

Teams

League Division Team Based on
American Western California California Angels
Kansas City Kansas City Royals
Chicago Chicago White Sox
Seattle Seattle Mariners
Oakland Oakland Athletics
Texas Texas Rangers
Minnesota Minnesota Twins
Eastern Baltimore Baltimore Orioles
Cleveland Cleveland Indians
Boston Boston Red Sox
New York New York Yankees
Milwaukee Milwaukee Brewers
Toronto Toronto Blue Jays
Detroit Detroit Tigers
National Western Atlanta Atlanta Braves
San Diego San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Los Angeles Dodgers
Houston Houston Astros
Cincinnati Cincinnati Reds
San Francisco San Francisco Giants
Eastern Chicago Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Detroit Tigers
New York New York Mets
Montreal Montreal Expos
St. Louis St. Louis Cardinals

Production credits

© 1992 MLBPA
© 1992 SEGA

Magazine articles

Main article: Sports Talk Baseball/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in GamePro (US) #34: "May 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
30
[3]
Game Power (IT)
78
[4]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
83
[2]
Mega (UK) NTSC-U
74
[5]
Mega Action (UK)
78
[6]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U
84
[7]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
84
[8]
Supergame (BR) NTSC-U
94
[9]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
65
[10]
Zero (UK)
90
[11]
Sega Mega Drive
76
Based on
10 reviews

Sports Talk Baseball

Mega Drive, US
SportsTalkBaseball MD US Box.jpg
Cover
SportsTalkBaseball MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Sports Talk Baseball MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
SportsTalkBaseball MD US Poster Back.jpgSportsTalkBaseball MD US Poster Front.jpg
Poster
SportsTalkBaseball MD US pcb.jpg
PCB

Technical information

Main article: Sports Talk Baseball/Technical information.

References

Sports Talk Baseball

SportsTalkBaseball MDTitleScreen.png

Main page | Magazine articles | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs


No results



Games in the Super League series
Super League (System 16) (1987) | Super League (Mega Drive) (1989) | Clutch Hitter (1991) | Pro Yakyuu Super League '91 (1991) | Sports Talk Baseball (1992) | Pro Yakyuu Super League CD (1992) | Egawa Suguru no Super League CD (1993)