October 8, 2008 - Stickball is an East Coast tradition. It's more or less street baseball, but with what amounts to a sawed-off broomstick as a bat. The neighborhood becomes the field. A manhole may act as second base, the walls of the surrounding houses are in play, and cars parked on the street are accepted obstructions. It makes sense for Major League Baseball and 2K Sports to tap into nostalgic memories of stickball to create a game for casual users. After all, there are plenty who like baseball but are intimidated by the MLB 2K series. I can't fault them for trying -- just for failing.
MLB Stickball mixes Major League players with average folks from the local neighborhood with names such as "Power Hitter" and "All Around Player." Jenny from the Block is sadly not included. Each team starts with one MLBer, with amateurs filling in the three other roster slots.
Everyone's got a big head and little body in Stickball, which makes me think Barry Bonds retired a year too early. He'd be a natural fit here.
Each neighborhood not only has its own look (sometimes using real-life settings), but also its own rules. Hit a parked scooter outside AT&T; Park in San Francisco and you get a double. But don't hit it in the bay to your right or it's an automatic out. The varied rules give each neighborhood a bit of personality, but does little to make Stickball any fun. In fact, the rules tend to favor giving people hits (just get it past the pitcher and you are usually golden). And that extends the game. Which means you have to keep playing.
Gameplay in MLB Stickball is lacking. You hit the ball, you see where it lands and then your batter teleports to the appropriate base. The fielders -- whom you can't control -- move about like Weebles, occasionally catching a fly ball, but often looking out of place in the outfield.
The controls are about as simple as can be, since you can only bat or pitch. Batting is just a matter of timing and you press A for a normal swing or B for a power swing. Pitchers have four pitches in their repertoire, assigned to the four face buttons. You can throw a fastball, curveball, lob, or bounce one off the dirt. The pitching meter is not ideal. It charges in under a second, making it tough at first to throw accurate pitches. A longer charge or a two-tap system (one to start, the other to set the power of a pitch) would have made more sense.
If, somehow, you find yourself still wanting to play MLB Stickball after your first game, there is a lengthy Tour mode. This has you playing one game against each team in the league. This is useful for earning points which can be used to buy packs of playing cards. Every three-pack of cards gives you a trio of Major Leaguers, who then join the lineup for their respective ball clubs. While the Yankees start with only Jeter, play through the Tour mode and soon enough you will have a plethora of Bronx Bombers to put on your roster.
If Tour mode isn't your cup of tea, but slogging through games of MLB Stickball is your thing, you can try online play. It works just fine and even allows up to four players from a single console. Having multiple players on the same team is among the worst things you can do, however, since you just alternate between who is batting. That means you'll be twiddling your thumbs and doing a whole lot of nothing most of the time. MLB Stickball co-op play proves that the designated hitter should be abolished.
To sum up, here are the things you can't do in MLB Stickball:
- Field
- Run the bases
- Steal second
- Bunt
- Hit into a double play
- Have fun*
*Editor's Note: This list is incomplete.
Closing Comments
MLB Stickball is bad to the core. It has few redeeming
qualities. It's overly simplistic, it's poorly thought
out, it looks bad and it's boring. An MLB-licensed
stickball game could have been great with the right
design philosophy. Everything here is a major misstep.
Avoid at all costs.
| Rating | Description |  |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide |
|
| 3.0 | Presentation This is pretty bare bones. If not for a good number of MLB players, there'd be nothing here at all. |
|
| 3.0 | Graphics The animations are poor and the textures are weak. Players don't even run the bases! |
|
| 1.0 | Sound You'll hear two things: Bad elevator music and a few quick musical notes that chime after each play. |
|
| 3.0 | Gameplay There is no joy in Mudville. |
|
| 2.0 | Lasting Appeal If you play more than two games, you might be a masochist. |
|
| 3.0 |
OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average) |
|
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